Fifty Two Weeks of Murder (31 page)

The brutal violence had taken mere seconds.

Anders dropped the blade and walked to the door at the end of the corridor, ignoring the screams that followed her. Blood poured from the wound in Anders’ shoulder and her rib had certainly snapped in the explosive movement. She felt the two pieces rub against each other painfully. Stitches torn, the wound in her arm bled freely and her vision swam, the world suffused with numbing cinders of agony. Anders ignored the pain, the fatigue and her failing body. She was consumed with dread. She knew what she would find beyond that door and hesitated, unsure whether she would survive what she would see.

Steeling herself, she pushed the door open with a trembling, blood soaked hand and entered the flat.

Moments later, cries of grief filled the hall as Anders was torn apart by loss of the most desecrating kind.

Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a long, solitary process, but you can’t do it alone. Without Emma, Josh and Wilson, there would be no book. Emma for driving me on to be better, Josh for making me prove that I could do this and Wilson for listening to all of my crazy ideas, even though he didn’t have a choice. You are my family and I love you without reserve or measure.

I’d like to thank those who read the manuscript and didn’t judge me too harshly or get worried about my state of mind. Lauren, Brooke, Fiona and, of course, Patrick, whose brutal honesty made the book immeasurably better.

A special mention to John as well. His enthusiasm forced me to try harder at making it something that I could be proud of.

For my Spanish lessons, Caroline, Kimberly, thank you. For red penning the work, a thank you to Didier. My jokes are terrible, so I relied on Sophie to help me out with her Top Ten Jokes.

Finally, a shout out to Louise. You know why. Have at ‘em girl.

About the author

Owen lives in London with his wife, son and retriever. Originally from Wales, he moved to London for a short stay fourteen years ago. He works in a school in Wimbledon as Head of Science. He's often found on Wimbledon common walking the dog and plotting his next book, the retriever being a good listener to his more outlandish ideas.

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Don’t miss the terrifying story behind Anders’ ordeal at the hands of The Washington Whipper.

This short story is available exclusively on Kindle