by Lee Cockburn
“He was right there at the window, staring at us. He was horrible and mean looking. He was right there, see dad, right there dad, see.” Trembling, the little boy pointed. He wet himself and started crying loudly. His dad put his arm round him.
“There’s no such thing as the boogeyman. There was no one there. You must’ve had a dream little lad, come on, back to bed.”
He went to lift his son up and realised he was wet. He thought that this was not like his little boy, and why was he shaking so much? Something must have really scared him. Letting go of the boy, he went to the window and put his face up against it to see out into the darkness. He saw marks on the outside of the window, marks that showed that someone had leant their face on it right where the boy had said he’d seen the man. The father’s blood ran cold and a horrible shiver rolled slowly up his spine as he allowed his imagination to run wild, fuelled by his little boy’s terror. He shook himself to regain a little control of his mind and put some logic into the situation. He looked one more time to reassure himself that there was nobody there, more for himself than the kids and again pressed his face right up against the pane to peer into the darkness. As he did so a figure loomed up from beneath the window. His face was almost touching the window, a blank and expressionless face stared right back at him. The father stumbled backwards, grabbing his son in a desperate attempt to get some distance between him and this thing that was at the window. He saw the boogeyman put his finger up to his mouth and make a sign as if to warn him to keep quiet, his eyes silently threatening, his face twisted with hate and intimidation. The man grabbed for his other child who lay there still asleep, scooped him up like a rag doll and scampered backwards through to the living room, dragging the first boy off his feet in haste. He yelled to his wife to get out of the living room but it was too late, the boogeyman had moved quickly. He was light on his feet for a big man and was already outside the large picture window. John could see the terror in the face of the good looking woman frozen in front of him, eyes watery and fear oozing from them as her husband dragged the screaming children through to her, trying to escape the nightmare. Her motherly instinct kicked in and she dropped to her knees, grabbing the kids in her arms, surrounding them in an attempt to protect them. She faced up to John like a wild cat and screamed at him, “Leave them alone! What do you want? Please don’t hurt my children, please don’t hurt us.” She didn’t show any concern for herself as she stood facing the window shielding her precious boys from the eyes of the devil. John stood there staring at the bravery of this woman. He had a gun and was a very strong man but this woman was standing her ground, unfazed by the threat he posed to her.
John raised the gun towards the window and aimed it straight at her head, only glass separating them. Her defiance made him want to teach her to respect him but the children being there disturbed him; they plagued his conscience. He hated women and how they made him feel, but children were innocent and he wouldn’t gain anything by slaying their mother. The situation he had created was now taunting him to decide. His eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched. His finger moved to the trigger.
The rumble of a boat’s engine cut through the night. John snapped out of his trance-like state instantly. His head snapped round towards the loch. It was pitch dark and he tried to focus on where the noise had come from. He looked back to finish the job but the family had scurried out of the room and out of sight. He blasted through the window firing several shots as he moved away from the house, a gesture of dominance and show of what he could have done to them. The glass shattered into thousands of diamond-like pieces. Screams rang out from the lodge, all of them fearing for their lives, believing he was coming straight through the window to slay them. Susan’s head snapped round at the shots and she looked to where they had come from; they were at the lodge. She sighed. Her instincts had been right and saved her own life but her heart sank for those who were in the lodge. She hoped that they had survived. The distance from where she was and from where he’d just revealed himself to be was not far enough for her, and she felt like a scared animal being hunted once again. He was too close for comfort now and she knew it.
The cops changed direction and headed towards the lodge, fearing the worst for whoever was at the wrong end of the shots. They also heard the gentle purr of the boat’s engine as it moved towards the opposite side of the loch. Their focus was now the loch and lodge, all units now converging in that direction.
The control centre received a call from the lodge house. The woman on the line relayed the events of a moment ago, her voice clear and to the point; she sounded worried but very much in control. She relayed the facts to the controller at the end of the phone, stating exactly where they were, what the male looked like and that they weren’t staying there for another second. The controller arranged for a rendezvous place to allow them to be met by armed officers, where statements and medical attention would be taken and given. The family made towards their car in haste, taking their chance that the man at the window had left them at that time for a reason and this was their moment to escape. The woman had truly believed he was going to kill her. There was fear in her voice, but a strength that could be heard over the phone, a mother’s strength to protect her family.
The GPS position of the lodge was relayed to all the officers on the ground. The helicopter was now up above them, the dragon lights shining down into the trees and over the water. The whirring of the rotary blades displaced branches and leaves, the down draft powerful as the chopper dropped and raised back up in the sky, searching for him and her. Armed officers were on board and they decided to cover the family leaving the lodge to afford them some protection as they got to their car.
John sprinted down to the loch and ran along the edge of the water. There were several small motor boats moored at the jetty. He looked back at the lodge and watched the chopper hover above it. He had chosen well not to stay there any longer. Stupid bitch! She’s left me a boat or two for use, and she’s taken herself away from the very people that would maybe be able to save her.
He looked up into the sky and watched the chopper circle above the trees, the light beam shining across the water and onto Susan’s boat and back to the trees. Torchlight shone up from the trees from several places, one after the other. He watched this as the positions of all the cop’s locations were revealed.
He smiled and said, “Thank you for everything.”
He pulled the cord of the engine with force and it instantly rumbled into action. Flipping the rope into the water, he headed straight to where her boat had been lit up in the water. He was totally focused on Susan now. Everyone was closing in on him, everything was a ticking time bomb, his life and hers both hanging in the balance. He had to beat them all to her; he couldn’t let them find her first after all his effort to reunite them.
Taylor had also looked out on the water and seen the little boat cutting across it in the light beam. She knew Susan’s position had been compromised by those searching to save her. Her radio crackled as she gave direction to everyone as to where Susan was now and where she was heading, trying to give rough coordinates. They had to get to her quickly because they weren’t the only ones that would have seen and heard her. Marcus picked up the pace, as did all the others. “How are we going to get over there? I hope there are more boats for us, or it’s a fucking long swim.”
Taylor moaned at the cop half-humour, a slight panic in her voice because she realised just how vulnerable Susan was now.
The front of Susan’s boat crunched into the pebbled shore, a deep groove scarred the beach where it had landed. The tree line lay close to the shore, the foliage again thick and intimidating but she couldn’t remain where she was, totally exposed and out in the open. Every ounce of her heart feared the closeness of the trees and the terror of what they could hide. Nevertheless, she felt safer at this side of the loch, knowing that she’d left him behind back at the lodge; at least now there was some distance between them. She worried a little tha
t all of the torchlight was also left far behind but her heart hoped that more officers would be joining the search from this side. She didn’t realise that resources in the north of Scotland had to be sourced from elsewhere and travel far to get to where they were needed. Nothing was ever instantaneous in that part of the country.
She took a deep breath and moved into the trees. Instantly she felt claustrophobic and trapped; Susan couldn’t get her breath as terror took hold of her once again. Her mind raced back to the night she’d been attacked and how much Brennan had already taken from her. Is this the end of me, my life? Is he going to win, once and for all? Would it be easier to just give in and wait for him to kill me, take the enjoyment away from him, make a stand and take back control of my life again?
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His fist gripped the throttle and twisted every knot out of the small boat; it cut through the water with relative ease, the nose lifting at the front, his weight and the speed pushing the boat upwards and forwards.
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Tyres screeched as the family left the lodge, the kids screaming and crying in the back, the couple looking ahead in concentration, escape being their only thought. The road ahead of them was single tracked with blind corners and every turn could potentially reveal him standing there. Their fear was obvious, eyes wide, apprehension raw and mind altering. Turn after turn they made, all of them unwilling to relax and believe that they were free from the boogeyman. They reached the main junction and only then, with a couple of miles behind them, did they look at one another with a little relief that the nightmare was really over.
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Taylor shone her torch on the lodge; the whole front window was in a thousand pieces. Her heart raced at what she might see within these walls. She had spotted toys outside the chalet and hoped that everybody had escaped with their lives. Marcus searched the bedrooms, his guts churning at the thought of a dead child within, his thoughts with his own beautiful little boy having to endure this beast that they all hunted. His heart skipped into happiness as the rooms revealed no horror, just empty beds and the signs of a hasty retreat, all belongings abandoned where they lay - toys, clothes, full glasses of wine, nibbles and signs of the normal enjoyment of their holiday, up until the unexpected visit from Brennan. Marcus returned to Taylor with a smile, the first of the night. “There’s nobody here boss. Something changed his mind. It’s not like him not to maim and torture people.”
“He’s seen her from here - Susan! We saw her and so did he. Fuck! We’ve got to get over there now. We have to get to her and help her.”
“There must be other boats around here, Marcus. You could hot wire the best one, none of these shitty little fishing boats.”
“I’ll see what I can do but we need to move on this one. He’s got nothing to lose.”
Taylor relayed on the radio the possible movement of Susan and John and her team’s next objective. The control room also confirmed that Fran and Andrew had been successfully airlifted from the area and that they were heading for the nearest hospital.
Fran broke down as the paramedics knelt in front of her, her face swollen beyond recognition, her body aching all over and her pride shattered beyond recognition. Her weakness she perceived had been opened up in front of everyone - her colleagues, Taylor and worst of all, him!
Andrew’s warm face gazed at her, his eyes offering her a knowing comfort, his face the double of hers. Their eyes met full on and there at that moment they understood exactly what the other felt and what they had been forced to endure. He moved over to her side, the noise of the helicopter deafening them. They sat in silence and Andrew put his arm round her shoulder, not a bit intrusively, just that of someone who genuinely cared and understood, offering purely comfort. They shared a moment together, both of them worried for those they cared for. Fran had watched one of the strongest cops she’d ever known being brutally slain with relative ease. How safe was Taylor, and poor Susan? Both Fran and Andrew hurt in every way as they flew over the woods and only then did they realise how remote this place was. The irony of Susan and Andrew’s choice for their remote escape now very clear. It was the worst place on earth they could have ever gone. Andrew put his head in his hands. He hoped with all his heart that Susan would make it and that the police would deal with this vile creature, permanently.
Chapter 33: Deception
Susan made her way through the trees as fast as she could, her head throbbing with exhaustion, her legs aching with the effort of running for so long. Her already damaged body was cut all over, blood oozing from the wounds and her heart hadn’t stopped pounding for hours. She was starting to think it was going to just stop altogether some time soon.
Officers arriving were sent to the opposite side of the loch in an attempt to intercept Susan. They were armed and well-trained. All had specialist knowledge and equipment. The chopper floated above them but would be unable to set down anywhere close by due to the extensive tree coverage. The heat seeking equipment was lighting up all over the place on both sides of the loch. GPS alerts for all the cops lit the screen like fireflies, with only one obvious extra but who was it?
John’s boat thundered into the shore, cutting deep into the pebbles. He stood up and stared at Susan’s much less powerful boat, smiling at the realisation he would have gained some time on her. Poor choice, stupid cow! Do you want me to fucking gut you like a pig, because you’re going the right way about it? You’ve just left all of your friends behind you. He was totally unaware of the new arrivals on his side of the loch and that time was running out for him too. Officers in decent numbers were heading to where the boats had landed on the shore.
Taylor and Marcus took another boat from the jetty and it rumbled into life, heading straight towards where they thought Susan should have landed. She had at least 20 minutes on them. They had just left the lodge as it was, no cordon, as everyone was needed for the hunt to save Susan; the evidence there could wait and the family that were in the lodge were now in safe hands.
John yelled out like a wild animal, almost goading them to find him, but he also wanted to frighten Susan into giving her position away. He hoped the terror within her would finally give way and he would have her once more.
Susan listened to him bellow out through the night, the cold silence causing his voice to reverberate off every tree; it clung to the air like hideous rotting flesh and echoed through the night. She ran faster and faster, unaware of every branch that ripped her already torn skin. Every new cut on her feet failed to burn anymore, she wanted to live, to survive, to get away from him. His cold voice gave her the motivation to try even harder to escape, even more than before. She never wanted to set eyes on him ever again.
Four police cars were parked in a small clearing in the trees, their spot inconspicuous, all of the officers who had just arrived now making their way through the woods towards the position recently given by Taylor, whose boat was only just landing near to the other two. One officer was left to watch over the police vehicles. He was armed and well warned of the danger presented by John Brennan. He was alert and twitchy at the possibility of coming face to face with him. The cop didn’t even consider he might come off second best, he was just running through how he would kill Brennan if he came anywhere near him. He wasn’t frightened, just itching to get a bit of action.
John knew how the heat seeking equipment worked. The trees were perfect for him. Every time the bird went over, he had already sought the most crooked, large trunked and well branched tree to cling to in the hope that all of him would be covered by it, ‘cause once they get a glimpse of you, old son, they’ll cling to you like shit on your shoe and lead the others right to you.
Blood spattered the windshield like water spraying up from a puddle with force. A shot rang out in the night and the uniformed muscled body slumped to the floor, a bullet hole clean through his head, brain matter scattering all over the bonnet of the cop car. His skip cap flipped through the air with the force of the bullet. He had only loo
ked down at his perfectly polished boot for a second. His eyes had been focused on his surroundings all of the time before that. A moment off the ball and his life had ended with heartless ferocity.
Susan scampered through the trees and clambered up a hill covered in fern and thistle. A clearing revealed a small single track road, the first she’d seen since she’d escaped from their tranquil, luxury lodge. Tears flooded her eyes, sadness for poor Andrew filling her heart. Did he die saving me? Did he die because I wanted to get so far away from everyone? I played right into his hands; stupid, stupid, stupid. Her mind allowed her to feel that she might just have made it. She heard a crack in the trees 40 to 50 metres back. She panicked and scurried silently up the road. Southwards, as she thought that would lead towards where she believed there was a slightly bigger road and a heightened chance of escape. There might be someone there to help her, more police. There have to be more police, she thought. She knew there were cops everywhere, but he was also out there. Why can they not just find me, now?
