From the Dark

by K. A. Richardson

  ‘Woman magic? What the hell are you talking about? You stalked me – you broke into my apartment, hit me. You were the one who wanted me to come back to the community – I told you I wouldn’t come back. More than once. I don’t know how you could be so blind that you think this is my fault.’

  Toni was fuming – the anger fuelling her on. She hadn’t done anything to prompt this – she knew that.

  A shadow crossed Duke’s eyes – she didn’t think it was possible for them to darken further but they did. Now he resembled a true predator, he was calculating, deadly. Shut your mouth – stop goading him.

  It was too late, though – he raised his fist and slammed it into the side of her face, the same side he’d hit previously, which still burned from the contact. Toni tasted blood, one of her teeth dropped against her tongue. She coughed, spluttering blood, hearing the chink as the tooth hit the concrete floor.

  Duke bent at the knees and hoisted her up onto his shoulder. ‘Think I need you in a better position – can’t quite get the right angle when you’re laid out on the floor.’

  Toni sensed the metal hook rather than saw it – she squirmed on his shoulder, jerking her legs and wriggling, trying to get him to lose his grip. ‘No please! Don’t!’

  It didn’t work, though: he held her steady by wrapping one arm across her waist, pinning her to him. it was then she felt the pressure of the hook at her back – just to the right of her spine between that and her shoulder blade. Fuck, this is going to hurt.

  And it did – far more than she could have anticipated. She couldn’t stop the loud scream that escaped as the hook cut through material, skin and muscle as though it was nothing more than butter. Another scream as he shifted her weight, letting it settle so that she was hung.

  Just like the young men from her visions.

  Just like herself in the last one.

  Toni had never felt pain like it – she didn’t dare move even a millimetre for fear the hook would just keep going deeper. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she sucked in a quick breath, holding it for several seconds. She tried to still her movement while she became accustomed to the searing pain spreading across her shoulder – Toni didn’t know exactly what it was hooked onto, but it felt like the bottom of her shoulder blade. If she moved it would alter position and rip itself out of her back. She didn’t know if that was possible but it sure felt that way.

  Her breathing shallow, she gasped in short breaths, trying with all her might not to sway.

  ‘This is how they felt – the lads that he hung here. You have to stay strong. Do not give up. No matter what he does,’ Sam’s voice finally whispered in her mind.

  Toni tried to draw strength from Sam’s words – it was hard, though. Fear and pain pulsed through her. Nobody even knows I’m here. Tears fell from her eyes – right now she didn’t think there’d be any way out of this mess.

  ‘Don’t cry – or I’ll give you something to cry about. My mum used to say that – when I was a kid. She’d always make me cry harder if I didn’t stop as well. Until I grew up and realised crying is for babies. She will take me back – her hating me now is your fault too, you know. She told me not to bring you back – even offered me Craig Gillan’s daughter on a plate. You remember him, right? His daughter is sixteen years old and ripe for the plucking. A bit plain-Jane but that’s nothing. And I said no. For what? A washed-up, has-been bitch who’s shagging a cop and probably every one of his colleagues?’

  He smoothed his hands down the crowbar he carried. Where the hell did that come from? Her eyes darted behind him, homing in on the items on the table. Metal poles, knives, screwdrivers – it was like a torture chamber. Toni felt what was left of her blood drain from her face – he’s going to kill me, but not before he grinds me down with torture.

  She tried not to flinch as he hit her ribs with the crowbar, eliciting another scream from her. She didn’t want to scream, it showed him that he was in control. But Toni couldn’t stop it either. The impact made the chains swing, and the hook moved and settled inside. Black stars danced in front of her eyes, obscuring her vision for what felt like an eternity. She wanted to form words, try and talk him down – he must’ve been a reasonable man once, right? But the words wouldn’t come. It was all she could do to stop the black stars advancing into overwhelming darkness, even though she knew she would welcome that feeling of nothingness about now.

  Duke stepped back, his gaze not moving from her face. He took a sudden step forward and she cried out, already anticipating another blow. He smirked – plainly toying with her, then turned and strode into another room, the doorway of which was beside the table.

  Toni’s breath escaped in a loud whoosh – she hadn’t even realised she’d been holding it in. It felt like every muscle and bone was in pain. Even breathing burned her sore chest and stomach. The hook in her back felt enormous. Even if she survived this, she knew the feeling of that being there would never go away.

  ‘You will survive – it’s not your time to die. Have faith.’

  Have faith in what, Sam? He’s got me hung up like a slab of meat, my hands and feet are tied. Even if I wanted to get down, there’s no way I can do that on my own.

  ‘Mark will get here – he always saves you. It’s dictated by history.’

  Maybe I don’t want him to save me! Why aren’t I ever brave enough to help myself? I’m not some damsel in distress – I shouldn’t need saving by someone.

  ‘It’s not that you’re not brave – you are. You help so many people with your gift. This is the universe giving you the help you need. Mark will get here in time. Believe it. Shout for him, scream for him. His soul hears yours.’

  Toni shook her head. For the first time in her life, she wished she’d never been born Romani, didn’t have any gifts and could just live like the normal folk did. If it wasn’t for her Romani heritage, she wouldn’t be in this hellhole right now. Quit that ‘oh woe is me’ attitude right now. I’m not a quitter. Listen to Sam. He’s never let me down before.

  She steeled herself, feeling strength rush through her. Whatever Duke did, she couldn’t control. But she could control how she reacted to it. Toni didn’t flinch as he walked back towards her.

  Chapter 21

  23rd December, 1955 hours – car park, Bingo Hall, A8, Edinburgh

  Mark’s panic sat inside his chest like a lead weight – he’d spoken to Superintendent Wallace Pratt, the senior investigating officer, when he’d arrived. Pratt knew his stuff – he’d dealt with several kidnappings and was a trained negotiator. None of that helped Mark, though. All he felt was blind panic at not knowing where Toni was.

  He knew the partial plate he’d provided had last pinged on the ANPR camera heading into Leith. Leith was on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The area used to be quite run down but was now home to several artisan restaurants as well as the Royal Yacht Britannia, now a tourist attraction. It was flagged as an area that was ‘up and coming’ according to the latest data from the tourist board. Mark knew these facts – facts that were absolutely useless and of no comfort to him. All he really knew of Leith was that it was a small town in its own right. It was extensive and had lots of buildings and roads where Duke could have taken Toni.

  ‘We’ll find her, Bro.’ Alex’s voice was calm, his hand touched Mark’s arm. It was enough to give him comfort, though. Momentarily at least. His other siblings had taken up posts near to Pratt so they had complete involvement in the case. Mark knew Pratt was allowing it out of courtesy only. Normally the family would be taken away from the area. It happened almost instantly in the case of a kidnapping. Police had procedures to follow and generally speaking, a kidnapper was known to the family. He was only allowing it because of Mark’s involvement with Toni and the fact that pretty much Mark’s whole family was involved in law enforcement in one way or another. The police looked after their own. It was a family thing. And in this instance, Mark was glad of the support.

  ‘I remember when this area was nothing but ru
n-down houses filled with scumbags. When we were kids you either came to Leith to work in the factories, or you lived here because you couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. Uncle Robert used to work at the old abattoir, didn’t he? You remember? That was out this way, I think. I always hated going to his house on a Saturday – he always stunk like dead cows,’ Alex reminisced, his hand not leaving Mark’s arm.

  ‘Yeah – you’re not wrong either, that dead animal smell was so distinctive. Put me off eating beef for ages. I reckon if it wasn’t for Aunty Doris’s amazing cakes, none of us would have gone back to their house.’ Mark’s voice didn’t sound like his own – it sounded tinny and far away. Memories pricked at the corners of his mind – good ones mostly. He remembered his dad telling him that everyone had bills to pay, and that Uncle Robert got paid very well for making sure they all had meat for their dinners.

  ‘Is it still going? The abattoir I mean?’

  ‘Nah, it was closed years ago. Couldn’t even tell you how long. Leith’s improved a lot over recent years. I’m surprised they haven’t knocked those old factory buildings down to be honest. Most of them are just empty shells now.’

  Recognition sparked in Mark’s eyes and he turned to face Alex. ‘Empty shells would be a good place to hide a body or two. Maybe he’s taken her to the old industrial estate?’ Not even giving Alex chance to answer, Mark’s eyes widened as his thought trail progressed and he continued. ‘Actually, even if he hasn’t, regarding the dead bodies from the vaults – the pathologist said they’d had something embedded in their backs – something that was curved at the bottom then sharpened to a point – like a hook.’

  Alex stared at him blankly.

  ‘Meat hooks, Alex. What if the young men killed were hung on meat hooks in an old abandoned abattoir for example?’

  ‘You’ve lost me – what are you talking about, Mark?’

  ‘The abattoir – the young men from the vaults all had injuries in their back from being suspended on something curved and sharp enough to cut through skin and muscle. I might be reaching here, but what if they were kept in the old abattoir before being moved to the vaults? The injuries to their backs could match the old meat hooks they hung the pigs and cows on. Do you think stuff like that would still be present inside the abattoir after all these years? I mean it must be six years at least since they closed it down.’

  ‘Doubtful I’d say – we all worked the shitty burglaries back in the day. I’d say six years would have had every scrote in Edinburgh through the doors stealing anything not secured down. We shouldn’t rule it out, though. Those old buildings were riddled with asbestos and other stuff. It’s possible that when it was closed, there were warnings placed and maybe the locals kept away. Why don’t we go and check it out?’

  Mark paused, torn between wanting to check and worrying about Toni. Sighing he knew he would tie himself in knots if he didn’t do something to take his mind off it. ‘I don’t know, Bro, but let’s go check it out anyway. I’ll ask dispatch if they have any idea who the keyholder is. Pratt has a hold on Toni’s investigation – and we won’t be gone that long.’ Mark took three strides to Pratt’s side. ‘Sir, Ali, Me and Alex are going to check out a lead. I’ve got my radio and mobile with me if you turn up anything in the search.’

  His panic had settled as a hard lump in his stomach, as much as he doubted his decision, he knew he had to do something.

  23rd December, 2010 hours – abandoned abattoir, Leith

  Duke walked slowly in a circle around Toni. It was predatory, and it made her even more uneasy. The hook was deep in her back and every movement made it feel as though it was being jabbed deeper and deeper. It felt like she had a steady stream of blood pouring down her back but she couldn’t see it, didn’t even know if it was real or her imagination. What she did know was that hook really hurt.

  Tears had fallen down her face several times already this evening. She’d tried to stop them, not wanting to feel sorry for herself but they fell regardless. Everything about this awful place she was in screamed death. She could practically hear the cattle crying as they were led to their death. Her brain had picked up that it used to be an abattoir the second she’d been in a position to look around. From the metal troughs in the floor to carry the blood waste away, to the metal hook embedded deeply in her back.

  This place was death.

  And if a place could mean death, then the man coming out of the room at the back would surely be the one to make it happen. She looked Duke up and down as he came through the doorway. There was nothing special about him. He had the same dark hair that a lot of Romani men had, his build was average, his height average. Even the few days of stubble covering his chin was average. The one thing that wasn’t, though, was his eyes – so dark they could practically be black, they reminded her of a shark’s eyes – cold, calculating and pure evil.

  The eyes are the windows to the soul, and from looking in his, she knew his soul was as black as night. He intended to torture then kill her – of this she was certain.

  Her brain ran through scenarios as if she was watching a movie, but no matter how her head played the situation out, she knew she couldn’t stop the outcome. Not with the stupid hook holding her suspended. Remember your gym class, though – maybe you can bring your legs up and use your arms to pull off the chain? She shook her head imperceptibly – that wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t do ropes when she was at school let alone twenty odd years later.

  Catch him off guard then – if he’s injured he can’t kill you.

  How did she catch him by surprise? The only weapons she had at her disposal was her legs, and they were secured together at the ankles with cable ties. If she could get to her knife, then she could use that, but again her hands and feet were tied so that scenario was unlikely.

  Sighing she realised there was no solution to this that she could do on her own. The only thing she could do was wait – for now anyway. She’d keep her eyes open for an opportunity but she knew she was in a terrible situation, one she really couldn’t see a way out of without help. But no one knew where she was. It was too much to hope that Mark had seen anything: she knew he was supposed to be meeting her but the chances of him entering the street just as she was being dragged into a van were miniscule. He’d probably think she was standing him up. I’m not, Mark, I swear. I’d much rather be wrapped up in your arms than here.

  When Duke started walking towards her, Toni shuddered. It was an involuntary response, but one he saw. He smiled at her knowingly – she was scared and he knew it. He sauntered over, relishing in the twinge she gave with every step.

  ‘Be brave. He’s coming – but this is going to hurt.’ Sam’s voice was soft – it also held a hint of trepidation. Steeling herself, she stiffened, and the hook sank a tiny amount deeper. She gritted her teeth against the gasp that would have escaped. Internally, though, she let loose a scream that echoed round the crevasses of her mind.

  ‘All of this is your fault.’ Duke’s tone was the complete opposite to that used by Sam – he was menacing and threatening.

  Toni thanked her lucky stars again that she’d never entered into marriage or a relationship with this man. Not that it mattered now – either way his intent was clear.

  He stood in front of her now, his eyes homed in on hers. ‘If you hadn’t ran away, none of this would have happened. You and me would be married, we’d have had kids. Everything would be as it was meant to be. Instead I ended up having to marry Bette. She wasn’t you, though – she was never you. The day she died… well… that was the day I knew you would come back to me one day. But then you had to go and ruin that too. Shagging a cop for God’s sake, of all the people you could have shacked up with you ended up with a cop. An outsider at that. It goes against everything Romani stand for. You have put your gran and your family name to shame. Why I ever thought for one minute we could work it out I have no idea.’

  ‘You killed Bette.’ Toni’s statement was matter-of-fact.

&nb
sp; He didn’t say anything to deny her accusation. His eyes turned a little wistful. ‘Yes, I killed her – she was my first. She’s never really left home, though – couldn’t have her that far away from me. She knew too much. Even my mother doesn’t know she’s so close.’

  ‘Why did you do it?’ Toni was trying to encourage him to keep talking. The longer he talked for, the more time she had alive. And if Sam was right, then maybe Mark would find her. It lit a spark of hope inside her heart. She had to stay alive for him if nothing else.

  When Duke placed a knife blade against her neck, though, all thoughts of Mark coming and her staying alive fled. Toni froze – she couldn’t do anything else. She couldn’t move because of the chains and the hook holding her suspended. She couldn’t fight back because her hands and feet were secured. ‘Please… don’t,’ she croaked, fear immobilising her once more.

  ‘You’d be surprised how many people beg for their lives when they feel the cool blade on them. I’ve not had one in here that didn’t beg.’ Duke pressed a little harder and her body swung backwards gently, moving her neck away from him. She didn’t want to swing back, but momentum carried her towards him and he snaked his free arm around her back, holding her steady. He pressed a little harder and she felt the knife cut through her skin. Toni tried to beg, wanted to tell him she’d do anything if he didn’t kill her, but she couldn’t. Her words caught in her throat and all that came out was a grunt.

  The hand he used to hold her steady wandered downwards and he suddenly gripped her arse cheek tightly, pulling him closer to him. Toni couldn’t get away from him. she shuddered again – what if he… don’t even go there. To do that he’ll have to get you down, then you can make your move. She felt his erection pressing against her leg and he moaned, his eyes aimed directly at her breasts.