Siren
Publisher-style line edit Across England, three men get ready for the evening match. Some of them have never met. Mobile phones at the ready. Each in a different setting, in a different part of the country. Two in London. One in Hertfordshire. Lawrence. Sawyer. Declan. Sawyer drifts in and out of sleep as his voice note vibrates. The podcast has begun. His phone is pressed against his pillow, the vibration and hum folding into his dream. The hum becomes part of the dream itself. Sawyer strolls with friends. They move through Borough Market, the aroma of fresh bread filling the air, mixed with the hum of chatter and laughter from passers-by. The air is crisp as it brushes his legs. A cold breeze snaps at his skin, lifting the thin boxer shorts he is wearing. The big belly laughs keep coming. He is warmed by them. He clasps his hands together; they are warm. Everything feels warm around him, even with the wind biting at his legs. The conversation is being controlled by someone...