Witch: A Horror Novel (The Cursed Manuscripts) by Iain Wright (nonfiction book recommendations TXT) 📕

Things are going to change. First of all, young lady, you are never to see Jude again. His mother is an alcoholic, and he’s clearly bad news too. It’s time you got some proper friends. Other girls.”

Ashley felt something warm on her face and realised it was blood trickling from her nose. She was terrified, but she was angry too.

So fucking angry.

She leapt to her feet and got in her dad’s face, which was a foot and a half higher than hers. “I will not stop seeing Jude. He’s my best friend, and the only person who gives two shits about me.”

“You’ll do as you’re told while you live under my roof.”

“Fuck you!”

Her dad raised his palm to hit her again.

Ashley flinched and brought up her hands to defend herself. But the slap never came.

Gingerly, she lowered her arms. Her dad had turned away and was holding his face. He was bleeding. Immediately, Ashley’s mum rushed over to him and started making a fuss. “Honey, your nose is bleeding.”

Ashley wiped away the blood coming from her nose and wondered how her dad was suddenly bleeding as well. She hadn’t fought him, so what had happened?

Even though distracted, he was still angry. He shoved Ashley’s mum away and grunted. Blood dripped from the end of his nose. “Probably my blood pressure,” he said, trying to stem the flow with the back of his hand. “All the stress you two cause me.”

Ashley’s mum continued to fuss over her dad, despite the aggression he showed towards her. “It’s really gushing,” she fretted. “Come on, honey, let’s get you to the bathroom.”

Ashley stood in silence while her parents exited her bedroom. She asked herself why the hell her mum was fussing over her dad when she had a nosebleed too. And hers wasn’t accidental.

Her dad had never hit her before, and she didn’t quite know what to do. Lately, it was as though he was a stranger – or at least slowly turning into one. It made her afraid to be in her own home.

I hate him.

I fucking hate him.

She couldn’t stay in this house. She couldn’t cope with everything in addition to her dad hitting her.

I’m out of here.

Ashley hurried downstairs and headed out the front door.

Chapter Fifteen

“I can’t believe we haven’t heard anything,” said Jude.

It’d been over four hours since PC Riaz had left to take Ashley home. Before leaving, the officer had ordered Jude to remain with his mum. For once, she was being strict with him and had forbidden him from using his phone or going up to his room where she couldn’t see him.

Currently, Jude was sitting in the kitchen opposite his mum. The cordless landline phone lay on the table between them and they both stared at it. PC Riaz had promised to call as soon as he knew anything. Despite his reluctance to believe their story, he had at least taken it seriously.

Jude wondered if Lily’s family had been contacted yet. He really didn’t want a run-in with that bunch of lunatics. Part of him held a sliver of hope that the police might find Lily alive, but he knew, deep down, it was impossible. No way could she have survived after losing so much blood.

“I’m sure we’ll get an update soon.” His mum reached out and patted his hand. She looked at him with bleary eyes. In the last couple of hours, she’d drunk an entire bottle of white wine. She kept shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Every now and then she would look up and smile. “Everything will be okay. I… I just don’t understand what on earth you and Ashley have got yourselves mixed up in.”

Jude slumped onto the table and buried his face in his hands. “I don’t want to go over it all again, Mum. We did nothing wrong. The only reason we were even in the woods was because Ricky Dalca and Lily Barnes chased us in there. If I could take it all back, I would, Mum, but the woman we saw – Rose, she’s…” He couldn’t get the words out. He tried to swallow a lump in his throat.

His mum blinked at him, sniffed, then blinked again. “She’s what, sweetheart?”

“Evil, Mum. I think she’s evil. Like, an actual monster.”

She patted his hand again. “Try not to get carried away. You’re safe, and I believe you.”

“No, you don’t! I overheard you on the phone last night. You think I’m mental.”

She frowned and acted as though she didn’t understand what he was talking about. Perhaps she didn’t. She’d been drunk last night, too.

“Mum? Answer me!”

She reached out and took his hand in hers. Her pupils were large. “Jude, listen to me. I admit, I’m not really sure what to think right now, but I know my son. I might not be a perfect mum, but you’re a perfect son – and you’ve never been a liar. Never have you hurt anybody. Whatever’s going on, I know it can’t have been your fault. Is that enough?”

A maelstrom rose in the space behind his nose and eyes. It resulted in an explosion of tears. His mum scooted around the table on her chair and pulled him into a hug. Then he let go completely, and all the emotions from the last forty-eight hours erupted from his lungs. Ricky’s punches. Lily’s taunts. The chained woman he thought had been a victim but had revealed herself to be a monster. Now the police were searching the woods, and things would probably only get worse. Right now, he just wanted to hide in his mum’s arms. He wanted to be a cuddled child.

A loud knock at the door startled them.

Jude pulled back away from his mum and realised she had been crying too. She wiped at her tears, embarrassed, then stood from the table. With a huff, she straightened herself up. “That must be the police. They’ll be buying us a new front door if they keep banging on