‘Got a feeling we’ll be best mates whether or not we’re in the same year at school.’

‘Yeah, I got that feeling too. And I owe a lot of fucking money, Parks. Pay-day loans, credit cards and shit.’

‘How do we fix that?’

‘We! I like it, Parks! You’re a great man. I’ve already sorted it, though.’

‘What you done?’

‘Owned up to it. It’s all in my mum’s name. And if it’s fraud, the lender writes it off, see? Serves them fucking right for sending out so many application forms, making it so fucking easy.’

‘And what happens to you?’

‘Yeah, don’t sweat. Court date, criminal record, community sentence maybe.’

‘Shit.’

‘Scrubbing graffiti off walls and mowing a few lawns? Do me good, Parks!’

‘Guess so.’

‘The people here, they’re gonna help me with …’ Alfie looked uncomfortable for the first time. ‘With my enthusiasm for the gear.’

‘Addiction?’

‘Yeah, that’s what they call it.’

‘No shame in it, mate.’

‘They say that as well. You should come and work here. You’d be good at it.’

‘You’re doing great. You’ll be fine.’

‘I will be fine, cuz. I promise. Just everything got on top of me, you know? I needed to, like, step off the world. To stop time, you know? So I could work things through.’

‘I know.’

‘And I thought I couldn’t step off. But it turns out I can.’ He smirked. ‘And in such plush surroundings, too.’ He lifted his laptop so Will could see around the ward: the barred windows, the Perspex-protected telly, the plastic plates and cups.

‘You got a piano, though.’

‘Yeah. Some old woman donated it, I’m told. Maybe I’ll learn to play while I’m here.’

‘You should.’

‘Fuck me, man,’ Alfie said. ‘Am I glad they found me that morning.’

‘Defo.’

‘Anonymous call, apparently. Someone saw me acting strangely!’

‘How unusual.’

‘That’s what I thought. Wish I knew who to thank, though.’

Will shrugged.

Are you a hero if no one knows what you did?

‘Saved my fucking life,’ Alfie said, his voice wobbling.

Will smiled as they brought the call to an end.

Yes, perhaps you are.

It will happen today. I can feel it.

And yet, at this eleventh hour, I still don’t know what’s coming.

When this began, I could see weeks ahead. It became just days. My foresight is now measured in hours. This evening is only just starting to come into clear view.

But this day is familiar to me. I lived it just hours ago, of course, even though it feels so very, very distant. And as I follow you, knowing now that I was you, my memory of this day is coming back.

Very shortly I will know exactly what happened to me – what is soon going to happen to you.