by Lauren Algeo
23rd September 2011
Oh god, Georgie nearly ruined it all. That stupid girl risked everything I’ve been trying so hard to protect. I knew it was a mistake to have her with me. She wasn’t ready. She intervened and almost gave away the location of this flat to the hiker. I’m still worried she might have. One could be coming for us right now…
It’s ok; I’ve checked the doors and windows. Everything is secure and there are no sounds of hikers out there. I’ve put the TV on and I’m waiting for the coverage of today’s fiasco to come on the news. The golf club murder.
We travelled back to the couple’s house early this morning, in time to see the wife leave in floods of tears, no doubt from a row orchestrated by the hiker. When the man left, we followed him to the factories at the industrial estate. He looked to be a couple of years younger than me, with dark brown hair and a vacant expression on his face. He got in his car to drive to work and we trailed behind on foot. There was no panic now we knew where he was going.
We found a disused building near the factory where we could take shelter and stay out of sight for the day. I researched on the laptop to find out who this man was. There was a photo on the factory website that named him as Tim Rawlings and I couldn’t see any social networking sites for him. There was one photo of him and his wife at a charity function at the golf club. She’s called Jennifer and I got Georgie to put her hacking skills to the test to try and gain access to her private Facebook account. It took her nearly an hour, and several outbursts of swearing, but she did it. The only interesting part was a photo of a young girl called Maddy.
I decided to swallow my pride and called Marcus for help again. I knew I was pushing my luck and he wasn’t thrilled about looking into the Rawlings’ background for me. He called me back a while later with the news that Rawlings had a daughter, Maddy from the picture, who lived with his ex-wife. They had a bitter divorce and argued a lot over custody. She’d had an affair and the paternity of their daughter was called into question when she was young.
That was obviously why the hiker had chosen him as a vessel. He was using Rawlings’ past trauma to make him think that it was happening again and Jennifer was having an affair. Hikers can be sick bastards. He was hinting to Rawlings that he should take a large industrial knife from the factory. Just to ‘scare’ this guy at the golf club with, he said, so he would stay away from Jennifer.
I thought it would take another night to break him but around 5pm he stormed out of the factory. I knew from one look at his determined face that it was going to happen then. He travelled on foot to the golf club and we stayed behind him. Georgie wanted to call the police to warn them and I told her it wouldn’t do any good. Someone had paid for the golfer at the club to die so it was going to happen, whether it was by Rawlings’ hand or someone else’s.
I knew she was scared and worried about what was going on but she had to see what hikers are really capable of. I didn’t think she would disobey me and intervene – not when she didn’t have a strong technique for keeping them out of her head yet. That was my mistake.
When we got near the club we heard the hiker’s whispering intensify. Rawlings had spied the target golfer in the car park. We sprinted up the long driveway but by the time we got there, Rawlings was already next to him. He had his hand in his jacket, resting on the blade he’d brought from the factory.
We hid behind some trees so we could watch the outcome in safety. The golfer was good-looking, in a distinguished way, and had dark hair. He was late forties and standing next to an expensive blue car. It was all about money.
Rawlings confronted him about the affair and the golfer was rightly confused. He tried to head towards the clubhouse to get Jennifer but Rawlings screamed at him to stop. It always amazes me how people change with a hiker inside their mind. Rawlings oozed evil in every way: how he held himself, the menacing glare. His voice was deep and raw, and when a laugh bubbled from his throat, he sounded insane.
He grabbed the golfer and pressed the sharp tip of the knife against his neck. He started shouting for Jennifer to come out in a voice that no longer seemed human. I’d hoped she’d stay in the clubhouse but she came outside with a colleague in tow. She was shocked by the scene and tried to appeal to her husband to let the golfer go. Rawlings jeered at her, accusing her of being concerned for her lover. There was some brief arguing and pleading before the hiker seized his opportunity.
There was a moment where Rawlings shook his head and tried to fight him only the hiker was too strong. He had Rawlings draw the blade across the vulnerable skin of the golfer’s neck. It happened in slow motion to me. With a guttural cry, the golfer bucked against Rawlings as blood began to flow from his throat. Jennifer screamed and began to run towards them. The golfer slumped to the floor, twitching, and Rawlings turned his attention to his wife.
It was then that Georgie bolted from beside me. I made a grab for her, yelling at her to stop, but she was too fast. She sprinted towards the couple, who were now grappling with each other. Her presence distracted the hiker and I knew he would be trying to get inside Georgie’s mind to find out who she was. He released his grip to try and Rawlings backed off rapidly, flinging the knife across the car park. His eyes were clear then and filled with horror – he knew exactly what he’d just done to the golfer, and that he’d been attempting to kill his own wife too. He took off running towards the exit.
The only thought in my head was that Georgie was in trouble. The hiker had focussed his efforts on her and let Rawlings go. I didn’t know if he was now inside her mind or if she was managing to keep him at bay. She reached Jennifer and they collapsed in a heap on the ground. Everything else faded from my conscious as I ran to her. I had to get her away before the hiker saw anything incriminating.
I hauled her roughly to her feet and began to drag her to the exit. She tried to protest and pointed at the hysterical Jennifer but I didn’t pause. We had to get out of there. The hiker tapped at the door to my mind but I was confident I could keep him out. He grew bored of me instantly and I feared he would be giving his full attention back to Georgie, the easier target.
My body was trembling with a mixture of adrenaline and panic. I kept moving though, begging Georgie to be strong and shut him out. I knew she could if she tried hard enough. Eventually she gave me a nod – we’d put enough distance between us and his grip on her had weakened. That didn’t quell my dread though. He had been inside, who knew what he’d discovered.
I didn’t let Georgie stop until we were on a train back to London. She went straight to the toilet and I collapsed into a seat. She came back pale, with a faint scent of sick in the air. I asked her if the hiker was gone and she said yes. I couldn’t bring myself to speak to her for the rest of the journey. I didn’t trust my voice. I wanted to explode.
I lead her on a long route back to the flat, avoiding our usual trains, and she started to look uneasy. Thinking back now, I know I could have reacted better. At least talked to her about why I was so terrified, but I didn’t. I was too busy worrying about myself.
When we eventually got back to the flat I sat her down with a bottle of JD between us. I finally asked what I’d been dreading knowing the answer to – how much had it seen? At last it dawned on her why I was so concerned and she blurted out words that filled me with relief – the hiker hadn’t seen the flat, or what we’ve been doing. He had just focussed on her past and the moment she’d teetered on the edge of that tube platform before I’d pulled her back.
The first swig of JD burned its way to my belly, the first of many tonight, I fear. She apologised for not listening to me, with tears in her eyes, and I guess I was cold in response. She’s shut herself in my room now but I suppose I should apologise to her tomorrow for being so harsh. After all, I intervened myself with that girl on the roof the first time and nearly got myself killed.
It’s just the fact that I have to rely on someone else to keep this life a secret too. I don’t have full control and relying on
someone as young and headstrong as Georgie is hard. She’s a good kid and I guess she was only trying to help today. I just have to learn to trust her.
I’ve always been so careful before and now this place might be compromised. We could hide out in a hotel for a few days to make sure it’s safe here… only I don’t want to do that. I’ll only know if it’s truly protected if we stand our ground and see if anyone comes. I don’t think we’ll be going out to track hikers again this week.
The news is back on so I better get myself another drink. Let’s see how they write this one off.
30th September 2011
We’ve been cooped up in the flat for a week and I’m going crazy. It’s pretty obvious that the hiker didn’t see the flat in Georgie’s mind and no one is coming for us.
Georgie has been passing the time reading and researching. I think what happened at the golf club scared her and she’s taking things a lot more seriously now. She’s been writing notes on what she reads and watching more of the news. I’ve let her use the laptop a few times and she hasn’t hogged it like she did last week. Maybe being that close to one again did her good – I just wish I could say the same for my health. I’ve had trouble sleeping ever since. I wake up at the slightest sound outside and lay awake on the sofa, listening for the tell tale scratching of a hiker.
We can’t stay in here any longer. I think we should go out tomorrow and start observing them again. I’ve seen a story on the news that hints at their activity. A man in Whitechapel disappeared while walking his dog and they found his mutilated body in the local park. He’d been stabbed dozens of times, although it was the dog that drew my attention. It had been found whimpering and cowering under a bush close by but had to be put down in the end as it repeatedly attacked anyone who came near it.
I think it just couldn’t get rid of the scent of the hiker’s evil from its nose. We’ll head out there tomorrow morning and check it out. I think Georgie will be pleased; she looks as bored as me.
1st October 2011
Georgie is gone! I’m absolutely furious with her, yet I’m worried as well. You won’t believe what she did. She hadn’t been studying hard this week like I thought; she’d been making a secret bomb. Yes, a bomb! A dirty one at that, filled with scraps of silver. God knows how she did it, probably online tutorials and forums for crazy people.
She kept it hidden from me then used it tonight to try and kill the hiker we found near Whitechapel. We tracked it from its suicide victim until it stopped to sleep down an alleyway. Of course it didn’t work – she nearly killed us instead! We had a huge row afterwards and she stormed off. It’s been a couple of hours since and she hasn’t come back to the flat.
Admittedly, I overreacted massively after the bomb went off. Telling her that I didn’t want her tagging along with me any more. It just took me by surprise and I was livid that she’d kept something like that from me. I wanted to shake her at the time, but I’m a little in awe now that she managed to pull off something like that. She’d been resourceful… and it was a good idea, even though it hadn’t worked. The force of a bomb could devastate their bodies beyond repair. We just don’t know if this one hit or not.
I can’t sit still and I keep checking my watch. It’s after 1am and the temperature has dropped outside. I’ve been trying to remember what she was wearing. I think jeans, a jumper, and the new coat that we bought last week. She might have had an extra jumper in her rucksack but that’s not enough to keep her warm out there. I’ve got no clue as to where she’d go.
I suppose she might have some old friends she could stay with but I haven’t heard her mention any. I’m really hoping that she hasn’t gone back to Spence, or the house she was living in with his other girls… now I’m really worried. Surely she wouldn’t go back to that life after everything that’s happened?
No, she’s too strong for that. And stubborn. If she hadn’t found anywhere to stay, she would sooner spend the night on the streets than come back to the flat. I’ll give her a few more hours before I go out looking.
I can’t sleep. I’ve been trying to doze on the sofa but I keep jolting awake at every little sound. If she doesn’t come back how the hell am I going to find her? She could be anywhere by now. Maybe some strong coffee will help me think.
I don’t believe it – she’s right outside! I looked out of the window when I was putting the kettle on and there’s someone sitting on the floor against one of the buildings opposite. They’re huddled up but I know it’s Georgie. Her pride would only bring her to the road outside, rather than up here in the warm. I better take her a hot drink and see if I can persuade her to come in.
Georgie’s safely tucked up in bed, trying to get some sleep. She was frozen after spending most of the night outside. Poor kid.
We had a good chat and she told me she realised as soon as she stormed off last night that she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. I’m the only person in her life right now. How heart breaking is that? An eighteen year old who has nowhere else to go, and only this grumpy, old bloke to rely on. I apologised to her for how I reacted. I’ll have to learn to rein my temper in and not yell at her like that again.
Truthfully, she’s the only person I’ve got at the moment too. I know Marcus and Trudy will always be there for me but they know nothing of my current situation. Georgie is part of my new life and I have to start treating her as an equal, rather than an irritating child. Yes she is naïve, and yes she makes mistakes, but she’ll learn.
We’ve agreed to try the bomb again only this time we’ll do it carefully. I’m going to track down some genuine silver to use in it, rather than the scraps she found. Who knows, the combination of human and monster techniques may just work. Bombs loaded with silver… fingers crossed.
18th October 2011
The second silver bomb didn’t work either. We used it on a male hiker today and he walked away from the blast. We had to track him for nearly two days before an opportunity arose. Luckily, with Georgie’s ability to sense them, we no longer need to keep them in sight to follow them. We waited until he disappeared behind a disused car park to sleep, then we went to the roof so we could drop the bomb from an elevated position, keeping out of harm’s way.
We’d filled this one with silver ball bearings that I’d ordered from the internet. The explosion itself was pretty spectacular and we could hear the ball bearings pinging off every surface. It would have killed a normal person instantly but the hiker merely stayed on the floor for a few minutes to recover then he got to his feet. I had to drag Georgie out of there before he started looking for the cause of the bomb.
She was extremely disappointed and sulked the entire way back to the flat. She thought the idea was perfect so she’s gutted it didn’t work. I’m used to methods failing now so I don’t feel too deflated, just another thing to cross off the list.
We’re going to try a couple of overnight trips in the next few weeks to strengthen Georgie’s ability to block them. Then we can start experimenting with more ways to kill them.
29th November 2011
We ran into another child hiker today. A boy this time. He was just as terrifying as the girl had been and he tried to kill Georgie. She spotted him first and got too close before I could stop her. Before I registered exactly what he was.
We’re in Bath at the moment, currently stuck in a train station in the middle of the night because nothing’s running. It’s been snowing for a few days but there was a heavy fall this afternoon so we can’t get back to the flat until the morning. Georgie’s definitely not going to get any sleep here; her face is still ashen.
We arrived this morning because of a story I’d seen, so I suppose it’s my fault we’re here. A man had driven a snowplough straight into two men walking down the street and it had the touch of a hiker – mainly due to the wife of the driver insisting that he was tea-total, despite him being found way over the limit at the scene. The two men he struck were both in a critical condition in hospital. I wanted to get there
to see if a hiker would be trying to finish the job.
We packed enough for a couple of days in the freezing cold. I’ve bought Georgie her own walking boots and decent winter clothing, as well as a little flick knife. It’s not likely to do any damage but she feels safer when she’s armed. I guess the same as I do with my own knife, purely a psychological thing.
The snow was thicker in Bath and we had to walk the three miles to the hospital for lack of buses and cabs. It seemed to take forever to go the first two miles and Georgie had taken to walking behind me so she could tread in my footprints. The wind stung our numb faces and we decided to cut through a housing estate to get to the hospital quicker. Again, that was my fault.
I was busy trudging through the snow with my head down and didn’t realise Georgie had strayed from the path. She must have spoken to me only I didn’t hear her over the howling wind. I wasn’t aware that anything was wrong until I heard a faint yell about a ‘kid’. I turned to see Georgie reach a little boy, who was sheltering between two blocks of flats and crying. He had his face buried in his hands and could only have been about five or six years old from his build.
I knew instantly that something wasn’t right but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I watched Georgie bend down to him and the cogs in my brain finally clicked into place – the boy wasn’t wearing a coat, he was dressed in some ridiculous old-fashioned shorts. I tried to shout for her to stay away only she couldn’t hear me. My legs were moving, propelling me towards them, but the snow was so thick that it didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere.
I saw the boy lower his arms and caught a glimpse of his dark eyes. He wasn’t crying at all, he was grinning. My heart pounded with the same fear that had engulfed me when the little girl revealed her true nature up on the cliff tops. This boy was a hiker.
