The Ultimate Selection: Be Careful Who You Talk To by S. J. Wardell

As he approached the front door, pausing for a moment, he rang the door bell. No answer. He rang it again.
    â€˜She never goes out,’ he thought.
    He heard footsteps. The noise of the lock turning, etched a grin on his face.
    â€˜Who is it?’ a gentle feminine voice asked as the door opened.
    â€˜It’s the fucking grim reaper!’ Greg said, purposely for effect.
    The accent he had adopted was distinct and recognisably middle class. He pushed the door with his shoulder. The momentum forced Sharon backward, she lost her balance. She bounced off one of the walls in the hallway; the gravity sucked her to the floor. The whole thing had happened in a blur.
    Greg wasted no time. He quickly bundled Sharon back in to the living room, pushing her with short, sharp jolts, though without any real force. She was not the true victim. Greg had impressed himself by how quiet he had kept her.
    Once inside, Greg returned to close the front door with a swift kick. The door slammed. The neighbours would have become accustomed to this kind of noise if Brian had told the truth about their fights. Despite the bullshit, Greg had chosen to believe Brian on this occasion.
    â€˜Sit Down,’ Greg barked. ‘Where’s the baby?’
    Sharon pointed to another room. Her hand shook – she was far too petrified to speak. Her whole body trembled, consumed by fear. Sweat dripped its way down her back as goosebumps made the hairs on her arms stand up. She shivered.
    â€˜OK, Sharon, this is the drill. I’m not here to hurt you or your baby, but you must do as I say. Do you understand?’
    She managed to nod. Fear surged through her body. Urine escaped without warning as it trickled its way down the inside of her legs.
    â€˜We’re going to keep the noise level to a minimum, and that way we’ll get on famously,’ Greg continued to survey his surroundings.
    Sharon simply nodded frantically, not knowing what was happening. She looked up at the silhouette – a male silhouette: medium height with an impressive athletic build. She could not work out what it was that the man under the silhouette was wearing, a kind of shiny black all-in-one suit. She tried to make sense of his face. Once she was able to focus through her tears, she saw that a mask was covering his true identity. She had seen her fair share of horror films, but she had never seen a mask like this before. It was as though it had been surgically implanted. A batman type of tool belt clung to his waist.
    â€˜It’s plain to see that Brian knocks the fuck out of you. Isn’t that so?’
    She nodded frantically in agreement.
    â€˜How long do you think you can allow this to continue?’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ she squeaked sounding like the teenager she really was.
    â€˜It’s up to you Sharon,’ Greg noticed a clock sitting on top of the television. Time was ticking away from him. ‘Would you like to get even or escape?’
    This time she glared at Greg.
    â€˜Answer the fucking question.’ He did not have time to pussyfoot around.
    â€˜What, are you here to save me from Brian?’ her voice shook. ‘Yes, yes! OK… Sorry… Please don’t hurt my baby!’ Sharon blurted out.
    â€˜Now we are getting somewhere. No, Sharon, I’m here to offer you the chance to save your baby. I’m going to offer you the opportunity to get your own back tonight. If you do as I say, I promise that I will not hurt any member of this household.’
    â€˜But I love him.’
    â€˜Tonight, Sharon, you are going to kill Brian.’
    There was a heavy silence.
    â€˜How can I kill him? He’s my baby’s father,’ she seemed confused.
    â€˜To stop being abused and to save your baby.’
    Sharon became hysterical. Greg slapped her, though not firmly, more for effect than impact. She was stunned, her noise stopped.
    She spoke. ‘Why do I have to kill him? Why can’t I