by Lee Cockburn
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Taylor sat in the front of the van aware of Fran’s gaze that was aimed in her direction. Her face flushed in a subtle way, only noticed by Fran. A slight smile came over Taylor’s face and Fran looked at her long enough to let Taylor feel her desire and be reminded a little of the previous night’s tingling sensation. There were true feelings in Fran’s eyes, and a little too in the look that was returned, which could only mean trouble for Taylor.
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Susan came out onto the veranda of the cabin, stretched her arms and made noises of someone that had slept well and loved well, as she shook out all of her stiffness. John watched her as she winced at full stretch as if she felt a pain from one of her internal injuries. John smiled at this, taking the credit for all the pain he had caused and that still hurt her now, and possibly for the rest of her life, although that wouldn’t be for long if he got his way. His smirk was short lived as Andrew came out and put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. John could see his lips say I love you to her before she turned round to fully embrace Andrew face to face. The grinding of John’s teeth was lucky not to be heard by them, it was so loud and forceful and only a short distance away.
The little girl got to her mummy’s car and was helped up onto her booster seat. She hadn’t been away long but had been out of sight long enough for her mum to tell her that she shouldn’t go anywhere without her mummy or an adult because there were bad people out there and that mummies worried. The little girl sat back in her seat and looked at the floor, avoiding her mother’s gaze. Her mum saw this but just put it down to her getting a telling off and feeling guilty for going away. She didn’t think anything more of her daughter’s furtive behaviour.
John’s heart was pounding through his chest with rage, excitement and apprehension over what would happen next. He watched Susan as Andrew led her back into the cabin. John’s blood was at boiling point. His head told him to wait and his heart told him to act now when he had the chance. He moved slowly round the side of the cabin watching where he placed his feet this time, careful not to make any noise. The seclusion of the cabin allowed the privacy that Susan and Andrew craved, and the privacy that John craved that little bit more. His mind floated back to the little girl. Why were they here? What had brought them to here of all places? I haven’t seen anyone else since I’ve been here and then out of nowhere a little girl is close enough to speak to. Do they have a cabin here? Where are they from? Shit! He raised his head up enough to look through the window and watched Andrew as he lay gently on top of Susan, their kisses soft and tender, a loving union which sent glass through John’s head. He felt heat rise within him and had to fight to contain his rage and deal with the situation logically, making sure he didn’t mess up his plans through frustration and anger.
“There was a man in the woods this morning mummy,” the little girl said under her breath.
“What’s that you said, sweetheart?”
“Nothing mummy. I was just talking to my dolly”
“Okay, do you need a drink or anything?”
“No thanks mummy.”
The little girl put her head forward, the guilt of not telling her mummy the truth weighing heavy on her tiny little shoulders but she didn’t say another word as they got onto the motorway and headed back home to Edinburgh.
Susan moaned as Andrew’s mouth released her nipple, his kisses lowering, his mouth and tongue loving Susan intimately, her gasps of pleasure encouraging Andrew to intensify his touch, his caress focused; focused on letting Susan release her desire. Her orgasm spiralled through her body, pulsing over and over, Andrew’s desire purely for his lover’s pleasure. Only when she gripped his hair and whispered I want you to fuck me did he allow himself any physical pleasure, although the excitement of pleasuring Susan had already left him in a euphoric state, almost climatic. He was still able to hold off long enough, however, until his rhythmical thrusts and carefully placed hands brought Susan to a deeper, longer and more satisfying climax than the last one. They held on to each other, their love making always charged with desperation, physical release and mental relaxation, although a hint of fear was always present and the pain, the pain from John Brennan’s attack, was a constant reminder of his ownership of her, a sensation she felt would be with her for the rest of her living days.
John tried the handle of the back door; he couldn’t believe his luck after all he’d put her through - it opened. There was a silent swish of the door as he entered the kitchen at the rear of the cabin. He heard Susan moaning in the bedroom, and it wasn’t pain she was feeling; his heart pounded with uncontrollable rage as he passed through the hallway, his eyes narrowing as he strained to see through the space between the frame and the door as he stared into the bedroom. He watched. He was aroused and insanely jealous at the same time, his head spinning with what to do next and when to do it. He breathed out harder than he thought, a faint noise escaped into the air. Susan’s body went completely rigid, she couldn’t breathe with terror, a really familiar terror. Andrew felt her body change instantly but he had not heard John’s sigh, a sound that Susan could never forget. John watched and realised his mistake as Andrew stopped making love to Susan. She pushed Andrew up and her voice shrieked in a hideous wail, “He’s here! He’s fucking in here!”
John moved swiftly round the door way, his teeth bared with his tongue gripped between them as he moved towards the bed. Andrew, naked and totally vulnerable launched himself off the bed and ran full force towards him with his shoulder down, straight at John. He screamed at Susan to get out and run. Susan hesitated but fear dominated her senses and she shoved open the small window, grabbing at some clothes and throwing herself out head first with no concern for where and how she would land, her only focus was to escape. She was crying loudly. She couldn’t bear to be in the same room as him; her skin crawled with fear, as she got up, bruised, but unharmed, naked with bare feet.
Andrew’s momentum had managed to knock John off his feet and onto the floor but he had not foreseen the power that was to follow as John gripped his neck and tightened his arm round it. His eyes felt like they were bulging out of his head as John’s powerful forearm began to crush his windpipe. Andrew scrabbled at John’s arms, tearing, gouging, gripping, all to no avail; John’s strength was not a force to be reckoned with and he was not going to yield easily. He was slowly killing Andrew. Andrew fought as hard as he could but then, against all instinct to fight, he decided to change his tactic. Risking everything, he made himself go limp, allowing the full power of John to take over. Andrew’s heart raced and his head spun with the lack of oxygen as he faked unconsciousness, which was now slowly becoming reality. Had he made a fatal mistake and helped John kill him?
Susan’s bare feet crashed through the ferns and cruel cutting foliage, her legs running as fast as they could carry her. She could barely breathe as the pain of the undergrowth cut into her feet, legs, face and body and the fatigue of her sprint set in quickly, her body still pretty broken from John’s last assault. She had to slow down before she expired. She paused for a second and pulled on Andrew’s shirt, her pants and a sock, which was all she had been able to grab. She had no shoes and nothing for warmth or protection. Luckily the shirt was a nondescript, dull colour that would not be easily spotted in the woods and undergrowth if she had to hide later, which she knew she would have to do if she wanted to survive; she’d have to. Her heart sank as the realisation of her escape may well have cost Andrew his life, a life that he had put on the line to save the woman he loved. Blood seeped through the shirt’s fabric from the many small cuts already covering her scarred body but she felt no pain as adrenaline pumped through her like a raging river, her desire to live overwhelming.
The area where they were was very remote with miles between lodges, roads and civilisation. Their choice of venue for their escape had become the worst they could have made, especially as they had brought what they were escaping from with them. Susan started to run again, with
no idea of where to go. She only knew she had to get as far away from there as she could. Her eyes were wide like a scared animal but her will to survive was unparalleled. She would not be beaten by him; she would take her own life first if she had to.
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Taylor lifted her phone to her ear, the Inspector was wanting an update. She leant back a little as she began to explain the next site they were going to check out, Findlay letting her know about further possible sightings and leads that had to be checked out. She turned sideways deliberately to look at Fran, who was already watching her, her eyes focused on Taylor’s mouth. Her beautiful mouth was moving round the words with elegant finesse. She spoke with a majestic sensuality, effortlessly teasing anyone who wanted to watch. Her tongue would glide over her lips unintentionally and for anyone that liked her, this was a very seductive and alluring act. She looked at Fran, her eyes softly closing as she remembered the night before, the pleasure taken and given was still arousing them both. The swirl of desire was there for only these two to feel.
John shoved Andrew’s limp body away from him, pushing down on Andrew as he pulled himself off the floor, his inner rage boiling over as this was not the way things were meant to happen. He wanted to be in complete control when he killed them both, instead he had not inflicted nearly enough pain on Andrew for interfering with his woman. Instead he’d had to kill him to save himself from a similar fate. He raised his foot above his chest and stamped down on Andrew’s lifeless body, kicking him repeatedly, no groans, no movement, nothing. He spat on Andrew’s bloodied face and headed out of the door. He walked over to the open window, looking at the long grass and seeing a noticeable trail disappearing into the wood where it had been disturbed by Susan’s attempt to escape. He stood there motionless, listening, waiting, before letting out a satanic wail, which roared from deep within him. This marked the beginning of the hunt. He started to run with sheer focus in that direction like a blood hound on a scent. He tucked the hunting knife into his jacket, clicked on his torch and openly smiled his maniacal smile as he set off to catch his prey. He would not let her get away that easily.
Chapter 28: The Lead
The six o’clock news came on and the family sat in their Edinburgh home, the little girl brushing her doll’s hair. She was humming a sweet tune, her affection for her dolly obvious. Her mummy leant over towards her, nuzzling her hair and asking if her dolly was okay. The headlines came on and there he was, his face filling the screen. The little girl sat bolt upright, her back rigid as she stared straight at the telly; her mum instantly asked her what was wrong. The little girl remembered what the policeman had said to her and looked at her lifeless companion, her dolly looking loyally back at her. She tried to focus on the toy, avoiding direct eye contact with her mummy, her gaze as far away from her mum’s as possible, looking round the room now. Motherly instinct made her mum pursue the matter further and ask again, and again and again, telling her daughter that there should be no secrets from any mummy. Eventually the little girl confessed that she had met the man on the telly earlier on that day and that he had said he was in the police and she was to be his little helper on a secret mission. Her mum was taken aback; by now several stories had been shown on the news and she wasn’t sure who her daughter was meaning that she had seen, but there was an uneasiness about who it might have been.
She flipped open her laptop and looked up news. The little girl was made to watch screen after screen until she tugged her mummy’s sleeve and said “him”, pointing at John Brennan.
Her mum felt instantly sick and got up and ran towards the bathroom where she threw up, tears clearly visible in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks from thinking of what might have happened to her daughter at his hands.
“What is it mummy? Are you not well?”
“Where? When? Are you sure you saw this man? You need to tell me, you’re not in trouble, you can tell me!”
“I don’t know where. It was in the trees.”
“What trees? When was this. Where were we?”
“I’m not sure. It was earlier today, coming back from our holiday.”
“When? What time? Did he touch you?”
“No, he didn’t touch me! He just spoke to me and whispered in my ear. I can’t remember where it was. We played with sticks together and he told me I couldn’t tell anyone because it was a secret mission.”
999 was dialled immediately, her hand trembling as she did so.
“What is your emergency? What service do you require?”
“Pppp, police please.”
“Please hold when we connect you.”
“Hello, Police Scotland, how can I help?”
“I need to speak to someone about the man being hunted for murder.”
“What is the nature of your enquiry?”
“My daughter saw him today in the trees.”
“What trees? Where was this? When? What time?”
“I can’t be certain. It was my four year old daughter. She went still as a board when his face came on the telly and said she saw that man, and she said he’d told her he was a police man.”
“How can you be sure this was the man seen?”
“By the way my daughter acted was enough for me to know, and she doesn’t lie.”
“Can I take your name and address and can I ask if it would be alright to send an officer round to get a statement from you straight away.”
“Yes, I’m in right now. Come round now.”
“Okay! There will be an officer round to speak to you right away.”
Kay took the call, her heart pounding as she knew Taylor would have to respond to this. She missed her and had not heard from her for a couple of days, which wasn’t normal for Taylor; recently she had been calling or texting every day unless there was a reason. Kay’s stomach twisted. She knew that Taylor had a chequered past and was easily led when other women were involved and she hoped that this was not the case. She quickly relayed the information about the sighting of Brennan to Taylor, by phone, deliberately avoiding any unwanted attention from the fat lecherous prick that hovered around her like an unwanted insect. Her boss had made her make the call, just so as he could sit close to her.
Findlay slammed his hand down on the desk and shouted, “We’ll get you this time, you fucking bastard,” right behind Kay causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.
Taylor’s hair stood on end as she listened to Kay’s message. “There’s been another possible sighting of him, 100 miles north of where you are.”
There had already been numerous possible sightings and the tension rose and fell with each of them. This time though Taylor’s heart was pounding more than for any of the others. “Are there any local sets going to go off at this one?”
“I think there is one car in that area and they’ll be there as soon as they can!”
“Fucking police! That’s not going to be enough. He’s a dangerous man and armed as far as we know. What about the helicopter?”
“What about it? Nothing has been confirmed yet and there have been hundreds of sightings.”
“And what if it is him? I bet you anything Susan and Andrew are there, and what chance do they have? That prick has the upper hand in every way. Just get there as soon as you can, ‘cos if this is for real, I hope you’re not too late. They just won’t send everything on a four year old child’s story!”
Taylor turned to her driver, “Lomond, head North, and put your foot down. He’s got hours on us and we’re late to his party already!” The van lurched forward and the obvious increase in speed made everyone bristle with tension, excitement and anticipation.
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A squeal of pain pierced the air as Susan’s foot landed hard on a sharp branch. She was already bleeding profusely where another upturned branch had pushed between the first and second metatarsals on her left foot, through flesh and bone. She felt even more sick than she had before. Her stomach churned with fear and fatigue from running since she’d left the cabin
, which felt like hours ago. Her heart was punching through her rib cage, pain was pulsing through her head and foot, her head was swirling and she had to fight hard not to faint. She slumped back against a tall tree, long grass surrounding her; she had deliberately not followed any paths, not that there were many here, as the remoteness of this private development claimed to be second to none, and how right they were with their advert. Susan almost laughed at the desperate situation she had put herself in. She tried to stay sharp, focusing on her life, that special gift she so desperately wanted to keep now more than ever before; she’d beaten the odds once and she was sure as damn it not going to give in without a fight this time. She looked at her foot, blood seeping out of the wound and the stick poking through. She knew walking, far less running, was not an option now unless she could pull it out, and she was well aware of the dangers of doing that; it could make things much, much worse for her.
His head twisted like that of a jackal, senses primed to hone in on the weak and vulnerable struggling to escape. The sound had come from a fair distance away but at least it gave him a direction to choose whether it was her or not, the grass no longer guiding him and without that helping hand of fate, he would have gone the wrong way. He had wondered if it would ever be possible to find her in such dense woodland with such a vast sprawling acreage, designed for the most idyllic private luxury escape money could pay for. He moved quickly in the direction of the noise, teeth clenched, boots already covered in blood as he crashed through the undergrowth. An act he hadn’t thought too much about but he didn’t care about the noise he made now; the more frightened she was, the better it felt for him.
Susan’s face needled with a deeper sense of fear as the noise of him crashing through the trees terrified her and her head snapped round to the movement in the trees up to her left. It’s now or never. She gripped the small branch with two hands, closed her eyes and wrenched it right through her foot, the pain sickening her to the stomach. Her intention had been to run. Instead, nausea engulfed her and she listed uncontrollably to the side. Her eyes glazed over as the trees closed in on her like she was sinking beneath sand and her vision failed her. Her head thumped on to the ground, her muscles loose with no tension left because her faint had rendered her helpless and unconscious. The grass, ferns and nettles folded over her like a shield sent from above, her natural camouflage tucking her in tight without any effort. She had landed head first in the deepest foliage there was, hiding herself without even trying. Nettles stung her unprotected face as she lay in the grass, her breathing naturally calm as her desperate need for oxygen and fear had subsided along with her consciousness. Her breathing was soft and now almost soundless as his footsteps came thumping closer, branches cracking beneath him, his breath rasping as he had quickened his pace when he had heard her cry out in pain moments earlier. He slowed a little as he had judged that she should be near to this spot when she foolishly gave away her position. His head turned from side to side like a maniacal character from some horror film, his wicked glare and twisted face contorted with hate and revenge as he scanned the foliage around about him waiting for her to get up and run, or make a noise and give herself away, but that didn’t happen. If anyone had been looking, they would have clearly seen the rage brewing within him.