Page 21 of D for Dead

‘And so they sent you?’

He grinned at her. ‘And so they sent me.’

7

Shannon Castle lived her life by routine and Wednesday night was grocery shopping night.

Some people might call her boring, but Shannon liked things in boxes, everything in order. It made life so much less stressful. Monday evening was the gym; Tuesday she would stay home and catch up on her favourite TV shows, Wednesday night was for groceries.

As always she had her list and spent a pleasant half an hour perusing the aisles of the local grocery store, filling her cart with essentials and a few treats. At the checkout she made small talk with Marcie the cashier while the groceries went through, then loaded her bags, paid for her shop and exited the store, already planning her dinner.

Because Wednesday night was grocery night, it meant she would be home late, so it was also takeout night, and tonight Shannon was favouring Mexican. As she pushed her cart over to her car in the corner of the parking lot, she was trying to decide if she fancied a beef or a chicken burrito, and if it would be greedy to have a side order of nachos. Popping open the trunk of her car, she started to load the grocery bags.

A sound came from behind her.

Shannon started to turn, the nachos dilemma still on her mind, and caught a glimpse of black as something heavy smashed into her face.

The grocery bag in her arms dropped to the floor, cans spilling over the parking lot as she collapsed.

* * *

When she awoke the first thing she was aware of was the smell of soil: in her face, up her nostrils. Her head was groggy, then the pounding kicked in, bringing with it nausea. Shannon groaned and tried to roll over.

Her arms wouldn’t work. Panic kicked in as she tried to move her body. Her arms were behind her, pulled tight, and as consciousness crept back she understood why. Her wrists were tied.

Memories from the grocery store flooded back, of loading the bags from the cart into her trunk, the sound behind her and the glimpse of black. Someone had attacked her. Someone had brought her here.

Hysteria overtook panic and she started screaming.

This did not figure in her Wednesday night plans, did not fit in any of her boxes, and she had no idea how to cope with it.

Where the hell am I?

The earth beneath her told her she was outside, but she couldn’t see and the darkness enveloping her suggested she was in some kind of outbuilding or barn.

Who had taken her? What did they want?

Fear bubbled in her throat. She was a good girl. She never broke the rules and always played it safe. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen to her.

Her car was at the grocery store. Someone must have found it and realised she was in trouble. They would be looking for her. They would find her, right?

Overhead came a creak: the sound of a door opening. With it came light. Not a lot, but enough to let her know it wasn’t completely dark outside and to see she was right about being in a barn. Shadows fell on hay bales stacked high and a wall lined with various rakes and shears.

Shannon shuddered, her eyes moving towards the doorway.

A figure stood silently watching her: dark clothing, features indistinguishable. For a moment she thought her heart had stopped, she was that frightened.

‘What do…?’ Her voice was a squeak and her mouth so dry she couldn’t finish the question. She heard a click; a harsh beam of light blinded her. She couldn’t see the figure, but was aware he – she assumed it was a ‘he’ – was moving towards her.

Shannon whimpered and tried to roll away.

The flashlight beam was in her face and she felt her attacker push her onto her back before straddling her, forcing her legs down and her bound arms to crunch uncomfortably beneath her.

Oh my God. Oh my God. He’s going to rape me.

She started screaming and the man smacked her hard in the face with the flashlight. The pain was sharp and white hot as her teeth smashed together; as she tasted blood, her screaming became moaning sobs.

He put the flashlight down and she was aware of him pulling something from a pocket. A knife?