Day 1 —Select a book at random in the room. Find a novel or short story, copy down the last sentence and use this line as the first line of your new story.

I picked up the money as we walked back to Greg’s ugly truck and drove away.

“You ever think about getting a new truck, dude?” I asked him as I opened the glovebox to throw in the stacks of money. “I mean now you have the money for it!”

“I could never do that to my baby!” he shouted. He frowned and stroked the car door while mumbling something about me being ‘utterly ridiculous’ or something like that.

I chuckled slightly and muttered, “You could at least give the old girl a paint job?”

“Just drop it already Meghan,” Greg shook his head at me.

I smiled sheepishly and turned the radio on. I raised my knees to my chest and leaned my head back.

“Meg! Meghan! Wakey wakey!” Greg’s voice woke me up. I yawned and rubbed my eyes.

“We’re here.”

All I could see was that we were in a car park and there was a river nearby. On all sides, we were surrounded by run-down warehouses and I could only assume that this was some run down industrial estate out in the middle of nowhere.

Isn’t that basically where all shady deals happen in films?

Let’s hope there’s no shootout. We weren’t very prepared for one of those, to say the least.

“Alrighty. I’ll be right out,” I yawn again. Pulling down the sun visor and flipping open the mirror I noticed that my mascara was slightly smudged by my left eye.

As I was attempting to wipe it off with the sleeve of my navy sweater, I heard the unmistakable 'click’ of the car doors locking.

“Greg? Greg!” I yelled, slightly beginning to panic. He could not just leave me in the car in the middle of a sketchy car park. I was God knows how far from the nearest living person and if something happened I don’t think there would even be any witnesses.

I guess that was the whole point of a dodgy meeting.

I could only hope it was all for intimidation.

He came round the side of the van.

“I’m sorry Meghan. Just stay in the car! You’ll be alright, I promise!” he was yelling so that I could hear every word clearly even through the locked car door.

He was on the verge of crying and I felt myself starting to tear up as I started banging on the window.

“Greg! I swear to God Greg! If you do this I…I’ll…” I didn’t know what to say to get him to stop.

“You won’t do anything! It’ll be fine. You’ll be ok and everything will work out fine.”

He wasn’t yelling anymore and I could just barely make out the words between the thump of my palms against the glass.

“If you let me out I can help! I swear! You won’t be ok without me!”

Suddenly I realised something. He couldn’t give them the money if he didn’t have it.

In one swift motion, I pulled the glove box open again, this time using so much force that it was nearly pulled off its hinges.

It was empty.

“I’ve got the money, Meghan. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

I didn’t but it was the only thing I could think of that would stop him from making the worst decision of his life. And possibly the last.

There was only one possible thing that could stop him now. But could I really break him like that?

“Greg! What about Chris?”

That definitely got his attention.

“What?” he asked, tears still leaving salty trails down his face and for the first time through this whole ordeal he looked tired. No, exhausted. Like his whole life was falling apart which, in a way, I suppose it was.

“Christina! You started this for her! What would she say if she could see you right now? Huh? You can’t just leave everyone behind like that. Why are you risking everything now?”

He looked at me desperately. As though his eyes were pleading. But his mind was already made up.

He began walking away in the direction of the warehouse.

“Tell Christina I love her!”

Those were the last words I heard him say before he disappeared from my life.

That was nearly 6 years ago.