by Lee Cockburn
“Oh, right! Good thinking, I will,” Marcus said as he reached for his phone and keyed in her name.
The phone ring tone continued over and over again but there was no reply. He retried the number several times to no avail, gave it a couple of minutes and rang her again, just in case she was right in the middle of something; she usually picked up eventually.
The phone sounded and vibrated in the corner of the room, the noise ringing out sadly in Taylor’s ears as she looked down at Kay, still motionless and most definitely seriously injured, if alive at all. He cackled loudly as he saw and felt Taylor’s desperate desire to answer the phone. Please miss me. Please check we’re alright here, whoever you are. If you know me, you know I always answer my phone. Marcus, if it’s you - think where he’d go and why. He has nowhere else to go. He craves maximum harm, total depravity and vengeance. Think, think, think!!!
Marcus put the phone down and smiled. “Typical! She’ll be having the night of her life with Kay.”
“Kay! Kay? the gorgeous straight woman from your office? The one you’ve talked about before? Her! She’s turned to the dark side, has she? Mind you, Taylor is drop dead gorgeous too.”
“She is, isn’t she? Really stunning, inside and out,” Marcus agreed.
His wife said, “If I was ever to turn to that side, she’d be the sort I’d go for.”
Marcus laughed heartily and pulled her towards him, reassuring her she was straight, because he loved her, wanted her and needed her. Passionate kisses were shared as Marcus guided her to the sofa. Neither of them held back any of their feelings as passion absorbed them totally. They couldn’t get their clothes off quick enough. Their arousal was instantaneous, their sex mind blowing, physical, desperate, passionate and needy, desire absorbing them, all consuming, their love for each other so strong, never to be taken for granted, especially after tonight.
John tangled his thick fingers around Taylor’s beautiful hair and started dragging her round the room like a pit bull with a rabbit. She occasionally let out a yelp of pain when she could gulp a breath. He threw her against the wall, hitting her off the units, smashing the glass, which cut her forearms deeply as she tried to protect herself. His voice rasped viciously at her, “I’ll show you, I’ll fucking show you, you dyke bitch. I’ve watched you strutting yourself around as if you’re something fucking special. Well you’re not, you’re just a dirty dyke slut, and I’ll treat you how a slut should be treated. I’ll fuck you so hard, you’ll wish you were dead like your dirty whore bride here.” He gestured towards Kay’s lifeless body.
He threw her down cruelly on top of Kay, quickly following her to the floor, grabbing at her jeans and groping her like the deviant he was. He was salivating as Taylor tried to get up on all fours to get away from him, dazed and winded from being smashed off every wall; the view excited him even more. Taylor’s head spun, the situation surreal and hideous, an unbelievable position to be in for someone of her strength and stature. Fight him, fucking fight him, or play dead and he’ll either kill you or rape a corpse. You’ve got to do something though. His knife cut into her back as he carelessly cut through her jeans to expose her perfectly formed buttocks. She winced and pulled forward with as much strength as she could muster but his muscular grip tightened and he pulled himself up towards her, his groin moving closer to meet her bare flesh.
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Marcus lay there smiling as his wife trotted off to the bathroom, full of satisfaction from their amazing toe curling sex. She loved him more than life itself and knew full well she could have been a widow tonight. He thumbed in Taylor’s number again as he gently stroked his stomach, inhaling the scent of his luxurious lover that was all over him. He tried again and again, knowing the phone was ringing out and not switched off. Come on Taylor, answer your phone. Even you need to take a breather from whatever you’re up to. Answer the phone or I’m coming round.
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Taylor kicked back at Brennan like a wild horse trying to escape from a stable, the force rocking him backwards. His grip loosened momentarily and she took her chance to wriggle free from him and crawled away as fast as she could, adrenaline pumping inside her. He stood up and started to move towards her but stopped as his feet pushed against Kay’s body on the floor again. This gave him an idea and he stared very deliberately into Taylor’s eyes as he slowly knelt down beside Kay’s body and took hold of her head by her matted hair. He pulled it back exposing her carotid artery, where for the first time Taylor could see that Kay was still alive as there was blood visibly pulsing through it. “Leave her alone you fucking vile beast. Fucking leave her or I’ll kill you!”
Marcus grabbed his keys, instinct driving him to check on Taylor and Kay. He knew Taylor was horny, but not that horny, and he had to see if she was okay before he could get any sleep. He got into his car, driving casually at first before ending up racing through town. His mind had turned to John. Where would he go? Where would I go? He was still reluctant to call it in as he pushed on through the traffic, unsure it there was something up. As he got closer to Taylor’s house, his gut told him that there was something really wrong now and he keyed in 999. He raced up The Mound and through Chambers Street and down Minto Street, setting off more than one speed camera on the way whilst relaying his fear and intended destination. He was shaking and started to sweat, his heart racing as he pulled into the street where he saw the stolen motor vehicle from up north parked close to Taylor’s house; he had memorised it as Taylor always made him do, one of her little foibles. Realisation hit him like a sledge hammer to the face. Fucking hell, he’s got them! Hold on, I’m coming. Please don’t be dead in there! Armed units were mobilised instantly. Marcus was instructed by the dispatcher to stand fast on his arrival and not to enter the premises until back up arrived. The top table didn’t have to think twice about the arming of the response units, it was a no-brainer for them; Edinburgh hadn’t had too many serial killers in the past, Burke and Hare probably being the last. Sirens could be heard as they rang out echoing through the city streets.
His knife cut into Kay’s throat just as Taylor leapt off her feet to stop him. Blood oozed from the wound as the knife started to cut. She hit him full on in the face with her shoulder, stopping the incision in its tracks. She punched his face over and over but all he did was laugh at her, although swellings and welts appeared where the blows landed. Taylor was no slouch when it came to self-defence and could convey power in her punches but she was up against a soulless unfeeling monster and her sustained attack had no affect on him. He slashed out towards Taylor, stabbing into her shoulder and stopping the assault instantly as her arm went limp, the blade going deep into her muscle, preventing her from using her arm at all. He turned her round and forced himself on top of her, grabbing her throat with his massive hand and squeezing hard in order to control her. His mind was now focused on raping Taylor as viciously as he could. His other hand tugged violently at her jeans, which were already sliced at the back. Her eyes were staring right at him but she was unable to speak as she started to float in and out of consciousness, thankfully, as she was aware of what his intention was and didn’t want to be awake when he raped her and much more.
Marcus moved quickly round the house, peering in under the blinds of the living room. He could only just see certain areas of the floor. He caught a glimpse of a pool of blood and Kay’s bloodied and badly swollen face. He was in two minds over what to do as he could make things worse for them if he tried to get in and failed, which would alert John to his presence.
Taylor’s neck was released a little. Barely conscious, she kept up the struggle with every ounce of energy she had left within her, bumping her hips up from the floor to try and stop him entering her but she was becoming resigned to the fact that her attempts to escape were now futile. He licked the beautiful skin on her stomach, his hands roughly pulling her legs apart, jeans now at her ankles, cruelly trapping her feet, his four thick fingers poised to enter her.
A blood
curdling thud sounded loudly in the room as a ferocious blow struck right in the centre of the head, causing blood to spray across the walls like harsh rain on a windscreen, skin splitting with the force, and the sound of it echoing round the room. Again and again, over and over the sickening blows rained down on the exposed head, causing more and more damage, bone now splintering and brain matter starting to show as the strikes came in quick succession, the perpetrator relentless in their quest to kill.
Marcus squeezed though the bathroom hopper window, as armed response vehicles arrived further down the street outside. He could hear the violent blows reigning down in the other room and his heart sank deep into his chest. He thought Taylor must definitely be dead.
A loud hailer echoed through the night from the police gathered outside. It sent out clear instructions for Brennan to show himself and to come out through the front door unarmed with his hands up. The shuffle of stiff boots scuffed across the pavements outside as protected firearms officers moved quickly and efficiently into position and stopped. The sound of the sickening, frenzied and brutal assault could be heard from outside. There was no clear line of sight to take any sort of shot or even have a glimpse at who or what to shoot at, and they could only guess what was going on inside the house and where the target might be situated.
Eyes transfixed like that of a lifeless mannequin, Susan raised the baton above her head again and again, inflicting blow after blow on what remained of John’s head. She was intent on killing him; she would not give him any chance to survive. She did not want to wound him; she wanted to kill him, to stop him haunting her forever. Taylor couldn’t move with the dead weight of John on top of her, his frame had changed from rigid control to a lifeless weight lying full-weight over her. She could feel the vibration of every blow emanating though his body into her body, blood now flooding down on top of her, the weight restricting her breathing, the blood blinding her as it flowed onto her face. Marcus rushed through to the living room, expecting to see Brennan murdering his best friend but he stopped dead in his tracks, mouth wide open. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Surprised, but relieved, he watched as Susan pummelled John’s head beyond recognition. She was quite clearly making sure he couldn’t hurt her ever again and her intention was definitely to kill him, not just stop him. He stalled, maybe deliberately, as he didn’t want the monster to live either, and shits like him had a cockroach-like ability to survive, no matter how severe their injuries.
Ambulances appeared in the street as the door was crashed open by armed officers. The blood bath they were met with was one none of them had ever experienced before and would ever forget.
Marcus took hold of Susan with a certain level of control, with no intent to harm. She screamed, frantically turning in a threatening way towards him. She was so overwhelmed with emotion and fear that she thought she was being attacked by someone else. His strong arms engulfed her and held her in a non-aggressive manner, stopping her assault and controlling her with minimum force. He calmed her down with his warm friendly voice, his caring face, one she recognised from the investigation. All of a sudden she crumpled and Marcus nearly dropped her onto the floor as her legs could no longer hold her weight. Her wrists were weeping as there was no skin left on them; she had had to tear her own flesh off to escape from her bindings. She had listened to every blood curdling assault going on downstairs until she couldn’t take it anymore. She knew if he killed them, she would be next, the grand finale, and he wouldn’t get it wrong this time. She knew it and she had to act to have a chance to live. She finally lost it and used every ounce of strength and will she could muster to break out of her sadistic binds. Once free she found Taylor’s baton at the side of the bed. Swinging it in the bedroom, she practised her first blow; she couldn’t afford to get it wrong by not hitting him hard enough to count. Her faint into Marcus’s arms took away the horror of her living hell, giving her instant solace and peace. He lay her down gently on the sofa and went to help the others. Kay was clearly in a bad way and Taylor looked badly injured too. Three women lay in the room, brutally violated. It was sickening to see. Marcus heaved Brennan’s body unceremoniously off Taylor, revealing his blood-soaked and wounded friend. Her eyes were open but blood was seeping into them, Brennan’s blood, making her look frightening. He pulled her to him and held her tightly, letting her know everything was alright. She clung to him too, like a child to its mother.
“Keep your eyes closed, Taylor, it’s mostly his blood on your face. Who knows what that twisted fuck might have done to you? The paramedics will rinse them out for you, ‘cause you look hideous.” She managed a laugh, her arms wrapped tightly round his waist. She needed him right now; she didn’t want to let him go.
“Help Kay, please help Kay. I don’t know if she’s still with us, Marcus. I’ve not seen her move for a while.”
“Medic, medic, we need a medic!” Marcus shouted at the top of his voice, although they were already on their way into the room.
Chapter 37: Finally
Marcus walked into the ward, four bouquets of flowers almost covering the whole upper body of his muscular frame. He asked the nearest nurse if she could help him with them, which she did and then he asked where to go. He stopped off at the first ward and asked the nurse to give the first two bunches of flowers to his colleague Fran, and to Susan. He then walked further up the corridor to the first of the high dependency single rooms where Kay lay; she was in an induced coma so he left the flowers with the ward sister, squeezed Kay’s hand and whispered positive words into her ear. Finally, he moved on with more enthusiasm, up to the last single room on the right of the corridor. ‘Taylor Nicks’ was written in thick black felt pen on the white board outside. He smiled as he read her name and said it out loud to himself, just to ensure he believed that she was still alive. He had visualised what he thought was going on in that house, when he heard the blood-curdling blows crunching into their target the night before: Taylor being the victim. He swung round the door and his smile beamed from ear to ear when he saw her sitting up in bed. Bruises covered her face but she still had that old twinkle in her eyes, sincere, alluring and very much alive. She beamed back at Marcus, her giant smile hurt her face as she made it, but she was truly pleased to see him. She beckoned him forward for a warm embrace. He could feel her emotion, her need for his strength and security right now. She had been beaten yesterday and Brennan would have killed her. It unnerved her to know how close she had come to dying.
“Where were you last night, you little shit? You took your bloody time.”
Marcus made a face of someone affected by the comment. His face was one of humour and warmth, but he knew if he’d gone there sooner, things might have been very different. He also knew Taylor was joking.
“I was taking a leaf out of your book and giving you your space to savour your night. How was I to know? I’m so sorry, Taylor.”
“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. It took a woman to save me though, eh?” She poked him in the ribs with her elbow and gave him a relieved smiled. “I couldn’t give two hoots who saved me, I’m just so lucky she did. Where is Susan? How is she?”
Marcus just smiled at her and said, “Thank goodness she did save you. Thank goodness she had the strength and will to do it. Many would have just given up or been too frightened to!”
“I know, bless her,” Taylor smiled again.
“She’s just up the corridor, near to where Fran is,” Marcus said innocently.
Taylor’s face flushed a little with mixed feelings of guilt and sadness, and a momentary vision of the encounter they had shared.
“How is Fran doing? I hope she’s going to be okay. This is going to screw her up a bit.” She paused and then said, “A lot, and for a long time.”
Tears welled up in Taylor’s eyes. She asked, “How’s Kay? How is she? She looked in a really bad way yesterday, I thought he’d killed her.”
“She’s still in a coma and has only just come out of intensive
care, so that must be a good sign, although she’s not out of the woods yet!”
“I don’t deserve her you know, Marcus. I’ve let her down, really, really badly and she doesn’t need someone like me in her life.”
“Whatever you’ve done, whatever it is, she’ll forgive you. She knows you. She knew what you were like before she chose to be with you and, believe me, she will definitely need you after this.”
“I love her, and the old me just couldn’t let a situation like that go by without savouring it,” she said referring to her encounter with Fran. “I wouldn’t do it again you know. Not now, not ever. I would never have forgiven myself if he’d killed her!”
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Andrew sat by Susan’s bedside holding her bruised hand. For the first time in months she smiled with peace in her heart. Her eyes gazed at him, free from the terror that had stalked her to the brink of death, eyes now calm and not those of a scared little girl.
“I love you so much, Andrew,” Susan whispered.
Andrew smiled at her, stood up and kissed her bruised forehead with great tenderness and said, “I love you back with all my heart but I hope things will get slightly easier for us in the future.”
Both laughed a bit, both scarred and seriously injured by the same demon, he who had only made them stronger, and they laughed at that even more, because he had failed in what he had set out to do.
Fran sat up and stared at the flowers. Marcus had signed the card from Taylor and himself. Her mind floated back to their night at the hotel. She knew she had feelings for Taylor and they weren’t just lustful. She sighed and touched the card gently, rubbing her thumb over Taylor’s name, almost caressing it. She wished the kisses on the card were real and she could feel her lips against hers once again and relive those wonderful feelings they had shared. She smiled as her mum came into the room. She put the flowers to one side, just as she thought she should do with Taylor, but could she?
