their sockets. The colour
drained from her at first, and then she was darkening, turning purple
with asphyxiation.
Colburn couldn't
look at her choking face; he closed his eyes and wished that she
would stop making such godawful noises.
Her cold, bony
hands were trying to prise his away from her neck, but she was old,
and had hardly any strength. Any moment now she would go limp, and
that would be it. He squeezed with everything he had, hoping that
she fell still because he didn't think he could take much more of it.
And
then he was staggering backwards, with no idea what was happening.
Everything was a blur, apart from the sudden stinging sensation on
the front of his face. His nose felt as if it had been completely
removed, although that might
have just been his mind playing tricks on him.
He was on his
knees, and still falling, when the fog cleared and he could see
straight again. By then it was too late. The fire-extinguisher hit
him full-on again, this time just above the right eye.
The last thing he
saw before the darkness took him was a little girl holding a
vintage-looking doll.
*
'I told you, Mommy!
I knew the man was going to hurt her.'
'Yes, you did,'
Susie said trying to help Maggie Cox to her feet. 'And I apologise
for not listening.'
Kelly smiled,
smugly. It was the first time – ever – that her mother
had said sorry for anything, and she had been wrong on so many
occasions.
'Is she okay?'
Kelly asked, clutching Jezebel to her chest. 'If she dies, Mommy, I
think I might cry.'
Despite
the old-lady's gaunt appearance, she was heavy.
Perhaps it was the fact that there were bones poking out just
beneath the surface of her skin, and Susie didn't really want to hurt
her any more than she already had been.
She
managed to pull Maggie across the corridor and leant her up against
the wall. She was conscious, but struggled to breathe properly.
Fuck knows what would have happened if they had been a few seconds
late. Well, Susie knew that the woman would be dead, without a
doubt, which is why she had followed so closely, although not too close; there was no point putting her life and the life of her
daughter at risk, too.
'The bad man tried
to choke her to death,' Kelly said, taking a step towards the prone
body of Henry Colburn.
'Come away from
him!' Susie cried. 'The bad man is only having a little sleep. I
don't want you anywhere near him when he wakes up.'
Kelly grinned.
'He's not sleeping, Mommy. You smashed him in the head with a
fire-extinguisher. You knocked him out good and proper.'
'Well,' Susie said,
rubbing the side of Maggie Cox's face to try to calm her down.
'Whatever, just don't go near him.'
Kelly ran her
fingers through Jezebel's hair and stepped towards the breathless old
lady leaning up against the wall.
'Are you okay,
now?' Kelly asked.
Maggie stared
towards the little girl with confusion, and then at her mother. By
the time she went back to Kelly, she seemed to have put two and two
together.
'That sonofabitch
tried to choke me!' she gasped as she spotted the motionless figure
of Colburn in the middle of the corridor. 'Murder me...tried
to...I...'
'Just take it
easy,' Susie said, beckoning Kelly just a little closer, a little
farther away from the unconscious psychotic soldier on the floor.
'Everything's going to be okay.'
'Do you really
believe that?' Maggie Cox said, rubbing at the redness around her
throat.
Susie
Bloom, for once in her life, didn't have an answer.
*
She ate biscuits
for dinner, washed down with some form of appleade. It was possibly
the best meal she had ever had – at least it felt like it.
After about an hour of touring the museum – it was amazing; she
never knew history could be so enchanting – she made her way
back to the dinosaur room, the place where she had left her backpack.
Her machete, though, that went with her everywhere. She was safe,
for now, but that didn't make her stupid. If there was one thing she
had learnt since the
drained from her at first, and then she was darkening, turning purple
with asphyxiation.
Colburn couldn't
look at her choking face; he closed his eyes and wished that she
would stop making such godawful noises.
Her cold, bony
hands were trying to prise his away from her neck, but she was old,
and had hardly any strength. Any moment now she would go limp, and
that would be it. He squeezed with everything he had, hoping that
she fell still because he didn't think he could take much more of it.
And
then he was staggering backwards, with no idea what was happening.
Everything was a blur, apart from the sudden stinging sensation on
the front of his face. His nose felt as if it had been completely
removed, although that might
have just been his mind playing tricks on him.
He was on his
knees, and still falling, when the fog cleared and he could see
straight again. By then it was too late. The fire-extinguisher hit
him full-on again, this time just above the right eye.
The last thing he
saw before the darkness took him was a little girl holding a
vintage-looking doll.
*
'I told you, Mommy!
I knew the man was going to hurt her.'
'Yes, you did,'
Susie said trying to help Maggie Cox to her feet. 'And I apologise
for not listening.'
Kelly smiled,
smugly. It was the first time – ever – that her mother
had said sorry for anything, and she had been wrong on so many
occasions.
'Is she okay?'
Kelly asked, clutching Jezebel to her chest. 'If she dies, Mommy, I
think I might cry.'
Despite
the old-lady's gaunt appearance, she was heavy.
Perhaps it was the fact that there were bones poking out just
beneath the surface of her skin, and Susie didn't really want to hurt
her any more than she already had been.
She
managed to pull Maggie across the corridor and leant her up against
the wall. She was conscious, but struggled to breathe properly.
Fuck knows what would have happened if they had been a few seconds
late. Well, Susie knew that the woman would be dead, without a
doubt, which is why she had followed so closely, although not too close; there was no point putting her life and the life of her
daughter at risk, too.
'The bad man tried
to choke her to death,' Kelly said, taking a step towards the prone
body of Henry Colburn.
'Come away from
him!' Susie cried. 'The bad man is only having a little sleep. I
don't want you anywhere near him when he wakes up.'
Kelly grinned.
'He's not sleeping, Mommy. You smashed him in the head with a
fire-extinguisher. You knocked him out good and proper.'
'Well,' Susie said,
rubbing the side of Maggie Cox's face to try to calm her down.
'Whatever, just don't go near him.'
Kelly ran her
fingers through Jezebel's hair and stepped towards the breathless old
lady leaning up against the wall.
'Are you okay,
now?' Kelly asked.
Maggie stared
towards the little girl with confusion, and then at her mother. By
the time she went back to Kelly, she seemed to have put two and two
together.
'That sonofabitch
tried to choke me!' she gasped as she spotted the motionless figure
of Colburn in the middle of the corridor. 'Murder me...tried
to...I...'
'Just take it
easy,' Susie said, beckoning Kelly just a little closer, a little
farther away from the unconscious psychotic soldier on the floor.
'Everything's going to be okay.'
'Do you really
believe that?' Maggie Cox said, rubbing at the redness around her
throat.
Susie
Bloom, for once in her life, didn't have an answer.
*
She ate biscuits
for dinner, washed down with some form of appleade. It was possibly
the best meal she had ever had – at least it felt like it.
After about an hour of touring the museum – it was amazing; she
never knew history could be so enchanting – she made her way
back to the dinosaur room, the place where she had left her backpack.
Her machete, though, that went with her everywhere. She was safe,
for now, but that didn't make her stupid. If there was one thing she
had learnt since the
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