Out for Revenge

by Wood, C

  I drove to where they lived, and it hadn’t changed in all these years, still the same dowdy frontage and roses clambering for the sky, there was now a whole wall of thorny pale pink roses, were once I had planted it, after my sixteenth birthday, planted there a pale pink rose for sorrow. I wanted a black one for death, but this was the nearest they had for how I felt after that day…

  I had done the drive around and I had perked Peter’s interest. I pulled into my new; soon to be hotel, I made sure I lost him at a set of traffic lights, and I drove here. I did an inspection of the place, and as I walked round the empty buildings. The memories flooding back in, of coming to the councils children’s Christmas parties here with dad, when I was little me, big sister Janice and of course Thomas, after all our fathers worked together for the council parks and recreations team, Jack and Ben, too cool for the party of the year.

  The family weddings I came to as a child too jostled my memory. I wandered round the hotels, and I hugged myself. I grew up near here; the big hotel I passed each day on my way to school, it was here where I worked at of a weekend. The one place; where I dreamed, about having my own big white wedding. Here, with the man of my dreams, here we would have our first dance. That man for me was at that time, Jack Thompson; he had stolen my heart and ran away with it all those years ago.

  What upset me most about our breakup; was the fact that just three weeks later, he had his arms wrapped around her, he was with another girl, at a party, and one I was once friends with, was she was the reason he’d left me? Told, the day after that, I got drunk, that I had made a scene, and that Peter had taken me home. I don’t remember the scene, leaving the party or in fact drinking. Peter; made a pass that first night I think, yes, I should know, but I was so, so drunk, all I remember was his smoky tongue, his cigarette breath and that was all. Funny thing is I wasn’t drinking. I had an orange and a coke, then a drink that Peter gave me to calm me down, when, he Peter, opened the door, he said was where we were putting our coats, he had showed me, Jack and Sarah making out in the bedroom.

  I was devastated and hurt, they looked embarrassed, that I caught them about to have sex, we should have been having, the sex he promised me, she was getting. As I ran away crying I heard Jack call after me, but that was too little too late, were they naked in that bed, I didn’t stop there to see? All I knew was, it should have been me, not Sarah, me, I was the one that should have been in there with him. My head span and I needed air. I got the calm down drink and memory loss.

  I was left to Peter and god was that the worst thing that ever happened to me. That was the start of four years of hell. I don’t think I had sex with him that night; in fact, he assures me I didn’t put out, just a kiss that we both enjoyed. I did hang around with him more, he made me feel wanted and special, and he didn’t want sex with me he said.

  I was rebelling and hurting myself in a bid to put Jack out of my head. Jack though, weeks later he still made my stomach move when I thought of him and shivers go through my body, when I saw him or heard him. Why was he playing football on my field the one outside my bedroom window? “Go away this is too hard”, I shouted through the window, and he did.

  Meant to be together, that was all I could think of, I just didn’t know what I had done to make him hate me. I nearly got my answer though, we were at an awards ceremony in school and Jack had come to see Tom get an award and Peter had come to see me get mine, Peter expelled from school, local bad lad and he was guarding me like the beefeaters watching the crown jewels.

  I happened to be coming back along the back corridor from the school toilets and Jack was coming from the lad’s toilet, I banged into him not looking where I was going, and apologised, and as he held, me he looked into my eyes and I saw he loved me still. His last words I heard were “Carrie I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you”. I was about to say he had, he opened his mouth to speak to me some more.

  When suddenly Peter came out of nowhere, and dragged me out of the building, round the back of the school, he pushed me against the back wall, and down to the floor. He raped me that night for the first time; my first time having sex was at that monster, in his hands, in the bushes behind the school. I asked someone to help, I prayed it would end and soon, I know I heard the heavy doors open and shut, because they banged together as Peter spilled his stuff into me. I cried for him to leave me alone, god he was going to do it again, please help me someone.

  He didn’t, he did though drag me away from the school, behind the back roads and hidden by the back streets, until we got to his house, pulling me along, cursing me to hell, punching my arm, he had hurt me, and as he dragged me to his house to clean up. He said it was my own fault. I had asked for it. He made me bathe and he scrubbed my now sore place between my legs, with a green scouring pad and he put it inside me, he made me stand and he pointed the shower head inside me as I cried as the red hot water burnt; he made me change my clothes.

  Don’t ask how he had my clothes; at his house, I had no idea, but they were mine. I did just as he asked, and he shoved the things I had been wearing through the washing machine in his mother’s kitchen as I sat and shook. I was walked home; he explained it was my fault, I had allowed him to get so jealous he didn’t know what he was doing. I didn’t know what to do other than say I was sorry. I fucking said I was sorry for him rapping me, and I promised I wouldn’t do it again, he said well good, I had learnt my lesson, he would hate to have to hurt Jack for making a pass at me. I didn’t want my baby Jack hurt; no, I loved him. This wasn’t love; this was a way of keeping Jack safe.

  So after that I was his, I would do it wherever and whenever he wanted. I went to the doctors and had the bruises catalogued, school bullies had jumped upon me. I also made sure I was not pregnant and made sure I never would be, my mini pills I was on just in case me and Jack had the urge, changed for the stronger pills. Mum and dad noticed the change in me, they didn’t like Peter, and he would come to the house, hours after he had dropped me off just to see if I was still in the house.

  My nightmare days, weeks months then years started that night. I still have nightmares and still wonder all the time, what if Jack had fought for me? What if yes like what ifs has ever solved any of my problems…?

  That was nearly thirty years ago, and it still has me hating myself for not being stronger, not saying no, not running; when I had the chance right in the beginning. Reporting the rape that night, when I went home and cried, I was ashamed of what I had done, and what he had done to me to hide the fact he had raped me. I had allowed him access to my body freely, he had washed all the evidence away, I let him wash and scrub it away of me, and then all my clothes, I allowed him to brush and dry my hair; and as I hadn’t screamed loud enough, when I heard the door open; too shocked. He said, if questioned, Paul would say he heard me agree to it. I would never have agreed to it.

  His revenge would have to be nothing more than spectacular, and spectacular it would be. Watch out three, four, and five, Carries coming for you next. Uncle Harry came the next day and settled into his rooms, he had bought the drugs for me, quite easy when you are the head of security for the biggest employer of doormen and security people, in the North West.

  It was Uncle Harry’s new company, he was now the boss, he was my minder, and bodyguard, until Peter, and his family could no longer do me any harm, I needed protection. Uncle Harry ran that part of the operations for me, using his company for it and he was brilliant at it too. He wanted to plant the drugs in their home, and just call the police, but no I wanted something more dramatic, to make him pay for the years of torment and fear at their hands.

  I drove around his streets a few more times over the next day, I had been doing this all week and this time I allowed him to follow me, and he did, but I was closely followed too by Harry, and I took him to the hotels. I pulled up to the car park got my bag out of the boot and allowed him to see me speaking to the building security.

  Harry pulled in behind me and shook my hand, took the ba
g from me and went inside, all very cloak and dagger, he assured me he had been on his phone and he had laughed as he pulled away saying the cars worth about forty grand. I hoped my plan worked. I rode round his streets, the night after, and as I pulled into the hotels car park.

  I stopped in the car; and talked to Harry on the phone in the car park. With security on their ‘break,’ I chatted to Harry, he still said I could change my mind. I saw his car pull up, and watched as he parked it down sea front, Harry was watching too and as I watched him sneak to the side of the car, I braced myself for the smack that I knew was coming!

  The door opened, and he pulled me from the car, opened the back and threw me in, and tied my hands with cable ties and goddamn duct tape round my mouth, I was now afraid, what if my brilliant plan didn’t work? It had to work; he will kill me if he realises, who I really am. He went to his mothers. They, his brother, and mother climbed into the car. Their voices brought chills to me, I was afraid and feeling sick, as I gulped for air and pretended to come round, crying a muffled scream and kicking the seats.

  “Fucking shut up bitch, or I will silence you for good, I haven’t had a decent cunt to fuck in a while, yours will do, Paul here may pass on his little disease if you really piss me off. So shut it and quit kicking my nice new car. Red’s my favourite colour, you slag.”

  “Pete, what this all about, who’s car, is this and what you doing in it?” His mother was worried and rightly so, there were trackers on the car, he hadn’t pulled the hood and disconnected them and my mobile had tracking activated.

  “There’s been a blond bimbo riding round casing our place mam, and I need to take her to the warehouse and find out what she knows, she is riding around in some pretty nice wheels and had been casing our house for the past week. I’m sure she’s the new blokes bitch, she has that look about her.”

  “You sure about this Pete, Paul she doesn’t look the type she is wearing some nice cloths and her hair is beautiful, you’re a little bit high Pete just dump her here and sell the car.” Oh, please take the good advice Peter.

  “When I need you to tell me what to do old sow, I will ask you now fucking shut it and see if she has a phone and has she a wallet in that nice big bag you’re sat next to, who is she?” She opened the bag and her eyes were wide open, she had found my money all right, my brand new bag, it was loaded with money and a spare disposable phone, with a few hotel numbers on of local dealers, money does talk and takeaways, just crappy numbers. The drugs and the money were in a Spar plastic bag I had gotten from their bin, my fingerprints, only on the new bag, and my purse with the fake id in and credit cards for the hotel group in Catherine’s name, some money, and keys.

  With my, I-phone still connected to Harry and under the seat, he could hear what was happening. The security team who were following me, had hopefully, called in a report of the kidnapping and carjacking, along with registration number and a very good description of the poor woman’s kidnappers and they would say they were giving chase; well that’s what I hoped Harry was doing.

  “She’s called Catherine De Droite, she is thirty four and comes from London, she lives in a hotel here in Torquay, she is a hotel representative, you sure she’s a drug dealers girlfriend?” Now being driven along a bumpy road, and as I was thrown about in the back of my car, I heard them counting my money.

  “There’s above ten grand here son and it’s all rolled into little bundles. I think you might be right there are a fair few wraps in here and a fair few baggies with pot and wraps of cannabis, shit there’s a small block of heroin or coke here. She is one of us, and from the amount of stuff she has here you have rattled some big boys cage son, they aren’t going to be happy, there’s a lot of money here and they will want it back.”

  “Fuck yes a big payday at last, how much have we netted here? Now, get her out and string her up to the hook, Paul.” Oh hell, no not the hook, he won’t stop this time he will kill me if he realises who he has, not again. Shit why did I not go with the simple plan Harry came up with, shit, shit, shit. Paul held me tightly in his skinny arms, he reeked of rotting flesh, ulcers, or open sores, the smell was horrid, I threw up, and had no choice, but to swallow. The duct tape was blocking my mouth.

  Then the sirens, the screams, the confusion and, the chaos, I was thrown in the shed and they ran, I was petrified and shaking, the police officer came to my rescue.

  “Are you all right Miss?” I flinched as he removed the duct tape. I threw up, I hurled, and the poor police officer caught a shoe full.

  “They were going to finish the job, they started years ago. They wanted to kill me; they are drug dealers, and have all their crap in my car. They were arranging to sell my car, and he the ugly one at the front, Peter Hutchinson was going to finish beating the life from me, as he did when I was younger. He’s a perverted maniac keep him away from me, oh, why oh, why did I come back home. His brother Paul was phoning a dealer on his phone and his mother has put their filthy money in my brand new bag, she was counting it as they drove along.”

  “What is your name young lady?”

  “My name then was Carrie Constance Wright, but when I returned here. I had to change my name and appearance, because he has always said he will look for me and kill me; I have security with me at all times, I was a little mad at them and gave them the slip.

  Ask him why he nearly killed me, him and his brother raped me for years and she filmed it, whilst they did that to me, she never stopped them either, they keep the videos of me and the others in the false bottom in the china cabinet in her house look and see if you don’t believe me. Please get me my security team they will be worrying their number is on my phone, under the seat.”

  “We have your team here they were following you but wisely phoned us, the police, to deal with it. Your head of security has confirmed all this, and we will be dealing with them, but for now you need to be looked over by the paramedics.”

  Harry escorted by the police officers, to my side, picked me up. He apologised profusely, for losing me for a few minutes. I was safe in his hands and he carried me to the ambulance. Peter looked across at me as I smiled, and pulled my finger like a gun, shooting him dead.

  “Carrie isn’t afraid of you anymore Peter, what does it feel like now Hutchinson, you will rot in prison for a long time for what you did to me, you filthy bastard, all of you, you and your family! He ranted and raved, about killing me when he got out.

  Moreover, he would finish the job, he started years ago, he shouted I should have died too, that day, too, what did he mean, too? Oh, I had a flash back, there was another girl in the warehouse that day, she was younger than I was, though not as hardened as I was and had passed out when tortured.

  “Please; officer if you take that hook from the warehouse with the chains and the old tools; it and they will have my blood and other girl’s blood on it all too. He brought me here to kill me before, when I was nearly nineteen, I had become boring to him, and he wanted to kill me, because I knew too much.

  I don’t know if I hadn’t escaped, if they wouldn’t have managed it too, there’s an open case still active I think, attempted murder, I was found on the main road twenty four years ago. I couldn’t until recently remember what happened fully. I think I witnessed them hurting the other girl; and I ran when they carried her out of there. I have all my medical records if they would help you; they show all my injuries and the shock I suffered at their hands over the four long years. I want them to be locked away; I’m fed up of running away from him and his family.”

  “The drugs they have on them will be sending them away for a long time, all three of them, and if we find what you say, is at their home and on the chains and things, we will find I can safely say they are looking at a lot longer.” After, the hospital trip, taken by Uncle Harry, and given the all clear, my bruised face, and arm would be sore for a day or so, but I was fine.

  I had done it, I had my revenge on all three of them, and when they finished turning over the house th
ey found their gruesome video collection, including the one of them sodomising me, and raping me. I could be clearly heard saying stop no please stop. But what they did to me was nothing, after me, they got carried away, and well they actually killed someone, in one of the videos and they were looking for her body in the grounds at the back of their warehouse, my god they could have actually killed me all those years ago.

  I put off Thomas for a week, but allowed him access to my hotels, whilst I recovered at my hotel home. Badly bruised and relieved it hadn’t been worse. Yes, I had been through the ringers, watching the videos of what they had done to me for all those years. Catherine, my therapist talked to me for hours on the phone. My statement of their abuse over the years took hours of dictating, and the real emotion the tears, the shaking, the actual throwing up and the screams, as I recalled the first time and the sixteenth birthday treat they gave me.

  All of it, caught on camera, as I was filmed giving my evidence, as I spoke to the officers from C.I.D. I was at last a little freer to live my life. I sent Harry back home; he would head up security, in Blackpool. He left me well protected. Luke was now my bodyguard and driver for the next few weeks. My car returned; it was cleaned and polished, they sent back my phone too, and my Victoria Beckham handbag.

  The three all denied bail; and sent to Peterborough prison to await their trial dates. I breathed a little easier. My plans for Dylan were now being thought through, though they would have to wait a while, his father had just died, massive stroke whilst on holiday with the twins and their grandmother, I sent a bunch of flowers, to Edwina with my deepest condolences. What else could I say? I made sure they were nice and all her favourites and I made sure they were delivered and received, which they were.