Disobey

by Jacqui Rose

  36

  Alfie Jennings couldn’t see anything, but he could feel it. But this time he could sense something else apart from the pain. He could feel his phone vibrating. Through the lost hours and his agony, Alfie had forgotten he had his phone tucked away in his sock and it was the first time it’d rung since he’d been wherever he was. He was surprised the battery wasn’t flat but he guessed with no calls and him unable to use it, it would have lasted longer than usual. The thought that only one person had noticed or bothered he’d gone was something he didn’t want to dwell on. Though in a way it didn’t matter how many people had called him because he couldn’t answer it anyway.

  His hands were bound to the cold damp wall and his feet were unable to move from the position he was in.

  They’d tied him up and left him, and the torture of not knowing what was going to happen made him feel like he might go mad. But he supposed this was all part of their game. The mental torment sometimes was worse than the actual physical pain inflicted.

  After all Alfie should know – it was something over the years he had used to extract and intimidate enemies and associates alike. But now the terror of the unknown was pointing his way. The idea if Lin did come back, he’d know it was for one purpose only. And if he didn’t come back, Alfie would slowly starve to death.

  The last thought struck a nerve, terrifying and charging him into action. ‘Help!… Help! Help me!’ His words floated up but the sound was trapped within the thick walls. He pulled at the chains which cut deep into his flesh. The pain in his back shot through him, tearing at his muscles as the pressure of his body being immobilised on the cold concrete floor began to weaken his skin, splitting it open to make raw fresh wounds.

  ‘Uncle Alfie, it’s Chloe-Jane. Call me back, I want to talk to you … Oh, and I’m not looking for anywhere to stay, if that’s what you think. I just want to say I’m sorry.’ Chloe locked off the phone. She’d kind of guessed her uncle wouldn’t answer, but she’d keep trying until he did. There was no way he was getting out of this one. He was going to talk to her, whether he liked it or not.

  37

  ‘Chloe! Chloe!’ Jodie waved to Chloe who was standing on the corner of Beaumont Street near Paddington. Chloe’s face lit up as she saw her friend.

  ‘Hi! Thank you so much for this. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t desperate.’

  ‘Well that’s nice innit, you only asked me because you’re desperate!’ The girls both giggled, holding hands as they walked down the street, looking much younger than they really were.

  ‘I thought you lived in Chinatown?’

  Jodie pulled a face. ‘No, why did you think that?’

  Chloe shrugged her shoulders, not quite knowing the reason why she’d assumed that. The times she’d gone to do the live streaming, Jodie had met her then taken her to a car which had been waiting for them, and from there she’d been blindfolded, having no idea where they’d taken her, but she’d always assumed it was in or around the Chinatown area, where her first meeting with Mr Lee had been. But that had been all a guess, because she hadn’t ever seen anything – when they’d arrived at the destination, they’d taken Chloe along dark corridors and then eventually to the room where she’d get ready to do the live streaming.

  ‘Dunno, just thought you did, that’s all.’ Again the girls fell about laughing, happy in their own world.

  Five minutes later, and with Chloe having taken no notice of the route Jodie had taken, they came to a large building on the rundown borders of Paddington and Edgware Road, which was less of a block of flats and more of an office building. The bottom windows had been boarded up, with security posters warning intruders not to enter. A large metal fence ran round the side.

  ‘This is it.’

  Chloe looked surprised. ‘Here?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Chloe-Jane smiled. ‘Cool.’

  ‘But you have to be really quiet. There are other girls who live here – if they see you, one of them’s bound to tell Mr Lee.’

  Chloe looked curious. ‘Who are the other girls?’

  ‘Oh, they’re mostly from Hong Kong. I don’t really have much to do with them because they don’t do the live streaming, they’re mostly mules. Smuggle drugs in exchange for a place to stay in London. Most of them are heroin addicts, they’re forever shooting up on the stairs. Gets on me tits.’

  ‘Do they get paid a lot?’

  ‘I doubt it, they’d probably do it for nothing as long as they were going to get a bit of smack at the end of it all. Guess it’s not a bad gig coming over to another country, but I wouldn’t do it. Too dangerous, if you get caught, you’re looking at time!’ Jodie exaggerated the last word so much it sent Chloe off into fits of laughter again.

  It felt good to laugh and being with Jodie made life worth living. And maybe, just maybe what Chloe was having to do was worth it. Not because of the money, but because she’d met Jodie. And she couldn’t put a price on friendship; as she was slowly discovering, friends were sometimes better than family.

  ‘Come on, but watch your step – it’s really dark, but I can’t risk putting the lights on.’

  Chloe didn’t say anything. She took hold of Jodie’s outstretched arm, using it to guide her in the darkness.

  Not being able to see, Chloe made sure she kept hold of Jodie’s hand tightly. The dark frightened her for many reasons. As a kid, the moment the lights went out she knew bad things were going to happen and the fear of it had stayed with her ever since.

  She could hear drops of water and the muffled sounds of people talking, though she wasn’t sure if it was coming from outside the building or from directly above her.

  ‘Jodie!’ She called out her friend’s name for reassurance.

  ‘Shhh! We’re almost there.’

  Chloe did as she was told and fell into silence, following behind for another couple of minutes until they got to a large door. Jodie spoke in a whisper.

  ‘Wait here, I’ll go and make sure that the coast is clear. If I don’t come back in a minute, it’s only because some of the other girls are about and it’s not safe.’

  ‘Don’t leave me here! Can’t I come with you, say I’m a friend visiting or something?’

  Jodie was firm. ‘No, I’ve already told you. We’re not allowed to have anyone here, and if Mr Lee finds out …’ Jodie trailed off.

  Chloe-Jane decided not to push it anymore. There was no way she wanted to get Jodie into trouble. ‘Okay, but don’t be long … promise.’

  ‘Promise.’

  ‘Pinkie promise?’

  Jodie giggled quietly. ‘Yes, pinkie promise.’

  The metal door creaked open and then slammed shut, leaving Chloe-Jane alone in the darkness. For a moment she felt frozen to the spot, as she listened to the sounds which seemed louder and eerier now Jodie had gone.

  She tried to distract herself by thinking about nice things, but she couldn’t really think of one. Her legs began to shake and standing up wasn’t helping. So, just as she was deciding it was better to sit down than stand up, Chloe-Jane heard something which made her freeze. There it was. She wasn’t certain at first, but she could swear it sounded like someone shouting. She listened again, straining her ears to hear whatever it was properly.

  Perhaps it was Mr Lee, shouting at one of the girls, or even Jodie. Perhaps Mr Lee had caught her sneaking about and had demanded to know what was going on. Maybe Jodie needed her help.

  Slowly, Chloe-Jane shuffled back towards the metal door where Jodie had gone through, but the shouting seemed further away when she stood there. She moved back to her original spot. And yes, yes there it was, louder and clearer. And it was coming from down one of the corridors.

  Bravely, Chloe tried to quell her fears and took a deep breath before slowly, cautiously, moving forward along the corridor, hoping her eyes would eventually get used to the dark.

  The idea had crossed her mind to use her phone light but she was frightened somehow it’d be seen. Using the
wall to guide her, Chloe paused, listening again for the cry. There it was, but this time not only could she make out that it was someone shouting, she could make out the words. Help me! Help me!

  Chloe-Jane shivered, fear creeping over her entire being. The largest part of her wanted to run, to get out of there and pretend she hadn’t heard anything, yet the part of her that had helped her survive over the years and kept her going when all around was falling apart made her push on further into the darkness.

  A minute later, Chloe could feel she was in a larger space; the air felt different and the corridor branched off into others. She listened, wanting to know which way to go, but the cry had stopped. And as the time ticked by, Chloe began to question herself. Had she been imagining it? Had it just been her fear of the dark which had taken over? Hearing things and feeling things, just an elaborate reaction to her fear of the dark? But then, there was only one way of finding out.

  With her heart racing, Chloe-Jane whispered her curiosity. ‘Hello? Is there anyone there?’ No reply. She waited a moment before speaking again, but this time she voiced her question slightly louder. ‘Hello?’ And then there it was. Coming from deep within the labyrinth of hallways, a faint voice, replying. ‘Help! Help me!’

  The second the reply came, Chloe-Jane began to panic. It could be anybody, doing anything. Fear raced round her mind and Chloe turned to run, but her terror made her forget which way she’d come; disorientating her in her alarm. Right, it was right. No, left – maybe it was left. She staggered along, tripping and grappling her way along the passageways.

  Chloe swivelled round, lost and alone, listening to the cries for help. She covered her ears, trembling and frantic, not wanting to hear the voice.

  ‘Chloe! Chloe-Jane!’ Jodie appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her, her tone furious as she shook her. ‘What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay where you were. Why did you move? I’ve been looking for you for ages. Do you want to get me in trouble?’

  The relief Chloe felt made it nearly impossible for her to speak. ‘No … No … I’m sorry.’

  Jodie held up her phone to Chloe’s tearstained face. ‘What were you doing here?’

  ‘I … I heard something.’

  Jodie snapped at Chloe. ‘What do you mean, you heard something?’

  ‘I heard someone shouting for help.’

  A look of worry flashed in Jodie’s eyes. ‘Don’t be silly. You’re just imagining it. I told you you were a baby.’

  ‘I’m not, I really did hear …’ Chloe-Jane stopped. ‘There! Did you hear that! It’s coming from down there. Someone’s in trouble.’

  Jodie’s voice was flat and cold. ‘I didn’t hear anything.’

  ‘You must have! Listen, you must be able to hear it!’

  Jodie’s eyes narrowed, her tone low, almost threatening. ‘I said, there’s nothing to hear.’

  ‘But …’

  ‘But nothing, Chloe. There’s nothing to hear. Now come on, before I change my mind about you staying with me.’

  As Chloe-Jane walked behind Jodie, she began to wonder quite how much she should trust her new friend.

  38

  Two days had passed and Chloe-Jane had been holed up in Jodie’s room. They’d had a near-miss when Mr Lee had decided to make an unexpected visit and she’d had to hide under the bed whilst he reprimanded Jodie, shouting and telling her off as well as trying to humiliate her by making her stand naked whilst he told her off about how messy her room was. He’d stayed in the room for over half an hour and by the time he’d left, Jodie had been in tears, and Chloe had a terrible case of pins and needles from being under the bed too long.

  Today she was back at work, and although the trepidation of what was to come sat at the bottom of her stomach like a sickness, the more imminent, impending fear was what or rather who was in the darkened corridor below Jodie’s room.

  Chloe had tried desperately to push it out of her mind, trying to tell herself it was no concern of hers, but the more she tried, the more prevalent the thought became.

  ‘So, if you wait at the corner, near Paddington Station, we’ll pick you up there. But make sure you keep your mouth shut about staying here. The driver may look like he can’t speak a word of English but he has better vocab than me.’ Jodie smiled warmly.

  Chloe returned the smile; weaker and cooler. Ever since Jodie had denied hearing the cries for help, Chloe had been cautious. Cautious about everything and anything she said to her. She’d tried to speak to her about it yesterday, but one of the other girls living across the corridor had knocked on the door.

  As Chloe-Jane put on her jacket, she tried again, needing answers. ‘Jodie, you know the other night, I didn’t mistake what I heard. There was someone there.’

  Jodie turned round, her face contorted in anger. ‘What did I tell you? Didn’t I say there was no one there?’

  ‘Yes, but …’

  Jodie raised her voice. ‘Just leave it! Leave it, Chloe, you don’t know what you’re messing with.’

  ‘So there is someone there. I knew it. You know it too … What’s going on, Jodie?’

  ‘I didn’t say that. Why are you trying to twist my words, Chloe? All I’ve done is be a friend to you and you come here wanting to start trouble. Now leave it … leave it, before it’s too late.’

  But Chloe-Jane couldn’t. She couldn’t dismiss the mix of anger and fear on her friend’s face.

  ‘Jodie. What is it? Who is it?’

  Jodie grabbed her bag, pulling her arm away from Chloe who was trying to hold onto her. ‘No. No, I won’t be tricked into talking about this. Just stop it; please.’

  ‘Tell me what’s going on; if you’re in trouble we can get out of here. We can go now.’

  Jodie began to cry but the anger was still in her voice. ‘Stop! If you’re my friend as you say you are, then stop. For me. I’m begging you, no more questions.’

  Chloe was shocked at Jodie’s tears. She nodded her head. ‘Okay … Okay, I’ll leave it.’

  Jodie wiped away her tears. ‘Good … Good, now come on, we’ll be late.’ She walked out of the room, closely followed by Chloe, who was deep in thought. She wasn’t going to leave it. In fact she was going to do quite the opposite.

  She was going to find out exactly what Jodie was hiding.

  Chloe-Jane lay on the bed, watching the red flashing light on the camera letting her know that it was being streamed live. She watched as the hooded man walked in, leather and metal stud strap in hand, and as the first strike cut into her skin, she closed her eyes, feeling the pain but disconnecting from her body, pretending she was in some faraway place, somewhere safe, just as she had done as a child when the ones she had trusted had hurt her the most.

  In the next room, Mr Lee watched the monitor. Standing next to him with a frown on his face was Lin, wondering quite where he’d seen the girl on the bed before.

  39

  She had made up her mind. She was going to find out once and for all. And as Jodie slept in the bed and she lay on the floor, Chloe-Jane was going to take this opportunity to find out who and what was in the darkness below.

  She knew Jodie was sound asleep; she’d taken a couple of the pink tablets she kept on her at all times, and within ten minutes she’d fallen into a deep oblivious sleep.

  Slowly, Chloe-Jane got up, creeping to the door. She put her ear on it, listening to make sure none of the other girls were about. Satisfied there was no one there, Chloe opened the door; making her way down the dimly lit stairwell to the ground floor.

  Once at the bottom, Chloe looked around. The place was asleep, and with the metal door in front of her, she knew it was now or never. Putting her fears to one side, Chloe opened the door, stepping into the darkness.

  The moment the door slammed behind her, Chloe-Jane began to regret her decision. What the hell was she thinking? Jodie had been right, she should leave well alone. It was one thing thinking about it, but an entirely different matter actually being here. With fear
getting the better of her, Chloe-Jane went to open the door, but she paused as she heard the distinctive voice of Mr Lee. She couldn’t quite make out who he was talking to or what he was saying, but there was no way it’d be safe for her to try to go back to Jodie’s room now.

  She waited for Mr Lee to go but he seemed to be standing directly on the other side of the door. And then an awful thought struck her. What if he decided to come through this corridor instead of the front way? It was a possibility, because although this was the way the girls and Jodie used to come in and out of the building, Jodie had mentioned how on occasion Mr Lee would come the back way, thinking he might catch the girls out doing something they shouldn’t.

  There was no other thing for it; she had to keep moving. But quietly. So, so quietly. He was only on the other side of the door and if he heard her move about he was sure to look and find her …

  Chloe decided not to switch on the torch light on her phone yet, it was too risky and knowing the floor was clear of anything to fall over, she made her way, tiny step after tiny step, making sure each movement was controlled and silent.

  It took almost fifteen minutes of cautious steps as opposed to the minute or so it had taken to walk to the end of the corridor a couple of days ago. But it was worth it to keep silent. When Chloe felt confident she’d put enough distance between her and the metal door she switched her phone light on.

  Taking a deep breath, Chloe called out quietly. ‘Hello!… Hello! Is anybody there?’ At first she heard nothing and then, there … There it was. The calling. The cry in the darkness. Weaker this time. Quieter, but still distinct. She stood listening, hearing the direction of the sounds of despair.

  That way. It was definitely coming from there. Walking forward, Chloe-Jane, determined now and assisted by the light, walked closer to the calling. ‘Help!… Help me!’