by Jacob Rayne
Luke’s arms were gripped tightly by two of the gang members. He swung around, swinging the lad holding his left arm into one of the lads surrounding the fallen Tom.
One of the big men hit Luke hard in the face, mashing his lips into his teeth. Defiantly, Luke spat blood into the big lad’s face screaming, ‘You’re all fucking dead!’
The big man wiped the blood from his face with his lime green sleeve. The two lads regained their grips on Luke’s arms. Luke again struggled wildly, but a third member of the gang held him steady.
The big youth’s fist sent a burst of pain shooting through his cheek. He stared his assailant straight in the eye and laughed at him.
‘If you’re so fucking hard, why does it take eight of you to beat up two of us?’ Luke demanded.
The lad didn’t reply, he just hit Luke in the face again. Three punches later, Luke still stood, his nose splattered across his face, mocking his assailant.
Another youth stepped in and began punching him. Luke watched three of the gang members putting the boot to Tom’s limp, unconscious body.
Then one of the gang swung the baseball bat at Luke’s head and he was sent crashing to the alley floor.
Chapter 35
He was still conscious, but everything seemed to swim around him. His senses were distorted like he was underwater.
He heard the gang move in, but barely felt their feet repeatedly slamming into his body. He wished for the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness but it never came.
‘I think he’s had enough,’ he heard Kate say. She sounded concerned now.
‘You sticking up for the little freak?’ one of the gang said.
‘No, I just…’ There was a slap as one of the lads hit Kate across the face.
‘Way to control your woman, Scotty,’ the chav who’d called Luke a freak laughed.
Luke’s vision was blurred, but he saw one of the youths grab Kate by the hair. ‘What did you do with him anyway?’ he growled.
‘Nothing, Scotty,’ she said, her voice wavering.
‘She must have done something to make him grin like that,’ one of the big lads said.
‘Did you fuck him?’ Scotty asked, giving Kate’s hair a vicious pull.
‘No.’
‘She didn’t,’ Luke said.
‘Who asked you, freak?’ the biggest youth said. He stuck the boot into Luke’s ribs. The breath whooshed out of him, but he still felt numb.
‘We’re gonna have to take this further,’ one of the others said. Luke noticed that it was the big man who he had kicked in the face. ‘We were gonna let you off with a good hiding, but you’ve cut Olly, and kicked me.’
‘And you’ve fucked Scotty’s girl,’ the biggest youth chipped in.
‘So you’re gonna learn the ’ard way, son,’ the oldest-looking member of the gang said.
They set upon him again, raining kicks on his broken body with renewed fury. He covered his face effectively, taking most of the kicks on his arms. The onslaught seemed to go on forever.
When, mercifully, they stopped, Luke felt like he was inside a washing machine.
‘That’s enough, really,’ Kate said. ‘You’re going to kill him.’
‘No, we’re not,’ said the biggest youth. ‘But he’s gonna wish we had.’
Suddenly Luke’s world went black. For a terrifying moment he thought the gang’s frenzied assault had dislodged his retinas and blinded him, but then he heard the swish of plastic and realised that they had just put a bin bag over his head.
One of them tied the bag round his neck, leaving him barely enough room to breathe.
They dragged him through the alley for a short time.
‘You’re fucking watching,’ he heard Scotty say to Kate, punctuated by another slap.
He heard glass breaking, then the sound of a car door being opened.
‘Take him to Scotty’s,’ a new voice said. ‘We’ll continue his education there.’
Chapter 36
Luke heard laughter then he was shoved into the boot of the car. The lid slammed down upon him, leaving him trapped in the darkness. His breath was warm and wet on his face. Petrol fumes penetrated the congealing blood that filled his nostrils. The driver’s reckless driving style made the engine roar in his ears like manmade thunder.
A few minutes later they reached their destination. Luke was kept in the boot for a while, presumably until the rest of the gang had caught up.
Soon the gang’s voices returned and the smell of cigarette smoke filtered in from outside the vehicle.
Luke tried to think now that he had a brief reprieve from the gang’s attack. Short of fighting his way out, he couldn’t think of an escape plan. He’d try, but he knew that the odds were severely stacked against him.
His hands scrabbled around in the boot, searching for a weapon. There was nothing he could use, but he did manage to get the bag off his head.
When the boot opened, he hurled himself up. His fist connected with the big man’s nose, spraying blood onto his lime-green tracksuit. He grunted and staggered back, unprepared for the sudden ferocity of the attack.
In the blink of an eye, Luke was out of the boot. Two of the gang grabbed him and flung him against the car. The lad he’d punched pulled the bag back over his head.
‘You’re really gonna regret that,’ he scowled.
They used some electrical cable to tie his wrists behind his back and marched him inside. Luke caught a strong whiff of curry just before he was pushed over a step into the house.
In an attempt to keep his panic at bay, he tried to figure out where he was. The answer was easy – there was only one curry house in Marshton and that was in one of the quieter streets. He’d walked past it dozens of times on his way to school. The curry house was a good half a mile from home, but if he could escape he would be able to find his way.
A foot slammed into the back of his knees, buckling them and throwing him to the floor. Dust rose from the bare floorboards, making him cough as it drifted up inside the bag. He could see a dim light through the plastic, and could make out the silhouettes of the gang.
A couple of them hauled him up and put him roughly onto a wooden dining chair. The binds around his wrists were adjusted so that he was tied to the chair.
‘What are you doing? Leave the bag on,’ one of them said as hands struggled with the ties around his neck.
‘He’s already seen our faces, Otis, man.’
‘It was dark, you dumbass. He might not recognise us again.’
The bag lifted. Light stung his eyes as he looked around the room. He seemed to be in a front room, but it was in a state of disrepair.
The floorboards were bare, the walls the strange mixture of colours that only appear when they’ve been stripped of wallpaper. A bare light bulb blazed over the shithole room.
Luke took in each of the eight faces that watched him.
‘Yeah, remember these faces,’ the one who’d been called Otis said. ‘We’re the ones who’re gonna teach you a valuable lesson.’
Kate looked on, a worried expression on her face.
From the kitchen, Luke heard the distinctive sound of a knife being pulled out of a knife block. Dave, the older, more hard-faced, one, came in clutching the weapon.
Luke’s eyes widened when he saw the gleaming blade. So did Kate’s.
Dave leant down in front of Luke and pressed the blade to his face. He grinned, exposing yellowing teeth, and ran the blade along Luke’s jawline, drawing a single bead of blood at the tip of his chin.
‘This has gone far enough, guys,’ Kate said.
‘Ah, fuck off home then,’ Johnny T, the youth in the lime green tracksuit, snapped. ‘I’ve had just about enough of your whining.’
‘Don’t fucking speak to her like that,’ Scotty said, squaring up to Johnny T.
‘You think you’re fucking hard or something?’
‘Lads, let’s save it for the freak,’ Otis said.
‘He’s right,’ Dave sai
d, pulling Scotty away by the arm.
‘You wanna watch yourself,’ Johnny T spat.
Scotty ignored him and turned to face Luke. His face contorted and he swung a wild punch that landed on Luke’s forehead. The blow didn’t hurt him, but he didn’t like how close the knife was to his face.
‘I reckon we should take it in turns to cut his face,’ Dave said, again bringing the knife to Luke’s cheek.
‘Na, I’ve got a better idea,’ Otis said.
‘What? Better than cutting off his lips and making him eat them?’ Dave grinned.
‘Yeah,’ Otis said. ‘You’ll like this, Dave. It’s right up your alley.’
The rest of the group looked puzzled while Otis grinned.
‘You gonna share?’ Johnny T said.
‘Billy, what did you get off your dad last Christmas?’
Billy’s brow furrowed.
A wolfish grin slowly spread across Dave’s face. ‘I think I know where you’re going with this, Otis, my man.’ He bumped fists with his friend.
‘Yeah, I think you’re there,’ Otis said. ‘Billy go and get the gun.’
Chapter 37
Luke’s face dropped even more at the g word. Whatever it was Otis had planned, a gun was going to significantly reduce his chances of getting out of here alive.
Kate had gone a little pale at the thought of it too, but she was still watching out of morbid curiosity.
The penny finally dropped for Billy and he disappeared upstairs with a grin on his face.
‘This is gonna be fucking sick,’ Otis beamed.
Luke’s heart pounded in his ears but still he heard footsteps in the room above them as Billy moved around. A wardrobe door creaked open and the footsteps came back downstairs.
Billy held something in his hands that Luke couldn’t see at first.
When Johnny T moved out of the way, Luke caught a glimpse of a small plastic carry case. He was puzzled, but relieved. It sure didn’t look like a gun.
Billy opened the box and plugged the device into a socket on the wall. A few seconds later there was a harsh vibrating sound like that of an electric razor. Luke was still confused about what it was.
‘Aah, I get yas now,’ Johnny T said, hooting laughter.
‘What colour?’ Billy said.
‘The clown’s paint was black and white,’ Dave said.
‘I got black,’ Billy said.
Luke tried to peer over the wall of thugs between him and the mystery vibrating object. He had a bad feeling about it, but he was glad it wasn’t a firearm.
‘I should get to do it,’ Otis said. ‘Since I came up with the idea.’
‘I wanna go too,’ Scotty whined.
‘You can fuck off, Scotty,’ Johnny T said. ‘Otis gets the job.’
They crowded around Luke, still blocking his view of the contents of the box.
Otis came through the crowd, holding what looked like a hydraulic needle. He pulled the trigger for a second, as if to test the device. The sound went right through Luke like nails on a blackboard. It still wasn’t clear what the object was.
‘This will probably sting a bit,’ Otis grinned. ‘But don’t worry, the lads will hold you still.’
Luke looked around at the swarm of grinning faces.
Otis came closer and set the tip of the device on Luke’s right eyebrow. Then he pulled the trigger and moved it across Luke’s brow. Luke screamed as fire raked a path across his face.
The gang hooted and cheered.
‘We’re just getting started, freak,’ Otis grinned, bringing the needle of the tattoo gun down onto Luke’s face again.
Kate stormed out of the house when she realised what they were doing to him.
The gang held Luke tight while Otis continued to tattoo his face. Mercifully, he blacked out after a few of the strokes.
Chapter 38
Alfred stopped on the outskirts of Marshton town to look up at Peth Vale. It was like a tumour that blighted the town, but he had always found it strangely appealing. He smiled at it and at the memories of the acts he’d committed the last time he was here.
He opened the gates and drove into the grounds of his old house. It was a good job he’d paid off the mortgage before he’d been sacked, or else he’d have lost the place. Now, it looked as though that piece of good planning was going to benefit him.
The house was musty but undeniably welcoming. He shut the door and kicked his way through the huge pile of letters that had massed beneath the letter box. He’d have a bonfire with those later.
For now, he’d lay up, wait until dark.
Then he’d go and relive his glory days.
When Luke awoke his face was burning. He smelt blood and ink. His arms and legs felt numb and heavy, but his face was alive with agony. His hazy vision revealed distorted images of the gang’s faces as they laughed at him.
‘Well, ain’t you a looker?’ Otis said. The tattoo gun in his hand dripped blood and ink onto the floor.
Luke wasn’t sure what they’d done, but it felt like they’d covered his entire face in ink. He didn’t know what was worse, the pain, or not knowing what they’d done to him.
He flexed his fingers behind him. The feeling was slowly returning to them and he felt the handle of the knife on the floor below his hand.
He looked around the gang members and none of them seemed to notice what he was doing. They were too busy laughing and admiring whatever they’d done to his face.
Moving carefully to avoid drawing attention to himself, he gripped the blade between his fingers. Checked that the gang weren’t aware of what he had done. All that mattered now was getting out of here.
He moved the blade back and forth along the thick wire, knowing that he could cut it if he had the knife for long enough.
‘Leave the clown where he is,’ Johnny T grinned. ‘Hey, Scotty. Go fetch me a beer, bitch.’
Scotty frowned.
Johnny T slapped his palm into the side of Scotty’s face. The blow reverberated around the front room. Scotty looked up, tears in his eyes.
Luke moved the blade slowly back and forth, sticking at his grim task. His fingers were cramping a little from holding the knife in the strange position.
A trickle of what he thought was sweat made its way down his temple. When the descending droplet landed upon his lips he realised that it was blood.
Frozen into inaction, Scotty stared up at Johnny T. It looked like he was psyching himself up for having a go at the gang leader, but couldn’t quite manage it. He turned away and slunk off to the kitchen.
‘That’s fucking right,’ Johnny T crowed.
‘Fetch me one too, faggot,’ Otis laughed.
Luke watched the gang, his fingers all the while working at the wire with the blade. He heard glass bottles clanking together as Scotty raked around in the fridge.
Scotty reappeared, his arms braced to his chest to support the bottles he was carrying.
He offered one to Otis and Johnny T then put a couple more down on the floor. Dave and Billy each took a beer. As Scotty reached for one, Johnny T’s foot pinned his hand to the floor.
‘Who said you could have one?’ the gang’s leader said, a menacing glint in his eyes.
‘They’re my fucking beers,’ Scotty complained.
Johnny T increased the pressure on Scotty’s hand until it turned white. Scotty gasped with the pain.
One of the three strands of wire broke beneath Luke’s efforts.
‘Are you going to apologise for squaring up to me?’ Johnny T wanted to know.
Scotty grimaced and tried to pull his hand out from under the leader’s trainer. Johnny T increased the pressure, making Scotty cry out.
‘I said are you gonna fucking apologise?’ Johnny T said.
‘I’m sorry,’ Scotty said.
‘That’s better,’ Johnny T smiled. ‘Now, if you arrange for that pretty little blonde thing you’re seeing to suck me off we’ll be best mates again.’
Scotty fr
owned.
‘I’m only joking,’ Johnny T laughed.
Otis, Dave and Tommy joined in. Johnny T took his foot off Scotty’s hand. Scotty pulled it to his chest and rubbed it hard.
‘If you square up to me again I’ll have to borrow her for an hour or two,’ Johnny T grinned.
‘I’ll go twos up on her,’ Otis leered.
‘I’ll have a piece of that action too,’ Billy scoffed.
The three grinned at Scotty. He was ready to tear their heads off. Especially Billy. Billy was softer than he was. The other two would be a real handful, but he felt mad enough to take them.
‘Hey, chill out,’ Johnny T said. ‘Have one of the fucking beers.’ He nudged one of the bottles closer to Scotty with his foot. Scotty regarded it cautiously then opened it with his teeth.
He took a quick swig of it, eyeing the three suspiciously. Who the fuck did they think they were?
The more the gang bantered, the angrier Scotty got. He wanted to show them that he was in the gang for a reason, that he was just as tough as the others, not just Olly’s kid brother. He drained his beer and shifted the bottle from hand to hand.
‘Chill out,’ Otis said. ‘We were only joking, man.’
Johnny T grinned at Scotty. That was it; Scotty just snapped. Gripping the bottle hard in his right hand, he swung it at Johnny T’s head. The bottle smashed against Johnny T’s temple, sending beer and broken glass cascading to the floor.
‘Oh, you’re going to fucking regret that,’ the leader said.
Chapter 39
As Johnny T moved towards Scotty, Luke’s blade cut through the last strand of wire. His hands came free.
While the gang’s attention was diverted by the developing confrontation Luke launched himself up from the chair, the knife in his right hand.
Johnny T’s fist collided with Scotty’s jaw, dropping him to the floor. At the same time, Pete registered that Luke was not in his chair. He moved towards him to block his escape.
Luke punched the knife into his stomach at short range. The blow was satisfying for Luke, even more so when warm blood rushed out to meet his hand. He pulled the blade free and shoved the panic-stricken youth to the floor.
