VENGEANCE
by
Wilde Blue Sky
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Wilde Blue Sky on Smashwords
Vengeance
Copyright © 2011 by Wilde Blue Sky
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please obtain an additional copy for each person you share it with from Smashwords.com. If you're reading this book and did not obtain it from Smashwords.com then you should return to Smashwords.com and obtain your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
The author would like to thank Louise, Kate and Lynne for their support.
Note to reader - if you appreciated this short story please, if you are able, make a small donation to a charity of your choice.
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Vengeance
Gleams of moonlight broke through the clouds, piercing the darkness of the night. Debbie tottered through the woods in her high-heels and skin-tight mini-skirt. Billy stared at her, his heart filled with hatred. She seemed oblivious to his presence. His mouth watered; he'd found his prey. He licked his lips and a bead of saliva trickled down his chin.
He'd noticed Debbie in the Covent bar. A tall brunette, very sexy and physically imposing; a full figure wrapped in tight clothes. Billy on the other hand was a badly dressed, weasel of a man. He knew she'd never look at him twice. Knowing she was out of his league made the hunt extra exciting. She'd been laughing and chatting with friends. He'd heard her name; he always liked to know their names. It made things more intimate. Since she'd staggered out of the bar, he'd been carefully tracking her, not too close in case she noticed, but not too far away to risk losing her. He was in no rush; he would wait for the perfect moment to strike. He stopped and sniffed the air, savouring the smell of her scent.
Two gusts of misty air buffeted him, chilling him to the bone. Looking around he convinced himself it had simply been the wind funnelled by the trees. As he began to move, two more blasts of cold air struck him; he felt as if an icy presence had cut through his body. He paused. Was he being watched? He shook his head; he told himself he was the hunter, not the hunted. Suddenly, he realised he'd lost sight of Debbie.
He panicked and rushed to where she'd been. He started to push through the tree branches and emerged into a clearing. There, slumped on a tree stump, was his prize!
Billy waited. He liked to savour these moments, to watch his prey, thinking of the tastes and sensations they would offer up. He felt like an eagle, silently soaring through the sky; his prey blissfully unaware of his presence. He surveyed Debbie’s tight figure. A tingle of anticipation went through his body. Trying to control his breathing, he wondered whether she'd fight and die or choose to live?
The clearing was perfect, far enough away from the path so that no one would disturb them, but close enough for him to make a getaway once he finished. Billy looked at Debbie’s long flowing locks and tight mini-skirt. He wished he could whisk her away to a dungeon, where they could be together for weeks, but he knew this part of his fantasy could never be fulfilled. His time with Debbie would be short and brutal. Reality was always so much grubbier than his dreams.
Billy felt the cold hard steel of his hunting knife in his jacket. Carefully he took it out of its sheath. The long blade glinted in the moonlight; its jagged edge looked liked a series of shark's teeth. Tonight he was definitely the all-powerful hunter. Tonight he would be more than just a little man who did all the menial jobs. It was his time to be in charge.
Billy carefully walked round the edge of the clearing until he was standing twenty feet behind her. An owl hooted and Billy froze. Debbie didn’t move. After a few moments he began his slow silent creep towards her, enjoying every step as he prepared to pounce. Soon he was just a foot away from her, within touching distance. His heart was racing and his short excited breaths hung in the cold evening air. Could he contain his feelings of excitement and rage?
Debbie didn't stir as Billy took a final step and stood just an inch behind her. He could feel the sensation of her body close to his. She was slumped forward, as though looking at the ground; her long brown hair hung down obscuring her face.
Billy spoke softly, ‘Debbie don’t be afraid, I just want us to be friends.’
Billy touched her hair, gently stroking it with his left hand. He'd never been this excited before, he held the knife firmly in his right hand and passed it through her hair, so it was directly in front of her face. Billy was puzzled. Why wasn’t there a reaction? She must be dead drunk. He slowly put the knife back in its sheath. He ran his hand onto her back, then moved her hair to the side and kissed her cheek. She tasted young and good, but strangely cold.
Billy wasn’t sure what to do; when they fought he always knew what to do. He knew he must carry on; he must satisfy his desires. 'Don’t worry; I’ll take care of you. I’ll just lie you down to make you comfortable,’ he breathed heavily and then added, ‘and then we can be friends.’
Billy tried to ease her off the stump, but she didn't move. He pushed harder but still she didn't move. His sexual excitement quickly turned to fury; this wasn’t going to be the perfect time. In desperation he shouted, ‘Move you stupid cow!’ and pushed her with all his strength. She didn't budge. Billy stopped pushing and stumbled back. He pulled the knife out and shouted, ‘If that's the way you want it, I’ll cut your face off.’ He wildly waved the knife around.
Debbie looked up. Her face was strangely beautiful, but her eyes were deathly black.
He was frustrated and waved the knife in front of her. 'Do what I say bitch or I’ll cut you to pieces.’
She looked at him and ordered in a deadly tone, ‘Run fucker!’
Billy was shocked. Victims were supposed to be scared. He was the hunter and he had the knife! This was his game. He yelled, ‘Do as your told and I’ll let you live!’
Why wasn’t it working now? She stared emotionlessly into his eyes.
Then there was a strange whooshing noise as her hand moved with lightning speed and one of her long red fingernails cut the blade in two. Billy stared at the remains of the knife. How the hell did she do that?
She slowly stood up; she was six or so inches taller than Billy. She looked at him as if he were a piece of meat in the butcher’s window. She leant forward. Her face was less than half an inch away from Billy’s face. ‘Run little man!’
Billy hesitated. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!
Debbie sighed, gently moved her head back about an inch and then, in an instant, brought her head forward and head-butted him full in the face. Pain shot through him as his nose burst open, spraying blood all over his face. Billy screamed; stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.
Blood splattered onto Debbie’s chin. She wiped it away with her fingertip and then sucked it. She smiled licking her lips. ‘Nice. Now run mister nobody. You're going to know what it is to be hunted!’
Billy was crouched on the floor. He looked up at Debbie and wiped the blood from his face. He looked at Debbie’s long legs and knew what he wanted. He wasn’t beaten yet. Lunging at her waist with all his might, he tried to rugby tackle her to the ground. He pushed her as hard as he could, but she didn't yield.
She let out a little disappointed sigh, grabbed the back of his shirt and held him at arms length. Billy slumped down dejected, his feet dangling a few inches above the ground. She pulled him up to her level and looked into his eyes. 'You're going to know fear before you die!’ Then she threw him across the clearing like an unwanted toy. He landed with a heavy thud.
He knew that he needed to run. He looked around the clearing's edge, but couldn’t remember how he'd got here. There appeared to be no way out. Picking himself off the floor, he made a break for it. Running across the open ground, breathing heavily he dived into the trees and began to frantically force his way through them. He was energised, not by sexual excitement as before, but by fear. The trees and dense undergrowth appeared to closing in on him, clawing at him as he fought his way to the path. His face was throbbing with pain, blood was dripping from his nose and he could taste blood.
He stumbled on to the path and began walking as quickly and discreetly as he could. He slowed a few times to check he wasn't being followed. Silence. He began to feel safe. There was a small birdbath off to the side. He lent over it and used his hands to throw water onto his face; he lent down further and plunged his face into the water. His face stung, but he continued to hold his face in the water; he had to clean himself up. He had a change of clothes in his car and some wash things. He was well practiced at removing blood, but usually it belonged to his victim. He stood upright and wiped his face with the bottom of his t-shirt, trying to remove the mixture of sweat, water and blood.
After a few seconds of frantic rubbing, he looked at his reflection in the water. The sight of a smashed nose and bloodied face greeted him. At least he'd escaped. Just his luck to pick some crazy bitch. Next time he'd bring a gun and finish her off. But right now he needed to get his car, get changed and escape. As his fear faded he started to feel angry and wounded. There was no need for her to break his nose. He hadn't even done anything to her.
The wind whistled and moaned through the trees. He became aware of a deadly presence. He turned and walked directly into something rock solid. Debbie. He fell backwards and landed on the concrete path. He looked up to see her towering over him.
'Not you! Why don’t you leave me alone! You're not even good looking!’ He tried to sound defiant, but his words faltered.
Debbie calmly looked down at him. 'But Billy we've been waiting for you. There are people who want to see you. But first you need to run for us!’
What the hell was this crazy woman on? He was somebody and no stupid cow was going to push him around. He looked up and shouted, ‘Fuck off. You don’t scare me. What are you going to do? You did some fancy trick on my blade, but now I am ready for you.’
Without saying a word she leant down, opened her mouth and showed a bright pearl white pair of fangs. Then, slowly, she sniffed Billy’s face as if taking in the odour of an exquisite meal. Billy stared at the fangs. They looked real enough. The last of his bravado left him. A prickly heat crawled up his back; for the first time since childhood, he felt true terror.
Debbie gently picked up his left hand. He tried to struggle free, but she was too strong for him. She pulled his clenched hand towards her face and took hold of his little finger. She appeared to examine the finger. 'Shall I suck it better for you?’
Instantly Billy forgot his fear and became aroused. Debbie gently put his little finger in her mouth and tenderly sucked it. Billy was becoming more aroused by the moment. Debbie looked sweetly into his eyes. Billy looked back. She smiled. He smiled. This was more like his dreams; the way things should be.
Suddenly she stopped smiling. Sniffed the air and bit into his finger.
The pain was excruciating. He screamed, 'Stop it! Stop it! Please stop!’
Debbie bit deeper, her teeth piercing Billy's skin. She began sucking the blood from the wound. An agonising pain travelled up his arm.
‘Stop, stop, stop!’ As he yelled out in pain, he punched and kicked her, but his blows simply bounced off her as if she were a solid bronze statue.
There was a sickening crunching sound as Debbie closed her teeth together and the top half of Billy’s little finger was ripped off. Debbie opened her mouth and released her grip. Her mouth was blood red as were her lips. Billy squealed in agony.
Debbie looked down at Billy and said, ‘You've enjoyed other people's pain and suffering. Tonight it's your turn to suffer. Now, are you going to run little boy or do I have to remove some more of your fingers before you understand this isn’t a game?’
Billy was overwhelmed by bewilderment and fear; he knew he had to escape. As he struggled to his feet, he thought, next time I'll be ready for you, you bitch! I'll really make you suffer and beg for mercy. Clutching the stump of his little finger, he fled along the path.
After running fifty yards he turned to see if she was following. He glimpsed her sucking on his severed finger for a few moments, as though she was enjoying the taste, then she spat out the bone and started to calmly walk after him.
There must be an exit somewhere, a way out of this nightmare. Sweat blurred his vision and his heart was pounding as he ran. In the distance he could just make out someone. He started to run towards the figure, he began to yell, ‘Help me, help me.’
As he got closer he could see it was a woman.
The woman spoke, ‘What happened to you?’
Billy whimpered, ‘I was attacked by a gang of thugs. They had knives. One of them cut my hand!’
‘That’s not true is it Billy? You were stalking again and you met your match, didn’t you?’
Billy looked at the woman. 'How do you know that? Are you the police?’
The woman looked at Billy, shook her head and said in a very cool peaceful voice, ‘No, I'm Jacquie. I'm Debbie’s friend. I'm here to make you suffer before you die! Do you want me to look at your wound?’
Billy didn’t need to hear anything else; he simply turned and ran back the way he'd just come.
Jacquie shouted after him, ‘That’s right you evil little man, run. It's more fun if you try and run. It's much more of a hunt!’
Billy ran as quickly as he could along the path. He began to cry; this isn't how it is suppose to be! Blood was still oozing from the remains of his little finger. As he ran he wiped away the tears and sweat from his face. Before he realised it, he was at a fork in the path. He looked each way; he knew he could not go the way he'd just come. He chose the right path and began to hurry along it; he was completely exhausted. He stopped, caught his breath and started to walk as quickly as he could.
Billy saw another person in the distance; he wiped his eyes. He stared hard; he wanted to make sure it wasn't Debbie or Jacquie. It was a woman, but it wasn’t either of his tormentors. He was wary and slowly walked up to the woman.
The woman smiled at Billy. 'What's the matter?’
Billy didn't lie this time, he simply blurted out the truth, well most of the truth, ‘I was attacked by a crazy woman. When I ran away, I ran into another crazy woman.’
The woman looked at Billy and said in a motherly voice, ‘That's so sad. My name is Sally.’ She looked directly into Billy’s soul and smiled, showing a bright white gleaming pair of fangs.
Billy didn’t need to see anything else; he turned on his heels and started to run the way he'd just come. He only managed to run a few yards before he had to revert to fast walking. He was exhausted. This was the worst night of his life.
Sally shouted out after him, ‘Run! Run! There are lots of people that want to see you!’
Before Billy realised it he was back at the fork in the path. As he looked around he saw a woman coming from each direction. Within seconds the three women surrounded him. He simply looked down at the floor, resigned to his fate, even though he didn’t know what it would be.
The three women looked Billy up and down, as though they were considering what they were going to do with him.
Billy snivelled. ‘Why me?’
The three women looked at each other, smiled and then Sally said, ‘You picked yourself.’
Jacquie added, ‘You need to understand that if you live off other people, then eventually someone will live off you!’
Debbie stated, ‘It’s not much fun being a victim? Did you think of any of the people you hurt? Any of the people that you used for your own cheap thrills?’
Billy said the first thing that came into his mind, ‘I never meant to hurt anyone.’
The three women looked at each other then there was a loud cracking noise as Jacquie slapped Billy across the face. He was flung into the air and fell to the ground.
Sally asked, ‘So when they begged for mercy did you think of stopping?’
Billy cowered on the floor and whimpered.
Debbie asked, ‘Did you feel any pity when you ended their lives?’
Billy said nothing.
Jacquie shouted, ‘Answer!’
Billy remained silent. Jacquie raised her foot and brought it down hard on to Billy’s leg. Her stiletto heel pierced the skin and sank in two inches. Billy cried out in pain. Deep red blood spurted out.
Jacquie asked, ‘Is that how your victims yelled out?’
Billy whimpered, ‘Yes, yes, yes, please stop.’
Jacquie asked, ‘Did you stop when your victims asked you to stop?’
Billy didn’t answer. Jacquie pushed her heel another inch into his thigh. He squealed in pain.
Tears were rolling down Billy’s face and he sobbed, ‘Please don’t hurt me. It wasn’t my fault.’
Sally snapped, ‘Who’s fault was it? You have free will! You didn’t have to hurt anyone.’
Debbie looked at Sally and Jacquie. Then she spoke in a very soft manner, ‘Maybe we should listen to him. Come on Billy; tell us whose fault it was? Was it the women you attacked? Were they asking for it?’
Billy peered up at Debbie and answered, ‘That’s right, it was them, it wasn’t my fault.’
Debbie looked down at Billy and screamed, ‘Liar!’
Billy recoiled in fear.
Jacquie stared down at Billy and said, ‘We're not here to judge you. We'll let your victims do that. Well at least the ones you killed.’ Jacquie lifted her foot, removing her stiletto heel from Billy’s leg, he let out an anguished howl; blood seeped from the wound.
Billy didn’t understand. He looked around like a frightened rabbit. There was no one besides the three women. Then he saw a strange patch of fog moving through the trees, coming towards him. As he stared at the fog three ghost like forms appeared. No. It can't be.
The first form moved closer. Billy recognised the face, but had no idea who she was. She spoke, ‘You raped and murdered me. You left my parents broken hearted. You robbed me of my chance to live. Why did you do it?’
Billy was sobbing uncontrollably, he managed to mumble the words, ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.’
The first form glanced at Billy then turned to the Debbie, Sally and Jacquie. ‘My body was never found. I can not rest until my body has been found and my family know what happened to me.’
Billy looked at the three women in an imploring manner. ‘I didn’t know. I’ll show you where the body is.’
The first form disappeared back into the fog. The second form approached. A face appeared, ‘I begged you for mercy and did everything you asked, but you still took my life. My daughter was left alone. Why did you do it?’
Billy was still sobbing; he wiped his eyes. He couldn’t think of any answer and simply mumbled, ‘I'm sorry. I'm sorry.’
The second form turned to the three woman and said, ‘My body was found, but I cannot rest until my daughter knows', the form motioned at Billy, 'he's been made to pay. Make him confess.’
Billy yelled out, ‘I’ll confess! I’ll confess!’
The second form receded back into the trees. The third form started towards him. Who could this be? A face formed. His heart broke; it was his mother.
‘Why, Billy why? You are scum. I knew what you were doing and it broke my heart. I should have turned you over to the police, but instead I lied to protect you and died of a broken heart. You killed me just as surely as if you'd plunged a knife into my heart. After I died you became worse. I can't believe you took another person’s life.’ The ghost of Billy’s mother shunned him as though he was a horrid smell.
Billy simply sobbed, ‘Mummy, mummy.’
Billy’s mother answered, ‘I cannot rest in peace until he has been made to suffer for all the things he's done and been stopped from doing any more wicked things.’
Billy snivelled, ‘I’ll do anything. Anything you ask.’
The form moved back into the trees and then the fog was gone. Billy couldn't control himself and sobbed like a little child.
Debbie picked Billy up as if he were a child's rag doll. Looking into his eyes, she said, ‘You know what you must do?’
Billy nodded.
Debbie threw a piece of old yellow paper and a pen on the ground. Billy scrambled over to them and began to write a confession. After a few minutes of scribbling Billy stopped and raised his arm to offer the paper. Debbie took it. She scanned through the confession and threw it back at Billy with the words, ‘Sign it!’
Billy picked up the piece of paper and signed. Again he raised his arm; his hand was trembling. Billy could smell his own fear. Debbie took the piece of paper, checked the signature and turned to the other two women and said, ‘This will do. The missing body is in the garden shed at his mother’s house.’
Billy looked up. 'So are you going to turn me over to the police?’
In unison they replied, ‘You're going to suffer for the suffering you've caused; it's natural justice. Prison would be too easy.’
Billy was shaking with fear. ‘What do you mean?’
Jacquie said, ‘Let’s eat.’
The three women pounced on him, sunk their fangs deep into his flesh and began to feed on his blood. Billy could feel the lifeblood being sucked out of his body. He tried to struggle, but the three women held him in a vice like grip. The sound of blood being sucked from Billy’s body, mixed with the sounds of his screams, could be heard throughout the park.
After a few minutes Billy felt light-headed. He was barely conscious.
The woman stopped feasting on his blood. Each one held one of his limbs and through a swift arm movement snapped the limb they were holding. Loud cracks of the bones breaking echoed through the night. Billy was so weak he could only let out a faint groan.
Billy was still conscious as they carried his broken body through the trees.
Jacquie said, 'We worked last night to prepare this grave and coffin for you. It's what you deserve.'
Billy was flung down into the open coffin. The three ghostly forms appeared and Debbie said, ‘We'll seal the coffin and fill the grave. No one will be able to hear him and he won’t be able to escape. He will be able to breath and will take a few days to die. This is your chance to make him suffer. When he dies you will be free to rest. He will be transported into another form and will be made to suffer a life of misery for every life he destroyed.’
Billy was aware of the three forms settling next to him. Even though everything felt distant and unreal he was aware that Debbie had thrown down the coffin lid into the pit. Everything went dark and then he passed out.
Billy woke, he felt incredibly weak. He couldn’t see anything. His body felt as though every limb had been broken. Had he been dreaming? He tried to move, but felt an agonising pain; his limbs were really broken. He moved his head up a few inches and hit something hard. Suddenly he understood everything he remembered had really happened.
He yelled out, ‘Help me! Help me!’
Suddenly he felt an icy presence and out of the darkness came the three deathly forms. Billy screamed as loudly as he could, but there was no one to hear.
For the first time in his life Billy understood and regretted the crimes he'd committed. He prayed for forgiveness.