Discarded by M. Hunter (the reading list .txt) 📕

The tiny blade looked so insignificant against his huge chest, and as the edge skirted across the edge of his shirt, she knew she wouldn’t have the strength. Not that it mattered, as his arm swung out and cracked into her wrist, the small knife flying across the room and disappearing somewhere behind the sofa as it crashed into the wall. Without missing a beat, he wrapped his single gloved hand around both her wrists and dragged her towards him, as he stood.

‘You won’t get another chance like that, kid,’ he whispered loudly, again running his rough tongue the length of her cheek, savouring the taste of her tears.

Scooping up his jacket with his free hand, he pulled her across the room, past the cowering vicar who still refused to look at them, and back out into the dark night to his waiting car. Pulling open the door, he flung her into the back in a single motion, making no effort to buckle her in, slamming the door and turning his attention back to the vicar.

‘Go inside, and wipe the place clean,’ Grey glowered, handing him a small wad of folded notes. ‘And consider this a donation to the church for services rendered.’

‘What will happen to her?’ the vicar asked quietly.

‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.’

‘You never should have allowed her to get away in the first place!’

Grey stepped forwards, forcing the vicar to move backwards. ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Isn’t that how the saying goes?’

Reverend Peter scowled. ‘Mr Brown will hear of this. You mark my words.’

‘You’ll keep your mouth shut, old man. You’re not the influence on me you once were, and you’ll keep your gob shut for once if you know what’s good for you.’

The vicar took a further step back, lifting his arms in surrender and protection of his upper body. ‘Okay, okay… I just need assurances that this will be taken care of. She knows who I am… She can identify me.’

Grey turned back and looked at the car. ‘You really have nothing to worry about. I’ll do what’s necessary.’

Sliding the jacket back over his shoulders, Grey made his way around the front of the car and looked both ways before climbing in and starting the engine. Joanna was stretched out on the rear seat quietly sobbing, regretting that she hadn’t continued into the town centre in search of a police station.

The car bounced and buffeted along for at least ten minutes, with Grey chain-smoking until the thin light through the windows disappeared and Joanna could no longer see where they were going. She finally sat up when the car came to a sudden halt, but she wished she hadn’t when she saw they were surrounded by dark and foreboding trees on either side.

Grey exited the car, pulled open the rear door, and dragged her from the seat by the ankles. Joanna bashed her head on the cushion and frame of the car, before hitting the rough leaves and twigs that scattered the ground. She kicked out and screamed as he dragged her from the car, further into the wood where she could no longer see the sky above the entwining branches.

They eventually stopped when she could hear the sound of water trickling nearby, but by the time he released her foot, she was too cold and sore to make any effort to get back to her feet and run.

Grey took a deep breath before lighting a fresh cigarette and inhaling it deeply into his lungs.

‘It didn’t have to be this way,’ he said quietly. ‘You could have learned to follow the rules… You could have seen that things really aren’t as bad as you feared.’

He turned until he was facing her. The only light she could see was the orange tip of the cigarette as he sucked on the end.

‘Such a pity that you had to keep fighting. Hope will kill you, you know that, right? It isn’t your fault; they drill it into kids in school. They brainwash you into believing that the world is a good place and that if you love thy neighbour, you’ll wind up in paradise. What you realise when you get older is just how much of a crock all of that is. In reality it’s every man for himself, and no amount of good deeds will see you end up anywhere but in a furnace or as worm food. There is no better place after all of this, as you’re about to find out.’

She couldn’t move. Frozen to the ground, her bladder having emptied twice since he’d shown up, she accepted that she would never see her family again. She prayed her end would be quick and painless.

‘I remember being your age – maybe a little older – and feeling like I wanted to die. But then I was given a second chance. And so I’m going to do you that same kindness, kid. I’m going to give you the choice about how the rest of this night goes.’ He bent over so she could just about see his lips as he spoke. ‘Beg for your life and I’ll let you live.’

She squirmed as some of the ash dropped from the tip of his cigarette and floated down to her face like a snowflake.

‘P-p-please,’ her lips stammered, her breath escaping as a cloud in the cold night air.

He straightened. ‘You’ve got to do better than that, kid. I said beg.’

He took a step back, allowing her to shift the weight onto her side so she could then move onto her knees, biting down as the sharp twigs scratched at her skin and bone.

‘P-p-please d-d-don’t kill me.’

She heard him laughing, even though she could no longer see him as he flicked the cigarette away in a shower of sparks. And then suddenly he was down on the ground beside her, whispering into her ear.

‘That’s better, kid. Now, you’ll