The Broken II: Tainted Trail Read online

  With the ringing still in his ears from the shot that has just gone off, Matthew struggles to keep his balance as he heads towards the front door to chase after the intruders. But he doesn’t make it in time. The trespassers were way too quick and have gone out of sight completely. “Let that be a lesson to you. Stay out of my house,” he bellows in the hope they can hear him.

  Rage begins growing inside of him. Using all his strength, Matthew reaches for the door which is barely hanging on by its hinges and attempts to close it. Huffing and puffing, he lifts and shoves the heavy door with all his might. Hearing the click from the lock somehow connect, Matthew rests his head on the door with relief. As he tries to regulate his breathing, his legs become weak. The adrenaline levels in his body are rapidly plummeting. He sways slightly, his breathing erratic and heavy. Matthew stumbles across to the bottom of the spiral staircase. He’s having a panic attack. With his eyes closed, he breathes deeply. He can feel every inhale and exhale in his lungs.

  Opening his eyes, Matthew shouts, “Shit!”

  His pistol still in his hands, he jumps up onto his feet and runs up the staircase as fast as he possibly can. Matthew is frantic. Graffiti has been sprayed on the walls throughout the house. It’s so fresh, the paint is still dripping. He pays no attention to the words on the wall. With a fearful expression, Matthew kicks the debris and mess out of his way as he runs towards Eve’s bedroom.

  He’s relieved to find the door is closed. Tired, Matthew places his head and his hands against the bedroom door and takes a moment to calm himself. Preparing for the worst-case scenario, Matthew turns the handle on Eve’s bedroom door and enters the room.

  Releasing a sigh of gratitude, he stands still. Tears begin uncontrollably welling in his eyes. Thankfully, the room remains untouched and is in the exact same state as it was when his daughter was last there. Not a single item leans so much as a centimetre out of place. Her bed is neatly made. Her clothes still hang in the wardrobe, organised by colour and season like a true work of art. Her violin is in its case, leaning at the end of the bed. Also untouched and proudly placed on the wall above the head of the bed is a heart mosaic. Slumped against one of the pillows on the bed with the same tired and lonely expression as Matthew is Gregg, Eve’s bow-tied teddy bear.

  Drained and crying, Matthew begins wiping his tears. He places his pistol on the bedside table and picks up the golden frame containing the image of his wife and his daughter on their last ever mum and daughter day together before his wife was deliberately and cruelly taken away. Holding this precious item in his hands, he sits on the edge of the bed.

  “I’m sorry.” Crying heavily, he continues, “I love you so much and I will keep my promise to you. I will search the ends of the world to find our baby girl. I will bring her home if it kills me.” Kissing the image of his wife and daughter, Matthew places it back on to the bedside table and then lies back on the bed. Glancing across to Gregg, he holds the scruffy looking bear in his hands and speaks once more. “So, come on then, Gregg, where do we begin?”

  A smile forms on Matthew’s face as the ridiculousness of speaking to a stuffed toy dawns on him.

  “Huh, is this what my life’s come to? Confiding in a stuffed bear?”

  Shaking his head, he looks across the room. He has been back inside Eve’s room multiple times since she was taken, but he has clearly paid no attention to detail. Resting on her desk is a thick red leather-backed diary with a solid golden buckle. An item he’s never noticed before. Placing Gregg back on to the bed, he makes his way to the desk and picks up the diary.

  Much like earlier, he’s hesitant about reading the contents of the pages. Sitting back on the bed he undoes the buckle and flicks through the sheets of paper. Seeing the same scrawled blue inked writing on each page, he instantly becomes emotional. He’s nervous about reading this book of secrets. Turning to the last heart-pouring account, Matthew decides he’s going to be brave and read his daughter’s final entry inside this book, dated the sixth of July. Matthew reads the following:

  “I feel different and I can’t explain it other than I constantly feel angry and isolated. I’ve not experienced this level of distance between me and my dad for such a long time. Like, we could literally be strangers who share genetics and nothing more. I love him, well, I think I still love him. Why is this so hard? Help me, please, what’s wrong with me? I’m so confused. Mum, please give me some guidance.

  Honestly, the thought of my dad still breathing angers me. Every morning when I wake up I feel as though venom has been pumped inside my body while I’ve been sleeping and my level of hate and aggression towards my dad grows stronger.

  It’s my last ever school concert tomorrow. I’m so excited. This should be a positive father-daughter moment and yet I just know he’s not going to be sat in his seat. I’ve already made my prediction – he’s going to be so busy and wrapped up in his work that he’s not going to give me so much as a second thought. He won’t care that his daughter will be the only student playing to an empty chair.

  And yet there’s Jess! She can’t do enough for me. I know she’s going to come tomorrow to show her support; she’s already told me she’ll be there no matter what it takes. How can a stranger care more about me than my own dad? My own flesh and blood. If he doesn’t come tomorrow, that’s it, I swear I will completely give up on that man. I’ll be letting go and living my life just like he is. I’ll go places I’ve never been before and leave him with his film company. The man cares more about his staff than he does about his only daughter...”

  The words on the page become blurry as the tears welling in his eyes begin uncontrollably gushing down his face. And, as each one lands on the page, the ink smears. Attempting to regain control of his emotions, Matthew’s not ready to read the truth. He feels empathy for his daughter and angry that he didn’t prioritise and support her achievements. Her words are a confirmation of his failings as a father. Matthew whispers, “No wonder she hates you. No wonder she was taken so easily. No wonder she was so unhappy.” Feeling both anger and sadness, he wipes his face once more and looks again at the picture on the bedside table. His eyes on his wife’s image, he continues, “I am so sorry. I should have died. You should have stayed with our daughter.” He sobs louder than ever at this truthful recognition. “This would have never happened if you were here instead of me.”

  Utterly devastated by the words he’s read and finally acknowledging his failures, Matthew sees exactly how he neglected his daughter when she truly needed him the most. Closing his eyes, Matthew sees Eve. She’s standing with pride, shoulders back and centre stage. She’s smiling and slowly looking through the audience to find him, but he’s not in his seat. He can see and feel the anxiety building as she’s both excited and nervous. Then, the reality hits. She looks, hoping to see him rushing through the audience to take his seat. His seat remains empty.

  As he opens his eyes, a knot develops inside his stomach. He put his daughter through the pain and disappointment for what? A business, a job, ungrateful demanding clients who were never loyal to him, really? He’s a let-down and now he knows it more than ever. Clearing the tears from his eyes once more, he’s determined not to let Evelyn Jade down any longer. No more excuses, no more weakness, it’s time to prove to his daughter that she is everything to him. He’s going to track her down, free her soul and bring her home! With the anger bubbling up inside of him, this powerful emotion mixes with the sadness he feels, and these two strong emotions combine and turn into determination.

  “…at least I’ve got Jess from him. She’s already told me she’s here for me. And, you know like how I said I’m going to leave and go travelling? Well, Jess said she’s got family who live up north here in the UK somewhere, I think it’s about four hours or so away. She’s promised to take me to visit and I believe her because she’s not full of crap like my dad. I’m really excited. I’ve never been up north before…”


  Matthew suddenly realises this may be the clue he needs to start his hunt. Slamming the diary shut and keeping it in his hand, he grabs his pistol along with Gregg and heads out of the room. Shutting the door behind him, he blows his ritual kiss.

  Chapter Eight

  Guess Who?

  Scattered throughout the midnight sky, the stars are beginning to twinkle one by one. Night has officially fallen. The roads are clear and quiet. There is a subtle breeze just strong enough to ruffle the leaves on the trees. Streetlamps light the pavement. Hungry foxes are making an appearance, bravely running from garden to garden scavenging for scraps to eat. Not a single person is present. Owls hoot from the protection of the trees. Other than nature’s nocturnal animals occasionally making their presence known, everything is calm and peaceful. But the same can’t be said for the current ambience inside the Parkinson residence…

  Lewis Parkinson is hiding behind the huge corner sofa downstairs in one of the back rooms. Much like Renato earlier, he has now become the victim of peer pressure and been bullied into watching a horror movie. He has given up trying to show off and appear macho in front of his companion. At present, he’s way too scared to think about acting brave. Shielding his sight from the events taking place on the television, Lewis feels nauseous. Reacting quite the opposite, the dark-haired emo girl seems to be loving the terrifying scenes of blood, screams and horror. This new resident in the Parkinson household is Jesse’s teenage daughter and her name is Eve.

  Eve looks for a moment at Lewis cowering behind the sofa and laughs, then turns her attention back to the fifty-two-inch television screen, its surround-sound system blaring sound into the room. Her eyes remain dark, an air of secrecy hidden deep within them.

  Onscreen, an actress screams out in agony, as blood squirts uncontrollably from what remains of her leg, the limb hacked off by the axe-wielding man who has chased her through the forest. She cries out for help from anyone who might be able to save her, but with no one coming to her rescue her screams become more desperate and lifelike. Lewis raises his head for a moment. Eve seems to be getting a deep internal thrill and satisfaction from this horrific and gory scene. His stomach turning, Lewis ducks back down. He can’t keep his mouth shut any longer. “Nar, I’m not having this,” he says. “That’s fucking ill shit, Eve. How can you not feel sick watching that?”

  Laughing, Eve replies, “Don’t be a mard arse, Lewis.” She begins howling with laughter. “Awww does the baby need protecting? Is the mean man making you poop your pants? I think Freddie or Terence would do a better job of watching this with me than you are. Shall I get one of their nappies for you, Lew?” Seeming satisfied with her taunting ways she says, “It’s only a film –chill out.”

  “Shut up, Eve! I swear, man, it’s fucked up. How do people even come up with that sick shit?”

  “Easy. I could recreate that. Actually, I could write a way more horrific scene. Shall we create one now, Lew?” Suddenly she leans over the top of the sofa and shouts, “Boo!”

  Lewis yells out with fear. Once he realises that it isn’t the man on the screen coming to grab him, he says, “Behave, Eve.”

  Softening slightly, Eve says, “Come here – I’ll protect you.”

  She lifts up the blanket resting on her shoulders and gestures for him to join her under it on the sofa. Not needing a written invitation, Lewis jumps straight under. Eve is wearing nothing but a tiny black vest top and silk shorts, the majority of her flesh revealed. Lewis instantly becomes aroused at being so close to her almost naked physique. Placing his head on her chest, Lewis peers up at her. She’s engrossed in the film once more, and maybe she too is becoming aroused, but he can’t tell whether that’s to do with him or what she’s watching on screen.

  Once the actress takes her final breath and passes over to the afterlife, Eve, biting her lip, looks down at Lewis. The pair lock eyes. The silence says it all, oozing sexual tension. Shuffling down the sofa, they both now lie on their sides, face to face. Grinning, Eve seems ready for whatever comes next. Suddenly, she leans in and kisses Lewis. Receiving her soft lips, and with an erection growing inside his boxer shorts, he runs his fingers up her thighs. Continuing to stroke past the outside of her buttock, he gently tickles his way up her torso. Eventually reaching her slim neck, Lewis cups Eve’s face in his hand, then gently twists her hair through his fingers. Thrusting himself on her physique, Lewis is keen to place himself inside of Eve. Moaning with gratification, Eve whispers into Lewis’s ear, “Are you ready to hand over your soul to me?”

  Trapped in the moment, Lewis is ready to agree to anything she wants if it means he can release the sexual frustration that’s building up inside of him. Without so much as a second thought, he whispers into her ear, “Yes. Anything you want is yours.”

  “Right answer,” she says.

  He doesn’t have time to process that her eyes have turned black, and it doesn’t register that all is not as it seems.

  Chapter Nine

  Your Soul is Mine

  Upstairs six-week-old baby Hope is sleeping peacefully in her room. The little girl’s room has been decorated with an adorable princess theme. Hanging on the main wall is a string of beautiful handcrafted personalised patchwork bunting. In one of the corners stands a collection of all the wonderful gifts family members and friends purchased to celebrate her arrival into the world. In contrast to her four brothers’ rooms, Hope’s room is filled with over-the-top girlie items. This tiny girl is the light which the Parkinson family needed. Without her, each member, both big and small, at some point would have sunk into a cycle of hopelessness and depression due to their huge loss.

  But right at this moment, baby Hope’s room is being taken over by an energy which is far from angelic. Deep black shadows lurk in each corner of the room. Standing on the shelves are perfectly aligned rows of hand-crafted ceramic dolls, their eyes wide open. Each doll has matted blonde or brown tight curly hair and wears a uniquely designed dark and very unflattering dress. Scruffy and coated in dust, the worthless dolls have been in the Parkinson family for a very long time, passed down from generation to generation.

  The head of one of the dolls twitches. It tilts to the side as cracks appear on her face. Taken over by something impure, the creepy creation stares intently at baby Hope and drops forward, landing in the cot. From the moment it makes contact, this simple white wooden piece of furniture instantly loses all purity. The netted drapes hanging over the side of the cot have turned black. A breeze develops, quickly building into a gust of wind that blows the drapes. This unannounced energy swirling around the room brushes past the princess-themed mobile hanging above the cot, setting off the melody built into the toy. The children’s nursey rhyme plays slowly, sounding eerie and out of tune.

  Completely unaware of the events taking place, Hope is sleeping deeply. A thick grey mist slowly seeps through the cracks surrounding the door. As the rhyming tune from the cot mobile stops, an ominous humming begins to build. Embedded deep within the room, the deceitful mist commences its attack, slowly seeping inside the cot. Surrounding Hope, the tainted mist wraps securely around her tiny physique, sinking deep into her pores and taking over her body and thoughts.

  The evil manifestation complete, the Dark Empress herself finally arrives. It’s Jezebel, and she’s here to collect Hope. This malevolent sadistic entity is equipped and ready to unleash her evil supremacies amongst the universe. Her time is now, she’s ready to claim what is hers and rule. She has carefully plotted and schemed with her chosen one by her side. Jezebel and Eve’s demonic empire will be created using the souls of the young and vulnerable. The broken ones.

  Standing in the corner of the room, her head low, Jezebel stares through the gap down the middle of her hair at the latest addition to her empire. She’s ready to absorb the section of Hope’s soul that will soon be surrendered.

  As she steps forward, a sinister thick black substance is smear
ed across the floor everywhere she lands. Jezebel opens her mouth, the humming turning into singing. Instantly, the sinister black liquid gushes out and trickles down her chin. She slowly makes her way towards the cot, dragging one grey wounded foot in front of the other.

  “Ring a’ Ring o’ Roses – your soul is mine. Ring a’ Ring o’ Roses – you’ve been chosen for the dark side.”

  The calculated words of the melody embed deep within Hope’s mind. This devious energy sets about attacking her internally, taking over sections of her DNA. As soon as Jezebel arrives at the cot, the mist binding Hope’s body slowly begins to release her. As it drifts away from her features, what it reveals is distressing. She no longer looks as though she belongs to the human race.

  Jezebel places her hand on Hope’s face. With black razor-sharp nails, this grey neglected body part oozes the same thick black substance from the deep rips in the skin.

  “Ring a’ Ring o’ Roses – your soul is mine. Ring a’ Ring o’ Roses – welcome to the dark side.”

  The final word has been spoken. The transition is now complete. Hope’s lips turn from pink to grey and cracks appear around her mouth. A thick black substance develops and begins trickling down her tiny chin. Once this devious shade takes over, her eyelids suddenly shoot open. No longer blue, her eyes have now become a true likeness of her new owner. Jezebel appears in the reflection of her eyes, which are now – jet-black! This baby girl’s appearance is horrific. Basking in the euphoria she feels, embracing the power she possesses, Jezebel reaches out and holds her newest addition. And, with her coarse grey tongue, she begins to ingest the black substance seeping from the rips in Hope’s skin. Instantly, their DNA becomes one. Without a sound, this baby girl has accepted her fate. Content with events that have taken place, Jezebel whispers, “Non temere di me…”