Tracy Buchanan - No Turning Back - The can’t-put-it-down thriller of the year

The schoolboy drew closer, his pale face slick with sweat, his blue eyes confused.

He slowed down and blinked as he looked at Anna, body swaying slightly as he shook his head. He was clearly out of it. ‘I won’t let you hurt me,’ he hissed. Then he started striding towards her again.

Anna backed away, confused. ‘I don’t know you.’

‘Hey, lady!’ one of the teenagers behind Anna shouted.

She swivelled around, frantically looking between the three teenagers and the schoolboy.

What were they going to do?

When she turned back, the schoolboy was running at her, nearly within reach of Joni! Anna scrambled around in her bag for her purse and held it out to him. ‘Just take it!’ she said, shoving it into his chest.

‘Leave me alone!’ he screamed. He pulled out a small knife.

Anna’s senses immediately heightened, honing in on the knife, the glint of its silver blade filling her sight; the screech of the nearby seagulls invading her ears like metal scraping against bone. She imagined she could smell the rusty stench of it, its acrid taste on the tip of her tongue.

Anna pulled her comb out of her bag and yanked the pushchair so Joni was behind her, protected.

‘Get away!’ Anna screamed, jutting the end of the comb at the schoolboy, the handles of Joni’s pram digging into her back.

The schoolboy lifted his arm, the knife poised in his hand.

Adrenalin rushed through Anna. She lunged at him, trying to grab the knife off him. He swiped it towards her, and Anna felt a searing pain in her cheek as the blade sliced through her skin like butter. She put her fingers to her skin, felt warm blood spill over them.

It shocked her into submission. She staggered backwards but he followed her, swiping the knife at her again.

Joni screamed out and the pushchair toppled over.

The schoolboy darted towards it.

Horror filled Anna to the brim, made her head buzz, made her whole body tingle. She ran towards the schoolboy and raised the sharp end of the comb.

He twisted around to look at her then suddenly lost his footing, falling against her.

Against the comb.

She felt blood slick against her hand, heard a gurgling sound.

The schoolboy fell to the ground, knees thudding onto the pebbles as he clutched at the comb protruding from his neck.

Anna stared at him, eyes blinking. Then she heard Joni cry.

She ran to her daughter, yanking the pushchair up so she could release Joni from it with trembling fingers. Joni reached out for her mother and Anna could see she was fine, she was okay.

‘Oh man, he’s gonna die,’ the lank-haired teenager said, dropping a teddy from his hands – Joni’s favourite teddy, a tiny blue bear. Anna realised then she must have dropped it. That’s why the three teenagers had followed her, to return it.

Anna turned back to the schoolboy. He was lying on the pebbles now, clawing at the comb in his neck.

‘No, no he won’t die,’ Anna said, running to him and kneeling beside him.

The boy looked at her, eyes wide with fear. He looked so young.

He suddenly yanked the comb out of his neck.

Blood spurted over Anna’s face.

‘Oh God, oh Jesus,’ Anna said, using her free hand to press it against the blood. But it wouldn’t stop, it was going everywhere, the pebbles turning red with it, the warmth of it seeping under Anna’s nails.

‘Call an ambulance,’ she screamed at the teenage boys behind her, yanking off her thin yellow cardigan and pressing it against the wound as the boy choked on his own blood.

The cardigan turned instantly red, everything was red, it was even getting into Anna’s eyes, Joni’s hair as it spurted out from the boy’s neck. ‘Oh God, don’t die, don’t die,’ she screamed.

The boy suddenly went still. He looked up towards the gathering clouds, eyes softening.

Then he was gone.

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