Dark Blood

A boot cracks into his ribs. ‘Get up you fat bastard.’ A Newcastle accent. Oh Jesus, no…Not now. Not when he was so close!

Graeme gets his right arm underneath him and pushes himself to his knees. ‘Fucking bastards…’ The words won’t come out right, his face isn’t working.

He struggles to his feet, rocking back and forth on his heels. The room swirls around him. Blink. He wipes a huge fist across his blurry eyes. ‘Bloody kill…’

A shape swims into focus. Woman. Short. Blonde hair cut in a shoulder-length bob. Jacket, jeans, cowboy boots. A werewolf smile. ‘DSI Danby, so nice to see you again. How’s the wife and kids?’

He staggers back a step. ‘You…?’

She looks to the side. ‘Neil?’

Something slams into Graeme’s head.

Darkness.

They carry him down the service stairs at the back of the building. Can’t use the lifts, cos of the security cameras.

Neil grunts, arms wrapped around Danby’s torso. ‘Christ, he weighs a ton.’

Doesn’t look too great either: his face is all covered in blood, there’s a big lump on the back of his shiny head, and the bruises are already starting to darken.

They pause on the next landing, catching their breath.

Danby’s white bathrobe is all stained red down the front. Flopping open.

Tony frowns. ‘Urgh…’

‘What?’

‘Can see his cock.’

‘Then don’t bloody look.’

Julie’s waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, where there’s a little car park and some industrial-sized wheelie bins. Tony peers out the door at the falling snow.

‘Cameras?’

‘Don’t sweat it, Babe: all taken care of…’ She frowned. ‘Why’s he got his knob out? Did you guys get all amorous halfway down the stairs?’

Neil grimaces. ‘No offence, but this bastard’s heavy.’

‘Okeydoke.’ She leads the way to the generic white van they stole earlier, the number plates fudged a bit with black electrical tape. Well, you’d have to be a right mentalist to use your own car, wouldn’t you? Some nosey bastard or CCTV camera always sees something.

Julie pops open the back doors and they tumble Danby inside, hands fastened behind his back with thick black cableties, legs strapped together at the ankle, duct tape gag over that big hairy gob of his.

She ducks into the passenger seat and comes back with something tartan – a pillowcase from their room. She slips it over Danby’s battered head, then fastens another cable-tie around his neck, just below his chin.

Tony shifts his feet. ‘Are you sure that’s—’

‘Don’t worry, Darling, he’s not going to choke.’ She smiles. ‘You can ride in the back to make sure, if you like?’

Tony looks at the scarred, rusty metal floor of the van, then at the front seats. ‘Actually, I think—’

‘You can ride in the back.’ Julie’s not smiling any more.

Tony clears his throat. Stares at the ground for a moment. Then clambers up into the cold metal interior and pulls the doors shut behind him.

Julie and Neil get in the front.

The van slips out of the car park, windscreen wipers clunking back and forth.

OK, so it’s uncomfortable and cold in the back, but it’s nothing compared to what’s waiting for Danby, is it?

Always gotta look on the bright side…

Moonlight casts a cold white bar across the bed, shining though the gap between the curtains, turning the scratchy tartan blanket monochrome beneath his naked elbows. Hands together. Head bowed in prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven,

He can hear the old man swearing in the other room. Has to hurt, all that violence – the whipping, the biting, the punches.

Hallowed be Thy name,

A tear plops onto the blanket, swallowed by the darkness.

Can’t do this any more.

Don’t want to do this any more.

Thy will be done,

That’s the razorblade in the forbidden apple, isn’t it?

Richard stands, wipes his palm across his wet cheeks. His hand aches, the knuckles swollen and cracked,