Copyright © 2019 by Matt Shaw

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Full Moon

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Book II

A recap from the bedroom: Weary and exhausted, Melissa opened her eyes. Her head ached as though she’d downed several bottles of wine the previous night even though she knew she’d not had a drop. Her mouth was drier than the desert and her eyes hard to keep open. Slowly the room around her came into focus and - no sooner had it done so, panic set in. She tried to sit up to get a better look as to where she was but couldn’t. Tight cords around her ankles and wrists kept her restrained tight against the mattress.

‘They’re normally good here,’ David said. He was standing in the corner of the room, watching over Melissa like a hawk. He had watched what had happened with the pack and had continued to watch as she made her way back to the house - her whole journey shadowed by the family of five. All the time she held the infant, and kept her motherly instincts on display, she’d be safe. ‘They don’t tend to restrain you. They don’t even tend to lock the door. They know you can’t get away from them and - even if you tried - they love the chase.’ He continued, ‘The restraints now are more for me. I’m sure you probably don’t want to be seeing me now… Or maybe you do, but not for kind words.’ He added, ‘Look - I’m sorry I invited you here. I’m sorry you agreed to come. I wish, like some of the others, you refused but… Well, here we are.’

‘Why are you doing this?’

David smiled. Of course he would be blamed.

‘This isn’t me. I had a life outside of this. You’ve seen what they are now. Every month, when the moon is full, it’s the same… My job is to get out there and find more people like you. People willing to do the run. I don’t have a choice in this just as you don’t have a choice in being…’ He hesitated before he continued, ‘In being whatever it is they want you to be but I think I understand… See they haven’t told me directly. They’re awake now but I’ve found it is always best to avoid them when they first wake from their night on the run… Give them space to feel more human…’ David thought it might help if he explained a little more about who he was, ‘My sister - she was on the run with you. She was the lady who was gagged. They put her out there because they were bored with her. Just as - I’m sure - if we don’t do as they say, one day they will put us out there too. Next time, I am going to go out on a limb and say you won’t survive. You only did this time because of how you handled the boy I think.’ David went quiet. ‘The way you handled my nephew…’

Melissa slowly started to put the pieces together through her hazy mind. ‘That was your nephew? Your sister’s baby?’

He nodded. ‘Michael raped her. She got pregnant. She had his kid. She became more and more distant and - eventually - he grew tired of her. Put her out there, along with the boy. All I could do was sit back and watch…’ He smiled. ‘You know - I never expected to see this morning. I saw they’d taken my sister and her son… My plan was to take my own life in the safe room. You see - whatever you think of me - I don’t want to do what I do. I have to do it because there is little choice.’

‘They’re not always monsters. You could stand up to them.’

David smiled. ‘Tried that once.’ David’s mind cast back to the night when he first tried to get Michael to stop harassing his sister. Being the big brother, he started by warning Michael off with words. When that failed - with Michael laughing in his face - he turned to violence and pushed Michael around for a bit. The whole time Michael laughed and egged him on. Then - without warning - Michael snapped and David was put firmly in his place before his unconscious body was brought back to the mansion, along with his screaming sister.

David moved to the edge of the bed and took a seat closer to Melissa. She reacted by trying to move away, not that she could. ‘I know you don’t believe me, or trust me, or even like me but I’m not here to hurt you or touch you… I just came to make sure you woke up okay. I was genuinely worried when you came staggering through the front door. I took my nephew from you and you just collapsed. Once I’d put him down, I got you and - well - here we are. Again, my words mean little to you, but you’ll see in time that I’m not a bad man.’

‘You can’t keep me here. I have a daughter.’

‘I won’t be keeping you anywhere. This isn’t to do with me. Even if you’d been well enough to try and make a run for it - they’d have done something to you to ensure you couldn’t… Something to slow you down whilst they went back through the change.’ David added, ‘They could have even scratched you and taken their chances with you fighting the infection. Whatever… They wouldn’t have just let you leave and - I’m sorry - they never will. You need to forget about your child now… Your concern should be my nephew as he is clearly the only reason you’re alive right now.’

Melissa was fighting back the tears. She knew she was powerless against everything that was happening. She knew she’d not been in control from the moment she’d gotten on that van but to hear it all from someone else - confirming it… She felt sick to her stomach. Cruelly, she said, ‘Then I wish I’d let your nephew die. I wish I’d thrown him at them like my friend told me to…’

David smiled sympathetically. He understood her comments and the rage she felt. He couldn’t blame her for any of what she was saying.

‘Like I said - don’t try and upset them, don’t try and fight with them. They won’t release you because you’re difficult. They won’t kill you either. They’ll look to break you and then - when bored - they’ll toss you out in the run. That’s the way they are. If you go along with them, they’ll treat you better than you’d expect.’ He added, ‘A word of warning though - don’t bad mouth them behind their backs either. They may well be in human form but… Their hearing is still impressive. They hear everything!’ He stood up. ‘Anyway I best you leave you to it… I’m sure they will be coming up to see you soon. Introduce themselves properly.’ Melissa said nothing as David fished in his pocket. He pulled out a piece of folded paper and unfolded it for her to read.

I will get you out of this. You, me and my nephew.

He raised a finger to his lips as though to shush her quiet and - then - he folded the paper and slid it back into his pocket.

‘Try and get some more rest,’ he said.

Unsure as to what was going on, Melissa nodded. The truth, though, was that David didn’t want to be in that house anymore. He didn’t want her to be there either. He knew that there was no way out yet though. Wherever he ran, or they ran, they would be found. They needed to think smart and find a way to kill the beasts once and for all… By taking Melissa and making it look as though he’d restrained her - it showed willing that he was looking to help the pack still, despite them killing his sister. Yes the house staff may have died, but for that he’d blame faulty wiring on the door. Or simply say they’d arrived too late to be let in. The House Rules were clear enough: Be at the safe-room by a certain time or be denied entry. David had already deleted the footage showing that he’d locked them out long before the curfew. He’d taken Melissa in, he had stopped her from leaving - giving them time to change - and he’d put his nephew, Michael’s son, down to bed too. He’d done all he could to make things easier for them during the change and - with any luck - that had to count for something. Buy him a little more time. Time with which to find a way out of this nightmare once and for all.

For him.

For his nephew.

For Melissa.

David gave Melissa a sympathetic smile and mouthed another apology to her. Although still unsure as to his true motives, or what was even happening, Melissa forced herself to smile.

‘We’re in this together,’ he said.

He had failed his sister. He wouldn’t fail Melissa.

From down the hallway, the brothers and sisters were laughing as they made their approach. Jason was making comments about the house chef tasting better than most of the meals he’d prepared during that month whilst Debra was moaning about who’d be cleaning up the mess. They’d found the House Staff then. Michael made a comment about going in to check on the boy and Carolyne was asking Gina what she thought the new girl would be like. Knowing he didn’t have much time, David quickly pulled the paper from his pocket and showed Melissa one more time…

I will get you out of this. You, me and my nephew.

She nodded as he hid the paper back in his pocket.

‘Do as they say,’ he warned as - behind him - the bedroom door opened.

The cycle had started again.

Jason walked in with his brother and sisters. All were naked still from where they’d only recently turned. Their faces were smeared in red from the previous night’s feasting. The fact they were smiling didn’t make the sight any less sinister for Melissa, or David - even though it wasn’t the first time he’d been confronted with them looking in such a state.

Before Jason even looked in Melissa’s direction, he said to David, ‘We saw the House Staff… What happened last night?’

David glared at Jason. How dare he mention them and ignore what they’d done to Sophie. ‘You killed my sister last night is what happened.’

There was a brief pause as the two men eye-balled each other. Jason was the first to crack as he started to laugh. ‘Hey,’ he said, ‘at least you survived, right?’ He gave him a pat on the shoulder as though they were both good friends.

David knew he was treading on thin ice so explained, ‘They weren’t there in time. You said that the door needed to be closed no matter what so, I shut the door…’

Still pretending to be the best of friends, Jason winked and said, ‘I’m sure we can talk about it later. In the meantime, I believe we have a new house guest!’ Jason turned to Melissa.

David said, ‘I saw you escorting her back with Sophie’s baby so…’ He didn’t know how best to word what he wanted to say so hesitated a moment. ‘When she got back, she collapsed so I left the safe room and ran down to her. I brought her up here to give you time to… You know.’

‘You did good. Well, in this instance.’ Jason smiled at him. A saying raced through David’s mind, Never smile at a crocodile. Even so, David smiled back.

‘Why is she restrained?’ Debra asked.

Jason turned away from David and looked over to the new house guest. True enough, she was tied down to the bed. He flashed David a frustrated look and then said, ‘I’m terribly sorry about this. Not a good first impression as we welcome you to the household.’ He addressed Carolyne, ‘Undo the restraints. Make the poor girl comfortable, for God’s sake.’

Even though it hadn’t been her who’d put Melissa there, Carolyne approached the bed and - as instructed - undid the restraints. Melissa immediately sat up and started to rub her sore wrists before doing the same to her ankles.

Melissa knew the answer but asked regardless, ‘Can I go home now?’

Michael frowned. ‘Home?’

‘I’m sorry but you’re not going home,’ Jason said.

‘This is your home now,’ Gina said. She knew the ropes. She knew that - although not one of them - Melissa was still a part of the family now.

‘I made it back to the house. I get the money and I get to go home.’ Melissa added, ‘You can keep the money though. I just want to go home.’

Jason laughed. ‘You can have the money. You can keep it under the mattress. A reminder of how well you’ve done!’ He added, ‘But you’re not leaving us but, technically, you didn’t really earn the prize. You wouldn’t have even made it back to the house had it not been for us allowing it. Had it not been for us seeing what a good mother you could be… And that is why you’re here. David has his job here, which I am sure you understand by now, and now you have a job too.’ Jason turned to Michael. He was the dad so it was only fitting he explained her situation.

‘You will be a mother to my son.’

‘I have a daughter waiting for me at home.’

Michael shook his head. ‘You had a daughter.’

Melissa started to cry. She looked over their collective shoulders, towards the open door, and contemplated pushing past them and making a run for it. The only reason she didn’t was because she knew she’d not get far. She even thought about telling them about the note in David’s pocket - a small part of her brain telling her that it wasn’t a real promise on his part but, rather, a way of keeping her trapped in the room: The hope of having him one day break them out of there. That little voice whispering to her that - it will never happen. But even if she did tell them about the note, so what? How would that help her? It might give her a few seconds head start, in a run, as they’d turn to confront him but she knew that wouldn’t be enough. Especially now she was aware of what they were. And even if she thought she had a better chance than she actually did, what if his note was the truth? What if he had a plan on how to get them - and the child - out of there?

Michael pulled her from her thoughts as he asked her a direct question, ‘Are you willing to be mother to the boy?’ Melissa looked at him, surprised by the abruptness of his question. ‘It’s easier just to save the fucking around and just be direct, don’t you think? See, currently you have two options… The first is that you’re mother to the boy. You make me happy. The second is - to save wasting time - we just kill you now and find a proper nanny when we employ more House Staff. Obviously we saw how protective you were of him and we were impressed so I’m rooting that you’re willing to do the job. But, like I said, we don’t want to be wasting time…’

‘I want to go home.’

‘And yet I just told you the two options.’

Melissa didn’t want to die and even if David’s note was a lie - it didn’t mean that, given time, she wouldn’t be able to think of a way out of this nightmare for herself. She didn’t need to rely on the man who’d pulled her into this situation in the first place. She shouldn’t rely on him. For now, all she could do was to play along.

‘I’ll look after him.’

‘Then you’ll make me happy?’ Michael said.

‘Yes.’

Michael smiled. He turned to his brother and sisters. They were smiling too, happy that they at least had a Nanny - even if they didn’t have a full house of staff to go with her. Still - one less position to fill.

‘I told you it would work out,’ Michael said. He was happy for more than the fact his plan had worked. He was happy because he’d proven to the others that he could come up with a scheme which would both benefit the family and actually work for them. One step closer to being alpha in the eyes of his sisters. ‘Now, if you don’t mind… Can we have some privacy?’

‘Come on then, let’s leave them to it. We have work to do anyway… Staff vacancies won’t fill themselves,’ Jason said as he pushed David from the room and led the others away. He closed the door behind them. Michael walked over to the bed and sat, perched on the edge. He turned and smiled to Melissa.

‘So,’ he said, ‘to make me happy there’s a couple of things you can do for me…’

THE DEN

The Blushing Bride: Melissa smiled as she turned the corner and saw Gerry standing there in his dark blue suit. He looked so handsome there, standing in a pool of light which spilled in from the window he was standing beside. He was wearing his dark blue suit with a burgundy tie, complete with silver tie-clip. His shoes shone brilliantly; buffered black. His hair was gelled back just how she liked it and even his usually messy beard had been well-groomed; stray hairs cut right back. He winked at her as he slowly turned to see his soon-to-be-wife. A smile spread across his face. His eyes twinkled with life. His soul, so alive. Just as she was ecstatic with him, though, so too was he happy with her.

Melissa was wearing an expensive wedding gown; a mermaid dress which hugged her figure in all the right places. Her usually long hair was tied up and back with a single strand hanging to the side of her face by perfect design. And, speaking of perfect design, Melissa’s make-up had been done exquisitely by her friend, Julie, a professional make-up artist who did most of the town’s brides. The only difference for this wedding being that Julie did it at a discounted rate for her friend.

‘You look stunning,’ Gerry said when Melissa was close enough to hear him speak in a hushed voice. They’d gone through what would happen on their Big Day - what would be said, where they would stand and other little details - but they had never asked whether they were actually permitted to talk or whether they were simply supposed to stand there in silence until the minister said their piece. So - just to be safe - hushed voices it was. ‘I wasn’t sure you were going to show up,’ he half-joked.

It was ten-thirty in the morning. The wedding was supposed to start at ten.

‘I got stuck in traffic,’ she apologised.

He laughed. ‘I’m just glad it finally let you through…’

Fast Forward Four Years: Melissa thumbed through the wedding photo album she and Gerry had put together for themselves. Her skin felt hot and her face flushed as she felt the bubble of anger rise in her stomach.

I got stuck in traffic.

If only the traffic hadn’t eased off. If only she could have missed her own wedding. She wouldn’t be here now feeling this pain, this anger, self-loathing and general bitterness. More than that, she wouldn’t be feeling as fucking worthless as she was right now.

The anger grew more.

How dare he make her feel this way? Melissa hadn’t done anything wrong. This was all on him and his inability to keep his dick in his pants. And, to think, she’d forgiven him once. She should have just kicked him out there and then. What was that old saying? A leopard doesn’t change its spots. He had said he was sorry, even wept like a little bitch about how foolish he had been and - yet - there he was again, less than three weeks later, sticking it to some other cheap bitch.

Melissa’s anger erupted. She launched the photo album across the room where it crashed against the wall. A handful of pictures spilled out  onto the carpet as the book came crashing down. Those would be the first pictures in which he would have his head decapitated with the nearby pair of scissors. Cut his head off and leave them all over the place, ready for him to find when he comes back to get the rest of his crap.

Fast Forward Four Months: Melissa looked at her daughter. Lauren was almost four years old now: A product of a happier relationship. She was sitting in the living room, clutching her favourite teddy bear; a small pink rabbit. Her bag, a small rucksack, was in the doorway across from where Melissa was watching her; a sad look on her face.

It was Friday. The start of Gerry’s weekend with Lauren but - once again - he’d failed to show up. He’d also failed to phone ahead in order to prepare Melissa for the fact he wasn’t going to come.

Melissa wasn’t surprised. Hardly anything surprised her anymore. Not when it came to Gerry. She smiled at Lauren who, unaware of her dad’s absence, smiled back.

‘I’m sorry, baby…’ Melissa started to explain that, not for the first time, the weekend plans were going to change.

Fuck Gerry. Fuck him for forcing me to see the heartbreak on her face…

Fast Forward Four Weeks: Another bill. Another final demand. Melissa tossed the letter on top of all the others. Hardly surprising the debt was mounting when that asshole was refusing to pay his child maintenance.

Melissa had been nothing but supportive as both a girlfriend and a wife. She had never cheated on him, and never even been tempted to stray and yet - after their relationship dissolved - that very accusation had been thrown in her face. And, why? Guilty conscience, no doubt, for the amount of times he had been caught fucking others.

Gerry had asked, ‘How do I know she’s even mine?’

Of all the things they’d shouted at one another, all the nasty insults which had been tossed, that was the one which had hurt the most. Not only was he accusing her of what he was doing but, to deny Lauren was even his? No. He knew she was. There was no denying it. It was just an excuse to get away with not paying the maintenance. That was the type of “man” he had become. To think, she had been upset when the relationship had falllen apart but now - fuck him. Good riddance. But, that attitude didn’t help get the bills paid.

Melissa sighed as her mind turned back to the stress of not knowing where to find the money necessary to clear the arrears. The most pressing of bills being the rent, which she was already two months behind in paying.

She leaned back in her chair, at the kitchen table. From the other room, she could hear an oblivious Lauren laughing at the television. Melissa smiled. No matter what stress she had going on in her life, her daughter never failed to raise her spirits. She was good spirited, helpful and loving. Most of all, she had a way about her which just always made Melissa laugh. And yet that piece of shit had been so quick to turn his back on her.

Melissa glanced back down to the kitchen table. There was still a number of unopened envelopes needing her attention but, given how the first letters had started - she wasn’t entirely sure she could face opening the rest just yet. As she sat there, the sinking feeling getting progressively worse, her eyes happened to glance over to the open paper  beside the post. In particular: a single advert had caught her attention.

“Dancers wanted.”

Four Days Later: Melissa was sitting in a club. The house lights were on and some cleaners were milling around, preparing the club for another busy evening. Melissa watched the cleaners and started to panic that she wasn’t good enough to be a dancer. What if they looked at her and found her unattractive? Could she at least talk them into giving her a cleaning job?

‘You look nervous,’ a female voice said from behind her. ‘Relax. The boss is a bit weird but he’s friendly enough.’

Melissa turned. A young lady in her twenties was sitting close behind her with a soft drink in her hand.

The woman continued, ‘I take it you’re here to audition.’

Melissa momentarily panicked. ‘Audition?’

‘Dancing job?’

Melissa had figured she was heading for a job interview. A one to one with the club owner in which she would have to impress him (or her) with her personality and charm. Despite the ad asking for dancers, she hadn’t once considered the fact that she might be asked to dance for them too.

The woman’s name was Kelly. She’d worked at the club for a while now and had taken the job originally to help pay her way through university. Work through her studies and pay for the course as she went along. It was better that way, she had figured. Better to pay and just get it out of the way than to take on a load of debt for God knows how many years. Strip, earn, study, get qualifications, leave the stripping behind for dream job and - who knew - maybe even earn enough to put a deposit down on a small place of her own. It would certainly be better than renting.

A male voice called out from over the other side of the club, close to an office door, ‘Melissa Kazas?’

Melissa turned her head, following the direction of the voice. She saw a tall, skinny man standing in a doorway. With a wave of his hand, he gestured her over.

‘Break a leg!’ Kelly said with a genuine smile.

A quick shot of adrenaline shot through Melissa as she pulled herself up to her feet. Shaky legs from the nerves; not the best thing to have ahead of potentially having to dance for someone.

As Melissa walked across the room, she mentally tried to compose herself by reminding herself why she was even there in the first place. Get a second job, earn more money, clear the debts, get a better life for her and Lauren. She figured - even if she was successful - she could always quit once the debt was more manageable. If she wanted to, that was. There was a small part of her which believed that she might even enjoy dancing. She used to be good at it, back in college. Although, in fairness, she hadn’t actually been expected to remove her clothes to dance at college. This was a different dance style entirely.

‘Hi, sorry to keep you waiting…’ The man stepped from the doorway and extended his hand, ahead of giving a polite handshake.

Melissa smiled nervously.

This is it.

WEEK ONE

Present Day

- I -

Bedroom:

‘So,’ he said, ‘to make me happy there’s a couple of things you can do for me.’ Michael’s voice pulled Melissa back to the harsh reality she was now facing. Her head still pounded from the late night and general stress of her current situation. To think, when she had first started dancing at the club – she had thought that was as bad as her life was going to get. She had thought, that from there, the only way was up. Especially when that man had come in and offered her the fifty grand to take part in a run. She had thought, this is it - finally - my break. How wrong she had been.

‘Are you even listening to me?’ Michael sighed heavily. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored. It was one thing for Jason to make him feel like that but for her? No. She was far too beneath him to be permitted to get away with insubordination. Before Melissa had a chance to answer him, he gave her a backhand across her face. The moment his hand hit her cheek, she let out a cry. ‘I asked a question. Are you even listening to me?’ He looked at her with both anger and frustration clearly visible in his fiery gaze. To save herself from another smack, she nodded. ‘Are you a mute? Use your voice. Are you listening to me?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then what did I say?’

Melissa desperately searched for an answer despite having no clue  what he’d said. When she couldn’t find one, she started to weep as the stress of the situation finally took hold of her senses. Michael sighed. He wanted to hit her again but he knew that would serve no purpose. This wasn’t the best of starts for them but, she was still new to this. There was still a chance she could surprise him and turn this around. If, in a few days, she was still struggling with the basics - such as listening - then that would be when he’d lash out more freely. Until then, though, he’d give her the benefit of the doubt.

He said, ‘I don’t like repeating myself. I won’t make a habit of it but seeing as this is all new to you… Well… What I said was, there’s a couple of things you need to do for me to make me happy.’ He paused a moment. ‘Understand?’

She nodded as she tried to fight back the tears.

‘So - just to be sure you not only understood but are also listening… What did I just say?’

Struggling with the tears, Melissa said, ‘Please, I just want to go home.’

Michael sighed first and then - without further word or warning - he slapped her face with the back of his rough hand with enough force to jar her head to the side. He paused a moment, letting her come back to her senses and for the ringing in her ears to stop. Slowly, she turned back to him. She still had tears in her eyes but now there was a certain degree of hate.

Before: Gerry looked just as shocked as Melissa did. He was many things but not a wife-beater and the shame he felt, for lashing out, hit home before she’d even had a chance to stand back up.

‘Shit. I’m sorry… I….’

He stopped talking as Melissa pulled herself back to her feet. She wasn’t crying, as he might have expected her to. She was just staring at him with a look of pure hatred. Any love she had once felt, even after finding out about the cheating, was all now but a distant memory. Gerry knew this too, just by the way she was looking at him now and - whilst he regretted nothing that had come before - he did wish he could turn the clock back by just a few minutes. Gerry didn’t bother to finish his previous sentence. He knew there were no words to excuse lashing out like that, no matter how she may have been talking to him. One thing he had been taught by his own wayward father; you don’t hit women.

Bedroom: Michael raised his hand for a second time but didn’t strike out. This time it was just a warning as to what she could expect if Melissa didn’t answer the question he’d asked.

He asked, ‘Shall we try this again?’

Melissa wanted to tell him to drop dead. At the very least, she wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself but she knew - by doing so - she would just lessen her chances of getting back home to Lauren. This wasn’t a “man” she was dealing with here, not that she knew exactly who she was dealing with. Werewolves? Really? Weren’t they just confined to works of fiction?

Despite wanting to tell him what she really thought, she swallowed the thoughts down and merely said, ‘I’m sorry.’

Michael responded by lowering his hand.

‘And in answer to my question?’

‘You said there are only a couple of things I need to do to make you happy.’

Michael smiled. She had been listening at least.

‘Good girl.’

Patronising prick.

‘Please… I have a daughter.’

Michael contemplated hitting her again, for speaking out of turn, but stopped himself. Not because he felt sorry for her. He just knew that, if any progress was to be made, then this was a conversation they needed to have at some point. Might as well get it out of the way now.

‘And you love your daughter?’

‘Very much so,’ Melissa said. If only this man had known all she had had to put herself through to ensure Lauren had the best of everything she could have ever needed- he might have understood. Melissa didn’t explain about her past though for a simple fact; she knew he wouldn’t have cared one way or the other.

‘You would do anything for your daughter?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s good.’ Michael smiled. ‘So I trust you’ll do the same for your son.’

‘I don’t have a son,’ Melissa said angrily. Immediately she regretted not biting her tongue as Michael’s smile quickly faded from his face. He sighed but, again, refrained from putting her in her place.

‘You want to see your daughter?’

‘Yes.’ Melissa added, ‘I want to go home to my daughter.’

‘How’s about a deal?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You stay here for a while and do what is asked of you and - in turn - I will allow you to see your daughter again.’ Michael raised an eyebrow. ‘How’s that?’

‘I go home to my daughter.’

Michael didn’t acknowledge her. If that was what Melissa wanted to believe and what would help him get the “best” from her - so be it.

‘Do we have a deal?’

Michael extended his hand towards Melissa, not with aggression but open palmed and ready to shake - should she accept the deal. Melissa hesitated a moment, unsure as to whether this was real or not, and then she shook his hand. He smiled. She did not. Melissa released her grip and took her hand back. As she did, Michael moved away from her and walked back to the bedroom door.

With his back to her, he said, ‘I’m going to let you get some rest. You must be tired after the run and all that you’ve been through. Not for long. Just a couple of hours and - then - I’ll introduce you to the boy properly. Then, later, we can go into more of what else you can do for me.’ Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and left the room. He closed the door behind him. Melissa exhaled a long, slow breath - unaware that she’d even been holding it in.

- II -

Melissa got up from the bed and walked over to the bedroom door. She didn’t try the handle. Instead she pressed her ear against the wooden panel and strained to hear if anyone was on the other side of the door. Michael had said he was leaving her to it but, had he really? Or was this all just part of a game like everything else seemed to be?

Unable to hear anything, she strained harder. From somewhere seemingly far away, elsewhere in the house, she could hear muffled voices. She couldn’t make out what was being said but, definitely people talking to each other.

With a shaking hand, she reached to the cold metal of the handle. She clasped it tight and - she froze. Even if she could get out of the house without being seen, she had no idea how to get back to town easily from here. She knew, from the run, that she was in the middle of nowhere and - most importantly - she was all too aware that she was in the presence of true evil. Whatever they were, whatever they turned into - Melissa knew there was no out running them. And if she did run and if she was caught? She doubted there’d be a happy ending in which she got to see her daughter again. At least now, even if he was lying, there was the potential chance of seeing her again. Hope; that’s what Michael had given her.

She pulled her hand away from the handle and took a few steps back, away from the closed door. Knowing she was trapped there for the time being at least, Melissa turned back to face the room; her prison.

Before: Gerry walked into the bedroom. Melissa was sitting on the bed, knees pulled to chest. Between knees and chest, she held a cushion there. It was the only comfort she had in her life right now, other than a hug from Lauren but she was sleeping. Gerry stopped at the foot of the bed and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. He folded his arms and patiently waited for eye contact or - at the very least - some kind of acknowledgement that she even knew he was standing there.

‘So - what - you just going to hide away up here?’ Gerry asked. ‘A self-imposed prison.’ She still didn’t acknowledge him. ‘What about if I want to come to bed?’

Those were the magic words. She looked at him in disbelief. Come to bed. He confesses to wanting another woman - not just that, he confesses to fucking another woman and he expects to sleep in the same bed?

‘You’re not sleeping in here.’

‘It’s my bed just as much as it is yours.’

‘You lost the right to sleep in here the moment you started sleeping in someone else’s bed,’ Melissa said angrily. ‘Why are you even here? What? She doesn’t have a place you can go crash at? She married too and not told her husband yet? You’re pathetic.’

‘Me? I told you so we can both move on. You’re the one who is acting like a fucking spoiled bitch.’

More disbelief.

‘A spoiled bitch? My husband - the man who had said he loved me and vowed to do so until death do us part - has just told me he has being fucking someone else. Instead of creating a scene and shouting and ranting and raving, I just came upstairs and locked myself away in the bedroom to be by myself so I could process everything and that is me being a spoiled bitch?’ She got up from the bed and walked round to where he was standing. She asked, ‘What am I supposed to do?’

‘I don’t know but how’s about you don’t lock yourself away in a room for starters?’

She ignored him and continued, ‘Am I supposed to lash out?’ Before he could answer, she shoved him back. Not being the biggest of people, she didn’t cause him to do anything but take a couple of steps back. ‘Is that better?’ With no answer - she shoved him again. ‘That what I am supposed to do?’

‘Stop it.’

‘Fuck you! You can’t tell me what to do anymore!’

‘You’ll wake Lauren up,’ he warned.

‘Oh you give a shit about your daughter? You think about her before you came home to tear apart her family?’ Melissa paused a moment. ‘You’re not taking her.’

‘What?’

‘You’re not taking her to this whore’s house. You’re not giving her a second mummy, if that’s what you’re thinking…’

‘The fuck are you talking about?’

Melissa shoved into him again, with open palms. This time, Gerry responded with a slog straight to her gut. She folded around his fist and slumped to the floor, winded.

Gerry looked just as shocked as Melissa did. He was many things but not a wife-beater and the shame he felt, for lashing out, hit home before she even had a chance to stand back up.

‘Shit. I’m sorry… I….’

Bedroom: Melissa tried to shake the unwanted memories from her mind as she turned her attention back to the new prison she’d found herself in. The Real Prison.

Along the far wall, there was the bed she’d woken on. Then there was a dresser and a door leading through to another room. Curious, she walked over and peered through to what turned out to be the en-suite. She turned back to the main room. Across the other side of the room, a large flatscreen television hung on the wall. On the same wall, a window.

Melissa crossed the room to the window. All around the edges, it was nailed shut not that it mattered. The drop to the ground, beyond the window, would have surely killed her had she tried to climb out.

She sighed. The driveway outside stretched out before her, down to the main road. The road itself went both left and right as far as the eye could see. No traffic coming from either direction though. On the other side of the road, tall trees reached up to the sky. They weren’t just lining the roads. It was an edge of a thick forest. Not the way to go if she could get out though. They’d already proven that, if she could get out there, they could easily hunt her.

There was no sense looking out of the window and torturing herself with thoughts of a freedom that wouldn’t come, at least not from that route, so she put her back to it and looked back into the room. Another sigh. Taking them out of the equation, the room itself wasn’t half bad. Certainly better than what she’d been able to afford since the collapse of her marriage.

Before: Melissa could tell from Lauren’s face that she wasn’t impressed with the house. She couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t in the nicest of areas and the decor looked as though it hadn’t been changed since the seventies. Whoever had lived here before had clearly only decorated the one time and then just been content to let the house rot around them before they, themselves, rotted within. The smell of the dead lingered in the air, heavy.

‘It smells funny,’ Lauren said.

There was no denying her statement. It did have an unpleasant odour about it but nothing that wouldn’t air over time. Especially by the time they moved their possessions in and installed a few plug-in room fresheners.

‘You know what you get to do now though?’ Melissa asked, changing the subject. Lauren looked at her, awaiting an answer. ‘You get to go and pick your bedroom! Whichever room you want!’

‘Really?’

Melissa nodded. Lauren smiled for the first time that day and, with that, she turned and hurried up the stairs with her little hand gripping the wooden bannister as she did so. When she was out of sight, Melissa’s own smile slowly faded as she glanced around at her new home. She’d gone from a four bedroom, detached house - to this.

Bedroom: Melissa couldn’t help but wonder whether this was a punishment from some Higher Being. A punishment administered due to being ungrateful for what she’d had in life when, in reality, there were people who had it far worse. She told herself not to be so stupid and reminded herself that it couldn’t be a punishment - or whatever - from a Higher Being because God doesn’t exist. But then, if creatures like these people exist in the real world then maybe there could be a God of some description?

Movement from beyond the door distracted her from her thoughts. Melissa glanced to the door in time to see it open and for one of the women to enter.

Debra, not that Melissa remembered her name.

‘I thought I could hear you walking around,’ Debra said as she entered. In front of her, she held out a tray; a little snack for their new house guest.

- III -

Before: The bedroom door opened quietly but still stirred Melissa from her slumber. It didn’t help that she hadn’t been sleeping too great, thanks to the heavy cold which had hit her hard.

‘Go on then,’ Gerry said. He ushered Lauren in. Lauren carefully walked in, balancing a breakfast tray in her hands. On the tray was a single plate with a piece of dry toast on it; the only thing Melissa was able to keep down at the moment.

‘I got you breakfast in bed, mummy.’

Lauren walked over to the bed with her hands shaking, rocking the tray.

‘There was a glass of water too,’ said Gerry, ‘but we had a bit of an accident before we got out of the kitchen.’

Lauren shouted, ‘It fell!’

Gerry laughed. ‘Yeah okay. Ssh. No shouting, baby.’ He said to Melissa, ‘But it did fall. Don’t worry. The glass didn’t break and I’ll clean the water up. You don’t need to do anything. And, of course, we’ll get you a glass of water too.’

Melissa forced a smile as Lauren set the tray down on the bed next to her.

‘Here you go!’

Bedroom: Debra looked at Melissa expectantly, after she’d set the tray down on the dresser.

‘Well?’

Melissa looked at her blankly.

Debra continued, ‘No thanks?’

This family were holding Melissa against her will, stopping her from going home to her daughter and - what - she was supposed to say thank you for being given a shitty sandwich and glass of orange juice?

Again, knowing ill-manners wouldn’t help her situation any, Melissa forced out the desired thanks, ‘Thank you.’

‘Manners go a long way around here,’ Debra said. She nodded towards the sandwich. ‘It’s ham. I hope that is okay. Unfortunately, we don’t have any chefs here to fix up something better to eat.’

Melissa remembered something one of the others had said when they got to the room; something about the house staff being dead. She didn’t comment on her recollection. Instead, she just smiled. Ham was good. It wasn’t like she was going to eat it anyway.

Debra continued, ‘And I’m going to need you to remove your clothes.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘They reek. I understand you had a hard night but, really, that is no excuse to not even have a wash. Get your clothes off and I shall get them cleaned for you.’

Melissa looked around the room and could see nothing else to change into. She remembered the clothes she had worn to the venue. ‘Can I have my other clothes back?’

‘You can. Remove your uniform now and I shall fetch you your own clothes. By the time you’re out of the shower, they’ll be on the bed waiting for you.’

Melissa squirmed. ‘Can I have my clothes first?’

Debra sighed. She folded her arms impatiently and stood firm. Slowly, and reluctantly, Melissa started to remove her clothes until she was standing in just her underwear. She kicked the jumpsuit that the family had provided for the run towards Debra.

They both stood there, in silence for just a moment.

Debra was the first to speak and said, ‘Hand it to me.’

Melissa hesitated a moment. Thoughts of Lauren flashed to mind again. She leaned down and picked up the jumpsuit before handing it to Debra.

Before: Melissa stood in the doorway to Lauren’s bedroom. Lauren was sitting on her bed with colouring pencils strewn before her. Her head was deep into colouring a unicorn, standing in a meadow with a rainbow behind it.  The colouring; not quite between the lines.

Melissa’s voice caused Lauren to jump, ‘What did I tell you about leaving your dirty clothes on the floor? Come on, you know the drill; into the basket…’

Lauren sighed and rolled herself from the bed. She hurried over to the clothes, picked them up and quickly carried them over to the wash basket in the corner of her room. With the errand complete, she ran back to the bed and - more importantly - her colouring.

Melissa smiled and left her daughter to her pencils.

Bedroom: ‘Like I said, manners go a long way around here.’

Debra took the jumpsuit and then looked down at Melissa’s body. It wasn’t a look of admiration. Her gaze wasn’t looking upon Melissa’s flat stomach, or pert breasts which were almost spilling from her bra. Her eyes were fixed on the underwear. When she had told Melissa to strip, she had meant everything.

Debra said, ‘Everything.’

‘Is this really necessary?’

‘You can’t spend the rest of your time here in dirty knickers.’ Debra added, ‘What do you think I’m going to do?’

Melissa looked at her in disbelief. After what she’d seen during the night, she wouldn’t have put anything past this “woman”.

Debra pushed. ‘I don’t have all day.’

Another thought of her daughter.

Melissa reluctantly removed her bra. She handed it over to Debra who snatched it away. Melissa hesitated another moment and - then - removed her knickers. She bent down and lifted them up before handing them to Debra. Again, Debra snatched it. This time though, she smiled.

‘Fragrant,’ she said.

A shiver ran down Melissa’s back.

‘Eat your sandwich.’

Debra turned away and walked towards the door. With her spare hand, she opened it and stepped out into the hallway. Before she closed the door, she gave another look back to Melissa who was standing there, trying her best to cover herself up. Debra smiled again and closed the door.

- IV -

Before: The warm water cascaded down Melissa’s naked body and immediately helped wash away some of the stress. It had been a long day with more of the same lined up at work for tomorrow too. But - she didn’t want to think of tomorrow now. Now, she just wanted a hot shower, a glass of wine and a quiet evening cuddled up on the sofa with Gerry who’d also not long since come in from work.

‘Room for a little one?’ Gerry called out from the other side of the shower curtain. Melissa smiled. She turned to face the curtain and pulled it open, revealing Gerry standing there - already naked and standing proud, with an erection.

‘Doesn’t look like a little one from where I’m standing,’ she said with a naughty smile, her eyes fixed firmly on his impressive manhood. Gerry grinned and stepped into the shower. It was a tight squeeze for the two of them to be in there at the same time but, for what Gerry had in mind, that wasn’t a problem.

‘I missed you last night,’ she said.

‘Sorry, baby, had to work late. You know how it is.’

‘You’re always working late,’ she said as she wrapped her wet hand around the shaft of his cock.

‘Ssh,’ he leaned forward and kissed her as his own hands started to explore her body.

Bathroom: Melissa had hated showers ever since she’d found out that - most nights Gerry was supposed to have been working - he’d actually been with the other woman. She recalled all the times they’d fooled around in the shower of their marital home and - instead of finding herself getting turned on, like she used to before she had realised the truth - she found herself wondering whether that had been the first shower he’d had since being inside her. It was a thought which made Melissa sick to her stomach, along with the times she’d had him in her mouth. Was that just a day’s worth of sweat she was tasting or…

She closed her eyes and shut her mind off to the past as the water continued to run over her naked body. Funny to have a mind, so hurt by one man’s actions, that even here - in this situation - she could find herself thinking back to it. Surely now, of all times, she had more important things to worry about.

Another flash of Lauren came to mind.

Bedroom: Michael looked at the uneaten sandwich and shook his head with disappointment. There was no way Melissa wasn’t hungry. Not after the night she’d had and the energy she would have used, even without taking into consideration the amount of adrenaline she’d had surging through her veins.

‘You didn’t eat your sandwich.’

Melissa jumped as she came out of the ensuite bathroom and saw him sitting on the edge of her bed, arms folded in front of him. He turned his gaze from the sandwich to where she’d frozen to the spot in the doorway.

‘What’s wrong? Not a fan of…’ He sniffed the air. ‘… Ham?’

Melissa tried to change the subject. ‘Did you bring me my clothes?’

Michael smiled. He knew what Debra had promised her and also happened to know that it was a lie. The exact same technique had been used with Sophie, the woman who had been kept in this very room before Melissa was brought here. Michael’s ex.

‘Not sure what you’re talking about,’ Michael lied.

‘The lady said she would bring me my clothes so that I could get changed.’

‘Uh huh. I’ll get right on that for you and find out what is going on,’ he lied again. The smile faded from his face. ‘I was going to bring you the boy so you could be introduced properly but he’s sleeping. I guess he is - at least - tired from such a hard night. It’s probably best I let him sleep in. Has his father’s temper when he doesn’t get his nap-time.’

Melissa just stood there, unsure whether she was even supposed to say anything as the pair slipped into an awkward silence.

Michael cleared his throat. ‘Remove the towel.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘I happen to remember - from when I was human - that a person’s ears aren’t that bad. Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me and, better yet, don’t make me repeat myself.’

Melissa fidgeted where she stood. It was hard to forget the fact he’d hit her before so - not wishing to try her luck any further - she let the damp towel drop to the floor. Michael said nothing. He patted the bed, next to him.

Doing her best to hide her nerves, Melissa crossed the room and sat next to him. She crossed her legs in the process and folded her arms in front of her chest. From the back of his throat, Michael did a tut of disapproval.

Michael reached to her arms first and, with little effort on his part, moved them to the sides of her body so that he could see her breasts. ‘There are only a couple of things I need to do to make you happy. Remember?’ He leaned down and flicked his tongue across her erect nipple. Melissa’s nipples were erect due to the cool air hanging in the room and not through a state of arousal. With his head staying close to her breast, he looked up to her face. She was watching his every move with a nervous look in her eyes which only turned him on further. Without diverting his gaze, he put his mouth around her nipple and started to suck upon it like a babe seeking a meal. Melissa made no noise and neither did she look away.

Still sucking, Michael reached down to her crossed legs. It took a little more effort to uncross these, than it had done to uncross her arms, but he still managed it relatively easily. Now Melissa was sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands gripping the thin duvet and her legs parted enough for him to be able to see more of her. With his hands free, he reached down to between her legs with his right hand. Two fingers folded in, held down by a thumb, and two fingers extended forward.

Melissa winced at his touch.

- V -

Before: Melissa closed her eyes as she made her way down the stranger’s body, lifting his work shirt and kissing his stomach as she did so. Just gentle pecks from her lips, barely touching his skin. She got to his crotch and opened her eyes before she fumbled with his leather belt and metal buckle. Face to crotch, she could see he was already hard at the prospect of what she’d promised. And for such a fair price too.

Impatient, the stranger helped her out and pulled himself free from his pants. His cock stood tall. Proud. The way it twitched, she wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t about to go off there and then. She’d still take the money if it did. It wouldn’t be her fault he was premature. Unfortunately for her though, it didn’t go off without much of a touch. She’d have to earn her money.

Hiding her nerves, and almost hiding her hatred for herself in this moment, she took his prick in her hand. He sighed as she swallowed her pride and started to stroke him.

A noise from behind her distracted her momentarily and she turned, worried that one of the club managers had stepped out back for a cigarette. She’d moved a little further away and pushed the stranger into the shadows but - even so - she still panicked about being seen. One of the other dancer’s words came back to mind, You’ll be fine. We all do it. It’s easy money.

The stranger asked, ‘What’s the hold-up?’

Melissa turned back to his cock.

‘Sorry. I thought I heard something.’

‘So?’

‘So - I told you - I can’t be seen doing this…’

‘Look, if this is a problem… Just give me my money back and we’ll call it a day.’

‘It’s not a problem.’

‘Well it ain’t gonna suck itself.’

Melissa closed her eyes and - with no further words - sunk her mouth over his hard cock. Once again he sighed, albeit a longer exhale of breath than before. Melissa tried not to hear him. Instead she was mentally taking herself someplace else. The beach. With her daughter. In Melissa’s mouth, an ice-lolly. Perhaps a glimpse of a future trip? Once the debt was cleared, she’d take Lauren on holiday.

‘That’s good.’

A beach holiday. Crystal clear waters.

‘Lick my balls.’

Golden sands.

‘Mmmm.’

Peaceful. Blue skies. No clouds… Melissa increased the speed with which she moved her head back and forth on the man’s shaft. He’d paid for a blow job. There were no time specifications given and she just wanted it done and over with, as quickly as possible.

Bedroom: Melissa laid on the bed. She was unsure whether she was going to cry or vomit as she felt his semen trickle from below. Michael was getting dressed, pulling his pants back up - not that he’d even properly removed them.

When he was buttoned up completely, Michael leaned over to Melissa’s sandwich and - without asking - he pulled out the slithers of ham and ate them. He noticed Melissa watching him, disgust in her eyes, and he gave her a wink.

To distract her mind from the nausea - and disgust she felt within - Melissa went on the attack and asked, ‘Does it taste as good as my friend?’

Michael stopped chewing momentarily whilst he processed what she had said. Then, he started to laugh.

‘Shit. I was not expecting that from you.’ He continued, ‘I’ve had it before when previous houseguests have been a little unsure of what to say after we, you know… But you? Straight out with that? Fair fucking play.’ He continued chewing. Melissa could hear the fleshy ham squelch around in his mouth. She tried to block it from mind as, although she knew it was ham he was eating, she kept imagining it to be human flesh. To her relief, Michael swallowed. ‘To answer your question though,’ he said, ‘no. It didn’t taste as good as your friend.’ He smiled. ‘I think, being generous, it was probably on a par with your pussy,’ he added with a wink.

Before he’d fucked Melissa, he had first tasted her just as he used to with Sophie too. Not only because he liked the flavours on his tongue but also, he wanted her slit wet enough to slide into without causing any unnecessary rips. Don’t want to ruin her on the first day.

He laughed as Melissa tried to work out whether he’d insulted her.

‘When can I see my daughter?’ Melissa asked.

Michael stopped laughing. The smile quickly faded from his face and he slowly shook his head.

‘You said I…’

‘It hasn’t even been a day yet. You’ve pleased me once… Maybe twice if I take into consideration how you helped the boy last night but that’s it. Twice, at a push. Hardly grounds for someone to be rewarded although, having said that, I do have something for you.’

He walked to the bedroom door as Melissa followed with her gaze. He stepped from the room before coming back with a bag.

‘That’s for you. As promised.’

Melissa didn’t get up. She didn’t want to move from the bed and give him any excuses to touch her. He could stay over by the bedroom door and she could stay on the bed. That suited her just fine.

‘You’re not going to look?’ Michael asked.

‘I’m tired,’ she lied.

‘Of course.’ Michael took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. ‘Well I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, just shout.’ He paused a moment before he added, ‘One of us will always hear you.’ His words were less a sign of helpfulness and more of a threat; one which didn’t go unnoticed by Melissa. ‘Anyway I’ll leave you to it. I’ll bring the boy in later. Or one of us will at least.’ He paused waiting for Melissa to acknowledge him. When she didn’t, he pushed her, ‘Okay?’

Melissa hesitated and then quietly said, ‘Okay.’

Michael smiled and stepped from the room. Only when she was sure he was gone did she get up from the bed. She slowly walked over to the bag expecting to find her clothes.

It was a bag of cash; fifty thousand pounds to be exact. There were no clothes.

WEEK TWO

A Recap From The Week: The week had dragged by. Most days Melissa hadn’t seen anyone but Michael and - when she saw him - there had been no mention of her clothes or the opportunity of seeing her daughter again. Despite telling her that she’d be looking after the child, she hadn’t even seen him.

By the third day she had stopped asking Michael about seeing Lauren. She hoped that, if she did, maybe he would surprise her and bring the subject up himself.

No such luck.

Some days he didn’t even speak. He’d just come into the room, pull out his cock and expect her to bring a smile to his face. Even then, sometimes when he ejaculated, his facial expression wouldn’t change. He’d simply wipe himself clean on her bedding, pull up his pants and leave the room once more.

Melissa’s alone time had been spent mostly weeping and pleading to a God that, beforehand, she never used to believe in. If these monsters exist, it stands to reason there is a God somewhere too. She had barely eaten anything and had long since stopped bothering to wash in the ensuite bathroom. Just as she hoped her silence would prompt him to surprise her with details of her daughter or, better yet, freedom - so did she hope that her refusal to wash would stop him wanting to stick it in her. He did, after all, have a heightened sense of smell and yet it didn’t seem to bother him.

He didn’t care.

The rest of the time had been spent watching television. Melissa would find herself drifting in and out of sleep watching various day time programs but - always - she would make a point of watching the News. She had never tended to watch it when she was at home but - now - she had reason. She wanted to know if the local stations were reporting on her disappearance. If they were, it meant that they were looking. And, if they were looking, that gave her hope. To her relief, she was featured on various channels after the first forty-eight hours. No doubt they had to wait a little time before she could become classified as a missing person. Annoying really, given her disappearance would have been classed as out of character and she had left a child waiting for her back home. More so when you consider she was a single parent so, with that in mind, she’d have thought she would have been classed as missing sooner; if only for the sake of Lauren. And Lauren - she had never been far from her mother’s mind during the week either. Melissa had found herself thinking more and more about her daughter. She wasn’t just worrying about how she was coping without her, or who was looking after her. She was also spending time thinking about her daughter in happier situations; old memories of trips to the fair, or her face when she opened her presents on her birthdays and Christmas. Whatever the memories, they inevitably lead back to more tears.

Melissa opened her eyes, having just woken up with the sun shining in through the still-shut window. She sighed having been disturbed from a dream of happier times; one which her sleeping-self had believed to be true, momentarily forgetting where she really was.

It was…

Week Two of this nightmare.

- I -

Melissa’s heart raced at the sound of the door handle being twisted. Despite knowing it had never made a difference before, she quickly wrapped herself in the blanket as the bedroom door opened. To her relief, it wasn’t Michael standing there. It was David.

Melissa hadn’t seen David since the first time she had woken in this room. Back when he had promised to get them both out of there. With her mind more on her daughter and the horrors of what Michael was putting her through, she hadn’t really given him much thought either. Stupid really, given that he was a potential way out of this nightmare. That was what his note had promised after all; a way out. But then, seeing him standing there now, could he really be trusted? She had collapsed in front of him and the first thing he had done was to secure her in this room. If he really was going to get her out of there, why couldn’t he have just loaded her into a car and driven them away? Her mind switched back again, You’re trapped in here so what harm is there to give him the benefit of the doubt? The chance of an ally is better than nothing but enemies, not matter how slight that chance may be.

‘Where have you been?’ Melissa asked, the moment he closed the door.

All too aware that they could hear them, even from the other side of the house, David raised his finger to his lips in an effort to shush her from saying anything which would raise suspicion. As he crossed the room, he pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and offered it to Melissa. She hesitated a moment and then took it from him.

As she unfolded the note and started to read, he spoke in order to disguise what they were doing, ‘How have you been? Are you comfortable enough? Do you need anything?’ She looked at him, not really listening. She nodded at the note’s comment and folded the paper back up. David held his hand out to take it back. She duly handed it to him. ‘I’m leaving soon to start preparations for the end of the month so,’ he added again, ‘do you need anything?’

Melissa went to say something but stopped herself as another thought crossed her mind instead. She knew most requests would have been ignored and his offer of getting whatever she needed was merely a smoke-screen for the passing of the note but, there was something on her mind which he might have been able to help with.

‘I want you to take that bag to my house,’ Melissa said with a nod of her head towards the bag of money. David followed her gaze and then turned back to Melissa. ‘For my daughter.’ She added, ‘Something to keep her going while I am here.’ And then, ‘You know, until I get home to her.’

David smiled but didn’t move towards the bag. Sensing he wasn’t willing to help, Melissa stood up and went to move towards the bag. She wobbled on her feet and was only stopped from falling thanks to David catching her. He helped her back to the bed, where she duly sat.

On the dresser, David noticed a pile of untouched plates of food. It was clear she was weak from lack of nourishment.

‘You need to eat,’ he said.

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘You need to eat to keep your strength up,’ he continued. He tapped his trouser pocket; the one with the note in. She took the hint. ‘If you want, before I head out, I can ask and get something for you to eat?’ Not wishing to push her, he added, ‘If you want?’

Melissa asked a question of her own, ‘Where have you been this past week?’

David shook his head. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t say. For the sake of keeping up appearances though, he said, ‘I’ve been running some errands.’

Last Week: David was shoved into his room with so much force he couldn’t stay on his feet. He fell in a heap as Jason walked in with a furious look on his face.

‘Tell me again what happened?’ Jason was referring to what had happened to the rest of the house staff. The remnants of whom were still spread over the hallway’s once clean carpets and trickling down the walls, close to the door of the safe room.

‘I told you. They weren’t there in time. The rules… You put them in place yourself. If they’re not there in time… If anyone isn’t there in time… We have to close the door and lock it. No matter what - your words exactly.’

Jason dragged David up from the floor and pinned him against the wall.

‘The entire fucking staff?’

‘There must have been an issue. Something which delayed them…’

‘And somehow all the footage got erased. A coincidence?’

‘You’re weak…’

It was a poor choice of words on David’s part. Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Jason slammed him against the wall for a second time. This time it was hard enough to knock the wind out of David.

‘I will still take your fucking head off,’ Jason said with a heavy dose of venom in his tone.

‘I didn’t finish. I was saying, you’ve just changed back to human form. You’re weaker now than before… If I was trying to do something, like get away or whatever… Don’t you think I would have made a move whilst you were sleeping the change off? But no, I didn’t! I went out, I got you the people you needed for the run. I came back. I went to the safe room as instructed. I’ve done everything you have asked of me. And then - the woman. I took her to the room and restrained her there for you! I put my nephew to bed… I waited for you all to change… You think I am trying to be clever, or working against the family but I swear to fucking God, I’m not!’ He paused a moment and then added, ‘Check my pocket.’

‘What?’

‘Just check my pocket!’

Jason released David. David reached into his pocket and pulled out the small note he’d earlier shown Melissa.

‘What is it?’

‘Just read it,’ David urged.

Jason took it and read it before looking David straight in the eyes. He asked, ‘Again, what is this?’

‘A way of keeping her from trying anything stupid. She has a daughter at home. Do you honestly not think she won’t try all she can to get back to her? This is a way of controlling her. She thinks I’m working to get her out of here, and me going with her because of what you did to my sister and… She won’t try anything stupid. She will wait for me and - of course - I won’t try anything.’

Jason hesitated a moment. His eyes narrowed as he looked David up and down and - then - he smiled.

David continued, ‘I get why you did what you did to my sister. She wasn’t playing her part. Well I am playing mine, just as I always have done. And, with my help, that woman will play her new role too and my nephew will have a proper mother figure. At this stage, that’s all I want. I want him to grow up happy and secure.’

Jason dropped the note on the floor and took a step back from David. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘if she is to believe you… Clearly there would be a punishment for letting the house staff perish so… Maybe you best take a week’s vacation.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Exactly what I said. You’ve done well. Despite what happened with the staff. Our way of rewarding you. A little vacation…’

‘Where?’

Jason frowned. ‘Where? You don’t have to go anywhere to take some time off. You just need to, well, take some time off!’ He winked at David and walked to the door.

David just stood there, unsure of what was happening. He watched as Jason stepped from the room.

‘See you in a week or so,’ Jason said.

‘Wait!’

Too late. Jason closed the door. The lock - on the other side - slid across with the scraping noise of metal sliding against metal. David sighed and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the wooden floorboards.

Nothing had changed. After all the runs, he was always locked in his room for a week. Only after that week would the door open and he would be permitted out once more. Jason would be standing there with a new list of potential runners written down, ready for David to go and find them.

David screamed out, ‘You look after my nephew!’

The walls and door of this particular room were probably the thickest in the house, with the exception of the safe room, but he knew all of the family would have heard him. Even so, he shouted again, ‘You look after him!’

Today: Melissa nodded back down to the bag of money on the floor. ‘Please… I’ll do anything for them… For you but can you please see my daughter gets that bag. You don’t even have to see her. Just leave it on the doorstep if you want. Please.’

‘If I get you some food, will you eat it?’

‘If you take the bag.’

David sighed. He walked over to the bag and lifted it from the floor. He slung it over his shoulder, surprised at how heavy fifty thousand pounds worth of notes actually was.

‘I’ll get you something to eat,’ he said.

He didn’t wait for Melissa to say anything. He simply left the room, closing the door behind him. Alone, a single tear rolled down Melissa’s cheek.

- II -

A Change Of Plans: David walked away from the door and headed for the stairs. When he got to the top step, he noticed Jason standing at the foot of them patiently waiting for him. David wasn’t surprised. He knew that one of them would have heard what Melissa had been saying and would have had something to say to David about it; no doubt a warning to stay away from Melissa’s old home.

‘Do you have the list?’ Jason asked.

David reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a list which Jason had given him before. ‘I do.’

‘Give it to me.’

The list was a handwritten note detailing various “types” of people, as put together by Jason. The idea was that David would have to go out into the nearby towns to find people who matched the list. It was put together to ensure different kinds of people were brought in for the run to keep it “interesting” for the pack. After all - people from different walks of life would react differently to those from other walks of life. If they all came from the same background, they’d all think the same, they’d all react the same and - when it came down to it - they’d all make the same mistakes and die the same.

Without needing to be asked for a second time, David handed Jason the list. In turn, Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen.

‘Turn around,’ he said.

Again, David did as he was instructed. He turned around and Jason leaned against him with the list. David waited patiently as he felt Jason scribble something out. A second later and he felt Jason writing something else down.

‘Slight change of plans,’ Jason said as he stopped writing and pocketed the pen. David turned back to face him and was handed the list. He looked to see what Jason had written.

‘Do I need to explain?’ Jason asked.

David shook his head as he read the adjusted line: A young girl. He folded the list back in two and slid it into his jacket pocket.

‘Good.’

It was clear Jason wanted Melissa’s daughter to be brought to the house. David didn’t know whether she would be used for the run, as a way of making Melissa fall in line with the family’s ways, or whether she was going to be a forced prisoner within the house - again, another way of keeping Melissa under control. It wasn’t his business and he knew better than to ask. His only job was to fetch her and bring her back to the house. The only thing he wasn’t sure about was as to whether he was supposed to bring her back immediately or wait until closer to the next full moon. Had he planned on being here then, he would have cared to find out what the answer was. As it was, fuck ‘em.

Jason nodded towards the bag of money over David’s shoulder. ‘And that can go into the other room. I’ll put it in the safe later,’ Jason said.

‘Certainly.’

‘You’re a good man,’ Jason said as he pushed past his loyal servant and headed up the stairs towards his own room. As he reached the top of the stairs, he added, ‘When you don’t fuck up.’ He turned the corner, disappearing from David’s line of sight.

David paused a moment and then continued on his way once he was sure Jason wasn’t watching him any longer.

The Drive: David sat in the back of the car as he was driven towards the first of the towns. As the scenery passed by at speed, David scanned the list once more. He didn’t care what was written there and even though his eyes were scanning the sheet - he wasn’t taking in any of what was written. His mind was elsewhere entirely and only pulled back to the present when the driver called back to him.

The driver asked, ‘Where did you want to go first?’

‘Can you pull over?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘I feel sick. Can you pull over?’

The driver did as he was asked to avoid an accident in the back of the car he was responsible for. There was no way he was going to spend his afternoon cleaning out puke if he could avoid it.

As soon as the car stopped, David swung open the car and jumped from the back seat. The driver watched on, half-amused and half-disgusted, as David hurried over to the nearby grass verge. Not needing to see him actually vomit, he looked away and waited for David to finish up.

The driver was used to this kind of behaviour from David. Before the run, when he was having to collect the list up together, he would often complain about an ache in his uncomfortable gut. Then, after the run, he’d be quiet, pale and sickly. The driver just figured it was to do with the guilt eating away at him, although he didn’t understand it himself. He was paid handsomely to drive people from point A through to point B. He didn’t think of it as anything but driving. He wasn’t collecting people and taking them to their deaths. He was merely driving them from one place to another. What happened when they got to their destination was nothing to do with him.

Justifying everything in his head, the driver leaned down to the radio and started flicking through the channels in the hope of finding something decent to listen to.

David yanked the driver’s door open with no warning. The driver hadn’t even seen him approaching the car, let alone standing next to his own door. He jumped and turned to face David.

‘What the hell are you…’ He didn’t finish the sentence as David leaned into the car and drove a large knife, stolen from the kitchen, straight into the driver’s throat. The moment the blade penetrated the man’s neck, David released the handle and stumbled back from the car; shocked he had even been able to carry the action through.

The Country Lane: With the knife jutting out from his neck, the startled driver fumbled for his seat-belt. Finding the release button, he pressed it before falling from the car - shock on his face as his mind raced, wondering what he should do. He tried to speak but only blood came from his mouth, leaving a bitter taste of iron to insult his taste buds.

David staggered forward and - before the driver could react - grabbed the knife once more. With a sharp tug, he pulled the blade free from the shocked man’s throat with an accompanying spurt of claret which splashed David’s own face. For the second time he stumbled back; this time landing on his backside. The driver, meanwhile, flailed around,  more and more of his blood pumping from the gaping hole in his throat. His waving arms stopped moving first and then he dropped to his knees. The initial pump of blood might have been hard but now it dropped to a mere trickle as his heart stuttered to a halt.

David slowly got to his feet with the knife clutched firmly in his hand on the off-chance that his victim should suddenly spring to his feet and carry on the attack. He wasn’t going anywhere though. Instead he slumped to the tarmac, face first. He was gone.

David looked up and down the road, worried that someone would come along any time now, not that many cars used this road: The reason he had acted now as opposed to letting them get any closer to town. Even so, there was no need to hang around.

He hurried to the boot of the car and opened it at the touch of a button. First he dropped the knife into the boot and then he pulled out the bag of money he’d earlier refused to leave behind, as per Jason’s instructions, and tossed that onto the front passenger seat. With the boot near empty, he made his way back to the still-warm body and - with effort - lifted the corpse up and slowly but surely, dragged the body towards the boot. David hadn’t given much thought of what to do with it after that but at least keeping it in the car would, for the moment, buy him some time whilst he figured out what to do. Whilst he’d planned to make his move for freedom, he hadn’t actually given the whole plan much thought. He just knew he had to get away before they made him take part in the run.

He first got the body up against the car and then rolled it into the trunk. As the body landed, the car’s suspension groaned. Corpse clear, he slammed the boot shut. Another check up and down the road; still clear. No need to hang around though.

David hurried to the front of the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. He closed the door and - without giving his actions a second thought - slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The car wheel-spun from where it had stopped and continued down the road.

The Drive: Thoughts of Melissa flashed up in David’s mind. He felt bad that  he was abandoning her. He even felt bad for warning Jason that she was expecting him to help her escape. He hadn’t had a choice though. He knew he was in trouble with the deaths of the house-staff and if he didn’t make it look as though he was still on the pack’s side - he wouldn’t have survived long enough to even attempt to get away in the first place. Pretending he was working with them was the only way and, in fairness, Melissa had been doomed from the moment she had accepted the invitation. He tried to push thoughts of the woman from his mind. Not just her either. He tried to forget about her daughter and Melissa’s pleas to him that he should take her the money. Just as he wasn’t helping Melissa get away, nor was he taking any of the cash to her little girl either. That was his money. That was his payment for all the time he’d been forced to help the pack with their sick games. He’d earned it. Melissa hadn’t done anything for it.

David caught sight of his reflection in the car’s rear-view mirror. Under his breath, he muttered, ‘You’re a bad man.’ He tried to convince himself otherwise and added, ‘She’ll be okay.’

- III -

The Bedroom: There was no clock in the bedroom but Melissa was still able to tell the approximate time thanks to what was playing on the television. Bargain Hunt on BBC1 - a show featuring teams looking to buy the best “bargains”, from flea markets, which would then be sold on at auction - always played at midday. Judge Rinder on one of the other channels - a courthouse program where members of the public took their disputes in front of the sharp-talking Judge in order to try and win or defend their cases - was always on at 2 o’clock. At 6:30, Hollyoaks - one of the “newer” soaps although it had still been around for a number of years - was on. An hour later, Eastenders was on. Then, depending what day it was, she also had other shows she recognised which went later into the evening. The one she always watched though; News At Ten. Today’s show came and went and much to her disappointment, there was no mention of an ongoing search in trying to find the missing mother. No pictures of her, no news of her daughter and what was happening there - nothing. It was like she’d already been given up on and, for all she knew, she had been. It was a sickening feeling which only worsened when the bedroom door opened.

Gina walked in with a tray of food. Without a word she crossed the room and placed it down next to the dirty dishes already positioned on the dressing table. Gina paused and looked at Melissa a moment, eyeing her up and down. She snorted and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Melissa looked from door to food. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she’d not eaten for a while now.

Before: Lauren pushed the food around the plate without actually putting any of it anywhere near her mouth. She’d wanted pizza but Melissa had cooked something else instead, much to Lauren’s disappointment. To show her anger, she’d so far refused to do anything but play with the food. That was fine though. Melissa had already warned her that she wouldn’t be leaving the dining room table until she’d eaten it. Hot or cold, the food wouldn’t go to waste. Evidently, Lauren didn’t seem to mind if it was cold - given the fact that she wasn’t exactly in a hurry to eat it.

Melissa tried to ignore her as she ate her own meal. As she swallowed down another mouthful, she found herself mentally questioning where her daughter had developed this stubbornness from.

The Bedroom: Melissa ignored her rumbling stomach and turned away from the food. She’d sooner starve to death than stay here as their prisoner for however long they deemed necessary. They’d have to force-feed her.

The door opened again and Michael walked in, pushing a pram before him. In the pram was the little boy Melissa had discovered out in the woods. He was cleaner now than when she’d seen him and seemed to be fairly content. Whilst she hadn’t seen him, someone had clearly been looking after him - not that she really cared. Had it not been for him, trying to look out for him, she’d most likely be dead now, like her friend. Death, she was thinking, would have been a better option than this.

‘I thought it about time you two met properly,’ Michael said as he pushed the pram up to where Melissa was sitting. He sat on the edge of the bed, close to Melissa. ‘His mother and I never actually agreed on a name so you can call him what you want. I’ve just been calling him Boy but I am sure you can come up with something better. Although I would rather you kept it away from any kind of religious names.’

Melissa looked at him with genuine surprise in her eyes even though she shouldn’t have expected anything from these people anymore. They’d proven time and time again how they weren’t human so why would she be surprised over the lack of naming their own child? Michael noticed how she was looking at him but chose to ignore it.

Michael continued, ‘I think you’ve had long enough to feel at home now so - from now on - you’ll spend three hours a day with the boy. You’ll see him for an hour in the morning, an hour at lunch time and an hour late afternoon. On the days he is unwell, or restless, this may change and you may get longer with him but we will take those days as and when they come. You will be expected to play games with him, read from a selection of books in his nursery and generally be a mother to him. You had a daughter of your own so this will not be anything new to you and…’

‘Have.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘I have a daughter. I have a daughter of my own. Not had.’

Michael smiled: He was right and she was wrong no matter what she thought. She might have had a daughter once but that wasn’t the case anymore. Just as this young infant would forget his mother, so would Melissa’s daughter forget her. Young brains are quick to move on.

Michael continued, ‘Well now you have a son too.’ He stood up. ‘I’ll leave you two together for a while and come and collect him later.’ He added, ‘Remember - play nice.’

Before Melissa had a chance to say she had no interest in bonding with his son, Michael left the room. The door - as always - clicked shut behind him. It was just her and the boy now. She looked at him as he sat quietly in his pram; a far cry from the way he had been when she had stumbled upon him that fateful night. Here, he almost looked cute and innocent yet, he was the product of a monster. A well known saying came to mind, The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. If that was true, though, and the child might turn out to be like his father - if only in temper - it begged the question, would she take him with her when David came for her?

The little boy started to grizzle as he became more desperate for Melissa’s attention.

Before: Melissa leaned down to the cot next to her hospital bed. Lauren, just a few hours old, was fast asleep but Melissa didn’t care. She had not long since put her down but, already, she wanted to hold her again.

Gerry, sitting close by, said, ‘You should let her sleep.’

‘I can’t help it. She’s so adorable.’

Lauren stirred as Melissa cradled her close to her own body but was quick to settle. Her tiny little chest moving up and down, slowly and peacefully. Melissa couldn’t help but smile. She looked over to Gerry who was smiling too as he watched his little family bonding. This was it, the next phase of their Happy Ever After.

‘I love you,’ Melissa said to Gerry.

‘I love you more.’

‘Impossible.’

Melissa turned her attention back to Lauren. ‘And I love you the most!’

The Bedroom: Melissa turned her back on the little boy in his pram. She didn’t want to spend time with him. She didn’t want to act like a mother to him. She had a child. She didn’t need someone else’s son. She needed her daughter.

The infant started to cry.

‘Just shut the fuck up,’ Melissa said with her frustration already growing. She knew the child was as much a victim as she was in all of this but, even so. She also knew what he represented and that was the problem.

‘I’m not your mother,’ she said as she got up and walked through to the en-suite bathroom. She closed the door behind her.

Downstairs: Michael stopped at the bottom of the stairs.  The disappointment he felt was obvious on his face. Slowly he turned back around until he was facing up the stairs again. He put a hand on the bannister and went to go back up having heard Melissa’s cruel statement.

‘Don’t bother,’ Jason shouted from the dining room across the hall. Michael paused and glanced in his brother’s direction. Jason was watching Michael from the doorway with a drink in his hand. He too had heard Melissa. ‘Let her have her little sulk,’ he said. ‘As per usual, I’ve finished clearing up your mess.’

‘What the fuck is that supposed to mean?’ Michael snapped straight back.

‘Exactly what I said.’

Michael crossed the hall towards his brother. He noticed the rest of the pack was in the dining room with him. They too had drinks.

‘What’s going on?’ Michael asked.

‘What does it look like? We’re relaxing.’

‘Thanks for the invite.’

Jason shrugged. ‘Figured you were busy with your play-thing. Speaking of which though, you’ll be pleased to know that when David returns, she will probably be a little more compliant.’

‘Yeah? How so?’

‘We’re giving her some incentive.’ Jason laughed, as did Carolyne, Gina and Debra. The fact they were all laughing just served to frustrate Michael more so.

‘Someone want to let me in on the fucking joke?’

‘We’re bringing her daughter here,’ Carolyne said.

‘We are?’

‘David has his instructions,’ Jason said. ‘Your little play-thing will have herself a choice: Do as she is told or see her daughter forced to take part in the run. She plays ball - her daughter can stay with her. Gives us crap and, well… Young meat is much more tender.’ Jason raised his glass towards Michael. ‘Cheers.’

Michael stood a moment, unsure what to do or say. Here he was, always looking for his chance to be the alpha and yet Jason had well and truly out-played him on this occasion. To save face, he simply walked away. Jason downed his drink and closed the dining room door, pushing his brother out of the family’s social time in the process and completely unaware that - despite the time ticking on - David wasn’t coming back.

- IV -

Bricks and Mortar: David pulled the car up outside the detached house. He had driven up to the front door so many times before and - back then - it had always felt like home but now, his old abode seemed alien to him. His feeling wasn’t helped by the strange cars parked on what used to be his driveway. Regardless, he turned the engine off and sat there a moment as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

The front door opened and a middle-aged couple appeared there looking just as confused as David. He opened his car door.

The man called out, ‘Can we help you?’

David climbed from the car and closed the door behind him. He approached the couple and, as he did so, he said, ‘Well you can tell me who you are and what you’re doing in my house?’

‘Your house?’

‘I’ve been away but, I’m back now.’

It was supposed to be a quick stop off. He’d park up, run in, grab his passport, dump the car and hop on the next plane to the other side of the world. Nothing more and nothing less.

‘I’m sorry but this is our home,’ the man continued. ‘The bank foreclosed on the property because the previous occupant didn’t keep up with his mortgage payments.’ He added, ‘The house went to auction.’

David muttered, ‘Shit.’ He’d been so pre-occupied thinking about running from the house, and looking out for his sister, that he hadn’t even stopped to consider what was becoming of the lives they’d been taken from. He paused a moment as everything slowly sunk in. He had lost the house, fine. He didn’t want the house now anyway - although the money from the sale of it would have been good. But the possessions inside? ‘So - where’s my stuff?’ David asked.

There was an awkward pause.

‘My passport at least? Where’s my passport. It was in the top drawer of my bedside cabinet.’ He added, ‘I could really do with my passport now.’ David had seen the pack run. He had seen them hunt. He knew there was no place in the country he could hide from them. No place. ‘Please. Where’s my passport?’

‘I’m sorry but - there was nothing here when we got the property. It was empty.’

‘Empty…’ David stopped himself from continuing the sentence as he tried desperately to swallow the rage down. ‘Do you know what you’ve done to me?’

‘I’m sorry but…’ The man stopped talking when he realised that he just didn’t have the words. ‘We bought the property from an auction. If you want to take it up with the bank, you’re more than welcome but if you hadn’t stopped paying the mortgage then…’

David held his hand up and silenced the stranger. Without another word, he climbed back into the stolen car. A few seconds later, the engine fired to life and he slowly backed the car back down the driveway to what was once home.

In the car: ‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’ David hit the steering wheel repeatedly as he headed back down the road. This whole spur of the moment plan; it had all hinged on being able to get hold of his passport and now - now what? He knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to the mansion. Especially not with the driver dead in the trunk and blood on his hands. He had to carry on moving - preferably increasing the distance between him and the pack - but to where? He might have been let out into the world on a short leash whilst with them, but only now was he starting to realise just how much the world had actually changed and how far removed from it he’d become.

As he continued on the road to nowhere, he considered the choice Sophie had made back at the house. She chose to enter The Run for a shot of freedom knowing that it was practically impossible to get away from them. It wasn’t hope that made her do it. It was the certainty of death. She’d taken the easy option and although David had got away from the pack for the time-being, he was starting to realise just how impossible escaping them was likely to be.

David pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator. Impossible or not, he wasn’t about to stop and make it easy for them. No way. If they wanted to come for him, if they wanted to kill him - then he was going to try and at least make it hard for them.

With a grim determination, he pressed on.

WEEK THREE

- I -

Before: Melissa felt a “heavy” weight fall upon the mattress next to her but she didn’t open her eyes. She continued pretending to sleep, even going so far as to let out fake little snores which only served to make the bedroom invader giggle.

‘Mummy?’ Lauren whispered, ‘Are you awake?’

Melissa snored more loudly.

‘Mummy?’

Melissa waited as she felt Lauren get closer and then - with no warning, she sprung up and shouted, ‘Boo!’

First Lauren’s eyes widened in panic and - then - she started to laugh as Melissa began tickling her. It was the same, every Saturday morning when Lauren woke, wanting to watch her morning cartoons.

The bedroom: Melissa kept her eyes closed when she heard the unwanted sound of the bedroom door being pushed open, followed by the sound of the pram’s squeaking wheels. Would giving the wheels a little squirt of WD40 really kill them?

Michael stopped the pram in the centre of the room. Leaving it there, he walked over to the edge of the bed where Melissa lay.

‘I know you’re awake.’

Melissa didn’t move but then, Michael didn’t expect her to. She’d been trying to ignore him the whole week and whilst she was successful at ignoring the infant - mostly turning her back on him or walking through to the ensuite bathroom - she couldn’t ignore him. He’d fuck her either way.

‘Maybe this will get you to sit up and pay attention.’ Michael whispered, ‘Lauren.’

Melissa opened her eyes. She rolled over to look at Michael.

‘Ah,’ he said, ‘the magic words.’ He smiled. ‘Did you know of the plans involving your daughter? Did you know she was going to be brought to the house? You know, a way of incentivising you into doing what we ask.’

Melissa wanted to see her daughter more than anything but the way Michael was talking, she figured he wasn’t talking visitation rights or releasing her. This was a threat. ‘Leave my daughter out of this.’

‘It wasn’t my choice to get her involved but - speaking honestly - I didn’t try and talk them out of it. Personally I thought it would have been a waste of a space on The Run. You know, the van can only fit so many people in. But then I guess, what with her being so small, she could sit on someone’s lap… Not promising that the person whose lap she ended up on would carry on looking out for her once the run started but…’ Michael shrugged.

‘I said leave my fucking daughter out of this!’

‘You’ll be pleased to know Jason changed his mind.’ Michael continued, ‘He doesn’t give a shit about you cooperating anymore. Apparently, you’re my play-thing and my problem, just like the infant is my problem. His problem is a lack of house-staff - interviews start soon though - and the fact David ran off, abandoning his position but… Apparently he has it all under control. Good for him. So I just have to get you and the infant under control then…’

Melissa hadn’t heard the last of Michael’s speech. Instead her mind had stopped at the part where he’d said about David leaving. Had he managed to get away? Had he left without taking her? Despite what he had promised about getting them all out of there? Immediately that little voice in the back of her mind pointed out she’d been a fool to believe he was any kind of saviour. He’d only ever  been looking out for himself and using her situation there as a way of winning favour with the household he was looking to betray. It was obvious. Even so - some hope, no matter how slight, had been better than none. And now that was exactly what she had - none. She felt sick to her stomach as thoughts of being trapped here forever, hit home. Never getting out. Never seeing her daughter again. Just a monster’s fuck-toy until the day he grew tired of her and she knew that was exactly how it would end: He would grow tired of her. That was what had happened to the last woman trapped here and there was no proof that she’d been the only one. How many had there been?

By the time her mind came back to the reality, she noticed Michael had not only walked over to the pram but had also picked his son up.

Before: Melissa couldn’t help but smile when she saw him standing there, holding their baby. Gerry was gently rocking backward and forward. He was smiling too. His first hold of their daughter. He looked so proud and happy. He looked over at Melissa and gave her a wink which sent butterflies flapping in her stomach. He looked so handsome there, with their baby girl. He looked so perfect. The man she had always envisioned herself with, when she used to dare daydream about a future. And with their daughter? He looked a natural.

The Bedroom: Michael had a hold of the baby boy’s head from behind, supporting it as he should as he cradled the infant in his other arm. There was something about the look on his face though which sent a shiver down Melissa’s spine. This was not a natural father and nor was it someone who looked as though they were hoping to learn how to be.

Concerned, Melissa stood up, she said, ‘Why don’t you pass him to me?’

Michael smiled at her. ‘Should have done this from the start.’

With a sudden viciousness, he gripped the infant’s head in his strong hand and violently snapped it to the side. There was a loud crack from the boy’s neck as Melissa screamed out. The boy’s limbs hung lifelessly for a second before, done with him, Michael dropped the body to the floor.

‘Jason has everything else under control. I have to deal with the boy and I have to deal with you.’ Michael winked. ‘One down, one to go.’

Melissa turned and ran into the ensuite bathroom. She slammed the door shut behind her and put her back against it hoping it would be enough to stop Michael from bursting in.

- II -

Before: Melissa sat on the closed lid of the toilet seat and stared at the bathroom door as Gerry banged on it repeatedly with clenched fists.

‘You can’t fucking stay in there all night! We need to fucking talk about this.’

Gerry had received the letter from Melissa’s solicitor in which she was pressing for both a divorce and half of what he earned. Did he really believe that she wouldn’t push him for what she felt was deserved? Was she supposed to leave the marriage poorer whilst he swanned off with some other woman? Fuck that. He cheated. This was her payback. Hit him where it hurts: The wallet.

‘This is a joke, right?’

He banged on the door again.

‘Come on, open the fucking door so we can talk!’

Melissa took a deep breath in, steadied her emotions and called back, ‘If you have anything to say, you can do it via the solicitors. I’m not interested in hearing your voice.’

‘You know how much they cost? Come on, we can sort this out - you and me. We don’t need them. We’ll come to an arrangement which is fair and proper. Not this fucking bullshit.’ He foolishly added, ‘You honestly think you’re worth all this? You are fucking insane.’

Melissa closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself somewhere else entirely. Somewhere nicer and somewhere with her daughter; the one person she had now whom she trusted would never let her down.

‘Woman! Open…’

The Bathroom: ‘… The fucking door!’ Michael shouted through the solid wooden door as he banged on it. ‘You are aware that, if I really wanted to get in, I could?’ He laughed, almost taunting Melissa in the process. She knew he could get in whenever he chose, of course she did. She wasn’t that stupid. But that didn’t mean she could stand there, in the bedroom, and just wait for him to come over and kill her, having killed his own son. Why make it easy for him? Not that this was making it much harder. For him - for what he was - this was most likely the equivalent of moving a piece of paper out of the way to reach something.

‘You think I’m going to hurt you but, I’m not. If anything you should be thanking me.’ He continued, ‘When you first got here I said there were two things you needed to do to keep me happy. I have just taken one of your responsibilities away so now there is only one thing you need do. I have just made your life so much easier and the thanks I get is you locking yourself away in the bathroom like a spoiled brat.’ He added, ‘I have to say, I am somewhat disappointed but it’s not too late to make amends and prove your gratitude to me.’

Melissa could imagine him standing there with his cock hard already, ready to stick it in her the moment she opened the door. That was the kind of animal he was; a monster capable of fucking her over the corpse of his young son. She tried to push the thought from her mind as she turned it back to David and what he was doing. She wondered whether he was out there, looking for help in order to come back and get her or whether he had truly abandoned her. And what of the money? Would he have found her daughter and passed it to her or would he have stolen that too, just as he had stolen the hope he’d initially given her?

Unseen by Melissa, on the other side of the door - Michael smiled. In a low, threatening voice, he said, ‘If you don’t let me in, or come out here, I can always go and find another lady to help please me. Who knows, maybe my mistake is that I am not looking for a young enough partner to mould into the woman I need in my life. What do you think? You think I should find someone younger?’ His smile broadened. ‘Much younger…’

Melissa knew what he was talking about and, reluctantly, she opened the door. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets now and - still - he had that smile on his face.

‘Change of heart?’

If he was going to kill her then, so what? It would be better than spending however long she’d be kept here, according to his will. And even then, when he grew tired of her, there were no guarantees that he would release her anyway. Maybe a quick death would be the better option.

Thoughts of Lauren flashed to mind.

But - dying would mean never seeing her daughter again. All the time Melissa lived, there was at least a chance that - one day - they may see each other again and her love for her daughter was that strong that… This was almost bearable.

‘So,’ Michael said, ‘what should we do now?’

‘We talk about how you can stop threatening my daughter,’ Melissa said - suddenly growing a pair of metaphorical balls.

‘Is that right?’

‘It’s not the way to get me to do things.’

‘No? Yet as soon as I mentioned her, you opened the bathroom door.’

‘So we could have this frank discussion,’ Melissa shot back. ‘I will do as you say and when you say, but if you keep threatening my daughter you won’t get anything from me. I will shut down and offer you nothing. You will have to kill me. If you go and actually hurt her, or talk to her, or anything involving her then - again - you will never get anything from me. You leave her out of this and, until you can find someone you’d rather have than me, I will do as you say and - at times - I will even try and make it look like I am enjoying it.’

Michael hesitated a moment and then said, ‘Deal. But the moment you go back on what you said, or if you try anything stupid, I will get your daughter and I will bring her here. Then you will watch as I literally fuck her to death in front of you. And, before you say anything, none of this is a threat. It is a promise. Do you understand me?’

Melissa nodded.

‘One more thing,’ she said.

Michael laughed but played along. ‘And what is that?’

‘When you find someone you actually want as more than just a fuck-toy, you let me go. I won’t tell anyone about the house, or you, or your brother and sisters. I just want to go home to my daughter and try and rebuild the life you’ve broken. I want nothing else.’

Michael grinned again. Even though he was wrong in his presumptions, he couldn’t help but imagine Melissa running straight to the police if she ever did get out. Not that the police could do much to the family. Still, for the sake of getting what he wanted, what was one more lie?

‘Deal,’ he said. ‘So - where do we begin?’

Melissa hesitated a moment and, ignoring the dead body behind him, she walked closer to him and reached for his belt. Michael smiled. Whether she was playing a game or not, he liked this “new” attitude she was adopting. She reached into his pants and fumbled for his stiffening cock when he quickly grabbed her wrist. Her surprise was obvious.

‘As much as I would love to continue this, I am afraid I have some other business to conduct. This was just a quick meeting. Putting my house in order before I put the house in order. But,’ he continued, ‘as soon as I am done elsewhere, I will be back so that we can finish this.’

Melissa took a step back.

‘Okay.’

Michael did his belt back up again before he turned and reached for the corpse. He lifted the dead boy up from the floor via his ankle and walked from the room with him hanging next to him; dangling at his side. Melissa, adrenaline rushing through her body, dropped to the floor and started to weep for her daughter.

- III -

The Dining Room: Jason’s patience had worn thin long ago. Michael had insisted he and his sisters be present at a certain time, for a meeting, with him and yet here they were waiting on his arrival. His pathetic way of trying to show that he was the one in charge.

Jason glanced to the clock on the sideboard. So far Michael was fifteen minutes late for the meeting. Jason didn’t say anything though as he didn’t want Michael having the satisfaction of knowing he’d got under his skin. He knew that he’d be listening close-by to their conversations, not that any of them were speaking.

‘He’s coming,’ Debra said, breaking the silence. She turned to face the door, waiting to greet him when Michael entered the room. Jason mentally prepared himself for what he knew would most likely be another challenge for his leadership.

The door swung open violently and Michael briskly entered the room. As he did so, he tossed the dead body of his son across the room and onto the table. It landed with a crack from the corpse’s arm. Gina, Debra, Carolyne and even Jason jumped up.

‘What the fuck is this?’ Jason demanded to know.

‘What do you think it is?’ Michael said coldly, ‘This is me dealing with my own problems. The boy is dead. He isn’t a problem anymore. The bitch upstairs has less to focus on so that’s taken pressure off from her and, better yet, she’s got a little more incentive to do what is asked of her. You know what? She even said she would pretend to enjoy herself for me. You see - I realised things weren’t going great in areas of life which were solely down to me so I took charge and I fixed the situation.’

Michael walked across the room and sat at the end of the table. From where he was sitting, he obviously viewed the chair as being at the head of the table. Jason took his seat directly opposite. The head of the table. The ladies took their own seats too although, unlike Jason, they weren’t as quick to turn to Michael. Their attention had been taken by the dead boy, not that any of them were weeping for him. In truth they were all surprised that the child had lived as long as he had done so. Given Michael’s temper and disinterest in being anything but a pack leader - they didn’t believe the mother would even survive through the pregnancy, let alone actually end up giving birth.

Jason already knew where Michael was headed with his showboating. There was never a call for a meeting without a direct challenge to the leadership and it was clear that today was going to be no different whatsoever.

Jason cut to the chase, ‘What do you want?’

‘I took charge and fixed what needed fixing.’ Michael continued, ‘Now, we have some issues which could potentially have an impact on the family with dire consequences and you, the leader, are supposed to take charge and stop them from becoming a problem but, here we are, a week later and still - from where I am sitting at least - up shit creek without a paddle.’

Jason smiled. ‘Is that where we are?’

Michael turned to Gina, the newest member of the pack, ‘Do you feel secure here?’

Gina looked from the corpse across to her brother and shrugged. ‘I guess.’

‘You guess? Now isn’t a time for guessing. You need to be sure. Do you feel secure here?’

‘Well then - yes.’

‘Yes?’ Michael sighed. The problem was that even if they didn’t feel secure, they wouldn’t admit it in front of Jason when it would potentially cause issues in the relationships they had with him. ‘You feel safe knowing that - out there somewhere - we have a man who knows what we are and what we do? You don’t sit up at night and feel slightly concerned that, at any moment, we could have a group of armed vigilantes swarming the house? Because, trust me, it could happen.’

Jason laughed.

‘You think that’s funny?’ Michael turned to him with a flash of anger in his eyes.

‘I do.’ Jason continued, ‘He has no identification. The life he had before he came to us - that’s gone. There’s near enough no trace of it. He could go looking to gather himself an army but who’d listen to him? Our kind has lived in the shadows for so long that people believe we are nothing but make-believe. We are the monsters who occupy the nightmares of those who have seen too many scary films.’ Jason added, ‘And - give it a week - he’ll be dead. We don’t exactly have anything else to hunt, do we? The moon will rise and his time on this planet will come to an end.’

‘Oh because hunting him beyond our estate is sensible, right?’

‘How many people have seen us during the full moon? Or rather, how many have seen us and survived to tell the tale. We will go out, we will hunt him down and we will kill him and anyone else who happens to see us.’

‘We should be out there looking for him now.’

‘Because you think we’d find him? Needle in a haystack. Wait until the moon is high up in the fucking sky, get his scent and eliminate the “haystack” entirely. Go straight to where he is and deal with him accordingly.’ Jason shrugged. ‘I mean if you think you can go out there and find him, keeping in mind that he’ll be doing his best to stay hidden from us, then feel free. Impress us with your tracking skills. Bring him back here, dead or alive, and - tell you what - I’ll step down. You want to be in charge… I won’t contest you.’

‘You’ll leave,’ Michael ordered him.

Jason couldn’t help but to laugh again. ‘Yeah okay then. If you can go out there and find him… I will leave. You will be the alpha and have everything you’ve ever wanted.’ Although the ladies knew it was a far-fetched scenario, they couldn’t help but feel nervous at the idea of Michael succeeding. He was determined enough to give it his all and - what if he got lucky?

Debra was the most worried given that she was Jason’s mate. She couldn’t just sit there and let this happen without saying something. ‘This is stupid. Why can’t we just sort it out next week like Jason suggested?’

Michael pointed out once again, ‘Because the longer we wait, the more at risk we are!’

Jason suddenly frowned. He stood up and walked over to the large window just behind him. His actions were enough to stop the others from arguing.

‘What is it?’ Carolyne asked.

‘Deal’s off, brother.’

They’d all heard it now: The sound of someone staggering up the gravel driveway outside. The footsteps stopped by the front door as a nervous hand reached up and rang the doorbell. The bell chimed through the house as Jason headed for the front door, followed closely by the others.

At the front door, Jason reached for the handle. He paused a moment and turned back to a confused Michael. He said, ‘Imagine if we were all out looking for him still… No one would have been here to welcome him home.’ He laughed and twisted the handle before he pulled the door open.

David fell into the hallway, landing hard on the floor. His face was bloody and bruised and his clothes ripped and torn, barely staying together.

‘The wanderer returns,’ Jason said. He turned to Michael and continued, ‘You were desperate to get him back to the house so - get him to his room.’ He didn’t wait for a response from Michael. Instead he headed through the hall and towards the living room.

Michael hesitated a moment, unsure as to what the hell was happening. He looked at the women who, in turn, turned their backs on him. Jason had instructed Michael to get David to his room, not them. This was his job. They followed Jason through to the living room leaving Michael to take care of things for himself.

He called out after his sisters, ‘You’re not going to help me?’

‘You want to be leader. Take the lead,’ Carolyne said with clear joy in her tone.

Michael sighed and looked down to David who had since passed out. Lying there, bloodied and cut up, he looked a mess.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ Michael asked despite knowing no answer would come. Not yet anyway. ‘Made me look a damn fool,’ he said. Things would have been much easier had David not come back from wherever he’d disappeared to. Michael shook his head and gave him a kick, just to ensure he really was out cold. David didn’t move.

- IV -

Before: David was sitting in the car, unsure of where to go. He’d driven an hour away from his home-town and whilst his petrol hadn’t run out entirely, he knew it wouldn’t last forever and aimlessly driving, with no idea of where to go, was a pointless task and just a waste of fuel. Sitting there, he looked in his rear-view mirror at the road he’d already traveled. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he’d got away from the house but, it was certainly a shock to find his life had more or less been swallowed up in the time he’d been gone. It was almost as though he’d stopped existing in the real world. They really had taken everything from him and, sitting there now, he knew it wouldn’t stop there. They wouldn’t just let him leave, especially with the money. They would come for him. He knew they would. The only thing he wasn’t sure about was whether they’d simply kill him for his “betrayal” or whether they’d take him back to the house and keep him alive just to be able to punish him over and over.

And when would they come? Would they already be out looking for him? Would they suddenly appear in the rear-view mirror? Or would they wait?

The clock on the dash showed it as being 5pm. Today’s itinerary ordered the driver to get David back to the house by 4pm so, he was already late. Another question: Would they put it down to traffic and just sit in and patiently wait for the driver to roll up to the house (not that he would seeing as he was in the car boot) or would they now be thinking David and the driver had run away? Having not been home past a deadline before now, he wasn’t sure how this would work out. One thing was for sure though, he couldn’t just sit here forever.

He turned his attention back to the road before him but still with no clue as to which direction he should be headed.

‘Anywhere from here,’ he muttered to himself as he pulled away from the side of the road. To calm his own nerves he started to playfully sing to himself, ‘Just keep driving, just keep driving,’ mimicking Dory from Finding Nemo. It didn’t help calm his racing heart or to steady his nerves.

David’s Bedroom: David opened his eyes. His head was banging violently and he struggled to focus. There was a shape before him. A man? As he tried to focus his vision sharper, he felt a light tap on his cheek.

‘Open your fucking eyes.’

David recognised the voice long before he could properly focus. Michael was standing by the bed on which David had been unceremoniously dumped.

‘Open your fucking eyes,’ Michael said again.

Immediately, David started to cry.

‘I’m sorry…. I’m sorry,’ he said over and over again.

Michael looked at him with no sympathy. What wept before him was not worthy of being called a man. What wept before him was just a poor excuse for a man; a blithering mess. He was nothing but an embarrassment to the human race but, even so, Michael would give him the benefit of the doubt with regards to his apologies. He leaned closer to David and demanded to know, ‘Where have you been?’

‘I’ll tell you,’ David said as he struggled to hold back the tears. ‘I’ll tell you everything. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. It wasn’t. I was doing everything that was asked of me, like I usually do. Please, you have to believe me. I’m sorry…’

Michael continued to grow impatient. He said again, ‘If you want to survive the next five minutes you best stop apologising and start talking. Where the hell were you?’

A BEAUTIFUL LIE

- I -

There were “gang members” written down on the list that Jason had given me. I guess he thought they would make an interesting match for the run, given how they’re used to running the streets. They’re used to hiding in the shadows from the law. Street-smarts, right? That’s a different kind of smart to the average person. Unless it is just something “stupid” people say, to make up for their lack of intelligence elsewhere.

We headed into town; the driver and I. On the outskirts, there is a rather unpleasant council estate. It’s close enough to town to make the people who live there feel as though they have a “good” location and far away enough to give the city folk the chance to avoid it. It’s a shit-hole of a place and I’m not entirely sure  whether it will still be standing in the next decade or so. No doubt the residents will be moved further afield and new builds will spring up at a price the Average Joe cannot afford. That’s the way the world works. We’re expanding and pushing the poorer people further away in the process. I often wonder at what point they become less human and more animal-like with how we separate them from us.

- II -

We pulled the car into the car park of the estate. There were a few motors parked there already. One of which is missing it’s tyres the whole car is just propped up on some bricks. The other cars have little value to them thanks to the dents they have sustained over the years - maybe from being left in the car park and vandalised for the sheer hell of it. There is little else to do here after all and so the youth occupy their bored minds by destroying whatever they happen to come across.

There are bricks strewn around the place. Nearby garages have dents in their metal doors. The concrete is littered with shards of glass from bottles recently smashed there. There are the remnants of roll-ups that have been smoked although I suspect it wasn’t just tobacco in them. From cracks in the aforementioned concrete, large weeds sprout up and some of these have been here so long that they’re even starting to flower. The flower, be it from a weed or not, is probably the most beautiful thing within this area.

We walked around looking for where the gang members congregated. There were people milling around, some of whom were coming back from work and others who were just out and about walking their dogs. They all eyed us suspiciously as though we didn’t belong here and - in fairness - we didn’t. This wasn’t our world and they were uncomfortable by our presence just as, out in the nicer parts of the city, we were uncomfortable with their presence when they cam visiting. We are the same race of being and yet the divide between us is staggering. My mind was pulled from this very thought when I heard the sound of laughter, and swearing from around a corner.

I was used to talking to people from all different walks of life now because of the work I do for the family. People I would have crossed the road to avoid are now people I find myself actively seeking out and, to start with, it used to make me feel uncomfortable but not anymore. Or so I thought.

When I turned the corner and saw the gang there; drinks in hand, joints hanging from mouths, hoods up and faces obscured -  I felt a rush of nerves shoot through me, something I’d not felt since I first started fulfilling the lists.

Just as I saw them, they saw us and our presence wasn’t welcomed with warmth or friendliness. But then, did I expect anything else?

- III -

Dressed as we were, they thought we were with the law and had come to arrest one of their friends. They started with name-calling and shouting random insults. It was kids’ stuff and to be expected. We weren’t even surprised when they started throwing things at us: Bottles, stones - even one hooded idiot threw a used needle at us.

I tried to explain to them the purpose of us being there but they wouldn’t hear a word that I said. Instead they simply got

louder and the items being thrown, larger. Retreat was the only option but, as we turned, a rock hit the driver on the back of his head. He dropped to the ground - hard. I couldn’t just leave him there, with them closing in their ranks and calling for more of their friends to come on down.

I bent down to help the driver up but he was out cold. With more debris landing around us, I knew I wouldn’t have time to get him up and get out of there before they’d be basically on top of us and so I stood up and turned to face them. I figured I’d get more respect if I stood my ground and tried to talk to them, again, to explain why I was there but the moment they were close enough to me - they downed me with a solid punch to the face. I put my hands up to defend my face as the blows started to reign down upon me. Clenched fists, dollops of spit, bottles of god knows what being poured on us, kicking legs. They were all laughing and all shouting how we had made a mistake in coming down to their “turf”. Before I blacked out, I heard one give warning that neither the driver or I would get out with our lives.

- IV -

I woke up in a bare room. Floorboards, peeling paint on the thin walls so you could hear music, talking and laughter from the other rooms in the building. I guessed that I was still in the council estate; maybe put in one of the many empty apartments and kept there. The driver wasn’t with me. At the moment I woke, no one was but it didn’t stay that way for long. The door opened and a middle-aged man walked in. With him he had a bag I recognised from the car. I know Jason had told me to put the money in the other room but I didn’t do it. I was in a hurry to get out and about and I took the cash with me, without thinking. I thought I’d leave it in the car and then put it away when we got back but… They found the car. I don’t know how. I can only guess that the driver told them where it was. They’d found not only the car but the money in the trunk too.

The man asked me where I got the money from but - of course - I didn’t say anything to him. He responded to my silence by punching me in the gut, taking the wind from me. He also took great pleasure in telling me that the money was his now. Apparently, I wouldn’t need it where I was going.

I tried to tell him he was making a big mistake and that, if he were to let us go, I’d ensure nothing bad happened to them but he didn’t care what I had to say. He just stood there and laughed in my face before telling me that it was too late. There was no escape and, as if to prove his point, he told me that the driver had already been killed. I said he was lying. I shouted at him that he didn’t know what he was doing and that it wasn’t too late to stop from making a huge mistake. That was when he showed me the severed head…

- V -

David’s Bedroom: Michael looked at David and shook his head in disappointment. If anyone had to die, he would have preferred it to be David over the driver but - can’t have everything in life.

‘So, what, they let you go?’

‘I managed to escape.’

‘Of course.’ Michael added, ‘And I’m guessing you didn’t manage to escape with either the head or the bag of money…’

David looked at him in disbelief. Of all the things he could have said to him, he wasn’t expecting that. He admitted, ‘I didn’t get the money. I just got out of there and came back here…’

‘Uh huh…’

‘What you think I am lying? If I was lying then why the fuck would I have come back here?’ David said. ‘I would have just fucking run… I came back here because…’

‘Because you love and respect us so much?

‘Because my fucking nephew is here!’ David said with a surprising amount of aggression in his voice. Michael didn’t say anything, he just stood there and smiled. ‘The fuck is that look for?’ David asked. ‘I came back here because of him! I knew if I didn’t then you’d probably kill him and for something that wasn’t even his fault. Or my fault! It was a bullshit position to put me in, sending me to talk to gang members. You all did this!’

‘Calm the fuck down,’ Michael said. His earlier amusement at David’s hostile reaction had already all but disappeared. ‘Just… Stay here.’ Already fed up with listening to David’s blathering, Michael left the room to pass the information on to the others not that they could have cared that much. If they did then they would have come up to talk to David themselves. But then, Jason’s priorities had been all over the place recently. Further proof that he shouldn’t be in charge anymore…

The Living Room: Michael walked into the room where the others had made themselves comfortable; none of them seemingly in any kind of panic that David had just showed up out of the blue, bruised and battered.

‘You going to take charge at any point?’ Michael asked Jason. Jason was looking at a newspaper. He turned the pages towards his wayward brother, with a grin on his face, and pointed out that he was taking charge.

‘Advert went live today for house-staff. How’s that for taking charge?’ Jason laughed.

‘And you’re welcome, by the way.’ It had been Debra who wrote the advert and got it put into the paper. Not just that, she’d put it online too for people who preferred to job hunt that way instead.

Jason said, ‘Why have a dog and bark yourself?’

‘Cheeky fucker!’ Debra reached over to him and gave him a playful smack on the arm as Michael just stood there, dumbstruck.

‘Have I slipped into The Twilight Zone or something? David has been missing for a fucking week, rolls in looking like shit and - what - you’re checking job adverts and pissing around?’

‘Actually we’re about to go out. We were just finishing our drinks first, if that was okay with you.’ Jason lifted an empty glass up as though to prove his point. ‘Like you said, we got things to sort. Now David is back, we need runners for the next run and it’s clear he isn’t about to be going out there any time soon so… We will pick them ourselves, starting today. So, dear brother, why don’t you stop fucking flapping like a wounded bird and get to tidying the house? Answer the phone if anyone calls about the jobs, go fuck your play-thing, watch David and we will do everything else.’ Jason stood up and tossed the paper to one side. ‘There you go, how’s that for taking charge?’ He turned to the others and said, ‘Ladies?’

One by one the women stood too. The plan had been discussed whilst Michael had been upstairs with David. They’d venture out, they’d find runners and - by the time the moon rose again - they’d also have employed a full house of staff. Not that the potential job applicants would be employed as such. More like they’d be kept in the house, as low paid prisoners with a very real threat of death looming overhead if they ever tried to do anything stupid, like run away.

‘You haven’t even asked about David?’ Michael pointed out.

‘Maybe because I don’t actually give a fuck? He’s home. Great. We know we don’t have to venture out on the night of the full moon and hunt him down. We know he isn’t gathering a make-believe army and coming after us. What else do I need to know? He’s a fucking runt, just like you. In some respects it would have been easier if he didn’t come back, just as it would have been easier if I hadn’t brought you into this family.’ Jason’s words were harsh and yet, from behind him,  the women laughed.

Michael hesitated a moment as he weighed up his options. Then, he smiled. ‘Well I hope you find the runners you’re looking for,’ he said eventually.

Jason smiled too, as the hatred between the two men seethed between them. He said, ‘Thank you, brother. And you have yourself a pleasant afternoon being house-bitch.’ Jason laughed and pushed past Michael. His sisters followed after Jason. Michael turned and watched them leave. There was a strong temptation to throw a punch at his brother but the whole time his sisters were on his side, he knew it would be a foolish move. He smiled again. There are plenty of other ways to skin a cat and it could be, one such “other way” has just presented itself.

AN

OPPORTUNITY

- I -

Before: David was standing at the front of the car, staring at the horizon. He wasn’t looking at the way forward though. He was looking back on the road already travelled. He knew there was no escaping them without a passport, or identification to get one. He knew there was nowhere he could hide but he also knew, a week after running aimlessly around the country, he couldn’t just walk back to the house. Especially with the dead body in the car’s boot and yet, if he were to survive, he knew that was his only option.

He took a deep breath in and, then, punched himself directly in the face. The hit was hard enough to make his eyes water instantly and, soon after, a little blood began to trickle from his left nostril. Even though it hurt, he knew he couldn’t leave it there. He clenched his fist for a second time and punched himself again, and again. The mouth, the nose, the eyes, the cheek - each punch causing him to let out a small cry of pain but, still, he knew this wouldn’t be enough.

David turned to the car and, with only a slight hesitation as his brain tried to convince him of another plan, he head-butted straight down onto the cold, metal bonnet of the car.

His unconscious body slumped to the floor in a crumpled heap.

David’s Bedroom: David got up and walked over to his bedroom door. He reached to the handle and gave it a twist, half-expecting it to be locked. To his surprise, it wasn’t. He stepped out, onto the hallway and paused a moment unsure whether he’d be permitted to go much further.

Michael hadn’t said he was being punished and nor had he locked him in the room so - maybe his lie had fooled him and, even though he didn’t really want to be, maybe he had been allowed to come back home?

Without any clear instruction, he walked down the landing space and towards Melissa’s room. A week in this house was a long time and he knew anything could have happened. Standing outside her door, he paused a moment and listened for sounds from within. There was a worry that, maybe Michael had gone from his room straight to see her? Or, maybe his nephew was in there with her and presently sleeping?

He put his ear to the wooden panel of the door and listened for what was behind. Nothing. At least, nothing which would stop him from entering. With a gentle wrap of his knuckles on the door, he pushed the door open.

Melissa’s Bedroom: Melissa was sitting on the bed with her back up against the wall. The moment she saw David standing there, she jumped up from the bed and hurried across the room to him. She grabbed him by his ripped top and pulled him into the room before closing the door behind them.

‘Where the fuck have you been?’

Knowing full well that if they wanted to listen, they could hear him easily, he continued the lie, ‘I ran into some trouble.’

Melissa didn’t care about any of that. All she wanted to know was, ‘Did you get the money to my daughter?’

David shook his head.

‘You promised!’ She hit him on the chest with clenched fists until he stopped her by shoving her back across the room. She landed on the bed and didn’t bother to get up. Instead, knowing her daughter was still out there and not with her, she started to cry.

‘I never fucking promised,’ he said. ‘I told you I ran into trouble out there. Look at me. Fucking look at me! I’m lucky to be alive and more lucky they even let me back here without any repercussions!’

‘And what about my daughter?’ Melissa shouted.

‘She can live here,’ Michael’s voice came from behind the shut door. Both David and Melissa turned to the door as it opened and he stepped in. He closed the door behind him, not that he needed to now that the others had finally left. Michael continued, ‘What if she lives here, with you? What if you live here not as my prisoner but as my mate? I could even make you both like us, if you want. It’ll only take a little scratch and a few days of fever.’ Michael smiled to her. ‘You could have it all.’ He corrected himself and said, ‘We could have it all but before any of that can happen…’ He turned to David and stared at him.

Before: As David explained what happened, and how he had got away from the gang members, Michael just stood there listening and wondering what direction the story would take. He knew it was a lie. From the moment David first started to talk, he knew it was bullshit. He could smell it on him. The heavy scent of fear mixed with treachery.

‘I’m sorry,’ David said again.

Michael smiled at him as a plan of his own started to formulate in the forefront of his mind. A plan which featured David as the key.

Melissa’s Bedroom: Michael repeated himself as he walked closer to David. There was a stark warning in his voice which couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than just that: a warning. ‘We can have everything that we want but before it can happen… Jason needs to die.’

David shifted on his feet nervously, unsure of what to do or say. He looked at Melissa who was just as clueless, David looked back to Michael.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Uh huh. So you didn’t do these bruises to yourself then?’ Michael shook his head. ‘You know your lies stink. Now I don’t know what you did with the money and I don’t care. Keep it for all I care. And you…’ He turned to Melissa and admitted, ‘You’re not leaving this house. You know too much. You both do. But I could make it so much more comfortable for you here. I could give you your daughter. I could treat you both like princesses.’

‘I don’t understand,’ David said. ‘If you think I am lying then why not kill me?’

‘Because I need you to kill Jason. That’s why you came back, right? To kill us. You know you won’t survive. You take one of us down and the rest of the pack will come for you. But you kill Jason and then I step in as Alpha… The others will have to leave you alone as per their new master’s order. Now you’re probably wondering why I don’t just kill him myself but if I do - it makes the whole family dynamic change. My sisters will consider me a traitor and could potentially refuse to follow me but if he is murdered… And I just step in… Well they’re more likely to follow my lead, given I’m the strongest after Jason.’ Michael paused a moment. ‘The question is,’ he said, ‘what do you want? You want to keep living as you are now? You,’ he turned to Melissa, ‘always wondering what happened to your daughter and worrying whether tonight is the night I come by the room? And you,’ he turned to David, ‘wondering whether the others will smell your lies as I did and wondering just how badly they’ll torture you when the truth comes out? You want to live like that or you want to side with the winning team and take charge of this house once and for all?’ He continued, ‘All this unpleasantness and worry and stress can end… And it can all happen before the next full moon… Or, like I said, you can carry on living as you are now and I’ll take my chances with challenging him outright for leadership.’ He smiled, ‘Imagine it… Your daughter living here - not as a prisoner but as a young lady who would never know what we were, who would never want for anything in her life again… Protected, safe and with her mother…’

Melissa looked at David who, in turn, looked at her. Neither of them knew if this was a true offer or just some kind of test for them. The way Melissa saw it though, she had nothing to lose. She was a prisoner in the house regardless and she was going to keep being visited by Michael until he grew bored with her. With what was being offered - she at least had a chance of getting to see her daughter again and maybe living a semi-normal life… If Michael could be trusted. And David, he didn’t have any options given the predicament he was in. He had come back to try and take them out, despite not knowing if it was even possible to begin with. He’d figured it was better to face his demons than to die whilst running from them. And now he had a chance to face them.

David looked back at Michael. He wasn’t convinced he could be trusted. Even if David did manage to kill Jason, he didn’t trust Michael not to let the others tear him apart. But, if he was clever, there may be a way to get to all of them before Michael could betray him. Fuck him over before he fucked David over. At least this way, Michael would be giving him the secrets of how to actually kill them which was already more information then he already had to hand.

‘So - how do we do this?’ David asked.

‘Wait…’ Melissa said, ‘I don’t understand what this has to do with me. If you want David to kill Jason then - why am I even being told about this?’

‘Because it will take both of you for this to work. He isn’t stupid despite my doubts about his intelligence. If David comes at him head on, he will lose. For this to work, we need to be a little more sneaky about it and it will start with you.’ Michael explained.

‘Me? How?’ Melissa asked, growing more concerned by the second.

David asked again, ‘So how are we going to do this?’

Michael smiled.

‘I have just the weapon you’re going to need,’ he said.

- II -

Before: Jason walked into the office where he was summoned by Nathan, the Master of the house. He took a seat opposite him.

‘You’re late,’ Nathan said.

Jason didn’t apologise. He just sat there and stared at his Master with contempt in his eyes. Nathan smiled. He liked Jason’s defiant spirit. It reminded him of himself, when his own hair was dark as opposed to grey and his skin more wrinkle-free.

‘Well as you clearly have more important things to do, I won’t waste your time.’ Nathan jumped to the point and said, ‘I want you out.’

‘What?’

‘I want you out of the house. You need to find a pack of your own to lead and, well, it won’t be this one.’

‘Find my own pack?’

‘You’re not going to be happy following me forever, are you? More to the point, you won’t survive challenging me and, well, I like you. So, you need to leave before you dig your own grave.’

‘I understand.’

Nathan looked at him suspiciously.

‘You’re challenged by me so you want me out. It’s natural.’ Jason looked at the clock which hung on the wall. ‘How long do I have? Do I leave today? Next week? Any pointers on how I find a pack of my own to lead? You made me. You just going to abandon me now?’

‘We will give you some money of course. Enough to make sure you’re more than comfortable in whatever you choose to do.’

‘Well that’s good of you.’

‘And once you leave, you can’t come back. You understand? You sever all ties. We do the same.’

Jason shrugged. He didn’t know what to say but had suspected something like this might happen. He and Nathan were arguing more and more and it was causing unrest amongst the others. Something had to give and - clearly - it had.

Jason stood up and extended his hand towards Nathan. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘thank you. Thank you for all that you did once do for me.’

Nathan nodded, surprised by Jason’s reaction but - pleasantly so. He stood up and took Jason’s hand in his own. ‘I wish things could have…’

His sentence was cut short. Jason released his grip on Nathan’s hand. As he did so, Nathan stumbled back with a look of shock on his face. He tried to speak but blood - black in colour - trickled from his mouth and down his front. He looked at Jason and then at Jason’s other hand; the one clutching the silver blade.

Nathan forced a sentence through the pain, ‘What have you done?’

‘I’ve found a pack of my own.’ Jason winked.

Melissa’s Bedroom: Michael held up the silver knife and showed it to Melissa and David.

‘He kept it in his office. A reminder of what he did to get where he is today and a warning to those who may dare defy him. Silver. Only need the slightest nick in his skin. One little cut and he is dead and you’re both as free as you ever can be. You just have to follow my plan and do as I say and you can both have a better life than what you’ll have under his house rule.’ Michael put the blade back in his pocket. ‘Now I’m going to get this back before he comes home and sees it missing. I don’t know what time they’re coming back but if he comes back and has time to go in his office before we get a chance to put the plan in action - he’ll notice the blade is missing and then we’re all fucked. So, I’ll run this back and you two can talk amongst yourselves and decide what you want to do but, I’m going to need an answer when I get back.’ He asked, ‘Understand?’

Both Melissa and David nodded.

‘Good.’ And, with that, Michael left the room.

The pair stood in silence for a moment, unsure whether this was even real or just a test of their loyalty. By agreeing, were they signing their own death sentence? Although - would that have been the case even if it weren’t a trap? How could they believe anything Michael told them? Would he really keep them safe from the others if David was successful in killing Jason or would he - literally - feed them to the wolves? The only thing they both knew for certain, without even a need to discuss it, was that if they didn’t help then their lives wouldn’t be worth living.

Given how it would be David doing the most dangerous part of the plan, from what she was led to believe listening to Michael anyway, Melissa turned to him and asked, ‘What do you think? What do we do?’

David shrugged. ‘We try to survive.’

To be Concluded in Book Three: “THE PACK” available to order on Amazon.

Author Bio

Matt Shaw is the author of over 200 published works. As well as appearing in a number of anthologies, Matt’s work has been translated into French, German, Korean and Japanese. His work has also been adapted into graphic novels and - more recently - film.

Having successfully crowdfunded a feature film, in 2018 Matt Shaw adapted his best-selling novel MONSTER into a screenplay (with Shaun Hutson acting as script consultant) and then went on to direct it himself. The film starred Rod Glenn, Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street), Laura Ellen Wilson and Danielle Harold (Eastenders). Having broken his “film cherry”, Matt is currently producing two more feature films - one an original piece which he wrote for screen (Next Door) and a second based on another of his novellas (Love Life).

Matt tours both the UK and the US on regular book signings but - if you’re unable to get to where he is - there is also a store where you can purchase signed merchandise direct from him over on ETSY. Simply look up The Twisted World of Matt Shaw where you’ll find exclusive downloads, his infamous DeadTed bears and more…

Want to stay up to date with Matt? He can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. There is also a fan club which has exclusive stories, early reads, behind the scenes information and a whole lot more - available on Patreon!