The Black Pathway

“We can’t have that, Alex! We can’t have Mary and her pals finding their way back onto the Black Pathway Trail! I tell you something, Alex… I should kill you just for having brought that little know-all Gary Ackley up on the trail with you. Things would have been a lot simpler without that smart-arse on board.” Howard laughed. “Fuck, he’s the only one of you that actually knows what they’re doing. Not to worry. We’ll pick him off, soon enough, and then that’ll just leave Mary and that other girl… what’s her name again? Ah, that’s it… Shark… stupid fucking name. Yeah, once Gary’s gone, taking out Mary and Shark will be a piece of piss. I’m looking forward to it. This is my last party, Alex, my last little party, and it’s really good to have you all up here, along with me.” Said Howard. He stopped walking for a moment; Alex’s body was slipping off Howard’s bony shoulder. Howard leaned his neck a little to one side, and tilted his shoulder bone upwards, which secured Alex again. “That’s better.” Commented Howard. He walked a few more yards, until he was at the edge of the forest, then turned left, following the scent of the three individuals that he was hunting down.

Howard strided forward, taking large, confident steps, quickening his pace. He took another sniff of the air.

“They’re not very far in front of us now, Alex. We’re going to have to take a quick detour in a minute, through the forest, so that we can get ahead of them without being seen. We’ve got a lot to get done… damn you, Alex, you really do make everything so difficult at times… can I let you into a secret, my friend? I’m not even sure if I’m going to kill you, anymore. Do I? Don’t I? Do I? Don’t I? And as for Mary, well… I’m even begi

Alex Cre

“I tell you what’s going to happen to Mary, Alex.” Said Howard, oblivious to the fact that Alex was now conscious. “I’m going to have sex with her. Just like my father did with my mom. I’m going to have sex with Mary Broderick, and, in thirteen months time, she’ll give birth to our baby. That’s how long my mother was pregnant with me, Alex; thirteen months. It works different with… well, people like me. I’m going to have sex with Mary Broderick, but she won’t even know that we’ve fucked, because, well, it’s not how my kind do that sort of thing. There’s no… fucking, as such. Not when we reproduce. It doesn’t happen that way. No, I’ll give Mary the good hiding that she’s got coming to her, then I’ll make her pregnant, and then she’ll have to bring up my child, all on her own. Hey! I’ll have a legacy! I’ll…”

“Crazy fucking CUNT!” Screamed Alex Cre

***

Mary, Shark, and Gary all turned around at the sound of shouting, coming somewhere from behind them.

“Fuck, did you hear that?” Asked Gary.

“Yeah, I heard it. It sounds like people fighting or something. Do you think…”

“I think that we need to get out of this place as fast as we can.” Said Gary, alarmed. “Come on, let’s pick up our pace.” He went on.

“But what if it’s someone in trouble?” Wondered Mary.

“I don’t care. We’re in enough trouble ourselves, without having to worry about other people. Whatever’s going on back there doesn’t sound good. Let’s just keep out of it and get ourselves back on the Black Pathway, before it gets dark.” Whispered Gary. A short, sharp scream pierced the mist-shrouded, late afternoon sky. Gary looked down at his hands; they were shaking. “Come on, girls, faster. We need to move.” He instructed. Shark and Mary did as Gary asked, both of them picking up their pace. Mary looked back over her shoulder, but all she could see was mist. A cold chill ran up her spine, and she turned back to her friends.

“How far do you think it is until we turn north?” She asked Gary.

“We must be close. Look, I know that you’re frightened. So am I, and I don’t mind admitting it. Just focus on where we’ve got to get to. We’ll be okay, Mary, I promise.” Gary assured the young woman. I shouldn’t make promises that I’m not sure I can keep, thought Gary Ackley, privately.

***

Howard Trenton sat in the mud, cross-legged, next to the dead body of Alex Cre

“You always were a sly little fucker, Alex.” He said, gri

***

Detective Tom Grogan, together with two other armed policemen, reached the stone-bridge on top of Leeton Hill. It was almost five o’clock in the afternoon. Tom was on the phone to Kevin Burrows.

“Have they got any helicopter support sorted out yet, Kev?” He asked his colleague.

“Yeah, there’s one flying out from Salegate in the next half hour. They should be in your area at around five forty five.” Kevin Burrows informed him. Tom looked ahead, at the mist.

“Good. Not sure how much help it’s go

“Yep. Clear skies by around seven tonight. Of course, we can’t be specific about the moor and mountains…”

“Yeah, I know that. At least we might get a bit more visibility. It’s pretty treacherous up here at the moment.” Replied Tom.

“The two search teams from Knighton left just under an hour ago, by the way. If Howard Trenton’s up there on the Black Pathway, as that journal of his suggested he would be, then we’re go