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  I waited until her stomach touched the counter top before I slid out from behind the door. I grabbed the back of her hair, wrenched back her head and pressed the edge of the woman's steak knife against her throat.

  “Make a sound, bitch, I'll kill you,” I snarled. “If you struggle, I will fuck you with this blade before eating your eyes.”

  Four quiet moans escaped her mouth. Judging from the damp patch spreading down her thighs, I think she had just pissed herself. The moans didn't really count as making sounds. They were just reflex noises. I've done this enough times to recognise how this particular type of person is going to behave. Even so, to ensure that she didn't do anything irrational, I needed to add in the carrot and the stick.

  “If you cooperate, I'll be out of your life in minutes. If you try to make things difficult, then your Donnie is going to taste my knife.”

  Another quiet moan let her mouth. I took that as an affirmative that she understood the threat. “Good, now open your mouth.” This instruction took a couple of seconds to sink in, but a sharp reminder from the knife persuaded her to comply. “If you behave, I promise that I won't hurt you.” I pushed one of her socks into her open mouth and wrapped parcel tape around her head. “This is just to make sure you don't make a noise. It's nothing to worry about. Now, I want you to sit down on that dining chair, Janet.” She flinched when I called the woman by her name.

  The woman flinched again when I turned on the kitchen light and Janet found herself staring into the lens of my video camera. Her expression of terror moved up a couple more notches when it must have dawned on her that what I had planned for the woman was not going to take 'a few minutes'

  Due to the nature of my work, the obvious fact that some elements of our society would likely frown at the length I go to disprove my mother's first law, I set myself a point of no return with each Franco procedure. A line is drawn in the sand where, if passed, there is no turning back. This is useful if circumstances dictate that I need to back off before I find myself on the slippery slope which would lead to finding myself in the clutching embrace of her corpse.

  In this instance, it wasn't when Bennie announced that he even had a nephew, nor was it when I broke into Janet's house. No, the point of no return occurred after I had secured the bitch to that chair and used my scalpel to slice off both her eyelids.

  I rested the heel of my palm upon her forehead, whispered that this might sting. She did tremble at that moment. I had anticipated that. The skin is elastic, so it wasn't too much of a problem. If I had explained exactly what I was about to do, poor Janet would have shaken that pretty head harder than a wet dog trying to dry off. I gripped her eyelash, still reassuring Janet that I will be out of here even before the end credits of Eastenders started showing.

  It literally took two seconds to stretch the skin before sliding the tip of the blade across the top of the thin fold. I cut off her other eyelid without hesitation, while her body was still going into shock. My only regret was having to gag her before I started.

  I would have enjoyed listening to her screams.

  The sock hadn't exactly stopped the noise, it only muffled the woman's shrieking. Before I retreated to the kitchen, I pulled her head back, ensuring that she'd stay by tying her hair to the top bar on the back of the chair. I left her to make her strange noises whilst searching for my next two ingredients essential to this procedure.

  Before reaching the food cupboard, I took a swift glance out of the kitchen window. At the far end of the garden, I saw a couple of rows of cabbages and two rows of cauliflowers. This woman really was a woman of many talents. Donnie should be proud of having a mother who knew the value of self-sufficiency.

  From this perspective, it appeared that she had re-planted them a little too close. She should have placed them a little farther apart, at least another inch. I didn't mention this to her as I didn't want to hurt her feelings, also, I suspect that Janet had other problems to deal with right now.

  Opening the cupboard made me gasp out in happy surprise. There were so many items in here to choose from! I did notice she bought three types of breakfast cereal, judging from the colourful cartoon images on the sides, she had bought them for Donnie. She spoiled him. Again, I stayed silent, not bothering to explain that once Donnie was under my house, his life would not be so luxurious.

  It annoyed me that I would have to edit out my voice from the beginning already. I told Janet that I wouldn't hurt her. When I sit Donnie down to watch this, it really is important that he believes that I don't lie. Oh, he will soon understand that this is not the case, but not at the beginning, when I will be reshaping the boy's emotional centre.

  It's important to create the right first impression.

  I found the ideal ingredients from her well-stocked cupboard and took them over to Janet. I looked directly at the camera, then winked and gave the lens a boyish grin.

  I am very photogenic.

  I poured table salt into her left eye and hot pepper sauce into the other eye.

  To say that Janet's body reacted badly was an understatement. I had to take a step back, it looked like she was trying to fight an invisible demon possessing her body. I hurried over to the camera and moved the tripod back a couple of inches, just in case she did manage to loosen her bonds. I didn't want her to knock over my camera.

  This was the moment when I noticed a shadow which should not have been there. I jerked back my head and saw a young boy, halfway down the stairs, looking in utter horror at what I had done to Janet. Unlike the woman, this one didn't freeze with fear. Oh no, the little bastard literally flew down the rest of the stairs, he pulled open the door and was running down the street before I could stop him.

  It has been forty-five minutes since I left Janet in pursuit of this unexpected intruder. He had led me a merry chase, taking me all around the more desolate area of the city. Right now, I am inside an abandoned brick yard.

  I know exactly where he is. The boy has taken refuge inside the large chimney on the other side of the yard. From there, he can see this yard, the main road as well as the old furnaces to the left of me. I know this because I used to play in here when I was his age. It is an ideal place to hide.

  It never dawns on some kids that adults used to be their age as well.

  I don't bother attempting to sneak up on him, as I know that there is nowhere else he can go now. He had trapped himself. If he ran from the only exit in his little hiding place the boy would end up directly into my arms. It takes me moments to reach the base of the chimney. I pause for a moment, letting him believe that I have walked past.

  While waiting for him to emerge, I take out a bunch of industrial cable ties and Janet's house keys. Even when it appeared that control of the situation had been snatched from my grip, I still maintained enough calm to snatch the woman's house keys from the coat hook beside the door and lock up before running after the boy.

  My camera equipment cost me a lot of money. I'm not having some low-life thief helping themselves to my gear while I was out chasing down this little bastard.

  The rotting door began to open. I waited until his grubby fingers curled over the top of the wood before grabbing his arm. He struggled like a caught fish and just as slippery. A hard punch to the face soon put a stop to that. I dropped to my knees and secured his wrists and ankles with the cable ties. I had nothing to gag his mouth so I slammed my fist into his jaw. The force of the blow dislocated the bone, ensuring that this little bastard wasn't going to be screaming out for help.

  “You should have run home, you stupid little cunt,” I snarled.

  I stood up. He wouldn't have run home, for providence was still on my side, although I suspect that he might have done this if I hadn't locked Janet's front door. She does not forgive sloppiness.

  “I'll be back for you, soon.” I pushed the door back in and set off, eager to finish my job with the woman. I had so much to do tonight before I retired, and thanks to that unscheduled intervention, it could be thr
ee in the morning before I climbed into my bed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  On my journey back to Janet's house, self-doubt spread through my psyche like a malignant tumour. It pains me to admit this but I allowed this to happen. Even knowing that the forces which protect me have never let me down or would allow an outside variant to undermine my efforts to seek the truth, I still found myself blaming the mistake upon my carelessness.

  In retrospect, I should have flushed this self-doubt away before it could further infect me. I did not. Consequently, as I hurried through the dark streets, with the torrential rain soaking me, this muddy thinking continued to plague me. For the second time since she died, I found myself teetering on the edge of an abyss, my usually ordered thoughts refusing to rise whence they hid.

  The sense of approaching oblivion took control of my body and I bathed in its glory. It felt so refreshing to know that in moments I would be free, that the questions which cursed my daily life would no longer matter.

  Even now, I have no idea what possessed me to open my eyes, perhaps providence was indeed looking after me. Perhaps she did forgive my one instance of sloppiness, as long as I learned from my stupid mistake.

  The abyss was the kerb and oblivion turned out to be a cement mixer racing towards me at fifty miles per hour. I jumped back and fell against a shop shutter. A torrent of cold, muddy water smacked into the face and front when the speeding vehicle raced past me.

  I stared at those diminishing red tail lights, unable to move. The opening movement of Carmina Burana played in an endless loop in my head. I may have stayed like that until the morning if it hadn't been for some stray dog who just happened to walk up to me and raise its hind leg. The cantana burst like a blood-filled balloon. I screamed then booted with such force that the animal ended up in the middle of the road. It managed to scramble out of the path of a passing bus.

  My malaise had gone, like it had never been there in the first place. I watched faces of young boys pressed against the bus's windows. They all stared at me. Right at that moment, I knew. I just knew that each and every one of those little fuckers had wanted that doggy to go under the wheels of that bus. I was like I had somehow tapped into their wavelength.

  I'm not ashamed to say that the experience scared the shit out of me. It also filled my soul with terror. My mother was right about them. All boys were evil, and this proved it. Even with the surety of knowing her first law was true, it didn't stop me from continuing my work. If anything, it made me more determined to exorcise this evil from them.

  This was no longer about proving her wrong. I owed it to saving humanity.

  It took another ten minutes to reach the front of Janet's house. Ten minutes of hurrying through dark, empty streets, furiously thinking about the unexpected discovery of that boy whilst instinctively avoiding the few pedestrians and staying away from any street cameras.

  I pushed the key into the lock and turned it. I saw three possibilities to explain the boy's sudden appearance. Janet had taken a young lover. He was a neighbour who had popped around to borrow a cup of sugar or something. He was one of Janet's nephews who come to stay while Donnie was at daddy's house for the weekend.

  My money was on the last option although I hoped that my first guess applied. In all honesty, it seemed unlikely that he was a neighbour as, whoever had sent him out should be knocking on Janet's door, wondering where he was.

  I wouldn't know for sure until I searched the house so I let it pass. Before pushing down the handle, I took a moment to turn around and scan the area. The rain had stopped now, the wetness gave everything a varnished appearance. It really was quite beautiful.

  The streets were devoid of activity, there were no vehicles or any sign of people. It felt like I was the last man on earth. I won't lie. It felt rather pleasant. Providence had done this. It had created the perfect environment to ensure that I could finish my tasks without fear of being seen.

  This was obvious a reward for not ending up under the wheels of that truck. I turned to face the door and silently thanked her before I pushed the door open.

  The stench of human excrement slammed into me as soon as I walked into the hallway. I had to hold my breath while shutting the door.Breathing through my mouth, I walked into the dining room. I shouldn't have been that surprised to discover the woman had fouled herself. I walked past the camera and leant across.

  Unidentifiable thick yellow fluid dribbled down her cheeks. The weird sludgy fluid had dripped off her face and landed on the carpet close to one of the chair legs. There was blood mixed into the fluid. This annoyed the hell out of me as blood is a bastard to remove from carpeting.

  I should have put a down a plastic sheeting before starting.

  That uneasiness began to show itself. The feeling increased when I realised that I had neglected to stop the video before chasing after that boy. I now had almost one hour of useless footage. Janet released a quiet moan. It was probably the most depressing noise that I had ever heard. Had she been making that noise while I was away?

  I found myself breaking into a grin at the thought of making Donnie sit through the torture before making him watch his mother slowly die for a full hour. He could have inadvertently just created the ultimate conditioning device.

  “The sheer tenacity you have demonstrated in staying alive is absolutely astounding, Janet,” I said, a little too loudly. “I am really impressed with you.” I untied her hair and lifted her head up, while gently stroking her hair. Thanks to her fouling herself, the next procedure would prove difficult but not impossible.

  It just meant that I wouldn't be able to use my large metal hook.

  I grabbed my bag and pulled out my remaining tools, leaving the hook where it was. I had a large, thick, clear plastic bag, a length of rope and more cable ties.

  Janet turned around when I rattled the bag but as her eyes no longer functioned, she had no idea what I had in store for her. I picked up my equipment and approached the woman. “I'll soon be out of here, Janet. Don't worry. It's nearly over.”

  I cut the bonds around her wrists and ankles, stood her up and turned the chair ninety degrees. She really did smell bad. My eyes were watering. I began to think that Janet had fouled herself on purpose, just to spite me.

  It wouldn't do her any good. No matter the obstacle, I can always find a suitable solution. It's one of my many hidden talents. It then dawned on me that my improvised plan of bending her over the chair just wouldn't be effective. This did not overly concern me as I then had a brainwave. I couldn't help but smile at my genius.

  “A keen gardener like you is bound to have a hosepipe.” I dragged the woman over to the back door, pushed back the two bolts and opened the door. The rain had started again but even I knew that this alone wouldn't be enough to clean her.

  Before I killed and dissected Janet, first, I had to bleed her. An average adult human body contains about sixty percent liquid. I did not want to get any of that sprayed over the floral wallpaper or staining the carpeting.

  It took me a few minutes to find the hose, to connect it to the cold tap and to figure out the nozzle settings. I used my scalpel to slice off the clothing that wasn't covered in wet shit before I let her have it. Freezing cold water pummelled her skin and judging from the wheezing and puffing noises exploding from her mouth, poor Janet wasn't exactly having a pleasant time. I told her not to complain, but by now, I think she wasn't listening to anything I said. This was confirmed when the bitch tried to kick me. I soon fixed her waggon with a burst of the hose directed at her mutilated eyes.

  Once I was satisfied that the shit was gone, I turned off the hose and entered the house, ensuring to wipe my feet on the mat before entering. I took the hook out of the bag, stood on the chair and mentally drew a parallel line from the light fitting to the edge of the ceiling.

  While the woman moaned behind that gag, I proceeded to screw my hook into one of the rafters. I even whistled a merry tune as I worked. It felt so good to be back on track with
my work. I put myself into the place of Donnie when he would be watching this movie for the first time. His mind would no doubt be all over the place. Shock and terror would no doubt be ruling his mind. In spite of the extreme emotions, he must be asking himself exactly what I was doing right now.

  I turned to the camera and gave the lens another boyish grin. “If you have anything you wish to say to your dear mummy, now is the time.”

  I stayed in place for a few more seconds before I jumped off the chair and went outside to fetch the woman. She weighed about a hundred and sixty pounds. A hefty weight but I still was able to lift her up and slide the cable tie wrapped around her ankle over the metal hook. I took a step back and folded my arms, admiring my handiwork. Her head was about two feet from the floor.

  I gave the lens another wink before I fetched the plastic bag and rope.

  My confidence had returned in spades. I was on familiar ground now. I could do the rest of the procedure with my eyes closed. That last thought caused a little smile to appear as closing my eyes was a task that Janet couldn't accomplish.

  The woman obviously knew the end was upon her. In most cases, they accepted their fate and allowed me to finish them with the minimum of fuss. Not Janet though, this one would be fighting me right to the end. As much as I admired this, I really had no time for all this dancing about. There was no fear of her slipping off my hook but that wasn't the point.

  I took a spoon from the cutlery drawer, kneeled in front of her wriggling body and smacked her left eyeball with the back of the spoon. “Anymore movement from you and your other eye gets the same treatment.”

  Satisfied that she wouldn't cause any more trouble, I slipped the plastic bag over her head and brought the edge up to the base of her neck. Before pressing the plastic against her wet skin, I slipped my hand inside and sliced through her carotid artery.