by Stuart Keane
Shay leapt forward and threw a right hand directly at Odette’s chin. With an amazing amount of dexterity, Odette twisted her waist away and sideward of the hit, which landed as a dull blow across her shoulder blade. Snapping back upright and to the left with a speed that Shay had never seen before, Odette planted a left foot between the other woman’s legs. Her foot slammed into her crotch, immediately winding her.
Shay fell to the ground, gasping. Odette circled her quickly, her eyes stoic but blazing, the anger now coursing through her veins. The concrete scratched beneath her feet. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. Ever since you fucked my boyfriend, God, I’ve imagined your pretty face smashed under my boot, your cheeks and nose shattering as I drive my heel into that smug fucking smile. Arghhhh, I’ve wanted it for days! You have no idea!”
Shay rolled awkwardly on the floor, the rough surface clawing at her bare, tanned back as her shirt rode up. The wind disappeared from her sails as Odette lifted her foot over Shay’s head. Their eyes connected once again, and Shay spotted the inner psychopath that she had seen in Gavin’s bedroom that day. It was there in dark abundance, the aggression, the bloodlust and the need to maim.
Shay watched the woman, gauging her movements, and at the last moment, she rolled out of Odette’s way as her foot slammed into the freezing concrete. Pushing up on her hands with clumsy grace, Shay spun round and planted a front kick that connected directly with Odette’s chest, sending her flailing.
Odette spiralled and collapsed into the corrugated fence behind her, the slam of flesh on rusted metal explosive in the silence of the chilly afternoon. A small yelp escaped her lips, the surprise knocking her off balance. The fence took her weight, groaning with age and neglect. Her hands found some hold and pushed off the wobbly sheet, her fingertips came away coated in fragments of red rust. She turned to stare at Shay, her fists clenching.
You can’t take her.
I can. And I will.
I’m not sure which is worse, confidence or utter stupidity. Either way, you can’t win this fight. She has years of experience on you, a more attuned mind for this sort of violence.
She’s an egotistical bitch.
She’s better than you.
We’ll see.
Odette straightened up, her knees clicking as she found her balance. Her eyes watched Shay, who was keeping her distance. Odette wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, a dull ache pulsing through her chest. Her right breast throbbed, making her wince. She rubbed it, adjusting her bra in the process, and sighed when the pinching pain eased off.
“You know what?” Shay uttered, smiling. “In another life, I could make you a very lucky girl. Shame it has to go down this way.”
“You can’t win this,” Odette uttered. For the first time, she doubted her own conviction.
“Oh, really? And what makes you think you can take me?”
“I can take anyone. You, the perverted taxi driver, Mike. Anyone. You saw what I did to Gavin, you witnessed how detailed that torturous ordeal was, and I shared my life with him for years. I’ve known you for three days, and you came into my life by letting my boyfriend shoot his cheating load across your back.” Odette licked her lips. “Now, bitch, tell me how this is going to be harder than killing a man I loved?”
Shay smirked, her breathing slightly laboured, the boldness was a front and she knew it. Despite Odette’s best attempt at a poker face, she was clearly wavering, unsure.
“Why are you so hung up on that loser, Gavin? I only chose him because he was a sure bet. Don’t take it so personally. Yes, I saw what you did with him and, although impressive, I doubt you would have done that if I weren’t there to help. You see, I brought your inner bad girl to the surface. I can make you, and I can fucking destroy you.”
Shay took a running charge at Odette, fully composed, her head held high, confident. Odette stood still, bracing herself for impact. At the last moment, she charged forwards herself, and both women collided at full velocity. Odette’s slightly larger frame carried in her favour and both women stumbled to the right, slamming them up against a crumbling concrete wall. Clouds of brittle, concrete dust plumed into the air as both women landed a few feet away from each other. Shay looked around quickly; she smiled when she spotted the barrel that contained the hidden knife.
Odette swung for Shay, and her fist clipped the woman’s jaw. She tumbled to the ground with a stunted groan, her small body slapping the cracked concrete as she fell on her front. Odette rolled onto her knees and drove an elbow into Shay’s exposed back, and felt the sharp point of her arm knock against her spine. Shay screamed in pain and bucked, thrashing the woman from her back.
Odette rolled over and ran in, punting Shay in the ribs. The woman lifted off the ground and crumbled into a shrieking mess. Blood drooled from her lips, and dribbled from the shallow scrapes on her hip and back as the concrete dust billowed on the wind and plastered both women. Odette coughed and backed off, shielding her face from the invasive particles.
Shay’s voice dropped a few octaves and she screamed, a deep, guttural roar. She wobbled to her feet and ran at her foe; her uneven shove knocked Odette backwards, the momentum once again sending the small woman flying. Her feet left the floor by an inch as her back crashed into the steel fence. Odette screamed out in pain as she slumped to the ground; a protruding nail had punctured the skin below her shoulder and snapped off, burying itself deep in her flesh.
Without hesitation, Shay pounced on the trapped woman. She strode forward and planted a left hook directly across the side of her chin, rattling her brain within her skull, making her nearly black out. She repeated the blow and a vicious crack of bone shattered the silence. Shay continued with the brutal attack, delivering two more strikes with her left fist, and landing a perfectly placed head butt straight across the opening of Odette’s gaping mouth. Rigid slaps of blood-soaked flesh and unrelenting blows wobbled on the chilly air, the sounds lost forever in the isolated surroundings. Despite the cold conditions, Shay took a slow step back and wiped her forehead, and grinned as hot sweat and Odette’s spilt blood streaked along her thin wrist.
“Did you really think you could take me, bitch?” Shay kicked her in the ribs, which toppled Odette to the side. She hit the concrete with a dull smack. “All this time, which is a significant chunk of your adult life, you’ve been living with Gavin, having him spend his money on pampering your arse. It’s made you fucking soft.”
Shay took a step towards Odette. After a slight pause, she reached down and clutched a handful of her t-shirt, scrunching it up into her fist. Odette slapped weakly at her wrists in an attempt to escape, but to no avail.
Shay laughed. “Oh, you appear to have snagged on something, sweetheart. Here, let me help you.” Shay began shaking Odette from side to side like a rag doll, and then shoved her firmly against the wall. The point of the broken nail screeched on the concrete and pushed itself further into the muscle and flesh of the woman’s back with a soggy punch, tearing a long, deep incision.
Odette bellowed in pain, tears streaming down her bruised face as she felt the warm blood begin to sluice down her spine and into the top of her waistline. Shay laughed manically. “Oh, does that hurt, O?” Bringing up her leg, she smashed her left knee directly into Odette’s ribs. The woman’s mouth was now oozing thick blood, and her back was slick with crimson. Odette groaned, on the verge of consciousness. Shay could hear the blood pattering on the concrete below them. “Good. I hope you’re fucking suffering, you stuck-up bitch.”
Odette swung her fist, the feeble blow wide and high, missing completely. Shay ducked back, in no danger at all. She chuckled. “Well, I’ll give it to you, kid. You’ve got a lot of heart.”
Shay dropped Odette to the ground and walked over to the barrel. She lifted the knife from within, slipped the sleeve off, and tapped it against the metal rim. It echoed across the factory grounds, ringing off into the distance. Shay laughed, shaking her head. “I almost don’t want to do this �
� but you leave me no choice. You know about me, and you know about my victims. Any serial killer knows that being caught ruins her legacy. And I won’t be one of those.”
Shay ambled over, the wicked blade pointed from her stomach. Odette blinked and lifted her hand up, wiping the dust and blood from her eyes. She winced and realised her left eye was almost swollen shut; the lid was puffy and raw beneath her touch. Despite this, she looked up and saw that the wall above her, which seemed to stretch for long miles into the bleak sky, was looking wobbly. The dust was coming off in droves, from various sections of the structure.
Odette flicked her gaze to Shay, then back to the wall. She held up a hand and stared at the woman, pleading. “Shay … d-d-d-d-don’t … please.”
Shay paused, placing her hands on her hips, her pose almost mocking the fallen Odette. “Well, well. I expected a bit more spunk from you.”
Odette fumbled, trying to crawl away, but couldn’t. The pain shooting through her shoulder was crippling; it rendered her immobile.
“I expected more spunk from you … or is it Gavin that had all the spunk in this relationship? I know all about his spunk. It was glorious feeling him come on my back after all those years, the release; the thrusting … it felt sublime. I came twice during that particular fuck; well, until you interrupted proceedings anyway. Talk about a mood killer.”
You can’t let her win. Take the bitch down.
Odette said nothing. She refused to glance up at the teetering death trap, knowing that doing so could be the difference between survival and certain death at the hands of her attacker. She stared at her foe, watching. If she had to choose between a psychopathic looney and a crushing death, she would choose the latter.
Really? You deserve better.
Shut up. Odette laughed briefly. I’ve lost. There’s no escaping this.
You’re not down yet. Well, you are, but I mean … fuck it, you know what I mean.
Odette laughed aloud, drawing an irritable look from Shay. I can’t believe I’m about to say this but … it’s been nice knowing you. I’ll rather miss you.
No, don’t go getting soft on me now. If you’re going to die, do so with some fucking dignity. We’ll see you on the other side to finish this conversation, mark my words.
I hope so.
“Odette. You have that look in your eye again. And why the fuck are you laughing?”
She said nothing. She spat to the left, a glob of blood and sputum sprayed across the concrete and flicked against a fence. The final defiant gesture on her part.
Shay looked at the long knife in her hand, and wished she had something much more creative to hand, but she’d wasted enough time with this encounter. She considered turning the knife around so that the blade slipped into her palm, and for a split second, she fantasised about the knife hurtling through the air and landing directly between Odette’s eyes.
Forget it, you nearly blinded that old lady at the fair, but that was because you didn’t win a goldfish. You’re a lousy shot. Stop putting it off and get this fucking done.
She glanced at her fallen foe. “For the record, Odette, I have officially taken the title for this challenge, the challenge that you set and lost. Pathetic. You can’t even live up to your own hype.” She stepped forward, the weapon held aloft in front of her. “I hope you’re ready for this, bitch. It’s gonna hurt. A lot.”
Raising the knife above her head, she began running towards Odette, the blade pointing downwards, ready to drive into the top of the woman’s skull. When she was two feet away from Odette’s fallen frame, her foot snagged a cracked paving slab jutting up from the ground, throwing her off balance.
She fell forward, the knife sailing from her hand. The metal weapon clinked off the crumbling wall, spinning away into the overgrown grass that lapped at the bottom of the rusted fence. Shay stumbled, resumed her balance and then collapsed, her left knee buckling beneath her uneven weight.
She smashed into the wall, hitting it face first. Her nose exploded, spraying the wall with small fragments of cartilage and dark blood. The wall creaked and groaned. Shay leaned against it, pushing the structure away from her. It wobbled backwards. Heavy dust started to fall, coating her head and shoulders in a fine grey mist. Odette flinched away, shuffling along the ground on her rump.
A loud groan filled the air, and the wall began to fall. One brick smashed to the ground beside Odette, showering her in chipped fragments. One sliver nicked her cheek and made her gasp, immediately drawing blood. She placed her arms over her head in an effort to protect her head. Shay, on the over hand, just looked up and groaned.
A brick smacked Shay on the head with a sickening, wet thump. She groaned and turned around, walking towards Odette.
“You’re … you’re dead, bitch.”
She fell forward, thick blood oozing down her face, and landed on top of her foe, covering her as the wall came down with a thunderous crash. Odette screamed, but clutched Shay’s collar to hold her in place. As the wall toppled to the ground, and the heavy bricks and mortar whistled on the air, the structure crunched against the floor with a cacophonic explosion. Two shrill screams sounded from beneath the vast mushroom cloud of dust that rose into the afternoon sky. As the dust settled, the debris was all that remained, a pile of broken bricks and decrepit mortar.
Then, all was still.
XX
The smooth, expensive leather cut into his soft, sweaty flesh, leaving several swollen welts along the length of his muscular wrist. At first, he’d struggled with all his might, trying to escape the confines of his makeshift prison in a blind panic, but common sense and basic knowledge eventually prevailed. He soon realised the bonds were growing tighter with each swift movement, the buckles slipping further up and latching into the pre-made holes on the belt, so he ceased and attempted to relax.
Attempted being the key word.
And now, with a permanent wince on his face and both arms tingling through the tiny bombardment of pins and needles, he decided enough was enough. He glanced around, his neck slick with hot perspiration, his movement hindered somewhat by his hunkered position. His wandering gaze confirmed his initial suspicions; his arms and legs were all tied to their own bedpost, each with a separate belt from his wardrobe. He couldn’t help but smile, at both the resourcefulness of his unknown foe and his utter stupidity.
How did I end up here?
He couldn’t remember, but the thought tickled the back of his cerebral cortex like a distant, incoming sneeze. He didn’t remember, not yet, but he soon would.
Why am I naked?
You’re in bed, your bed, so you must have come home and…
His mind was a blank.
How are we going to get out of this?
He gently wiggled his left leg. The belt slapped against the wooden post, but held firm. The buckle was hooked against the top of his foot, and didn’t budge. He could feel the smooth surface of the metal stroking the downy hair at the base of his calf. He wiggled it again, already knowing the conclusion.
You’re not going anywhere.
How long have I been here?
He suddenly felt very thirsty, and his senses blossomed into a panicked, hypersensitive state. He felt every feeling at once, each mutated and raging in its own uncontrollable way; the ragged, pressurised breathing that pushed him to the edge of his sanity, the slight belt welts on his flesh that scorched like skin-deep fire, and the deafening silence in the room that washed around the inside of his ear canals. The salty perspiration tortured him; it crawled along and down and across his scorching skin in every direction, teasing him, ticking him, and enriching his misery. A drop of sweat trickled over his top lip and his tongue poked out to lap at it, eager and desperate.
Which is when he remembered.
But not before the stagnant smell came back to him.
Steve. That’s your name. And yes, this is your house.
I came back here on a night…
Shay.
That’s i
t!
He sniffed, his senses dulling to normal. The smell made him retch, and seconds later the memories came flooding back to him, one after the other, like a continuous slide show reeling back through his mind’s eye.
She…
No.
She … she urinated on me?
Steve glanced down at his chest and saw the tiny pools of sweat that sat in the crevices of his chest and stomach. They rippled and wobbled as he shifted himself, his back aching and sore. The liquid looked deeply jaundiced in this light, or was that a figment of his overactive imagination? The smell was … pungent and sickly sweet, like glucose, the type of smell urine adopts when you consume too much sugary cereal.
Water sports?
I never do water sports.
I don’t remember it.
She must have done that as a parting gift.
Steve shook his head in anger, the bed creaking with the sudden movement.
And she had my credit card.
Steve remembered everything.
The copious drinks, the flirting and the kissing. He remembered the sweet caress of Shay’s tender lips, the feel of her smooth skin, and the curve of her rump beneath her baggy jeans. He remembered her arms around him, her roaming fingers cupping his throbbing cock through his trousers, the whisper of utter debauchery in his ear.
Hook, line and fucking sinker.
You fell for it, you fell for the ploys because of the lure of wet pussy.
He thought back, traced Shay’s beautiful face in his mind. Yes, he’d fallen for it, but he reckoned any hot-blooded male would have done the same. Shay had a way with the words, a truly phenomenal technique with that ear-nibbling. That carnal activity had nearly made him spill his load in his boxer shorts.
He groaned.
You put yourself here.
You fucking moron.
No one else is to blame.
Shay.