Taken (37 page)

‘What the fuck is this, Kelvin?’

‘Get out of my way, Jason; I’m taking her with me.’

Jason laughed and pulled off his mask.

‘We don’t do party bags. Punters don’t get to take the girls home.’

Josh faced Jason, who stood only a few feet away in the dim light. He could hear Emmie crying and his eyes darted to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon. He’d known he was going to get frisked when he came into the house, so he hadn’t brought anything to protect him.

Jason sneered.

‘No one takes the fucking piss out of me.’

In a flash, Jason took out a steel blade from his inside pocket and stared at Josh in fury.

‘Josh!’

Emmie yelled in panic as she saw the blade and Jason looked puzzled.

‘Josh?’

‘That’s right – my name’s Josh, and any minute now the police are going to be here. So I’d put down the knife if I were you.’

Josh thought he saw a flicker of hesitation in Jason’s eyes but it was soon replaced by an ugly dark look.

‘Well in that case, I better make this quick.’

Jason stabbed at Josh with the blade and he staggered back to the wall, clutching his stomach.

‘Run, Emmie!’

He looked at Emmie as she stood staring in horror at the dark blood pouring through his fingers. He thought she wasn’t going to move, but after a second she ran, pushing past Jason who tried to grab her. Taking advantage of the moment, Josh took a swipe at Jason with his fist, knocking him into the wall as he hit him square in the jaw.

Jason stood up and this time drove the knife into Josh’s leg as Josh grabbed him round the neck. They both fell to the wet stone floor. The knife dropped and Josh scrambled to get it but his injuries slowed him down and it was Jason who got there first.

‘You cunt, I’ll kill you!’ Jason screamed stabbing Josh in the face as he tried to protect himself with his arms. He cried out in pain but the sound was cut short by the blade slashing the corner of his mouth, pouring red warm blood onto the stone floor.

Jason Hedley stood above him and laughed, before turning to find Emmie.

Emmie ran along the corridors in her bare feet trying every door. She couldn’t see properly from panic and each corner she turned she half screamed as she imagined running into Jason or, worse still, Oscar. She saw stairs everywhere but she knew it was pointless going up them; she needed to stay on the ground floor if she was going to try to get out.

Turning a corner she saw the long corridor they’d walked down on the way in. She knew at the end of it there was a side door to the outside but she’d no idea if it’d be open or not. She thought of her new friend Casey and she knew she’d want her to be brave and try to get out and find help.

The middle door of the corridor creaked and Emmie could feel the tears running down her face. She tiptoed down the passageway and she saw the white door in front of her. She wanted to run but she couldn’t afford to make a sound. She continued to walk quietly as she passed two closed doors. The door seemed so far away even though it was only a few feet in front. There was one last door to pass and Emmie couldn’t hold back any longer; she ran.

She was telling herself to hurry as she tried to unlock all the bolts on the door; she needed to go faster. The bolts came undone but when she tried the door, it wouldn’t open. In a desperate attempt she rattled the handle but it still wouldn’t move and all Emmie could do was start to sob again.

The bloodcurdling shriek coming from the inside of the house made Emmie retch and once again she attempted to shake open the door. She could hear footsteps heading her way and they were becoming louder and heavier. She was trapped. At the other end of the corridor she saw Oscar and she let out a terrified shriek.

‘Emmie Jennings, I’m surprised at you.’ Oscar’s voice was full of menace as he walked towards her, making Emmie shrink back. He was only a few inches away when he reached out and began to touch her face. Emmie jerked her body back and screamed, as the door suddenly opened and she was flung backwards onto the cold ground outside. Oscar, attempting to grab hold of her, fell on the ground as well. Emmie scrambled up as quickly as she could but found her leg being held by Oscar.

‘I don’t think so.’

Oscar shouted as Emmie stamped her other foot on Oscar’s nose, making him release his grip enough for her to free her leg from his grasp. Not looking back, she ran into the dark of the woods.

She could hear Oscar close behind her as she ran, stumbling along the path in her bare feet, breathing hard, her heart racing uncomfortably. Emmie knew she needed to get off the path, otherwise she’d be a sitting target for Oscar; he was so much faster and stronger than her, and it was only a matter of time before he caught up.

The combination of the steep ditch and the brambles had her falling down on her front, the sharp thorns tearing with unforgiving ferocity into her skin.

‘Emmie, stop playing games because it’s really starting to fuck me off,’ Oscar snarled from somewhere close by. ‘I’m coming to get you.’

She was covered in mud and her bare legs could hardly support her. The rain was thrashing down, making it unclear what direction his voice was coming from. She saw a stream to her left and she waded through it, sucking in air as the ice water numbed her already freezing body.

On the other side she tried to scramble up, slipping as she climbed up the steep bank. She made one last effort and pulled herself to the top with the help of some overgrown foliage.

Emmie staggered along, panting heavily. The side of the wood she climbed into was darker than the other side and she could only see inches in front of her. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath but as she did so felt an arm grab her. She started to scream but a hand clamped over her mouth. Terror took over as she tried to strike the figure but she was being overpowered and the grip round her middle was getting tighter.

‘Emmie, stop; it’s me.’

All the fight left her body and she felt the hand being released from her mouth as she turned to face her Uncle Vaughn. He held her tightly and his anger flared up as he realised she was naked apart from the jacket she was wearing.

‘You’re safe now. But Emmie darling, I need to know where Casey and Josh are.’

‘I don’t know. A guy called Jason attacked Josh, I don’t know what happened but he saved me and told me to run. I don’t know where Casey is but Oscar’s in the woods somewhere.’

Vaughn thought for a moment then looked at Emmie.

‘I need you to do something for me.’

Oscar’s nose was in agony where Emmie had kicked him. The little bitch wasn’t going to get far and he’d teach her a lesson. The only way Alfie Jennings was getting his daughter back was in pieces in a little bag.

He walked a bit further, being careful not to fall in the slippery mud. He didn’t want to keep walking into the night and he stood still for a moment to see if he could hear anything. To the right of him he heard something rustle. He turned his head slightly and he heard it again.

‘Emmie, it’s pointless running.’

He heard her voice clearly coming from the darkness.

‘Stay away.’

‘I’m afraid I can’t do that.’

Oscar moved towards Emmie’s voice and saw her standing by a large tree. He laughed as he moved towards her.

‘Who was a very silly girl to try to get away from Uncle Oscar?’

‘I don’t know, Oscar, you tell me.’

Oscar physically jumped as Vaughn’s voice came from behind him. He turned as Vaughn’s fist hit him straight in the face, shattering his nose.

‘Take a last look round, Oscar; it’s the end of the line for you.’

Vaughn produced a jagged knife from his jacket and in one move, expertly slashed Oscar’s throat.

Vaughn slipped through the side door of the house as described by Emmie and made his way through the corridors. He wanted to find Josh, but first he needed to find Casey. He’d been out of the game for a while but his instincts came back to him: his senses were on heightened alert.

As he carefully walked along the dimly lit hall, he began to make a vow; if Casey
was
alright he’d show her how much he loved her, he’d show her … Vaughn stopped himself, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. There was no room for emotion, it would only lessen his senses. He needed to be alert; he couldn’t think about anything else apart from the job he had to do: get to Casey before it was too late.

Vaughn squeezed the knife in his hand as he went up the back stairs, and opened the first door to see a woman being violently molested by a group of men. Fury flooded through his veins and he yelled out in anger.

‘Get the fuck away from her.’

He brandished his bloodied knife making the group of people run screaming to the corner of the room. Vaughn walked towards them and sneered.

‘Take off your masks.’

They hurriedly took their white masks off, revealing their faces. Vaughn looked at them and saw normal looking people who indulged in abnormal activities. He wanted to beat them to within an inch of their lives but he knew it wouldn’t help; their injuries would eventually heal and they’d still be left with the darkness inside them.

‘Do not touch her, do you understand?’

They nodded, faces full of fear, and Vaughn ran out of the room feeling more on fire than he’d ever been in his life. He kicked open the doors to the rooms and found groups of depraved people enacting their sexual fantasies on young, haunted looking women. He felt sick to his stomach and he knew he needed to find Casey quickly.

It seemed as if he’d looked in every room but as he ran into the last corridor, he heard his name being called.

‘Vaughn!’

Casey shouted out when she saw Vaughn. Jason had heard the commotion and had dragged her out of the room. She’d tried to fight but he’d held a blade against her throat. She didn’t know where he was taking her, but then she’d seen Vaughn running down the far end of the corridor and had taken her chance to call his name.

Jason held the knife tighter against her throat and she could feel it drawing blood as it cut into her skin.

‘Let her go, Jason, there’s nowhere for you to run.’

Jason smirked and did a sideways kick, opening up the fire exit door to the roof. He pulled Casey with him through it as the rain lashed down.

Vaughn charged down the corridor and stood in the doorway for a second as he watched Jason pull Casey nearer to the edge. He could hear the sound of sirens in the distance as he made his way out onto the roof.

‘Jason.’

Vaughn’s voice didn’t carry as the storm continued to pick up pace. The rain battered his face, stinging his skin. He could see Casey and Jason a few feet away but he couldn’t hear what Jason was saying.

‘Jason, let her go.’

He saw him smile as he pointed the knife at Casey, trying to force her to walk backwards towards the edge.

Casey’s mouth was dry and she could almost hear the blood pumping round her body. Jason was now holding the knife to her chest, trying to force her back. If she stepped back any further she’d fall off the roof; the wind was blowing hard and she was already struggling to keep her balance.

‘There’s no place to go, so you might as well get it over quickly, Casey.’

He laughed as she looked at Vaughn who was standing motionless but poised near the roof door. They exchanged looks and in that moment she knew she had to take her chance.

She lunged at Jason who instinctively slashed at her chest; she felt the pain but she ignored it as it gave her time to sidestep away from the edge. Vaughn ran forward and grabbed hold of Jason who stumbled, knocking into Casey who fell backwards, scrambling madly to hold on to the broken rail.

She was holding on but she felt her bad hand giving way and she couldn’t grip the rail with just one hand; Casey closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

As her good hand began to slip she called out, terrified.

‘Vaughn!’

The hands that grasped hers weren’t Vaughn’s; as she looked up she saw Emmie’s face concentrating to find the strength to save her. Casey could feel Emmie’s clasp slipping away and she heard her call out in alarm.

‘Help me, I’m losing my grip! She’s falling!’

Casey’s fingers began to leave Emmie’s and she knew in a moment she was going to fall to her death. She screamed, but instead of falling she felt herself being tugged back up. Through the rain she looked up and saw Vaughn holding on to her. He pulled her easily up, back onto the roof, hugging her and Emmie tightly as the rain powered down.

Casey gently broke away from Vaughn’s hug; she looked at him with a glint in her eye as she spoke.

‘What kept you?’

Vaughn laughed out loud and was grateful for the rain disguising the tears of joy and relief pouring down his face.

‘The police should be here soon.’

Emmie spoke to Vaughn as they walked arm in arm to the upstairs corridor.

‘Then that’s me out of here. It’ll be better that way.’

Casey nodded her head as Vaughn wiped his knife and put it away in his pocket. She looked across to the lifeless body of Jason Hedley lying on the roof. His throat had been slashed.

Emmie sat in the warmth of Vaughn’s sitting room with Sam curled up on her lap wagging his tail as her mother chatted ten to the dozen opposite her.

‘I’d have let him bleeding rot in that prison if I were you, Emmie. How the hell I could’ve spent my life at that bugger’s beck and call, I don’t know. Only good thing, Em, about the whole bleeding business is there are no more secrets.’

Emmie smiled at her mum. She never thought she’d be grateful to hear her mother’s chatter or enjoy watching her eat her way through a huge bag of cheese and onion crisps but she knew now she’d never want it any other way.

Emmie had been questioned by the police about the party but she’d kept her mouth tightly shut. They’d found Jason’s body straight away but it’d been another couple of weeks before they’d found Oscar’s body, which had already begun to badly decompose.

The case was still open but Emmie doubted the police would be able to charge anyone. The world they lived in was tight knit and people didn’t talk unless, as her dad had always said, they wanted brains on walls
.
The Albanian women had been taken to refuges. Emmie hoped they’d eventually be able to go back to their own country without fear of reprisals.