"He
came out of nowhere."
"Do you mean he startled you and caused the
accident?"
"No you aren’t listening. Like I said he
appeared after the accident."
"So he had nothing to do with it? What about this
other man, in the other car, did he attack him?"
"No! I told you had didn’t hurt anybody.
What’s the matter with you, he helped us."
"Why don’t you just tell me what
happened?"
"I am trying but you keep interrupting."
"Right then I’ll just take notes, you tell me
what happened."
She looked at the policeman like he was lying but after a
pause she resumed her story. "Like I told you my
daughter Sally and I were driving home after having
dinner at my mum’s. It was just after nine and
pretty dark. There weren’t many other cars so I was
surprised when this car came out of the
merging lane at speed and hit us. The car spun out of
control and hit the median rail. A car behind us swerved
to miss us and hit the first car. They both spun round
until they came to stop..."
"And you hadn’t seen this other guy yet?"
"No."
"Go on." She took a breath and continued after
thinking for a moment.
"Sally was screaming but I couldn’t move. The
front of the car was crushed and my legs were trapped. I
was hazy from the pain but I saw the driver of the first
car, I think it was red, open the door and fall out onto
the road. He looked drunk and started over in our
direction. At first I thought
he was going to help us. Then when he got to our car he
kicked my door and the tire. He was furious. He said it
was my fault. He was swearing and screaming."
"This was the driver of the red car, you’re
sure? Not this," the officer pretended to check his
notes, "Zeroman? You are sure of this? You were in a
lot of pain."
"Yes! I am sure!"
"Good. Go on." She looked like she wasn’t
going to but she couldn’t help but tell the next
part of her story.
"Something caught my eye. Here I was watching this
drunk man kick my car and swearing. I looked round to see
what it was. I am sure it wasn’t the pain. He
floated down in front of the car. Like in the movies, he
landed on the road right there in front of us. The drunk
man didn’t notice at first.
Sally was still screaming and I think I was in
shock."
"So he walks around next to this man kicking our
car. He spoke to the drunk man, I couldn’t hear the
words. The man hit him in the face and looked like he
hurt his hand. It seemed to bring the drunk man around,
they talked and then he stumbled off to his car. I
don’t know what happened to him aft
er that."
"Now this man bends down and in a voice like stones
grinding together he says ‘I am going to get your
car out of the traffic, just hold on’. So he grabs
our car and drags it off to the side of the road. I
don’t mean he rolled it but he actually dragged it.
Then he asked me in the same voice wheth
er I was trapped. He couldn’t open my door so he
pulled it off. Tore it right off the car."
"Then some other people turned up and offered to
help. They took care of Sally. They came round with her
and I told her we would be okay. She had stopped
screaming and I was worried. He checked my legs and then
said he was going to get me out. I don’t know how he
did it but he bent the steering c
olumn back and I could feel that I was free. He said that
the ambulance was on it’s way and that’s when I
passed out from the pain or blood loss."
"So you didn’t see him hurt anyone?"
"No! For all I know he saved my life. I thought that
man was going to hurt us. Is he wanted by the
police?"
"We would like to speak to him."
"Why?" The detective didn’t seem to have
an answer.
"Look whatever he has done I’d like to thank
him. Not just for helping us but it would be nice to
believe in someone like Superman, someone who can help
you whatever the problem. Someone who always will.
Zeroman." She said it like it was for the first
time, trying the word out for size, tasting it. She said
it again, "Zeroman," and then she smiled.
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