by G D Parker
He could then see his apartment block, so he kept pushing further. He was flat out! Usain Bolt would have had trouble catching him at the rate he was going - it’s amazing what the body can do when someone you care about is in trouble.
Tommy got to the front door, but realised he had no keys - Emily had them. He was gasping for breath as his diaphragm flexed. He looked up at the apartment, scanning for any movement – there was nothing. He hit the buzzer, holding it down hard so the buzzer sounded endlessly.
After five minutes, Tommy knew that something had to be wrong. That buzzer was loud enough to wake the dead. There was no way Emily could sleep through it. He banged on the main door in the hope that another tenant in the building would hear and open the door for him.
Ten minutes passed, and Tommy’s attempts to gain entry had failed. He was gasping for breath more and more, and his mouth and throat were so dry, it felt like he’d been eating chalk. He banged on a window on the ground floor, causing a light to come on. Thank God, Tommy thought as old Mr Richards pulled his curtains aside, peering out to see that it was Tommy and then coming to let him in.
‘Thank you so much! I’m so sorry!’ Tommy exclaimed and legged it upstairs to his apartment, unintentionally pushing past Mr Richards.
The door to Tommy’s apartment was shut and locked. He banged on it hard, causing a white pain in his wrist. He continued over and over, but there was nothing.
He shouted, ‘Emily, it’s me, Tommy! Open the fucking door!’
Tommy then heard the door unlock and open, and he pushed his way in. Emily was shaken up. She looked like she had seen a ghost.
‘What’s up? What’s happened?’ Tommy was frantic.
Emily threw her arms around him. ‘There was a man. He pushed his way-.’
Tommy interrupted her. ‘Did he hurt you? I’ll fucking kill the prick! Tell me he didn’t hurt you?’
Emily shushed him by placing a finger on his lips to try and calm him. ‘No, he didn’t touch me. He was intimidating, so I threatened to smash a bowl over his head, and he left! I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do, and when I heard the buzzer going again, I thought it was him.’ Tears ran down her face. She was clearly distraught by the whole episode.
‘I knew something was wrong,’ Tommy said. ‘I could just feel it.’ His voice turned to a whisper, ‘I fucking knew it!’
‘How come you’re home?’ Emily asked, pulling back and looking at him.
‘I just had this feeling something was wrong. It was so strange. I’ve never felt it before. I just had to get back here, so I discharged myself and legged it home.’
There was blood that had seeped through the tape on Tommy’s hand, and it was all over his one side from where he had been running.
‘Bloody hell, hun! What have you done?’ Emily was shocked at the amount of dried blood on him.
‘Had to pull the IV out and get home to you! You are ok, yeah?’ Tommy threw his arms around her.
There was a moment of silence whilst they absorbed one another. Tommy closed the door, locked it and they went into the bedroom.
‘I’m so glad I came home, Em. So glad!’ Tommy stripped off his bloodied clothes to take a shower. He gave Emily a kiss and went for a wash.
‘Wait,’ Emily said. Tommy turned. ‘Can I come with you?’ she asked. ‘I don’t want to be on my own.’
Tommy nodded, and she followed him into the bathroom.
They were both chatting. Their tension began to ease in the company of one another. As they both reached a state of calm, they heard the front door close. Tommy burst out of the shower, knocking Emily over, and checking the entire apartment frantically. There was no one there.
‘Oh my shit!’ screamed Emily. She started shaking profusely, breathlessness taking over her. ‘He was in here the whole time, Tommy! The whole time! Oh my fucking hell, I have to go! Please take me out of here!’
Tommy hastily packed up an over-night bag with essentials, and they quickly fled the apartment, heading off to find a hotel.
They drove to the city centre, found a Premier Inn and checked themselves in. The room was basic, but clean and quiet.
‘We should call the police,’ suggested Tommy.
‘Leave it for now, hun. I just want to try to relax and clear my head. It’s half three in the morning! Let’s just cuddle up and sleep in tomorrow. Things won’t seem as bad in the morning.’
Tommy couldn’t refuse the puppy dog eyes, even though everything inside him wanted to call the police. He decided to leave it, so they could both rest, especially as he hadn’t been feeling well. They cuddled up, both exhausted, and fell asleep fairly quickly, considering the events of the night.
Emily was the first to come to life. It was midday. She decided to leave Tommy sleeping and nipped out into town to grab some food. The air was crisp and cold, but the sun was shining, providing patches of a little warmth. She looked up to the sky and took a long, deep breath, feeling fresh with a clear head. She then proceeded to find a coffee house, which didn’t take too long.
‘Two Americanos, no milk, ooh and I’ll have two of those blueberry muffins as well, please.’
‘To take away, Miss?’ asked the Barista.
‘Yes please.’ There was a large smile on Emily’s face, even though last night had made her feel uncomfortable and scared. She had never gone through anything like that, and to date it was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. However, she had Tommy where she needed him.
She made her purchase and was casually walking back to the hotel, when she spotted the man from last night standing still, staring at her, about two hundred yards ahead. He was wearing the same clothes he had been in the night before and was still holding the bunch of flowers.
Emily’s heart pounded in her chest and heat filled her stomach. She closed her eyes and prayed the man would disappear - funnily enough, he was gone when she opened them ten seconds later.
Her mouth was dry. ‘What the fuck?’ Emily whispered. ‘What’s he playing at?’
She got back to the hotel room to find Tommy was gone. His phone was missing, but the rest of his things, including his wallet, were scattered around as though he had rushed out. Emily assumed he’d gone to look for her, so she decided to stay put, rather than risk missing each other in a game of cat and mouse. She tried to call Tommy numerous times but failed to connect.
After an hour, Tommy still hadn’t returned, so Emily went down to the lobby to see if he was around, but he was nowhere to be seen. At the desk, she asked if Mr McGregor had left a note or anything, but their response was that he had already checked out. She stood and stared, feeling utterly confused.
‘Well, did he say where he was going? All his stuff is still in the room,’ Emily probed.
‘No, Miss. He didn’t say a word, just handed us the key.’
‘No, this isn’t right. He wouldn’t have checked out without me!’ Worry was written all over Emily’s face.
She scanned her surroundings. Through the front windows she could make out that man again. He was standing staring into the hotel lobby, still holding the bunch of flowers.
‘Call the police, there’s a man after me!’ Emily was frantic and her hands were shaking.
It was clear to the receptionist that Emily was in distress, and she escorted her through to the back office. As Emily walked, she anxiously glanced back and “he” was gone.
‘Can I get you a glass of water, Miss? Or is there anyone I can call for you?’ The receptionist’s voice was full of concern.
‘No thank you, it’s okay. I thought I saw someone. I’m just being silly and over-reacting.’ Emily tried to imply that she was a typical blonde. ‘Thought I saw a crazy ex, that’s all,’ she said, followed by a giggle.
‘Okay, Miss. As long as you are sure. I can ask one of our security officers to escort you through to the front and make sure there is no one there?’
‘That’s very kind of you, but I’ll be okay, really,’ Emily smiled. �
��Can I just collect my things from the room, is that okay?’
‘Of course, Miss. Not a problem.’
Emily gathered both of their belongings from the hotel room, packing up the over-night bag, then left the hotel. She flagged down a taxi as she stepped out towards the curb. She was miffed at the thought of Tommy leaving her like that. So strange, she thought to herself.
Back at the apartment block, there were two police cars parked outside the front. Emily hurried inside. There were two uniformed police officers in the apartment and a lady looking very official with a black and white police lanyard around her neck.
‘You are?’ asked the lady, dressed in a dark red blouse, black suit trousers and heels. Her black hair was tied back. She looked a little tired in the face, as though she’d had a tough life. From first impressions, she was not someone Emily would like to confront – bitch was written all over her weathered face.
‘I’m Emily. This is my boyfriend’s place.’
The two uniformed officers were searching the apartment, collecting belongings and placing them in large clear bags, then sealing them.
‘What are you doing?’ Emily asked.
‘I’m DI Valentina. Can you confirm your boyfriend’s name please?’
‘Er, yeah sure, it’s er-’
‘Look, cut the I-don’t-know or I-can’t-think-of-a-fake-name bullshit! Just tell me. You don’t want to incriminate yourself, do you?’
‘Tommy, his name is Tommy McGregor.’
‘And... where is Tommy now?’
‘I actually don’t know.’ Emily’s face looked sad, but DI Valentina wasn’t taking any prisoners. She had little empathy for any suspected criminals or anyone who she could sense was being dishonest. Valentina was a good judge of character.
‘Have a think, when did you see him last?’ asked the DI.
‘This morning. Can I sit down, please?’ Emily pointed towards the lounge.
‘You may.’
They walked into the lounge and sat down. Emily watched the uniformed officers as they proceeded to search the place, causing one hell of a mess.
‘This morning. We were in the Premier Inn. I got up and left to get some coffee, and when I got back, he was gone!’
‘What time?’
Emily was taken aback. She felt as though she was being interrogated – she was. ‘It was around midday,’ she replied.
‘Midday when you saw him last, or when you got back?’
‘When I saw him last. What’s this all about?’ Emily asked.
The DI ignored her question, giving a strong indication that she should be the one doing the asking and Emily should just be answering. ‘Then what happened?’
‘I sat in the room for about an hour, then went down to reception, where they said he had already checked out,’ Emily explained.
‘What time did he check out?’
‘I don’t know, sorry.’ Emily was already becoming increasingly exhausted by the interrogation.
‘DI,’ said one of the uniformed officers. She turned and acknowledged him. ‘We have everything we need,’ he informed her.
‘Great!’ the DI replied, turning back to Emily. ‘If you see Tommy or hear from him, you call this number immediately.’ She handed Emily a business card.
‘Ok, no problem,’ Emily agreed.
They all left promptly, leaving Emily alone in the apartment that had been turned upside down. She went to close the front door and noticed it had been considerably damaged.
‘Hope you’re gonna pay for this damage!’ she shouted down the stairs suddenly feeling brave, but there was no reply.
She made her way to the bedroom, laid on the bed and scanned the room. There was so much of Taylor still there. A picture of Tommy and Taylor was on the side next to the TV. They looked happy. Emily stood and walked over, looking at the picture. ‘You horrible, evil bitch!’ she said out loud, looking at Taylor, then punched the picture, cracking the glass.
Still feeling angry at the sight of Taylor and Tommy happy together, Emily went through the apartment and started to remove any pictures of the two of them, placing each one into a black bin liner she found under the sink. The last one she came to, she held out in front of her and shouted, ‘This is only the beginning, bitch!’ She placed it in the bin liner with the others and left the apartment with the bag of pictures.
Emily arrived home, she sat in her car outside her house and logged onto her laptop. She was using an instant message service on the Dark Net to message someone by the name of – Scientist83.
Emily: “I’ve made good progress.”
Scientist83: “Excellent news! Well done you!”
Emily: “What happens next?”
Scientist83: “Keep doing what you are doing. Now the bait has been taken, this is going to get messy.”
Emily: “Will do. When will it all kick off?”
Scientist83: “Not sure yet. I’ll let you know, or I might decide to surprise you.”
Emily: “I like surprises, but not that kind.”
Scientist83: “Suck it up. It has to be convincing.”
Emily: “Ok, I’m nervous.”
Scientist83: “Don’t be, just think about the long game.”
Emily: “I’ll try. Oh and tell that idiot to stop harassing me. He’s freaking me out and I don’t like it... or him.”
Scientist83: **IS NOW OFFLINE**
She closed down the laptop, leaving the pictures in her boot she then went into her house, there was no one home, she suddenly felt on edge… what’s gonna happen?
7
It was dark and freezing cold, with the sound of the wind blowing through trees, as Tommy laid on a forest floor. His entire body ached, his mouth felt sticky and he had no idea where he was. He only had on a pair of shorts, a hoody and nothing on his feet. He felt exposed, perplexed and scared stiff about what was happening to him. His mind was numb with no memory of how he got to where he was. The last thing he remembered was being in the hotel with Emily.
‘Emilllllllllllllly!!!’ Tommy shouted at the top of his lungs.
There was nothing but the wind in the trees and the sound of his own breathing. He could also hear the sound of a fox screaming in the distance causing fear to flood his veins. His warm breath formed clouds in front of him when he exhaled as it hit the freezing air. He scanned the area, but there was nothing apart from a planation of trees and detritus. The sky looked clear through the trees with the stars on display, and he felt thankful that it wasn’t raining.
Tommy decided he was going to walk in a random direction. He planned to continue walking in a straight line to ensure he didn’t go around in circles, and he hoped that this would eventually lead him to a main road or path.
Just as he began to set off, he noticed his mobile phone on the forest ground, almost hidden by the rotting debris. He picked it up, giving it a wipe - there was blood on it. He checked himself over - not a scratch, so it wasn’t his blood. Tommy’s mind spun like a merry-go-round, completely confused at the loss of his memory once again. What is happening to my life?
He used to have it good; a gorgeous girlfriend a nice home and good job; yet now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere, stranded, freezing cold, without even any shoes on his feet, and with someone else’s blood on his phone.
Tommy checked through his phone for any indication of what had happened. There was nothing of importance. He did notice that it was 02:15 – there were a few text alerts notifying of missed calls from Emily, he tried to call but there was no signal.
He then chose a direction and kept walking, hoping it would lead his out of the forest or to a path or even he might find someone to help him.
The trek was long and his feet were in agony from the cold and the rough debris on the ground that chewed into the soles of his feet. His teeth chattered uncontrollably with a high pitch sound.
After what felt like hours, Tommy checked his phone. Only thirty minutes had passed – this was a struggle. The battery on his ph
one was running low, so as there was no signal to use the maps or make calls he dimmed the screen and switched on airplane mode in an attempt to preserve as much battery as possible until he needed to use it. He dropped his phone from his shivering hands, then he picked it up and continued to walk very slowly, feeling frozen and having very little energy.
As he walked, he tried to take his mind off his throbbing feet by trying to piece together his last movements: Someone had tormented or stalked Emily, so we left the apartment and checked into the Premier Inn, cuddled up in bed and fell asleep. I recall waking up to take a piss, and that was it? Nothing made sense. Nothing explained the blood on his phone and why he was stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Hours had passed, and the sun had partially risen in the clear sky, turning it a beautiful orange and red. Tommy stopped, closed his eyes and listened.
‘I,I,I c,c,can hear cars!’ he said out loud, but his excitement quickly fell flat with the coldness that was eating his body from the outside in. Severe lethargy was getting the better of him. He knew he didn’t have long before hypothermia would set in fast. However, he continued on his way - his survival instincts kicked in. He had to walk on the outsides of his feet to avoid the agonising pain from walking normally, which almost resulted in him twisting his ankle a few times.
Tommy stumbled upon a road a few hundred yards in front. A few cars sped past, and he could smell the exhaust fumes, which he found strangely satisfying. He then realised where he was.
‘Bbbbrrecon ffffucking Bbbbeacons.’ Tommy’s voice was wobbly from shivering, and there was an element of slurring as he spoke. He was becoming increasingly disorientated.
When he reached the roadside, he could barely stand, although the shivering had slowed. He tried to flag down the first car – nothing. Second – nothing. Third – nothing.
‘Someone please stop!’ Tommy begged, as weakness was now overtaking him. His mind became even more confused and his legs buckled at the knees. His breathing was short, and the condensation from his mouth was now at a minimum, as his core temperature was dropping. His mind went blank, his vision became blurry, and then hypothermia got the better of him.
