Redemption

Chapter 1

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Bruce sat on the pitiful excuse of a carpet that was heavily laden with dust, cat hair, cigarette ash and empty vodka bottles.

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there but the only thing that was going through his mind was the fact that he hadn't bought enough alcohol to make him pass out for the night.

He strained his bloodshot eyes as he tried to focus on the wall clock and his suspicions were answered, too late to buy more from the off licence, but he could still catch the local pub before last orders.

Bruce dragged himself up onto the filthy sofa that doubled as his bed and fished his wallet out from down the side of the arm and opened it. He had already spent his benefits now he was nearly halfway through the rent money.

As he sat there he could feel the reason for his heavy drinking slowly creeping back. He had constant migraines and blackouts and the alcohol numbed some of the pain.

This wasn't the way he wanted to live his life, he used to have everything, a successful career in the police force, a wife and a baby daughter whom he cherished with all his heart.

All this had been taken away from him all at once the day he met Delilah.

Eight months ago

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Bruce had to pick up some nappies and baby milk from the supermarket for his six month old daughter Stacy.

His wife Jasmine was at home with Stacy and he couldn't wait to see both of them again. He had been working non stop all week and now it was Friday and family time.

He was just about to pull into Asda when a call came through about a disturbance by some old warehouse. Bruce was only five minutes away so answered it.

As he crept up to the delapitated building he never noticed anything out of the ordinary. The place was in complete darkness and the November air made him wrap his jacket closer round him as he stepped out of his car.

Bruce tiptoed closer to the warehouse entrance, as with all Scottish police officers all he had on him was pepper spray and a baton.

Suddenly a shuffling sound caught his attention and he spun round only to find nothing. He took out his baton, switched on his torch and scanned the area...nothing!

Bruce started feeling edgy as the darkness was proving a powerful enemy. Sounds started to come closer but they seemed to be coming from all around him, he held his breath and listened hard.

The sounds were now becoming clearer, it was now obvious that it was chanting but was not in English. His heart was now pounding in his chest and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't slow it down.

He still shone the powerful light everywhere but to no avail, it was as if he was surrounded by ghosts or spirits. His mind was in overdrive but his brain was telling him to get a grip!

He was just about to call for backup when he felt a sharp pain across the back of his head followed by a warm trickle down his neck that told him he was bleeding badly. Within seconds the darkness that enveloped him seemed to get even darker until he collapsed.

His senses were coming back to him slowly, first he felt the cold numbness that was telling him that he was lying on the floor somewhere.

His hands and feet were hurting and he couldn't move them so he was restrained as well, his head was pounding and he felt weak but he had no idea how much blood he had lost.

He pulled, yanked and twisted his arms but nothing was shifting those ropes. Giving up on that idea he at least managed to sit up, but everything was covered with the same inky darkness that he was fighting earlier.

He hoped that meant that he hadn't been out for long, maybe whoever hit him was now gone.

Wishful thinking, as soon as that thought entered his head a bright light dazzled him as a door creaked open revealing sunlight. He couldn't see the visitor as the sun was behind them but by the silloette he realised it was a woman.

She slowly walked forward towards him like a cat stalking it's prey and stopped at his feet. His eyesight was now able to focus better as the sunlight filtered into the room.

It looked as though he was still in the warehouse which was a relief but what were they up to?

"You should have gone home to your wife and child" the woman said in a low hiss. Automatically Bruce's stomach churned at her words "how the hell do you know about them?" He growled at her causing her to laugh.

"I know everything about you Bruce, your wife Jasmine, your child Stacy, your dreams for the future and all the mistakes you have made in your past" she spoke the last part of tilt as she knelt down in front if him "and you are going to help us" she said even softer as age ran her index finger down his cheek.

"Why would I help you, first you hit my over the head then tie me up. Do you honestly expect me any of that shit you just said?" He chortled at her.

"I don't give a damn what you believe, just know this...sooner or later you will experience things that you never thought possible. When that day comes you will be ready to help us" the woman sighed before getting up to leave.

"You are not leaving me here, untie me bitch!" He cursed and frowned when she started to laugh "you aren't tied up, you just think you are!" She smiled "oh and by the way, the name is Delilah" and with that she disappeared out the door.

Bruce felt physically and mentally drained 'of course I'm tied up, why else can't I move my arms or legs' he fumed before looking down at his feet.

His heart stopped when he couldn't see a single piece of rope, there were no marks on his trousers either to prove that he had been tied up. He closed his eyes and took a big breath and he felt a weird sensation as if an invisible force had suddenly let him go.

Bruce sat there for a few seconds before he stood up, he rubbed his wrists as if he was soothing rope burns although no marks were showing.

He took a quick look out of the rusty metal door to make sure the coast was clear, when he was sure he ran to his car but for some reason he didn't feel safe driving it so he locked it and headed off for home.

It was nearly lunchtime before he walked through his front door, Jasmine immediately hugged him and scolded him for not calling her or bring home the milk and nappies but backed off when she seen how tired he looked.

"What the hell happened?" She asked knowing as usual he would shrug it off and say it was just work.

"I just need some sleep" Bruce Lied knowing that his wife knew that it all came with the job, although right now the job never terrified him before. He felt as if something inside him had changed and he couldn't quite pinpoint what!