***
Mary got to the bottom of the stairs. In the hallway, lay Ben Askew, face down, in a growing pool of blood. He was still breathing, but only just. Gingerly, the young woman edged past him, before leaving the farmhouse through the open front door. I’ve got to do something. I can’t just leave Shark upstairs with that murdering bastard, thought Mary. She pulled out her mobile phone, hoping against hope that there would be a signal. There is! There’s a signal! I’ve got reception! With shaking hands, Mary dialled the emergency services. A voice came on the other end of the line.
“Help! I need help, now!” Said Mary, with urgency in her voice. “My name’s Mary Broderick. I’m outside Ben Askew’s farmhouse, near to Oakden. Howard Trenton is inside. He’s killed two of my friends, and now he’s got another one held captive. You’ve got to hurry!” She continued. The operator told her to try and calm down, then got Mary to repeat exactly what she’d just said. A few minutes later, a message went out to the three separate search teams out on, or near to, the Black Pathway. WE’VE LOCATED HOWARD TRENTON. In the sky above, the pilot of a police helicopter was told to divert from Coldsleet Moor, and to head south-east, towards the village of Oakden. The pilot duly changed course, the helicopter doing a sudden one hundred and eighty degree turn, before lurching forwards, away from the moor, then skimming over the thousands of tree-tops that formed Skerrington Forest. The net was quickly closing in on Howard Trenton.
***
Howard Trenton lay naked on the dirty mattress, his body pulled up behind Shark Mako. His one arm was wrapped tightly around Shark’s belly, whilst his other, broken arm hung limply at his side. Howard’s head rested against the back of Shark’s frozen neck. Howard smiled as he listened to Shark’s slow, deep breathing.
“There. That wasn’t so bad at all now, was it Shark? You’ll wake up, in a few hours, and never know what we did together. You’ve been oblivious to it all… but we’ve procreated. I felt that electic bolt pass from my stomach, and into your body. There’s new life inside you now… I can sense it, and I can smell it. You’re going to carry on my legacy, Shark. You’ve become a mom… and you’ve become my mother… and I’ve become my father.” Howard kissed Shark gently on the back of her head, before pulling himself away from her. The bedroom filled with the sound of cracking ice and frost. “I lied to you when I said that I wasn’t a rapist. You were right about that. I am a rapist… just not in the sense that you meant. Yeah… I’m a rapist alright… just not some dirty, filthy human type, doing it for fun. So, Shark, in a way, you were wrong as well.”
Howard got up from off the mattress, and began to get dressed. It was a struggle, with one hand completely out of use, but eventually, Howard stood, fully clothed again. What the fuck do I do now? He thought to himself. I’ve had my party with Shark, salved my conscience with Mary, Lucas and Kay… do I go back out, into the early morning darkness, or just wait here… to die? Howard looked around the grubby bedroom, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Nah, fuck that… I’m not gonna die in this shit-hole. I’d rather it happen when I’m back outside, close to nature again. Howard Trenton walked across to the bedroom door, and unlocked it. He looked over at Shark for one last time.
“We had a deal, girl. It had to be done. I’m not sorry. I’m never sorry. I am what I am.” Said Howard, pulling the bedroom door open. He turned away from Shark, and then left the room. Howard walked down the stairs, then past the body of Ben Askew, who was now dead. “Fucking amateur.” He remarked, with arrogance, as he looked down at the old man. Howard was just about to step out of the front door, when he heard a familiar voice, from somewhere nearby… outside.
“He’s in there! He’s in there, with my friend!” Shouted the voice. It was Mary. Howard peeked his head outside. The young woman was about fifty yards away, together with three men. She was pointing back towards the farmhouse. “You’ve got to stop him! You’ve got to stop him!” Said Mary.
“The bitch! She’s managed to contact the coppers. Fucking bitch!” Cursed Howard, fleeing back into the farmhouse. “I should never have let her leave.” He seethed, feeling his hatred towards Mary rise once more. Howard carried on down the hallway, past the staircase, and through to a large kitchen. There was a back door near the corner of the room. Howard hurried over to it. The door was unlocked. He opened it up, and then exited the farmhouse, finding himself in a small backyard. Howard ran down the length of the yard, and then climbed over a small wooden fence at the bottom of it. He made his way through long, wild grass, moving in parallel with the side of the farmhouse. From up in the sky, came a dull, almost thudding sound, rapidly getting closer. Howard looked up. A bright light was approaching.
“Fucking helicopter.” He growled. Howard continued to move forward, until he found himself at another low, wooden fence. From here, he could see Mary again. There was a policeman stood next to her. Armed. The other two that she was with must be inside the farm, thought Howard. He crouched down, peering over the fence at Mary. I don’t see why I should keep my part of the deal now… you grassed me up, you fucking bitch… Howard took a deep breath; he’d made up his mind. He was going to try and take the policeman by surprise, and then snatch Mary Broderick.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Howard Trenton was just about to climb over the wooden fence, when the helicopter overhead swooped in low, before setting down on a large expanse of grass, just to the left of where Mary was standing with the policeman. Howard watched, in silence, as the policeman began escorting Mary towards the chopper.
“Shit… they’re going to lift her out of this fucking place.” Swore Howard, his plans thwarted once more. He watched, helplessly, as the policeman opened up the helicopter door, ushering Mary into the aircraft. Suddenly, from behind him, came a voice, low, gruff, familiar.
“Don’t move.” Ordered the voice. Howard spun around. It was Tom Grogan, armed, and standing no more than twenty feet away from the killer, his gun trained towards Howard. “Get up, slowly, and put your hands in the air, Howard.” Said the detective. Howard ignored Tom’s command. Behind him, he heard the sound of the helicopter’s rotor blades beginning to pick up speed, the chopper preparing for take off. “Did you hear me? Stand up… NOW!” Barked the detective. Tom moved a couple of steps towards Howard Trenton. Then, with lightning speed, Howard turned away from the detective, and smashed straight through the ageing wooden fence in front of him…
The policeman let off a volley of shots at the teenage serial killer, but all of them missed the target, who was sprinting towards the helicopter at a seemingly impossible speed. Tom Grogan shouted out a warning towards his colleague, who was backing away from the ascending helicopter, oblivious to Howard Trenton, who was coming up fast behind him.
“Look out! Behind you! Look out!” Shouted Tom Grogan, but the other man was unable to hear his warning, due to the loud thudding of the helicopter rotors. Howard Trenton reached the other police officer, charging him, like a small, skinny rhino, from behind. The policeman went flying forwards, onto the ground, face-first, completely taken by surprise. Howard knelt down and grabbed the policeman’s gun from him. He backed away from the fallen officer, and then aimed the weapon up at the helicopter as it slowly climbed into the sky. Howard fired the gun five times, each bullet hitting the undercarriage of the vehicle, two of them piercing the fuel tank. Thick aviation fuel began to leak from the two holes, and, for a moment, the helicopter dipped down, towards the ground, before climbing again. Howard threw the gun to the floor, and then lunged forward, his hand grabbing onto the helicopter’s skid. The chopper ascended, but this time with an enraged Howard Trenton hanging onto it…