RED LINE [3]

26:00

Scott

I wrap my hands around myself as I walk up the stairs from the harbour, looking down at Maddy as she sat on the bench, swinging her legs below her as she texts on her phone. There was so much innocence in it as I watched for a moment longer, I loved her, more than she'd ever know.

I wonder if she knew what I would sacrifice to save her, to give her a bigger chance at having everything I couldn't. 

My cheeks rise slightly in a smile as I look back down at my feet and continue to scale the staircase, meeting the path with the main road. A few cars pass, pushing a few stands of my hair into my face as I looked at the passing vehicles.

A dark blue RS6 stops a few metres away from me, their hazard lights on as the cars behind them honk.

My brows furrow as I squint, looking at the figure emerging from the car.

"Madeline."

I take a step backwards, my hands out beside me as the figure steps up onto the pavement. My stomach dropped and the same sickening feeling rose to the back of my throat once again, my skin crawling to be freed and my mind begging to be forgotten.

Blood rushed to my head as I frantically looked around – a restaurant across the road was closing now, the waiters picking up the chairs and tables from outside, a twenty four hour stop next door that looked vacant.

No one was around.

"You need to leave, now." My voice was stern as they continued to step towards me slowly, their hands out in front of me as if this was a meeting of peace.

I kept walking backwards.

My knees started to ache below the weight of my body as I made contact with the stone wall behind me. As I gazed over my shoulder back down towards the harbour, Jack and Maddy were stood below. She was safe.

My attention fixes on the man closing in towards me, maybe only a few long strides and he could've grabbed me, "I'm serious, you need to leave. Now."

"Madeline I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was somewhat sinister but underlying it was truthful, though I didn't believe him.

What a blatant lie I used to believe. 

My throat grew thicker and my breaths raspy as a sudden wave of anxiety closed in on me now. He was wearing a Ralph Lauren knitted jumper, one that I had gotten him many Christmases ago, the same pair of goose and gander shoes he always wore in the summer time. His hair was just as blonde as I remembered it, only longer now as it parted in the middle. But when I looked before me I didn't remember the man I fell in love with, instead the man I grew to fear.

I remember why I fell in love with him, but unlike Charles and George, I would never question it to be something like that ever again.

"Another step and I swear I'll call George." I hold my phone out with George's contact to show him, my hand shaking, fear crippled me, "Leave now, Archie."

His eyes flicker as his name leaves my mouth and it looked like I had shot him with a gun straight to the heart as he stopped in his tracks, his hand landing on his chest, "how did we get to this Madeline?" his voice croaked as I tried to hold onto the tears that wanted to fall from my eye, tears he should never of deserved. 

"You know me, I wouldn't hurt you," his words were so condescending, I scoffed. He took another step forward and I clicked George's contact, putting my phone back into my pocket. It vibrated with every ring, two rings to be precise, before he answered.