The Truth
Page 8
“No more phone calls, Chloé, to anybody.” Kyle ordered.
“But,” she remembered, “Madam Selena told us…”
“When did you speak to her?” Lara interrupted. “What have I told you about involving yourself with people like that?”
“She told Bethany she’d die a horrible death if she stayed friends with me, I should have listened.”
“Look, we don’t know what happened yet. I’ll find out what I can about Bethany.” Kyle grabbed his coat from the dusty sofa. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He gestured toward Eduardo. “You stay here and keep look out just in case Kane has traced the call.”
Lara pushed forward. “Kyle, wait… you’ll look after yourself?”
“Yes, Lara,” he said kindly. “I’ll see you all shortly.”
Kyle rushed out of the room, disappearing into the wind.
“I’ll never get used to seeing that,” Lara said.
Chloé walked over to her mom and linked her arm into hers. “Life was so quiet, and now look, we’re caught up in God knows what, and it’s all my fault.”
“I can’t say it’s been my most favourite day all things considered, but we have to believe these things happen for a reason.”
“I’m shocked you’re taking all this so well, Mom.”
“What can I say when something’s staring me in the face? I can’t deny what I can see. Unless I’ve really lost the plot and all this is just a figment of my imagination.”
“We must have lost the plot together then, but it’ll give you something to tell your friends at work,” she joked.”
“Ha-ha, they’d have me committed…”
“Hang on, Mom, where’s Daddy gone?”
Chloé and Lara looked around the house, but Eduardo was nowhere to be seen.
“Daddy,” Chloé called out.
“Ed.” Lara opened the front door and shouted outside, but there was no answer.
“Maybe he’s gone with Kyle?” Lara guessed.
“He didn’t say – no he wouldn’t leave us here. He’s gotta be around somewhere, let’s go look for him.” Chloé wished Kyle had stayed behind.
“Grab our coats.” Lara held her hand out as Chloé picked the coats up from the table.
They shut the door firmly behind them and took off toward the old barn.
“I didn’t even see him leave, Mom. D’you think he’s okay.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, it’s been a strange day for us all.”
Chloé could hear a pounding noise in the distance. “You hear that?”
“Yes, just about, where’s it coming from though?”
“Behind the barn I think. Maybe Daddy’s chopping wood for the fire.”
They couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary as it was pitch-black, but they were getting closer to the source of the noise.
“Daddy,” Chloé called out. “Can you hear me?”
The pounding noise had now been replaced by a noise Chloé couldn’t place. “What’s that, Mom?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like the sound of it, come on, let’s just go and wait inside. I feel real uneasy out here in the dark.”
Her mother grabbed hold of Chloé’s coat and steered her back toward the house.
“Okay, I’m coming, you don’t have to pull me.”
“Just move, I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Lara said.
“Going so soon,” Eduardo called out.
“Daddy, is that you?” Chloé asked, her voice wavering. It was so dark, she couldn’t make out where he was.
“Ed,” Lara shouted. “This isn’t funny – you’re scaring us.”
Chloé squinted in the darkness, unable to see anything.
“Come on, we need to get inside.” Lara tried to drag Chloé back toward the house.
“And you think a door is going to stop me? It’s not like the movies where I need to be invited in. Don’t forget I grew up here, and if anybody requires an invite, it’s the two of you.”
She felt the wind brush her skin and knew he was close. “Mom, run,” she yelled as she was knocked off her feet. She guessed correctly what the pounding noise was – Eduardo was making sure the station wagon in the old barn couldn’t be used to escape.
“Ed, no, please, don’t hurt her,” Lara yelled.
Chloé screamed as she was dragged off her feet. She kicked out as he pulled her by the hair, but then she was dropped back to the floor.
Lara was now at the other end of the garden. “Where are you, Chloé?” she shouted. “I can’t see you.”
Chloé lay on the ground, the wind knocked out of her.
She could see Eduardo approach. “Daddy, why?” she cried.
“Because it’s what Kane wants me to do and if I get you out of the way, Kyle will leave. I don’t want to harm you, but…” he paused as though fighting with his own conscience.
“Daddy. Please, don’t hurt me,” Chloé begged.
“Don’t cry, I’m going to play fair and give you one last chance to get away.”
“I can’t outrun you.”
“I’ll count to a hundred. Give you a fighting chance to find your mother and hide.”
Chloé pulled herself to her feet and ran. She knew she wouldn’t get far.
“One, two, three, four,” Eduardo counted out loud. “Five, six, seven, eight, nine…” He paused. “One hundred.”
Her mother was still shouting in the distance.
Chloé ran as fast as her feet could carry her, glancing backwards as the wind caught up to her, knocking her off her feet, “You lied,” she shouted into the air, struggling to her feet and running back on herself.
But suddenly, the wind came at her from the other direction.
“Mom, help me, please.”
“I’m coming, baby, don’t move,” Lara yelled. “Keep shouting and I’ll follow your voice.”
“Chloé,” her father whispered into her ear, startling her and sending her running the opposite direction again.
She knew she was caught in a game of cat and mouse as she continued to run.
There was no way she would be able to out-run him, but she wasn’t about to give in.
From nowhere, he charged into her, knocking her flat on her back.
She lay there, stunned, and in pain, staring as he straddled her.
“You lose, la hija,” he said. “Time to say bye-bye.”
“No, Daddy,” she begged, her hands covering her head as she watched the lead pipe swing toward her.
Chloé screamed as the pipe struck the side of her head. The pain was indescribable, causing her to lose focus, her eyes dancing about in her head. She could feel blood oozing from the wound.
He lifted her again and seconds later, dropped her to the ground. She felt her legs break with the force of the impact and cried out.
“Chloé, where are you?” her mother screamed.
“Mom,” she tried to shout, but it came out as a whisper.
Her father laughed and knelt beside her. He bent his back and sniffed the air -- she could hear him taking in the metallic aroma of her blood as her mom’s cries echoed in the distance.
He straddled her once again. “Keep your eyes open,” he ordered. “I want to look into them as you die.”
Her father picked up the pipe and wrapping his fist around it, brought it crashing down on her left shoulder, shattering it.
“No, Daddy.” Even though the pain was excruciating, she could only manage a whimper. She tried to raise her right hand, but didn’t have the energy to hold it up for long.
“Three strikes and you’re out, Chloé.” Her father said. “Last strike…”
She didn’t have the strength to fight any longer, her right hand dropping to her side.
“I for-give you, Da-ddy.” She struggled to move her mouth.
He bent over her, sniffing the blood once again as it pumped from the wound on her head. “Grams is waiting for you.” he said coldly.
Semi-conscious, she
closed her eyes, anticipating the final blow, but she was lifted off her feet and carried up into the night sky instead.
Every part of her body hurt and in a daze, she thought she’d heard Bethany speaking to her, but it couldn’t be. She was dead. But at least they’d be reunited soon enough.
Chloé felt safe, any fears she had of dying had left her and it took all the strength she had to open her eyes.
She looked up and gasped – never had she seen a creature as beautiful before.
“Am I going to heaven now?” she asked, as they rose higher and higher, beyond the clouds, convinced she was in the arms of an angel, on a journey to her final destination.
TO BE CONTINUED…
THE NIGHTWAlkER MYSTERIES
Part Three – Resurrection
Available now in eBook / Kindle / Paperback
From all Amazon stores.
MORE TITLES AVAILABLE FROM MARCUS;
THE NIGHTWALKER MYSTERIES
Part One – Second Self
Acknowledgements
A HUGE thank you to the following for their help and encouragement with various aspects of this project.
Jeanette – For the continued and irreplaceable support.
Tammy, Netta, Serena & Liz – My beta readers. Thank you all for reading this little novella of mine and giving me your honest feedback. Are you ready for Part Three?
Angela, Ann, Carolann, Emma Louise, Gaynor, Gem, Jackie, Jo, Sophie, Stacey, Tracey & Victoria – Thanks for all your support – it means a lot!
S.A.S.S – A fantastic group of people with big hearts. They do it for their love of books. Thank you so much for all the support.
Rebecacovers from Fivver for the fantastic cover art.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marcus Brown lives in the North West of England with his partner, Jon, their cat Tobias, plus their two dogs, Sammy and Sally.
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Copyright © 2017 Marcus Brown
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