Little Red

by Justin Cairns

  ‘It’s quiet!’ whispered Nathan

  ‘Yeah, good indicator that the rooms are empty’

  Richard stopped sharply and stepped back to level with the door. On the top were the numbers three and three.

  ‘This is it’ stated Richard.

  ‘Just confirm something for me, how do you want to do this?’

  ‘We knock, if they answer, we go in and ask some questions!’

  ‘What if they don’t answer?’

  ‘We still go in and ask some questions!’

  Nathan stood slightly behind Richard, his new friend was younger than he was and his physique was a lot more stable than his own. He watched eagerly as Richard knocked on the scorch marked door. His head moved left and right, quickly checking his arcs in case of any nosey neighbours. He looked back to the closed door. No answer.

  ‘Knock again’ he insisted, deciding against the forced entry.

  Richard did as he was advised, his knuckles tapping the wood harder this time.

  Once again, there was no answer.

  ‘Look, maybe they’re…….’ his words were stopped short as Richards foot was forced into the centre of the door. It flew open and crashed into the interior wall, the chain rattled as it swung freely. Richard was in, Nathan paused for a moment, spying his friends movement. He watched as he stormed into each room he came to, checking for the occupants. The faint voice could be heard in the darkness, the words were of complaint.

  ‘Get the fuck up and move, now!’ bellowed Richard. Nathan darted into the flat and closed the door behind him. The living room light had been switched on and Richard stood over a tall skinny man who was sat in an old stained chair.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked

  ‘Nothing, he was asleep, I woke him up!’ explained Richard, his gym bag by his left foot.

  ‘Right, first things first, what’s your name?’ his arms crossed over his chest.

  ‘N..n…n…n..Neil’ he stammered

  ‘Right Neil, my friend and I have some questions, we also need answers. Do what’s asked of you and you can head back to bed to catch up on some much needed beauty sleep, roger?’

  The underweight man nodded, his rapid head movement imitated a nodding dog toy in a rally car.

  ‘Nathan, you’re up mate’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yeah, ask your questions’ his head motioned to the shaking man in his faded Y-fronts.

  ‘Okay, Neil yeah?’

  ‘Yeah’

  ‘We have had reports through of some disturbing activity partaken by someone at this location. It involves the internet and Child Pornography, some real serious shit’ he lowered himself to Neil’s level, a tactic used when questioning a suspect fitting the man’s state. Lower to their level, get them to open up slowly and believe you’re there to help them, sympathise when they break down into tears and whimpers.

  ‘No way, that’s not me…I….never, I would never!’ he babbled

  ‘I know, look, talk to me…..tell me about the Wolf!’

  ‘The Wolf?’

  ‘Yeah, the Wolf, tell me about him’.

  ‘I don’t know anything, I mean, I’ve seen shit on the news but that’s all!’

  Nathan stood and turned to Richard, he moved to his side.

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t know anything!’ he whispered

  ‘Bollocks, he knows something, he’s on the list!’ he spat, starring straight into Neil’s eyes.

  ‘Well, he’s not going to say anything is he?’ Nathan realised that his statement was a bad choice of words strung together; he now anticipated Richard’s answer.

  ‘Oh he’ll talk mate, I’m sure about that!’

  Richard had kneeled down and removed a large role of Gaffer tape from the bag, he handed it to Nathan.

  ‘Hands and feet please’

  ‘What, no way’

  ‘Look, I either do it with you or without you, no matter what this tape is going on this man!’ he starred into Nathan’s eyes. The man had watched every second and began to panic, he wriggled backwards against the rear of the seat, his feeble legs pushing his body up. Richard moved towards him after offering a loud ‘tut’. The man attempted to evade but Richard gripped his ankle, his black leather gloves pulling some leg hair free.

  ‘NO….NO, NO PLEASE’ he begged

  ‘Shut it, stop fucking wriggling you cunt!’ Richard ordered.

  Neil was pulled to the floor and flipped onto his front, the large knee was forced between his shoulder blades and he screamed as his muscles began to spasm. Nathan watched in dis-belief, his hand over his mouth.

  The tape offered a ripping sound as a length was pulled free, the man’s arms were manoeuvred rearwards and Richard began securing them. It looked as though he was preparing him for a spit-roast, all that was missing was the chunk of wood to hang him from. His legs were done next, the grey tape wrapping around his ankles, tying them both together. He was rolled onto his side and picked up from the filth ridden carpet. His body slumped upon the chair he had sat in, his arms behind his back and incapacitated.

  ‘Right, you little shit, my turn!’ he turned back to the bag and dropped the tape inside, his hands dug for the object he desired. He gripped the tool and removed it for the eyes of the room to see.

  ‘Oh Jesus’ Nathan turned and walked from the room, his stomach churning at the sight of the wire cutters.

  ‘Excuse him’ Richard apologised to the man. He approached him and sat by his feet, his back resting against the arm of the chair.

  ‘Here’s what happens now. I ask you a question and you answer it, easy isn’t it?’

  ‘Please, please don’t do this!’

  ‘It’s not me…..it’s you, I’ll only do something if YOU fail to answer my questions’

  ‘Please don’t’

  ‘Stop, just fucking stop now….take it like a man, any more winging comes from that mouth and I’ll remove a toe!’

  ‘Please, I don’t…..’

  Richard gripped his ankles and wrapped his hand around them, his arm forced the legs down. The screams filled the room as the man fought to free himself. The wire cutters were opened, the sharpened edges glimmered in the dim light. The flesh was torn apart as the metal sections were pushed together slowly, the blood leaking into a pool beneath Neil’s feet. The black plastic handles were pushed together and the small toe dropped to the floor, it bounced slightly and rolled to one side. The cries turned into shrieks of pain, Nathan covered his ears as he stood in the hall. Richard retrieved the dissected digit, fluff from the carpet clung to the bloodied toe.

  ‘Now look’ the toe was waved in Neil’s face.

  ‘Don’t kill meeeeeee…..please’ the saliva streamed from his bottom lip, it glistened as it slithered down his naked chest.

  ‘I’m not going to kill you, stupid bastard. Just answer my fucking question….what do you know about the Wolf?’

  ‘He….he takes girls!’

  ‘Right, next?’

  ‘He…kills them!’

  ‘Neil, where is the Wolf?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ he bellowed, the stumped toe burning with pain.

  Richard moved to the bag and placed the wire cutters back inside. Nathan peered around the corner as the tools rattled against each other.

  ‘Is that it?’ he asked wishfully.

  ‘No Nathan, that’s not it!’ the hammer pulled from his collection.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

  ‘Getting answers, what does it look like?’

  ‘Richard, he doesn’t know mate….leave it’ his attempts to negotiate fell on deaf ears. Richard turned to him, the hammer gripped tight with one hand. Nathan felt a shudder bounce through his body. He looked at the large man, his full black beard hid his expressions, his eyes dark like a demon’s.

  ‘Please!’ he begged

  ‘Nathan, why don’t you search this shit hole, see if you can find anything convicting’

  Nathan turned and left the room, his mind
raced with the recent events, the screams filling his ears.

  ‘Right Neil, where were we?’

  ‘Please listen to your fr…friend’

  ‘The only person who needs to be listening is you pal. Now, I’m going to ask the question again, this time, if you fail to give me the correct answer, I’m going to drive this nail’, the thick carpentry nail protruded from his fist, ‘Into your knee cap, it will hurt…a lot’ he moved to the feeble body of the man in question, the blood had slowed and began to clot, his foot wriggling as the nerves came to terms with the recent removal.

  The tip of the nail was placed at the top of the bone, his skinny legs displayed his knee caps prominently. Neil attempted to shy away.

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ Richard warned.

  ‘The answer please Neil, don’t be daft now!’

  ‘Honestly, I don’t know!.....Okay, I talked about him online with some friends…that’s all!’ the hammer remained poised for attack.

  Richard licked his lips slowly, reading the man’s face.

  ‘What did you say, in the chat, what did you type?’

  ‘I don’t remember that!’

  The head of the hammer struck what it was thrown at, the nail entered his skin, breaking it easily. The point found its way through the muscle and cartilage, the knee cap was forced forward as the metal pin grinded against it. The cry pierced his ears, the man shuddered and threw himself from side to side, like a fish out of water. Nathan could hear everything, he searched as Richard had suggested, thankful that he didn’t have to witness the torture. The bedroom was dirty, an old mattress lay on the floor with several stained sheets upon it. The smell began to sting his nose, the odour burning his eyes. He opened the drawers of the only cabinet in the room, scrunched up paper filled most of the space, his fingers buried through it.

  The head of the nail protruded from his leg, a small trail of blood escaped the entry point. Richard’s fist provided another nail, the tip caught the light and Neil’s eyes fell upon it.

  ‘Pleeeease, pleeeeease no more……’ he cried, the tears trickled from his eyes.

  ‘Tell me then!’

  ‘God…..oh God, I can’t remember’

  ‘God’s not here to help today!’ he moved towards him, nail in hand.

  ‘Okay, shit it hurts…..mmmmmmmmm,’ he groaned, biting his lip, ‘We talked about him, what he does…..that was all!’

  ‘Do you admire him?’

  ‘What?’

  The point of the nail was pushed into the skin of the good knee, the flesh ripped and blood crawled from the tiny wound.

  ‘No…no I don’t!’

  ‘Bullshit….you fucking Paedo’s are all twisted, tell the truth!’

  ‘I am….I swear, I’m not a Paedo, that’s wrong!’

  Nathan joined them back in the room, his hand clenched the photographs. He called Richard over to him and stood by his side, their back’s to the bleeding man.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Richard as he noticed Nathan’s face was still.

  ‘I found these, he may not know anything, but I think there’s enough evidence here to do what you have to do Richard……I’ll be outside!’ he placed the pictures in his friends hand and walked out of the flat. Richard looked upon the Polaroid images, his stomach boiled and his heart pumped violently. The kids, their faces jaunt and pale, the seedy room that they stood in. Richard looked around, noticing the resemblance from the room he now stood in to the one in the photos.

  His fist clenched, the head of the nail in the palm of his hand, the long point emerged from between his fingers. The hammer gave a thud as it connected with the floor. Nathan heard the screams as he leant against the railing outside, the cold air removed the sweat he had suffered from whilst in the flat. Richard gripped the monster’s head, he punched wildly at his face and throat. The weapon punctured the skin with every connection, the red liquid ejected as the nail was removed. Nathan heard each hit, he had lost count of how many were thrown at the beast. The life pooled under the body, its appearance no longer resembled a person, its black heart no longer kept it alive.

  ***

  Jack’s mobile phone pinged as the email was received. He sat at his desk, his feet placed upon the surface. He had received multiple phone calls through the evening, all reference Doctor Lime and his formal conference. Jack had listened to copious amounts of warnings and abuse from his higher ranks. The weight all placed upon his fragile shoulders. Lime had done it, he had followed through on the threats issued to Jack. He removed his IPhone, expecting the message to display several cuss words and a notice of early retirement, minus the package. He opened the mail folder and noticed that it had come from Sally, once again she had managed to slap a smile upon his face for the second time that day. He waited as the information filtered through to the screen.

  Hi Jack,

  As promised, here is the report from the dental examination. X

  Victim number one:

  Results showed that this victim was male, the tooth size larger than that from a female. He had undergone multiple capping and fillings. The Molar’s had been removed from an early age.

  The victim has been identified as Mr Oliver Breen, age 42.

  Victim number two:

  Results showed us that this victim was female, the tooth size small that that of a male. The teeth were well preserved and well taken care off, this indicates regular surgery and/or inspection.

  The victim has been identified as Miss Rebecca Carrigot, age 40.

  Jack read the information twice. The second skull belonged to the missing teacher from Abby’s school. He had toyed with the possibility. The head still held its shape and soft fleshy texture, he could see when looking at it that it belonged to a woman. Her features were the only real distortion.

  ‘So he kills Breen, takes his identity to filter through the teaching organisation. Works at the school and selects his victim. He then removes Carrigot from the equation so that he can take her place as a substitute teacher, once again, getting close to his selected victim……Shit!’ he spoke aloud to hear the words.

  He sat up from the chair and rand Nathan’s number. He wanted to inform him of the find.

  ***

  Lime sat at the bar, the cold bottle of beer gripped in his hand. The pub was busy, he had stood for twenty minutes waiting for a seat. One popped up and he dashed to secure it. He spied the woman as they walked past, their skimpy dresses and make-up plastered faces excited him. He attempted to appear suave and sophisticated. It wasn’t working.

  ‘You’ll notice me tomorrow, that I can guarantee’ the words drowned out by the music and chatter. He didn’t care, he had heard himself say it so he was satisfied. Within his mind he planned the interview, he imitated the person interviewing, picking a selection of questions to answer. The image of himself appeared clever and professional, his hair slightly combed over to one side, his glasses balancing perfectly upon his nose. The young woman, he had selected from his head to interview him, wore very little. She smiled as she slowly became lost in his gorgeous eyes, his ravishing looks drew her in, she leant forward and placed a hand on his knee. She stroked his thigh and he opened his legs, indicating for more stroking.

  ‘You finished mate?’ the glass collector pointed at the bottle on the table.

  ‘No, no I’m…..another please’ he spat, awoken from his dream.

  ***

  Nathan climbed back into the car, his hands shook uncontrollably. Richard rocked the vehicle as he pulled himself into the driver’s seat. They sat in silence, many questions spun through Nathan’s mind like a whirlwind. Richard could sense that his friend had something to say, but the obvious killing of the weak perverted animal had stunned him to silence. He started the engine and increased the temperature of the air-con. The wind that blew through the vents began to warm slightly and Nathan un-zipped his coat.

  ‘I’m sorry you had to see that!’ the apology seemed sincere and heart felt.

  ‘I’m not’ r
eplied Nathan, rubbing his worn face.

  The headlights were switched on and the car rolled from the curb, it followed the road back on its self and headed away from the scene.

  ‘How many more addresses are there?’ asked Nathan, his voice sounding tired.

  ‘Three, you probably guessed already but we’re on route to the second’ informed Richard, shifting in his seat to find comfort. Nathan looked at the rear seats, the black gym bag of tools lay in the centre.

  ‘Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Shoot’

  ‘Are you intending on killing the men at the addresses, I mean, after you’ve interrogated them?’

  ‘Yes Nathan, that’s the plan!’ he attempted to fire a smile to the worrying man.

  ‘You should have told me when you picked me up!’

  ‘I know, look, seriously, I am sorry Nathan. If it feels like I used you then it wasn’t intended, you can get out anytime you like, I’ll take you back to the hotel!’

  Nathan chewed on the idea, but the images of the children that he found in the flat flooded his mind’s eye. The photos that the Wolf took of his girls followed closely behind. He never thought the world could be such a vulgar place, a place where children are brought into with expectations of safety and multi-coloured rainbows.

  ‘You know, my house has this view, it’s breath-taking. The ocean sends roll upon roll of foaming white waves, they brush against the powdered sand beaches and offer a relaxing sound. I sit there with my wife, we have tried for children but it appears I’m incapable of sowing the full seed!’

  ‘I see’

  ‘I think back to the times when we sat together, discussing our lives with children, how adoption may be the answer. But now, after seeing what I’ve seen for the past week or so, I don’t think this is the place to bring children into. It’s dirty, it’s dark and seducing. How could a human being do something like that to a child?’

  ‘Power, that’s why. Because they can, so they do. It’s weakness that drives them, kids are easy to control. Sad to say but it’s because they’re weak minded targets, so vulnerable, and without the correct protection, well, they remain oblivious to their surroundings mate’