Holy Island Trilogy 02 - Nowhere Man (8 page)

‘I know I can trust everyone in here. But believe me, none of you know who you can trust. So please believe me when I say, trust no one but each other. And that’s it, you’re getting no more from me.’

‘But Mike…’ Kristina said. ‘We’re your friends, we need to know what we’re up against.’

Grim faced Smiler nodded.

‘Are you all fucking thick or what?’ Mike yelled. ‘How many times do I have to tell you?’

‘Could you please keep the noise down in here there are other patients to consider.’ The nurse said as she came into the room.

Mike looked at the three of them in turn, before saying ‘Go!’

Slowly Smiler backed out of the room, followed by a deflated Kristina and a frowning Cox.

PART TWO

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Petrified, holding her breath, Shelly stood as still as she could. In each hand she held a wire coat hanger, her face an inch from the inside of the wardrobe door. She heard the door to her room open. A soft footfall, and she knew he was in the room. Silence for a moment, in which she pictured him looking around for her, then another soft footfall and he was outside the wardrobe door. She could hear him breathing, smell the cigarette he had just smoked.

What if he suddenly starts shooting?

He’s gonna open this door sooner than later.

Oh God, please help me.

Shaking inside, fear mounting by the second, she squeezed her hands tightly around the hangers. Praying that he was facing the door, Shelly did the only thing she could think of.

Bursting out of the wardrobe, arms held high, she brought them both down together. The point of the left coat hanger lodged deeply into the bottom of the man's right eye, and the right coat hanger went into his mouth. Yanking downwards with all the strength she could muster, she ripped open his eye and tore off a piece of his gum.

Screaming, the man dropped his gun and clutched at his face, blood pouring through his fingers as he desperately tried to keep his eyeball in place while spitting out a chunk of bloody flesh with a tooth attached.

Shelly grabbed the gun with one hand, her bag with the other, hesitated for a split second while she glared at the man who had planned to murder her. Lifting her right foot, she booted him as hard as she could and sent him sprawling across the floor.

‘Bastard!’ she screamed, with a brief feeling of satisfaction, shoving the gun into her bag. Then, knowing that time was her enemy, she made it out of the hospital as fast as she could.

An hour later she was sitting in the cab of a lorry heading down the A1. The driver, a short, blond, middle aged man, seemed a decent sort and had talked about nothing but his family since she had sat down. Shelly was impatient to get as far away as she could, as quickly as she could, knowing that the hunt for her had probably started within minutes of her escape.

‘So how long before we get to Manchester?’ Shelly interrupted his monologue about his seven year old daughter Mia, who he obviously adored.

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, and said, ‘Just over an hour, love, very little traffic this early on a morning. In a hurry, like?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Well, don’t worry. You’ll have no problems at all hitching another lift from where I’ll drop you, a good looking chick like you.’ He winked at her.

Shelly sat upright in her seat, the alarm bells inside springing to action.

Keep calm, keep calm, could just be an innocent comment, she told herself, crossing her legs and staring out of the window. He surely can’t be one of them?

‘Smoke?’ he asked. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he handed her a packet of cigarettes, gently brushing down the back of her hand with his finger.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Mike woke up, surprised that he’d managed to sleep at all. He stretched, then jumped in shock as a voice said, ‘All right now?’

Mike spun round. ‘Smiler, for God’s sake!’

‘Sorry.’

‘You been there all night?’

‘Some of it.’

Guessing rightly that Smiler had shared his time between himself and Aunt May, Mike softened his tone as he sighed and said, ‘How is she today?’

‘Just the same.’

Mike lay for a moment staring at the ceiling, while Smiler stared at him. ‘OK, I’m gonna shower, get things sorted and be off.’ He slipped the covers back and got out of bed.

‘There’s something you should know.’

What the hell now?  Mike thought, turning to face him. Why can’t he ever just come out with it? For Christ’s sake, sometimes it’s like pulling friggin’ teeth!

‘What?’ Mike demanded.

‘Shelly’s gone.’

Mike sat back on the bed. He sighed. It’s not as if I wasn’t expecting it. Just had a lot more questions for her. Damn. Wish she’d waited around a bit longer.

He looked at Smiler. ‘OK-I’m guessing there’s more.’

Smiler nodded solemnly. ‘There is. The guard on Shelly’s door was murdered as well…with a gun.’

'Yeah, that’ll do it all right.'

‘Shelly attacked the murderer with a pair of metal coat hangers, ripped his eyeball out, and some of his gum.’

Impressed, Mike raised his eyebrows. ‘OK, so where’s the bastard now?’

‘Next door, and Aunt May’s in the room on the other side. Somebody figured it would be easier to guard you all if you were together.’

‘Wow.’

Feeling like he’d finally done something right, Smiler dropped his head, but Mike saw the smile.

Quickly jumping up from the bed, Mike hastily pulled his jeans on, splashed cold water over his face then, with Smiler in tow, strode out of the room. He paused for a moment at the door. Behind him Smiler, guessing he would want to check the assassin out first, said, ‘Right.’

Mike swung to the right. A few quick steps, and he was outside the assassin's room. Nodding at the guard, he stared through the window. Most of the man’s face was covered in bandages-at least, the side he could see was. ‘Hmm,’ he muttered. Turning, he walked along the corridor to Aunt May’s room.

‘I see the monk's at his usual station. Has he even moved at all?’

Smiler shrugged. ‘Where else would he be? Anyhow, he spent as much time praying over you.’

Sighing, Mike pushed the door open. ‘Any change?’

Brother David looked up and shook his head. ‘How are you?’

‘Never better. Bit sore, but it’ll heal.’

‘Still leaving us?’

‘No choice. You know as well as I do someone's got to stop this madness. God only knows where that nutter Mr Leader has set up shop now. How many more kids is he gonna ruin, torture, murder? If I find him, I’ll find the main bastards behind this. But first - Tony.’

‘That the plan?’

‘Got a better one?’

‘Why can’t you just leave it, Mike? We’re all alive, surely that’s the main thing.’

‘For how fucking long?’ Mike snapped. ‘You just don’t get it, do you? These creeps won't give up until we’re all dead, you included. They will wipe out everyone who knows about them. For God’s sake, Dave, you lived with them for long enough, you know just how ruthless they are.’

Brother David glanced at Aunt May, then back at Mike. The pain in his eyes tore right into Mike, but it only strengthened his resolve.

‘I have to do it, Dave, you know this.’

‘I will pray for your soul, brother.’

‘Better pray hard,' Smiler quipped.

Mike gave him a look, then turned back to Brother David. ‘Well, I suppose it’ll be good to know I’ve got God on my side. Bit of celestial help won't go amiss.’

Ignoring his flippancy, Brother David said, ‘Take the boy with you. You’ll need him.’

‘No way.’

Behind him, Smiler tutted. Shrugging, Mike walked over to Brother David. Squeezing his shoulder, he said, ‘Look after them for me-Brother David.’

Brother David smiled. For a moment his heart lifted. He had been waiting a long time for Mike to accept what he was, and had not realised until now just how much it really meant to him. He covered Mike’s hand with his, and whispered, ‘Take care, Mike.’

Mike nodded. ‘I will. And make sure you take care of Aunt May and Smiler.’

Brother David squeezed Mike’s hand. When he finally let go, Mike looked at the still form of Aunt May, covered in wires and tubes, all doing for her what she should be doing for herself. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, her skin was scraped where she’d slid down the wall and Mike gently touched the spot. Then, with a quick glance at Smiler, and a nod at Brother David, he turned and walked out of the room.

Smiler was at his heels as Mike went into the assassin's room. Reaching the bed, Mike grabbed the man’s face and twisted it towards him. The man moaned, and his uncovered eye opened. He stared at Mike for a moment then, realising who had his jaw in a death-like grip, his eye filled with fear.

‘Right, you bastard. Tell me who put you up to this, or I’ll rip your fucking head off.’

Although he had been expecting something along those lines, Smiler still gulped at the sheer ferociousness in Mike’s voice, and stepped back.

‘Tell me!’ Mike shook the man’s head as hard as a terrier would shake a rat.

‘I…I don’t know,’ he practically screamed. ‘It was a phone call.’

Mike laughed. ‘Get many calls like that, do you?’

‘A few.’

‘Liar, fucking liar… Tell me who owns you. And that’s the operative word, isn’t it? Truth is, they think of you as highly as they think of us, and we both know how much that is. Wise up, bastard, and tell me, or I swear to God you’ll never get out of this room alive. You’re nothing but a useless piece of fucking scum that the world will be better off without, you and your friggin' parasite masters, and whoever allies with them. So tell me. Because, trust me, I’ll drag it out of you one way or another. Now. Tell me now.’ Mike was practically nose to nose with him and screaming in his face.

The shadow that crossed over the man’s one good eye told Mike he was close to the bone. ‘Fucking tell me!’ He shook the man’s head again.

But the assassin’s eye still said no as he stared defiantly at Mike.

Mike let go of the man's jaw, and transferred his grip to his throat. He squeezed until the muscles stood out on his arm. The man’s face grew red, but still he held that stubborn stare.

‘No, Mike.’ Smiler stepped forward and put his hand on Mike’s arm. ‘Don’t.’

But Mike shook him off. As his grip tightened, the man’s face lost the red and took on a purple hue.

‘Please, Mike,’ Smiler begged, his hand latching back on and tightening around Mike’s arm. ‘Don’t do it… It will make you worse than them.’

Mike squeezed harder. Then, after a moment, Smiler’s words seemed to sink in and his grip relaxed slightly. The man sucked in some much-needed air as he struggled to sit up.

Arms folded across his chest, legs planted firmly apart, Mike watched him struggle. When he was fully upright, Mike leaned forward. ‘Well?’

‘Fuck off,’ came the mumbled reply.

‘Something original, please.’ Using as much force as he could, Mike backhanded him. The man's head swung to the right, the stitches in his mouth burst open and blood spewed from his mouth.

After a minute the man smirked, a cruel sarcastic edge to his mouth. Slowly he shook his head. He massaged his throat with his right hand, ran his left across his mouth, and flicked the blood in Mike’s direction. For a brief moment, Smiler almost wished he’d let Mike strangle him.

‘Do you honestly think anything you can do would be worse than they can?’ he said, spitting out blood.

‘Tell me.’

‘Have you any idea what they will do if they find out I even told you the fucking time of day?’

‘Who’s they?’

‘Go fuck yourself.’

‘Is that the best you can come out with?’ Mike raised his fist and slammed it into his mouth.

Spitting out more blood, the man said, ‘Doesn’t matter. You’re marked. Dead man walking. There’s plenty looking for you… And as for that bitch,' he spat the last word out with more blood, ‘she is going to suffer, believe me. Slowly!’

Guessing that he meant Shelly, Mike grabbed him by the throat. ’Like this, you mean?’ Slowly he squeezed again.

Smiler’s eyes flicked from one to the other. Leaning over the bed, he begged, ‘Just tell him, please, or he’ll kill you. Please, mister, tell him what he wants to know.’

For a moment the fear came back to the man’s face. Then, as if finally giving up, his whole body slumped against the pillows. ‘Either way, I’m as dead as you are. Once they find out I failed. There are no second chances.’ Resigned to his fate, he slowly closed his eyes. Unlike Mike, he truly knew the full extent of what he was up against.

Mike looked at Smiler and, with a twitch of his head towards the door, mouthed silently, 'Outside.'

Smiler moved quickly. The look on Mike’s face gave him no other options.

Watching Smiler walk past the window, Mike waited until he was certain he was gone before grabbing the thin bed sheet.  Quickly, he tore it into strips while the man watched with mounting horror. Mike grabbed the man's hands and tied them in front of him, then stuffed a wad of the sheet into his bleeding mouth and tied it in place with one of the strips before spinning him over onto his stomach. Unbuckling his belt, and using all of his strength, Mike lashed him nine times, making each lash count. Despite the rag in his mouth, the man still managed to moan loudly after each lash. When Mike was finally finished, he flung him onto his back. The man’s feet beat a quick tattoo on the bed in a failed attempt to ease the pain.

Mike tore the bloody gag out of his mouth. ‘Like that, did you, eh? Well, that’s what the people you work for do to young women, and men, only they don’t use a single belt. They use a cat o' nine tails. Each tail rips into their flesh, gouging holes in their bodies. Nine times they do this. Picture it! And you, bastard, aren’t even bleeding. I’ve seen the body of one young women who was so terrified she actually bled to death through the pores in her skin!’

The man blinked. His back was on fire, but through it all he knew he had got off lightly. He started to talk then, and suddenly couldn’t stop. In ten minutes Mike found out just about everything he needed to know, and more. He had the feeling that the man had used him to offset his guilt, a chance to buy his way into Dave’s heaven.