A Taste For Blood

A Taste For Blood Prologue

Prologue

Jade cocked her head to the side, keenly listening to the sound of slurred laughter. She dismissed it, it was probably a herd of drunks stumbling home after a night of profuse drinking and embarrassment. She was alone, walking along a narrow pavement at three in the morning, holding tightly onto her phone, trying not to draw attention to herself.

Jade heard faint whimpers and shrieks coming from down a dark alley way. Now this probably wasn't her brightest idea but, she, being extremely curious, cautiously padded over and listened to where the noises were coming from. The little sobbing noises were coming from under a dirty cloth covering what looked like a cage.

She folded the cloth back and gasped. Inside the small cage was a filthy little girl, battered, bruised and whose ribs pierced too closely to her skin in her contorted position. Her clothing looked expensive despite the filthy condition it was in, there was congealed blood down the front of her shirt and matted in her hair. Her knees were badly scraped, a ring of bruises encircled her throat and her nails were broken with splinters and pieces of unknown debris wedged under the nail bed.

The girl's eyes widened and she moaned and cried loudly, but didn't speak; she was gagged and bound, hunched over.

Jade was overwhelmed with shock and immediately began searching for the lock; there was a chunky silver lock but no key. Jade poked her hands through the bars of the cage and yanked away the gag; the girl heaved a heavy sob and choked a bit. She focused on Jade before her eyes slid past her and she screeched, "Za tobą!"

Something was smashed into Jade's head and she fell to the cold, wet ground. Jade cried out in agony as she fought to remain concious, she was then kicked in the stomach, Jade coiled away from the blow to face upwards. A man smashed his fist deep into her stomach, winding her once more. He then, with the same fist, snapped at her face, blood poured into her mouth and down her face. He kicked her in the side continuously, breaking and cracking some ribs.

The man stepped back while Jade pushed the flow of blood out of her mouth, she attempted to be still, the slightest of movements causing her pain, she held her breathe in desperately. The man came back close to her, his odour was pungent and the smell of beer and sweat drifted off of him.

He reached behind the girl in the cage and brought out a wooden, bludgeoned bat, he threw it in the air and caught it, adjusting his grip. He struck Jade's knees with the bat, she screamed in agony, he swore at her and used the blunt of the bat to wind her, silencing her screams.

This attack continued for no more than a minute, however her pain and time were out of sync. With every hit she received, there was the initial blast of searing pain, which swiftly retreated and in it's wake she was left paralysed by resonant and blinding ache. Just when the pain had surpassed Jade's capacity and she thought she would simply black out, or die, or anything, she would receive another hit.

The girl in the cage sat, watching while letting out pleading sobs. Jade waited for death to consume her, she wished it would hurry up but it wouldn't, so she kept her eyes focused on the man. Jade memorised every feature on that man's face, every scar, every hair, every freckle. Every detail.

Suddenly, he stopped the assault and threw the bat on top of the cage before hauling it back onto the street. He rattled the cage with the bat, spooking the girl when a van pulled up and four men in black emerged, they grabbed the cage and roughly shoved it in the van.

The four shrouded men receded into the van then the first slowly stalked over to her, he smirked a bit before reaching behind him, to his belt. He whipped out a big brass pair of knuckle dusters, adjusting them onto his fingers comfortably. He knelt down next to her and forced a sloppy, alcohol infused kiss onto her. "Night sweetheart," and cracked his fist at Jade's nose once.