Echoes in the Woods by Georgina Scott (ebook reader web txt) 📕

a lot calmer now that he knew that Ella was going to be okay. They sat down for dinner and once finished, Jake excused himself and went to his room. He took out his textbook and wrote in the back the names of the six kids that hurt Ella.

Justin McClure

George Bradshaw

Heather Cilliërs

Kevin Stones

Wilf Macintosh

Natasha Cley

Chapter 11

Three weeks had passed since the beating. Jake walked Ella home from school without fail. They never saw the group of kids, so came to the conclusion that they were keeping a low profile or were off beating someone else up, but that didn’t stop both of them from being on edge.

Jake enrolled in kick boxing classes which took up an hour of his time, three days a week, but he didn’t care. He felt more confident and stronger walking down the street protecting Ella. He knew that even at this stage in his training, he could hold his own against those kids. Once he walked her, he would give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then off he went to gather intelligence on the six. He would make sure he was back in time for training and dinner; his timings were spot on, making no one suspicious.

Jake looked at his list and decided to start from the top, gather as much information about Justin McClure and the others as he possibly could. However, his thoughts couldn’t help but take a side step onto what is or what was he going to do to them once he set his plan in to action. He knew he was going to scare them. Maybe that was going to be enough, but then he thought, no, they hurt Ella, for no reason whatsoever and they are going to pay for what they had done. He wanted them to feel pain, be scared and know what it is like to be terrorised.

Determined now more than ever, he swiped a writing pad from school. He made sure he would keep up with his studies so as not to attract any suspicion, though some days that was really difficult. He found an old gym bag and green balaclava in the loft; he placed his black trackies, trainers and balaclava in the gym bag and hid the bag in the den for now, knowing that it would have to be moved at a later date.

On his way back from training, looking at his side window, he noticed an abandoned warehouse. It was less than two miles from school but then he thought how he would get them there without anyone spotting them, so he dismissed that location. He then thought of the woods at the back of the school. Perfect!

Once he finished his dinner, he asked if he could go out for an hour. Mac and Mary agreed and told him to take his mobile phone. Jake ran all the way up the steep hill, past the school and into the woods. He could hear the voices, telling him to kill them all. He steered off the path placing markers. He marked out six trees by carving the initials into the trunk. At the last tree, he carved JM into the bark then stood back, he figured the first victim should be the farthest away.

Later that night, before he went to sleep, he grabbed his writing pad and wrote down nine items that he was going to need to put his plan into action:

Location

Bungee, Rope, knife

Torch, Gloves,

Large Handkerchiefs,

Blindfolds and Tape.

Jake went back to the woods over a period of days to get to know the route, terrain and layout, until it became second nature; he placed the rope, handkerchiefs, blindfolds, the bungee cord with plastic coated metal hooks on both ends, and tape, in a plastic bag at the base of every tree and covered it with leaves. He took out his writing pad and ticked off the items on his list as he said them over in his head. He managed to get some of the items on his list from school with the exception of the bungee cords, which he took from the garage at home.

He stood back taking in the moment feeling proud with what he had achieved so far. Fully satisfied Jake made his way home.

Chapter 12

Justin McClure is a fat ugly boy with bulbous eyes. He never stopped eating and he was unfit, flabby and farted a lot. He lived on St Giles Road, Number 14 with his father who looked like a dead head, fat and unshaven, very scruffy looking. He wore trackie bottoms that were hanging down from his arse and a t-shirt that was torn with a can of beer in one hand. Jake also noticed there was lots of shouting in the house; as soon as Justin walked in, he was shouted at. With his younger siblings screaming, there was no peace, no quiet. The house was untidy and so was the garden.

Jake kind of felt sorry for him because he was easily led and manipulated and took the blame for the group. He didn’t have any choice; it was take the blame or get beaten up every day, just like what they do to others and he would rather be part of the group than not. At least no one would mess with him or cause him any trouble. In his mind, it was a case of survival and he felt the group made him look cool and he felt accepted and part of something.

Jake didn’t notice any kind of violence, just really loud noise coming from the house on most days. Volume on both the television and stereo system were turned up full blast. There was conflict between neighbours on both sides; the neighbour on the right, banged on the McClure house screaming to turn the noise down, then there was a confrontation between both men, both exchanging un-pleasantries towards one another.

When it got really heated, the police turned up, dissolved the conflict and ordered