Control

Chapter 10.

     Grit and concrete scraped against my cheekbone when I stirred and a piercing white noise rang in my ears. My vision was blurred but I could see the shape of the taxi a few feet metres away from me. I winced as I tried to sit up and my palms throbbed as I brushed them over my jeans in a poor attempt to remove the dirt from the scratches.

     It was quiet. I could hear the hiss of the car radio playing to itself in the distance as I searched my immediate surroundings for the driver but there was no sign of him I checked my pocket for my phone but it was gone and I looked around the floor to no avail. I must have dropped it in the car.

     "Please..."

     My breath hitched in the back of my throat. The frail voice was coming from the taxi. It was Jack. It had to be. Shit. There was nothing in the area of significant size to protect myself with so I lowered myself to the ground slowly and picked up a fistful of loose stones—if nothing else, it could give me an opportunity to stun my captor and make a run for it. I weighed up my options; risk getting my phone and calling for help but also attract the attention of my potential killer or attempt to flee on my own.

     Excluding the car radio, the ambient noise of the city and the sound of the water lapping at the docks nearby, there was nothing. No sirens. No police. No one. I was not going to be a sitting duck waiting to be saved. I could only rely on myself. The pang in my heart twisted callously—just like last time.

     Not willing to risk turning my back on the car, I began to carefully walk backwards. I kept my footsteps as soundless as I could with the occasional glance over my shoulder to see which direction I was headed. My plan was simple; once I got far enough away and out of earshot, I would turn my back and make a run for it. My blood was cold with fear and the sky had grown dark as I stared at the car for any sign of movement. A few more steps and I could run...

     "My poor baby. Forgive me," Jack wailed, "Don't look at me like that. I never wanted to hurt you."

     I stopped dead in my tracks and dread clawed through my chest. There was someone else here. I hesitated. A part of me wanted to bolt, to be selfish and never look back but the other part was my old self. The part that begged for someone—anyone—to help. As it turns out, the latter won.

     Shaking like a leaf, I squeezed the stones until my fist was white to keep my composure. I can do this. My arm stung and I realised the blood from the wound from his nails was dribbling down my forearm to my wrist. I was nauseous and my head was pounding. The memory of the creature I saw when I touched him came flooding back into my mind. I was not even sure if it was a creature. Whatever it was, it was the most malevolent force I had ever felt in my entire life.

     Then, I realised. I had been unconscious. If Jack was going to kill me, why was I still alive?

     I took a wide berth as I approached the car. The front door was open as well as the rear passenger door. It was empty. He had to be at the back of the car—there was nowhere else he could hide. Another muffled wail sounded before distorting into a gurgle and I stood as still as a statue.

     "Con... contrucido, necāre—no, no, no..."

     I could feel the blood from my arm trickling down my fingers and onto the stones as I stepped closer to the car. The boot of the car was open and only Jack's legs were visible to me as he knelt beside it. I was going to regret my decision to help whoever this was. The wind had picked up, threading its way behind my back and past my ankles as I approached. I hid my hand with the stones behind my back and I made my way around to the side of him. I stifled my choke of horror.