Within the Shadows by J.D MCG (knowledgeable books to read .txt) 📕

sounds like an offer. Shouldn't you buy me dinner first?' Barnes kept joking around, trying to hide his fear and pain.

The man said nothing. He just stood in front of Barnes with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, ready to take another swing at him. Barnes closed his eyes tight, ready for another blow to the gut. But nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see the man walking away from him. Confused as to why he'd given up on the torture, Barnes yelled back at him.

'Hey, where are you going? You can't be tired already. I thought we were going all night.' He began to laugh at himself, then coughed as the pain hurt more with laughter.

'Oh, I'm not done with you yet,' the man replied seriously.

He turned back to look at Barnes. His hands clutched a battery with what looked like metal spark plugs.

'Oh man, come on. You don't want to do this,' Barnes pleaded with him. 'Do you even know who that monster is or what she's done? Do you even know the real Lily?'

'You don't even know who I am or what I'm capable of. Lily is nothing compared to us,' he answered while placing the clips on Barnes' toes.

'Us? There's more than one of you?' he asked.

'Yes. Four of us. My name's Cain, and my siblings are out there somewhere, wreaking havoc.'

'Who are your siblings?' he continued with his questions.

Cain laughed. 'Enough with your questions. This isn't how this works. Now, are you going to tell me where the diamonds are or are you going to test your pain threshold some more?'

Barnes knew this was it for him. He was either going to tell him or die a painful death.

Chapter 5

7.34 pm. The time Jack pulled his car on to his drive. He turned off his engine and walked towards the front door. As he unlocked the door, he noticed none of the lights were on inside his house. Maybe Charlotte is still out, he wondered.

Jack entered and switched on the light in the hallway, locking the door behind him. He removed his jacket and placed it on the row of coat hooks on the wall. That's when he noticed Charlotte's coat and handbag, hanging beside his coat. That's odd, he thought.

'Honey, are you home?' he called out. 'Charlotte?'

He peered into the living room, but she wasn't there. He then moved into the kitchen diner, but it was too dark to see. Jack flicked the light on. His heart stopped for a slight moment. He began to feel incredibly sick. His wife, his dearly beloved Charlotte was lying dead on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood.

A metal mallet lay beside her body with remnants of her scalp attached. How could somebody do this? He fell to the floor, crying his eyes out.

'Charlotte?' he cried out. 'Charlotte? Please wake up.'

Jack felt sick rising up his throat. He had to make a quick dash for it out of the front door and threw up on his driveway. I need to call the police, he told himself as he wiped the sick from his lips.

He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and dialled 999.

'Hello,' a voice spoke on the other end of the phone.

'I need the police,' Jack shouted down the phone hysterically. 'My wife's been murdered.'

'Okay, sir.' the operator replied. 'What's your address?'

'Number 8, The Russells, Birmingham. Oh God, I think she's dead,' he informed them.

'Officers will be with you shortly as well as an ambulance crew. Please, sir, try not to enter the house until the paramedics and police arrive.'

'Okay,' he sobbed.

Minutes later the ambulance arrived, followed by a squad of police cars. Jack sat on his porch, crying hysterically as the ambulance crew approached him.

'Hello, sir,' one of the paramedics greeted him. 'My name’s Becky. Can you tell me where your wife is?'

Jack lifted his head, removing his eyes from the ground and focused on the paramedic. His eyes covered in tears. He wiped them away before replying.

'She's in the kitchen.'

Both paramedics rushed through the house towards his wife's lifeless corpse once they were given the go-ahead by the officer on the door. Jack was then approached by a couple of detectives.

'Hello. Are you Mr Roberts?'

'Yes,' he continued to sob.

'I'm Detective Inspector Ally Miller and this is my partner Detective Sergeant Jacob Wright,' she introduced themselves. 'I'm so sorry for your loss. Are we able to talk?'

'I don't understand why anybody would want to do this?'

'Do you know of anyone who would've wanted to harm your wife?' Ally asked.

'Charlotte. Her name is Charlotte,' he corrected her.

'I'm sorry.'

'And no, I don't know anyone who would want to do this to her.' Jack thought for a moment about the stalker who had been following him since his time in the woods. 'This might sound odd, but there has been someone following me for the last few weeks. I didn't think anything of it but I saw him earlier today at the office.'

'Did you contact the police?' Jacob asked him while taking notes.

'No. I don't know why I didn't. Something has always stopped me.'

'Did you get a good look at this person?' Ally continued questioning him.

'Yes. His face is all deformed,' he informed them.

'Deformed how?' Jacob fired away another question.

'It's all scarred.'

'Thank you for your time, Mr Roberts. An officer will be with you shortly. And once again, my condolences on your loss,' Ally said softly.

Jacob and Ally moved into the house where they crossed paths with the paramedics in the hallway.

'She's deceased. We couldn't find a pulse on her,' Julie informed the detectives.

'Okay, thank you,' replied Ally as the two paramedics left the house.

The pair of them carried on through to