Little Red (12 page)
‘Holy shit!’ blurted Nathan,
she saw him……..she fucking saw him.
***
The van t
urned up the narrow track, the headlights finding the means of access. The Wolf had been here, before the first girl was taken. He had found several good locations to perform his art. This was one of them.
To his memory the track continued for fifty to seventy five metres, then ended as the woods density became an obstacle. He rocked from side to side as the wheels negotiated the uneven route. The moon crept slowly to reveal itself fully. He had checked ahead for the forecast, the intern
et site revealed the night as a full moon result, its period of waning had come to an end. The branches above helped the moon to hide as the vehicle moved under them. The headlights became less intense as the block of tall resting trees stood in their path. He stopped the van and climbed out of the door. His boots created a crunch as they landed in the carpet of snow below. He inhaled the fresh air, nipping his throat slightly as he exhaled,
a perfect night.
He moved to the passenger side and removed several items from the foot well. His boots left behind prints several inches into the glistening powder. He didn’t worry, the snow fall was due to i
ncrease a little after midnight and his tracks would be covered.
He listened to the scurrying of tiny feet as he made his way to the back, the twinkling of tiny eyes appearing and vanishing into the depths of the wood. The light bang from the inside of the vehicle told him that his girl was now awake, the tissue placed to her face had less Chloroform than previously. She had been unconscious for a little over half an hour now. He lowered the bag to the ground and unzipped it. The mask starred back at him from the bottom of its home. The eyes looked into his, its menacing smile displayed the variety of different sized teeth. He leant over and retrieved it.
The doors were pulled open and Abby shuffled rearwards attempting to find a concealed hiding place. The monster was partially hidden by the shadow of the door. The moon’s light fought through the foliage above him, displaying one side of the mask. He called her to him with a curled finger, she didn’t move. He tilted his head to one side, the large mouth caught the light, its teeth displayed.
Abby shook with a fear she had never known. The girl had been pulled from her safe place and thrown into a dungeon of horror. She had been drugged and moved, waking up in a strange place not knowing how she got there. She now gazed upon a beast she had read about once, but not believed in. The confusion overwhelmed her mind as if a thick rain cloud had been cast in her brain. The finger beckoned her once more, again she remained still.
The Wolf climbed into the van, his weight pushed the large frame down upon the suspension; the girl moved with the motion. He reached down with a long arm and gripped her bare ankle. The girl was dragged to the rear, her fingers clawing at the wooden surface to find a point to hold on to. Her nails offered a screech as they scraped the wood away, the splinters pierced her flesh.
The Wolf pulled her down onto the snow and forced her body to the ground squashing her head. She screamed.
Grabbing her shoulders he lifted her to her feet, the cold ground stinging her bare skin. The red cloak was fastened with a brown button, the collar wrapping around her bruised neck. Abby pulled it as tight as she could, keeping the cold out and hiding her body to the beast. He walked her to the front of the van. The headlights showed her the path into the woods. The mouth of light was surrounded by darkness, waiting to swallow the delicate child. He stood behind her holding her body against his, the heart beat bellowed through her fragile frame, he shuddered as he felt the beat increase.
The wood was
harbouring a sinister darkness and the creatures lay in wait observing the show. The nose brushed past her cheek, she felt the warmth of his breathe upon her face.
‘You are free……………run ……run…..run, as fast as you can little red riding hood……………RUN!’ he whispered to her.
The girl bolted to the wood, her shadow danced upon the large trees as she moved quickly. The Wolf smiled behind his mask as he moved to the driver’s door and he pulled it open, he reached toward the CD player fixed to the dashboard. The music stormed the peaceful woodland, the howl causing some animals to stir.
Howwwwwwwlllll………., who’s that I see walking in these woods………..why it’s little red riding hood……..hey there little red riding hood…..you sure are looking good……you’re everything a big bad wolf could want……………..
The Wolf
pushed his hand into the glove and the slim blades glimmered on his fingers.
The chase was on.
Abby mov
ed as fast as her legs could go. She struggled to keep upright as her body leant forward with the momentum. Her hands were wafting any obstruction from her front as she began to enter complete darkness. The cracking of twigs sent shivers through her cold body, her legs breaking the branches as she made contact with them. The music surrounded her, bouncing from tree to tree. The wildlife dispersed as she awoke them. Though her surroundings were something she had seen in her nightmares, she kept moving……….the fear pushed her.
The Wolf was close on her trail, the sounds of rustling and the cracking of branches told him her position. He stalked quickly, more of a slight leap than a run. He panted wildly and his breath appeared before his face in puffs of smoke. He moved with the music, singing the song in his head as he chased his prey. He could smell her…………..he knew it was the fear that was oozing from her cold damp skin.
She ran blind, unable to see her hands in front of her. She had fallen several times, the snow had numbed her feet and she struggled to place her footing. Her lungs begged for more air, straining within her skinny body. The small light guided her and she spotted it to her front.
A car… house maybe?
The adrenalin coursed through his veins. The music had become faint now, he knew he was close…….his heart pumping violently. He could hear her breathing, gasping as she fought the obstacles in her chosen path.
Abby neared the wood line and the crisp white field lay in front. Her eyes were fixated on her path as she avoided any obstructions that could slow her down. The moon appeared from the cover of the tree tops, she squinted as it burned her eyes. The crack of a branch alerted her, she turned as the beast had pounced and her body was sent to the ground with force. He had her………….his kill. The familiar sensation engulfed him and he shuddered as it passed through his limbs, gasping over his prey.
The sky was a sheet of black, the clusters of stars twinkled with the brilliance of the moon. He dragged her bleeding body so that they sat under the large light above them. He had dug his claws into her leg, shredding the soft pale skin. She whimpered as he laid her flat on her back. The snow attacked her bare skin, numbing her completely. The Wolf stood over the girl, the power surging as he calmed his breathing to a relaxed state. He knew he could take his time, she was exhausted, he could tell. He opened the red cloak and revealed her young body to the moon as it reached its fullest. His knees dropped onto her open arms, wedging her upon the ground. The glove was removed and he produced the knife from its sheaf. It shone under the moon, glimmered in his eyes. He raised it to the sky and howled.
Chapter Ten
J
ack lowered himself into the car, he sighed as his body crumpled onto the driver’s seat. The engine growled as he started it, the headlights came to life.
The car pulled out from the parking space
and rolled down the road, the night pulled in steadily and Nathan looked up towards the sky. He gazed at the brilliance the moon held and the light it offered.
‘It’ll take about fifteen minutes to get to the first victim’s house’ Nathan nodded as Jack provided the information. The girl’s pictures bulged in his coat pocket as he had folded the six in half for evidence. Jack was unaware to his friend
’s findings, believing that Nathan had a wasted scavenge in the girl’s room. He wanted to tell him, but he needed to see if the next room held any evidence.
They swung onto the dual carriage way and the accelerator was pushed to the floor. Jack wanted to make haste, the day was coming to an end and his body had felt restless since lunch time. His joints ached as his knees were bent in the driver’s seat, he adjusted his position on several occasions to find a new comfort zone.
‘Makes you sick doesn’t it?’
‘What does?’ asked Nathan, his attention to the black canvas
of twinkling lights and a large full moon above been broken by his friend.
‘That right now, some sick bastard has a little girl……in his house….waiting to kill her’
.
‘Yeah it does, I feel like I’m
not doing enough!’
‘I hear you mate……I hear you’.
‘What gets me is what could drive somebody to act like this?’
‘It’s a fucked up world we live in Nathan, things happen behind closed doors, things that our nightmares show us. It’s worse when reality smacks you bang in the face and you realise that you’re living a nightmare, catching a real killer with real victims’.
Nathan played with the words his friend offered. He understood what was meant by the speech, he agreed with everything Jack had said.
The car took the next turn off and arrived in a small
housing estate on the outskirts. The roads were lit well and visibility was clear. Jack motioned toward the left turn just ahead of them. He told Nathan that the house was up the narrow road, at the top.
Nathan looked around the area as the
y entered, it seemed very open. It was the type of place where people can see other people’s business.
‘Not the type of place you would attempt an abduction is it?’
‘No……….odd really, it’s so open……….no privacy at all’ stated Nathan as they pulled to a stop by the lamppost. They debussed from the vehicle and Jack lead the way to the front door. He depressed the button and the chimes could be heard from inside.
Nathan stood in the girl’s room. The walls were
a faded magnolia which held small patches of missing paint. Nathan guessed that pictures had once being stuck to these walls but the parents had removed them, the adhesive had pulled small sections off the surface as the drawings were taken down. He practiced the same ritual as before, studying the room as he entered. This time it was different though, the room was bare, totally empty. He entered the four sided shell and walked steadily around the perimeter. He stopped at the window and looked outside. Blackness surrounded the house, no rear lighting or streets to park on. He felt confused by what he saw. This was nothing like the second victims room. No parking spaces visible for the Wolf to pull in and spy on the girl. Which meant that he would need a different place to view from, another carefully selected location,
but where?
He sat down below the window, his back against the wall.
‘I don’t get it……….something isn’t right’ he said aloud to his open hands. He could hear the voices down stairs. Jack was speaking with the girl’s parents. The conversation w
as bleak, nothing of importance. It was just Jack offering some comfort as he sipped on another cup of better tasting coffee.
He rose to his feet
, his knees offering a dull crack as he stood and walked from the sparse room. The hallway was narrow and offered a claustrophobic feeling, the pictures hung from nails on each side, all different sizes and shapes. Nathan felt as though he had to walk sideways so not to knock any of the frames. He stopped to observe each photograph. The family portrait was mounted in a large wooden frame. The faces displayed happy people, smiling…….their hands on one and other. He moved to the next, the young girl in a play. Her costume depicted an angel……her face offered a wide smile. He shuffled down the line and stopped when his eyes met the school photograph. He studied it carefully as he tried to find the young girl’s smiling face.
‘There you are’ his finger rested at the top right of the picture.
The image was recent, the date shown in golden letters at the bottom. He flipped through his memory calendar and decided that the photograph had been taken four months ago. His eyes moved up slightly, he read the names along the bottom of the photo, four rows starting from the rear and working to the front. He noticed the back row held the teachers names, he scanned them slowly.
‘Mrs Lomax…..Mrs Day……Mr Tate……Mrs Cousins……Mrs Payton……….Mr Breen’.
He stopped. His heart began thudding as he recognised the name. His eyes fell upon the girl again, behind her stood the teacher and his hand was placed on her small shoulder, his smile was offered for the picture and it seemed welcoming. Mr Breen appeared young and had an athletic build, he looked well dressed. Nathan pondered the possible coincidence and decided to go with his instinct. He called from the top of the stairs and stepped back opposite the picture as Jack climbed each step.
