Something Else

Chapter 10 - Claire's Revenge

Claire made her way back to the Southern International in what could hardly be described as the best of moods. The whole thing had backfired on her. Imagine him even suggesting an abortion - the calculating bastard!

Bitterly, she walked on. Why did that idiot Joe and his stupid bitch of a girlfriend have to go and show up? It seemed like everything was out to get her.

Lee went through the park quietly and carefully searched the shadows, knowing Stacey couldn't have gone far – he'd seen the way she'd ran.
He came to the barbecue area and strained his ears for any sounds that may give away her hiding place as he continued to look around.
The park was still, and the shadows cast by the moon and the street lights provided plenty of cover for hiding, and it was while he was thinking this that his attention was diverted by a slight movement that came from a nearby picnic shelter.

He stopped and listened, not wanting to rush in on an unsuspecting couple who might have snuck into one of them for a bit of illicit passion.
Silently he crept over.

Stacey held her breath as she saw his figure pass the shelter and huddled further into the corner, pulling her knees up to her chest, scared of being found.
Outside, Lee prowled around, checking out the shelters before eventually coming to hers.
Stacey continued to hold her breath, trying to squeeze herself further into the corner in an effort to remain hidden, but as she did so, she scraped her foot on the bench.
Lee stopped immediately.

Stacey looked up in fear as he now appeared at the entrance to the shelter. He peered into the darkness, less than two meters away from her. She swallowed hard, still not daring to breathe, just hoping and praying he would miss her.

It was difficult from Lee's point of view to see clearly inside the shelter, but once his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he was just about able to pick out the outline of someone huddled up in the corner and knew straight away it was her.

He made his way around the side of the table and grabbed her roughly by the first part of her body he could find. 'What the fuck're you doing?' he demanded in lowered tones. He dragged her by the wrist into the thin shaft of light that fanned its way through a crack in the roof and shook her unnecessarily hard. 'What the fuck do you think you are doing?'

Stacey didn't answer - she couldn't answer, she was too choked up to speak, and once he realised this, and how disturbed her pale tear-stained face was, he suddenly pulled her into his arms with mixed emotions.
But it wasn't to last.

The sound of footsteps rang out across the car park behind them on Dolphin Street, and Lee's first reaction was to push her back down on the bench, having every reason to believe this was Joe coming back to look for her – and how right he was.
'So where do you think she might have gone to?' came Jez's voice.
'I really don't know,' came Joe's reply.
'Do you think she might have just gone home?'
There were three of them.

Lee held Stacey down, making sure she stayed quiet by clamping a hand down over her mouth as the voices came closer.
'So what are you actually thinking?' asked Troy, flicking the end of his cigarette away. 'That, that bastard's got hold of her somehow?'
Joe didn't answer, but the frown that buried itself in his forehead told them that was exactly what he was thinking.
'But didn't you say that, that Claire bird was with him? What's he going to do with her there?'

In Joe's mind, that meant nothing - he knew what Lee was capable of, and the fact that he now knew that he and Stacey were an item, he was likely to do anything, especially to her, to get at him – Claire, or no Claire.

'Stacey ...' he yelled over the park.

Lee felt her move under his arm and tightened his grip on her, refusing to let her go. He eased them both down flat on the bench, not taking his hand away from her mouth for a second and continued to listen as they now passed the shelter.