by Amy Cross
I try to keep up, but as I stumble on a crooked paving slab, one of my shoes comes off. I try to stop and grab it, but my father pulls me along.
"Wait!" I call out.
"What the fuck is it now?" he shouts, yanking me over to him.
"My shoe!"
Sighing, he lets go of me for a moment and hurries back to my lost shoe, before turning and kicking it at me. I put a hand up to shield my face, and the shoe bounces harmlessly off my chest and lands on the sidewalk. Instinctively, I step back into it, and seconds later my father grabs my arm and continues to pull me along.
"Try to keep your fucking shoes on," he says firmly. "It shouldn't be that hard, or did you never learn to tie your goddamn laces?"
I want to reply to him, to tell him to go to hell, but I'm already starting to cry and I know that whenever I try to stand up for myself, I end up sounding like an idiot. It's better if I just keep my thoughts to myself and wait for him to lose this temper. After all, although I've never seen him become truly violent, I've always been worried that there's an extra edge to him, and I'm terrified that one day he'll go beyond the point of no return.
"So why don't you tell me what this is all about?" he asks as he marches me across the road. "Huh? Where do you think you're going?"
I open my mouth to reply, but the truth is, I don't know what to say. All the explanations I came up with earlier now seem so foolish, and I know he'd just rip my ideas apart. Ten minutes ago, I thought I was on the brink of escaping from my old life, and now I realize that I was just binding myself closer than ever. I hoped, for a brief moment, that I was smart and capable, and now it's clear that I'm just a dumb fantasist who gets these crazy ideas and then gets carried away.
"You really make it hard sometimes," he continues as we get closer to his car. "I try so hard with you, John, but it's as if you really don't care. I blame your mother, of course. She's kept you in a kind of bubble, and you've got no idea about how the real world works. Sometimes I really worry about how you're going to get through life."
"I'm sorry," I whimper, with tears in my eyes.
"Being sorry isn't enough," he replies, pushing me against the side of the car before walking around and pulling his keys from his pockets. "We're going to have to sort you out, boy. It's not too late. You're still young, and we can fix the way you see things."
As he gets into the car, I take a deep breath and try to prepare myself for the drive home. I'm well aware that I've probably made a rod for my own back, and I've got no doubt that my father is going to punish me when we get back to the house. Of course, I could always turn and run, and maybe I'd be luckier this time, but I guess I just have to accept that for now, I'm not going to be able to get away. One day, though, I'll escape from my father, and I'll leave everything behind so that I can start a new life.
I'll disappear completely and I won't let anyone ever find me again. In fact, I can already feel a new person bubbling away in my heart; someone smarter and stronger and more intelligent, someone who's ready to make his mark on the world.
ALSO AVAILABLE
The Dead and the Dying: A Joanna Mason Novel
Twelve years ago, rookie cop Joanna Mason was nearly killed by serial killer Sam Gazade. Now, just as Gazade is about to be executed for his crimes, a copycat emerges, replicating each grizzly murder in excruciating detail. Now a thirtysomething police veteran, Mason has a reputation for making brilliant, instinctive deductions during investigations. However, her skills have been dulled by the cocktail of drugs she's taking as part of her chemotherapy program. Stricken by cancer, Mason must make a choice: either she continues with her treatment and lets her mind become fuzzy, or she stops taking the drugs and tries to track down the copycat killer before more people die.
Darper Danver: The Complete First Series
Five years ago, three friends went to a remote cabin in the woods and tried to contact the spirit of a long-dead soldier. They thought they could control whatever happened next. They were wrong... Newly released from prison, Cassie Briggs returns to Fort Powell, determined to get her life back on track. Soon, however, she begins to suspect that an ancient evil still lurks in the nearby cabin. Was the mysterious Darper Danver really destroyed all those years ago, or does her spirit still linger, waiting for a chance to return?
Asylum: The Complete Series
After killing her younger brother, Annie Radford is sent to Lakehurst Psychiatric Hospital. But Lakehurst hides some dark secrets. Patients are regularly subjected to 'special treatment' in the basement, while the cruel Nurse Winter rules the hospital with an iron fist. As Annie struggles to retain her sense of identity, she finds herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Lakehurst. Suffering under the horrific conditions imposed on her at Lakehurst, Annie starts to doubt her own sanity, especially when she once again starts to hear the voices that plagued her when she was younger. Who is the strange old man in the attic? What does Jerry keep in a jar in the basement, and why is he so keen to continue with his macabre and vicious experiments? Where did the husks come from? And how is this all linked to mysterious radio signals being monitored in a forest hundreds of miles away? Out now for just $2.99!
Dark Season: The Complete First Series (All 8 Books)
When Sophie Hart is rescued from a mugging by a mysterious, silent vampire, she discovers that she is part of a dark prophecy. Patrick is the last vampire on Earth, having killed the rest of his species at the end of a bloody war, and he has plans for Sophie. But will she survive? This volume collects together the first 8 Dark Season books, covering the entire first series. Along the way, Sophie encounters not only a vampire but also werewolves, ghosts, evil maids with sharp teeth, crazed psychiatrists and dream-sucking Tenderlings. She travels to Gothos, the ancestral home of the vampires. She discovers a secret hidden inside the body of an old woman, and later she finds another dark secret hidden inside her own body. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Dark Season: The Complete Second Series (All 8 Books)
Picking up where the first series left off, the second series of Dark Season follows Sophie's attempt to discover what has happened to Abigail. Meanwhile, the mysterious Nimrod has arrived in town and he's determined to gain his revenge on Patrick. This volume collects together the 8 books of the second series of Dark Season, plus the prequel book 20th Century Vampire. As Sophie tries to find Abigail, she comes up against Nimrod's blood-lust. From old country houses to the sewers of Dedston, and from the bottom of a haunted well to an underground hall filled with spiders, the second series of Dark Season takes Sophie to the brink of death and puts her faith in Patrick to the ultimate test. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 Books)
The third and final series of Dark Season tells the story of Patrick and Sophie's daughter Abigail, and her journey to discover the truth about her own identity. Having been raised as a normal human, Abigail is suddenly thrown into a dangerous new world as she discovers that she possesses unique vampire DNA. With Sophie dead and Patrick having apparently vanished, Abigail quickly falls under the wing of the mysterious Benjamin and his organization, the Watchers, and soon she finds herself trapped in a desperate fight for her own soul. This volume collects together the 8 books of the third series of Dark Season. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
The Night Girl: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
When she starts her new job as a night shift assistant, Juliet Collier has no idea that she's about to meet a mysterious entity that lurks in an abandoned part of the building. Soon, Juliet finds herself granted a gift that means she can kill indiscriminately, and apparently without consequences. Meanwhile, eleven years earlier, a young Juliet makes a terrible mistake that sets her on a dark course. This is the story of a girl whose decisions lead her to a devastating end-point, as she struggles to reconcile the voices in her head with the reality in front of her eyes. This volume collects all 8 books in the series.
Devil's Briar: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
In the remote wilderness of Colorado, Bill and Paula Mitchell discover an entire lost town. Devil's Briar was abandoned many years ago, and has fallen into disrepair. But it soon becomes clear that the town contains some special and highly unusual qualities, and that elements of the past are seeping through into the present. As she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, Paula finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the bizarre time loop that keeps the entire town trapped in eternity. Soon it becomes clear that nothing in Devil's Briar will ever be the same again, and that two time periods are merging with horrific consequences. This volume contains all 8 books in the Devil's Briar series.
Broken Blue: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
Returning home for her father's funeral, Elly Bradshaw soon finds herself drawn into the dangerous world of billionaire Mark Douglas. Although she finds Mark irresistible, Elly learns he hides a dark secret. She's quickly pulled deep into a dark sexual game that threatens to change the way she views the world forever. Meanwhile, back in the late nineteenth century, another set of players are caught up in the same game. Tortured by his role as Mr. Blue, Edgar Lockhart sets out to end the game forever. His failure, however, results in the arrival of Jonathan Pope onto the scene. Cynical and only interested in a payday, Pope begins to investigate the shadowy trio of players who keep the game alive. This volume contains all 8 books in the Broken Blue series.
Lupine Howl: The Complete First Series (All 8 Books)
Arriving in London, penniless and alone, Jess finds herself forced to live on the streets. She soon encounters Duncan, a mysterious man who seems to be caught up with some very dangerous people. Duncan is a werewolf, forced to scavenge on the streets of the city and unable to break free from his master, a vicious, cruel man named Thomas Lumic. But there's a war coming. Humanity is no longer prepared to tolerate the existence of the werewolves. Along the way, Jess encounters some truly hideous and bizarre creatures, including the haunting Flesh Weavers, the vicious Loom People, the mysterious Wormwood, the hideous Golvs, and a flesh-sucking little boy who rules a circus of fear. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Lupine Howl: The Complete Second Series (All 8 books)
The second series of Lupine Howl begins with Duncan and Jess being recruited for a dangerous mission, and ends with them fighting for their lives against one of the most evil creatures that has ever lived. From the moment he receives a message from Black Annis, Duncan is convinced that someone or something is manipulating things behind the scenes. His suspicions are heightened as he and Jess find themselves facing a series of unusual creatures, until finally the truth becomes clear: Thomas Lumic is still alive, and is determined to gain his revenge over Duncan. Meanwhile, Jess discovers the truth about Anna, the girl who once traveled with Duncan and whose death has haunted him down the years. Out now - 180,000 words for just $2.99!
Lupine Howl: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books)
Having abandoned Duncan, Jess makes her way to India, where she makes a fateful decision that could affect the future of werewolf society forever. The time has come. After centuries of calm, the killing fields of Sangreth are about to be disturbed. Although he's terrified of the journey, Duncan finally accepts that he and Jess must head to Sangreth and prevent Jonathan Neale from uncovering the true secret of the werewolves. But Sangreth is more than just a place: it's a living nightmare, where every werewolf must face the ultimate truth, and where a powerful force waits to be resurrected. For both Duncan and Jess, past wounds are about to burst open and spill fresh blood. Out now from Amazon and other sites for just $2.99!
Ghosts: The Complete Series (All 8 Books)
Having been brutally murdered by her own father, Beth Keneally wakes up and discovers she's now a ghost. Determined to protect her little sister Elise from becoming her father's next victim, Beth finds herself forming an alliance with an unlikely group of other ghosts who have all found themselves trapped on Earth. Meanwhile, an angel named Kal has arrived in town to hunt down God and Satan, who have made a bet with each other that they can wipe their memories and live as humans for an entire lifetime. This volume collects together all eight books in the Ghosts series, which includes encounters with creatures such as the mysterious Red Man and a living plague. Out now - 160,000 words for just $2.99!
