Free Prey by Paulie Celt Page B

Do you have a place we can go?” Her chest tightened a
little, as she spoke, aware of the cloying, warm air inside the
car. She inhaled deep, and released it in silent bursts between her
parched lips. The thudding behind her ribs slowed, but thumped all
the harder.
    Slotting the
key into the opening at the side of the steering column, the punter
twisted it and the vehicle whirred into life. His legs moved and
the engine revved. A flick of a button set the windscreen wipers to
moving and he paused to look in the mirrors, while his other hand
turned the headlights on, before edging off the kerb and turning
the Ford Sierra 180 degrees and cutting through the heavy
rainfall.
    “ Is it far?” She chuckled under her breath, against her better
judgement, realising how the words made her sound like an impatient
child going on holiday with her parents.
    “ Nah. Maybe five minutes away.” He twisted the wheel and turned
a corner.
    Beneath her chair, Susan rubbed her shoes together. Her eyes
scanned the dashboard and every now and then she lifted them to
stare out through the window. So much
rain.
    They left the
city and the surroundings turned residential. The inside of the car
brimmed with silence as neither of its occupants spoke for long
moments.
    Susan picked at
her long fingernails, pausing every few seconds to inspect them.
She inhaled warm, dry air through her lips and expelled it through
her nostrils in ever-slowing streams. She winced for a split second
as the beginnings of a headache coursed through her temples. With
one hand she reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose, relaxing
back into the seat as it eased her sinuses.
    The car pulled
into a large driveway and bumped a little as it crackled over
gravel. It stopped, and the lights and roar of the engine died, as
the punter removed the key.
    Susan sat bold
upright, and ran her gaze around the her new surroundings.
    “ This is it.” The driver undid his seatbelt and opened the
door.
    Susan opened
her own door and kicked her legs out over the side of the seat. She
pushed herself up and almost lost her balance as her pointy heels
dug into the loose stones beneath.
    The driver door
slammed shut.
    Susan's hand
shot to the side of her coat. She gripped at the handle in her
pocket. Her limbs stiffened and her eyes glared.
    The stranger
plodded through the gravel and paused at the front door of the
house, jingling the set of keys as he fumbled for the right
one.
    She eased her
fingers from the wooden ridges and paced to the shelter of the
doorway.
    “ Welcome to my humble abode.” The middle-aged host swung the
door open and nodded his younger companion inside the well lit
hallway, his features relaxed and accommodating.
    With small,
hesitant footsteps, the twenty-three year old entered the building
and shook the rain from her hair, before wiping her face and
exhaling through loose, reverberating lips. She kept her eyes on
her host.
    The door closed
and the punter stepped through to open another, entering the new
room.
    The young
woman's hand slid back into her pocket. Her fingers teased the
wooden handle. She eyed the simple décor and somewhat old fashioned
furniture. On a small table in the living room, a picture sat in a
fancy frame.
    The punter
stood smiling on a beach, his arm around a woman of his own age.
Both grinned for the photographer.
    Charming, Susan mused, shrugging her
lips.
    The man stopped
in his tracks and removed his coat, throwing it on the sofa.
Without a word he stepped in front of Susan and pushed the photo
face down onto the table. “Sorry.” His gaze dropped to floor.
    Susan smirked
and scrolled her eyes around the room. Her fingertips tapped on the
side of her jacket, finding comfort in the hard outline of the
object inside. She opened her lips to talk, the words gargling in
her throat and lost in translation. Phlegm gathered on the back of
her tongue as she cleared her throat. She swallowed and attempted
to speak again. “How much are you