Justin Cairns - Little Red

It was Nathan who found him, still breathing and surprisingly having a spine that still remained intact. His throat had burned as the skin was pinched to a close. He remembered the flashing lights of the ambulance, the aluminous coats the paramedics wore. He relived the last conversation he and Helen had whilst he was in hospital, the words selfish and sympathy hurt him the most. Her wedding ring sat upon his chest as she departed for good. He remembered all of this, but couldn’t see the time where he threw himself from the stairs, the suicide attempt failing.

The emotions he began feeling were the ones that drove him to the garden shed many years ago. They haunted his mind and he put up little fight to remove them. His fists slammed down upon the floor, he asked why many times, his brain attempting to piece together the awkward puzzle. He tipped the bottle upright, the remaining contents falling into his open mouth. The fan from above wafted a cooling air against his skin, his eyes followed it drunkenly as the rotations it made hypnotised him. His tie was slowly removed, his concentration fixed on the fan. The desk offered a low grumble as it was manoeuvred to the centre of the room. His flat sole shoes scraped on the wooden surface as he climbed it, his flimsy frame bowing to one side. He placed the garment around his neck and fumbled to make a knot. He wept as the tie was secured around his throat. He watched as the spinning blades caused a dizzy spell in his eyes, little black dots flashed upon the retinas. He reached up, the loose end in one hand. The metal blade clipped his hand and drew blood, he struggled once again with his balance, leaning forward to grab hold of the cooling object he slipped and plummeted to the ground. His body rattled as he hit the floor hard, his shoulder ached from the contact. He brought his knees up to his chest as he lay upon his side, the jerking movements followed as he erupted with tears and cries of pain.

***

The kiss upon his cheek warmed his heart; her perfume entangled his body with lust. The drinks were still in her hand as she sat, the glasses placed upon the table as she leant over. William grabbed his red wine and sipped it, his eyes fixed on the woman who had wooed him. Her eyes, a light blue, twinkled as she blinked provocatively, her teasing smile turned him on.

‘Please excuse me whilst I nip to the loo’ he stood slowly.

He staggered slightly, forcing his brain to straighten his posture and remain stable. He flashed a smile as he left for the toilet, the whole time telling himself to walk properly and move with sophistication. He stumbled through the gent’s toilet door, his suede shoes fighting to keep grip on the wet floor. He released the built up internal stash of fluid and a huge sense of relief washed over him.

My God she is beautiful……play it cool William, play it like you want it….like you own it .

He performed a circular motion into the urinal and tucked his parts away, the zip grinding as it was secured. He washed his hands and splashed a slight dabble of water against his face, convincing himself that it was keeping him cool. He inhaled slowly as he prepared to exit, his heart beating with suspense. The door opened and he moved steadily through the corridor.

That’s it, keep cool…….keep cool……keep……

He stopped, his eyes searched for the woman. She had moved from the seating area, he couldn’t see her. He panicked, thinking maybe she had gone to the toilet or the bar for another drink. He sat alone, waiting for his lady friend. The wine slipped down his throat, the pungent taste souring his taste buds.

***

Richard lowered Nathan’s body onto the backseat of the car. His friend stirred slightly as his head made contact with the leather.

‘What……what happened?’ he asked curiously

‘You passed out mate, hit the deck pretty hard!’

‘Jesus, sorry….I’m just….I’m exhausted’ he explained drearily

‘Look, it’s a new thing to you. I didn’t take you as the type of guy who does this stuff every Friday night!’ he chuckled

‘No way’

‘Well, I’m not done yet, what do you want to do?’

‘I’m seriously in favour of going to bed’

‘No dramas, I’ll finish up and we’ll head back, okay?’

‘Cheers mate’ his eyes closed

Richard closed the door carefully as not to catch his friend’s feet. He moved with speed back to the room, the cries could be heard from down the hall. He stormed into the living room and approached the man.

‘Right, the Wolf….do you know him?’

‘No!’ his head shook violently

‘You’re a Paedophile aren’t you?’

‘What….no…no I’m not’

Richard moved towards the monitor and located the mouse. He brought up the internet explorer page and allowed it to load fully. His eyes moved back to the bleeding beast upon the chair.

‘We’ll see!’

The page was up and he dragged the cursor to the history bar. It opened as he clicked it, the details of his recent searches appeared in a separate box. He clicked on the today folder and looked through it…..nothing appeared abnormal. He flicked through each folder, reading the site details that the man had searched. The folder titled three days ago sprung to life, he scanned the information noticing a site with an xxx mark next to it. He opened the page, once again allowing it to load. He looked back to the man, his eyes held fear, his body shaking due to the recent pain that was inflicted upon him. Richard’s eye caught the screen change colour, he turned his head to face it. The thumbnail pictures were littered upon the page, the titles of the images caused him to close his eyes with disgust.

‘Please….I can’t…..it’s an illness…..honestly’ the monster pleaded.

Richard steadied his breathing, the sounds from the room were blocked as his ears began to ring. He stood quickly, the nail gun picked up from the floor. He stood in front of the beast and raised his eyes to the ceiling. The weapon climbed up, the dangerous end pointing at his chest and slowly climbing. He held it steady, the man screamed for him to stop. He lowered his head, allowing his eyes to connect with the person in front of him. He watched the fear engulf the monsters eyes, the lids widening as the muzzle sat aimed at his face.

Clunk….clunk….clunk..clunk..clunk……..clunk.

The nails entered its face in rapid succession. The skin pierced by the points, the metal digging deep through the flesh. The skull cracked open from the force. One eye punctured, turned to pulp by the weapon. The blood flowed from each hole, a trickle exited the nostrils.

Clunk..clunk..clunk……………clunk.

Richard watched the life escape the obese shell of the beast. The final pulls of the trigger ending its reign of terror inflicting. He gathered his collection of tools and exited the building with haste, he didn’t look back.

The car rocked as the engine was started. Nathan had passed out again, his body closed up tight to keep the heat in his core. Richard pressed the button rapidly on the dash, the heat increasing. He sat the bag upon the front passenger seat and drove away from the flats. He still had two more addresses to visit, but knew that his friend would not last the night. The phone in his coat pocket vibrated as the vehicle cornered onto the main road. He removed it, the screen stung his eyes. The text was from a friend, someone he had worked with on several occasions. He opened the file.

Rick

It’s done

K x

He smiled, knowing the meaning behind the text. He checked the clock in the dashboard, it displayed 23:27 in bold orange digits. He knew he had enough time in the night to accomplish his tasks, but firstly, he had to take Nathan back to the hotel room.