“There are no dreams inside me, rich boy. I can’t afford them. There’s nothing inside me but piss, shit and cheap vodka. I’m sick, rotten, like this fuckhole of a town. Can’t you smell me? I can and it makes me want to puke.”
Before Mia finished speaking, she started walking again. Again, Julian followed. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever it is.” Mia ignored him, but he persisted, “I can help. Just tell me how.”
Mia whirled suddenly and slapped Julian, her nails drawing blood. They stared at each other a moment, him with his mouth hanging open, her po-faced. Then she resumed walking away from him. This time, he didn’t follow. Head hanging, he returned to his car. He watched Mia dwindle from sight. He thought about Susan Carter, missing all these years, her parents still not knowing for sure what happened to her. He thought about Joanne Butcher, her maggoty eye sockets, her livid, bloated flesh. “No.” The word hissed out from between his tight-pressed lips. “No fucking way.”
Julian drove after Mia. There was a set of traffic lights ahead on red. He braked, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, muttering, “C’mon, c’mon,” as Mia turned a corner.
The lights changed. He accelerated around the corner. His heart accelerated too. Mia was nowhere to be seen. Jerking his head from side to side, he spotted her a short distance along a side street bordered only by a windowless building. She approached a black Mercedes with its lights off. Julian wondered who the hell she knew with a car like that, as she opened the backdoor and ducked inside. He could see two other figures in the car – one in the driver’s seat, the other in the backseat. But the light was too dim to make out their features. They disappeared from sight as the car’s headlights glared into life. As the car pulled out of the street, he caught another glimpse of them. The driver was a middle-aged white man with a dark beard and shades. Big and serious-looking, not the kind of guy you’d want to tangle with, and wearing what looked like a chauffeur’s uniform. The figure beside Mia was a busty woman in a low-cut black dress, thirtyish, red-hair piled into an intricate coil, good looking, but with a hard-bitten edge. Mia was staring out the window towards Julian, but she didn’t see him. She had that somewhere else look on her face again.
The Mercedes headed for the southern suburbs. Julian tailed it at what he thought was an inconspicuous distance, his mind whirring with the possibilities of what Mia might be getting herself into. He pictured Mr Ugly’s snoutish nose sniffing at her. He pictured a tongue emerging like a fat pink worm from thick, leering lips to lick at her. He pictured powerful, hairy-backed fingers closing around her throat. The images passed before his eyes in a sickeningly vivid cavalcade. The Mercedes put on a sudden burst of speed, jumping a red light. He pressed down hard on the accelerator. There was a crunch of smashing glass and crumpling metal, and his neck snapped to one side as a car hit the front end of his car and swung it around.
An electric shock of pain crackled from his neck to his feet, as he twisted his head to watch the Mercedes speed into the distance. When it passed out of sight, a thought struck him like a knife sliding under his skin, that’s it, Mia’s gone and I’ll never see her again.
Chapter 10
Julianlay pretending to sleep as the doctor reassured his parents that, with the exception of some bruises and a minor case of whiplash, their son was unhurt. “He’s been very lucky, you know,” the doctor said. Julian didn’t feel very lucky. He felt about as low as he ever had in his life. “We’ll keep him in overnight, just for observation,” continued the doctor. “If everything checks out, he can go home in the morning.”
What home? Julian felt like saying, but he kept silent. He heard the doctor leave the room. He sensed his parents looking at
Before Mia finished speaking, she started walking again. Again, Julian followed. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever it is.” Mia ignored him, but he persisted, “I can help. Just tell me how.”
Mia whirled suddenly and slapped Julian, her nails drawing blood. They stared at each other a moment, him with his mouth hanging open, her po-faced. Then she resumed walking away from him. This time, he didn’t follow. Head hanging, he returned to his car. He watched Mia dwindle from sight. He thought about Susan Carter, missing all these years, her parents still not knowing for sure what happened to her. He thought about Joanne Butcher, her maggoty eye sockets, her livid, bloated flesh. “No.” The word hissed out from between his tight-pressed lips. “No fucking way.”
Julian drove after Mia. There was a set of traffic lights ahead on red. He braked, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, muttering, “C’mon, c’mon,” as Mia turned a corner.
The lights changed. He accelerated around the corner. His heart accelerated too. Mia was nowhere to be seen. Jerking his head from side to side, he spotted her a short distance along a side street bordered only by a windowless building. She approached a black Mercedes with its lights off. Julian wondered who the hell she knew with a car like that, as she opened the backdoor and ducked inside. He could see two other figures in the car – one in the driver’s seat, the other in the backseat. But the light was too dim to make out their features. They disappeared from sight as the car’s headlights glared into life. As the car pulled out of the street, he caught another glimpse of them. The driver was a middle-aged white man with a dark beard and shades. Big and serious-looking, not the kind of guy you’d want to tangle with, and wearing what looked like a chauffeur’s uniform. The figure beside Mia was a busty woman in a low-cut black dress, thirtyish, red-hair piled into an intricate coil, good looking, but with a hard-bitten edge. Mia was staring out the window towards Julian, but she didn’t see him. She had that somewhere else look on her face again.
The Mercedes headed for the southern suburbs. Julian tailed it at what he thought was an inconspicuous distance, his mind whirring with the possibilities of what Mia might be getting herself into. He pictured Mr Ugly’s snoutish nose sniffing at her. He pictured a tongue emerging like a fat pink worm from thick, leering lips to lick at her. He pictured powerful, hairy-backed fingers closing around her throat. The images passed before his eyes in a sickeningly vivid cavalcade. The Mercedes put on a sudden burst of speed, jumping a red light. He pressed down hard on the accelerator. There was a crunch of smashing glass and crumpling metal, and his neck snapped to one side as a car hit the front end of his car and swung it around.
An electric shock of pain crackled from his neck to his feet, as he twisted his head to watch the Mercedes speed into the distance. When it passed out of sight, a thought struck him like a knife sliding under his skin, that’s it, Mia’s gone and I’ll never see her again.
Chapter 10
Julianlay pretending to sleep as the doctor reassured his parents that, with the exception of some bruises and a minor case of whiplash, their son was unhurt. “He’s been very lucky, you know,” the doctor said. Julian didn’t feel very lucky. He felt about as low as he ever had in his life. “We’ll keep him in overnight, just for observation,” continued the doctor. “If everything checks out, he can go home in the morning.”
What home? Julian felt like saying, but he kept silent. He heard the doctor leave the room. He sensed his parents looking at
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