“Oh no your not. You belong to me.” Came Mike’s reply. And that’s when the violence began… and the threats, too. “Leave this town, and I’ll come after you, and not just you, but your parents as well. I’ll kill all of you. Your brother and sister too.” And so it went on. The cheating increased. The drinking, and violence, got worse. The threats grew darker. But then one day, Shark had fought back…

Chapter Eighteen

The Black Pathway began to even out, and ahead of the group of walkers was a huge expanse of flat, marshy land, which the trail weaved its way across. To the left of the group was a large, rocky ridge that slowly rose from the flat-lands, running parallel to the trail.

"Some people that walk the Black Pathway do it the hard way." Advised Gary, pointing up towards the ridge, its rocky surface gradually sloping upwards, climbing above the trail. "Instead of sticking to the designated path, they'll take the ridge-walk instead. It's an interesting formation, the result of a huge glacier that pushed across this area back in the ice-age. From what I hear, the ridge gets really narrow at its highest point, which is what attracts the more hardcore loonies that decide to walk up it." He went on.

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Asked Alex, who was feeling generally pissed off and tetchy.

"Because some people enjoy an element of danger, Alex." Snapped Gary. "Not everyone likes a simple, easy ride."

"Yeah, well, they're bloody stupid if you ask me." Replied Alex Crennell.

“Nobody is asking you, buddy." Retorted Gary. Here we go again, he thought to himself, we're not even half a day into this walk yet, and already Alex is starting to get stroppy and argumentative…  once the going starts to get really heavy, he's gonna be a real bundle of laughs… just like the last sodding time. Gary walked on ahead of the group, whilst Mary, who had been chatting to Shark, sidled up against her boyfriend.

"Is everything okay? You seem a bit grumpy this morning." Mary asked Alex.

"Yeah, it's like I said earlier, I've got a bit of a hangover from last night, that's all." He answered, before wiping sweat from his brow.

"Okay." Said Mary, satisfied with Alex's answer. "It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" She commented. Alex looked at his surroundings.

"Yeah, it's nice." He replied, telling lies. I'd much rather be in the pub, than doing this… a nice pint in front of me together with a chicken curry and a garlic naan… ah well, once this is all over, I won't be doing this stupid walk again, thought Alex.

 

Alex thought about home. Dad will be off down to the boozer for his lunchtime pint, right about now. Jammy git. He’ll get back, at around three this afternoon, half-pissed, and then just spend the next few hours slumped across the settee, watching the horse racing on the televison. He might be a bit of a drunken old fart, but he’s a good bloke, my dad. He struggled to bring me and my younger brother, Davey, up, on his own, after my bitch of a mom walked out on all of us when we were little, but we never went short of a thing. Well, apart from the love of a mother, obviously. But fuck her, wherever she is. We might have needed her back then, twelve years ago, when she first left, but we certainly don’t need her now. Me, dad, Davey… we do okay. We always have done. I just wish that dad could find someone to make him happy… but he’s never really seemed interested. Maybe he’s just content with being on his own.

 

Mary nudged Alex with her elbow.

“Hey, are you sure that you’re okay? You seem lost in thought.” She asked. Alex smiled.

“I was just thinking about my dad. He’ll be off down to the pub now.” Replied Alex.

“I like your dad. He makes me laugh.” Commented Mary. “His jokes are a bit crude, but they’re still funny.”

“That’s because you’ve got a mind like a sewer, Mary Broderick. You come across as all prim and proper, but really, you’re just pure filth. You should get thee to a fucking nunnery.” Joked Alex.

“But I’m as pure as the driven snow!” Protested Mary, in a fake, outraged voice.

“Yeah, right… I’m just remembering what you did to me up in your bedroom on thursday night… I don’t want you to be as pure as the driven snow… I like it when you’re a whore.” Grinned Alex. Mary hit him on the arm, playfully.

“Sshh! The other’s will hear you.” She said. Alex shrugged his shoulders.

“Like they’d care.” He replied. Alex looked towards Shark and Gary, who were not too far ahead, when something, briefly, caught his eye; up on the glacial ridge. There was another hiker. He nudged Mary. “Look… there goes one of those hardcore freaks that Gary was telling us about.” Alex said, pointing towards a figure that was moving fast, high up on the rocky outcrop above them.

“They must be bloody mad.” Commented Mary.

“Yeah, they must be…” agreed Alex, watching the figure disappear out of view, behind some rocks. Up on the glacial ridge, Howard Trenton glanced quickly back at his prey, down below, walking the flat-lands. He smiled to himself, before moving on…

 

Gary Ackley felt the lace on his hiking boot come loose.

"Damn it." He said, quietly, before kneeling down and re-fastening his footwear. Alex and Mary strolled past him, arms around each other. He might be one of my best friends, but that girl is way too good for him, observed Gary. Still, she'll learn the hard way, once she realises just how petty, whinging, and self-pitying Alex can be. I don't think that a girl like Mary's gonna stand for that sort of behaviour for very long… Gary's thoughts were interrupted by Shark, a woman who he had first met a few months back, during a night’s binge-drinking down at 'The Stagecoach’. together with her friend, Deb Holloway. Gary had known Deb, a fellow punk, for years, ever since they were kids at school. Gary and Shark had got on well, right from the first moment that they met, but he was painfully aware that she was, according to Deb, still getting over her break-up with Mike Gudden, who had upped and left her to go and live with another woman, somewhere down south. As much as Gary had wanted to, he’d never gotten around to asking Shark out.

Shark put a hand on Gary's shoulder, just as he was getting back to his feet, having tied up his bootlace.

"Problems with your boots?" She asked. Gary smiled.

"Nah, just a loose lace. Nothing to worry about." He replied.

"Unlike our friend Alex there." Said, Shark, nodding towards the couple in front of them.

"What do you mean?" Gary asked, slightly puzzled as to what Shark meant.

"Have you not noticed the hiking boots that he's wearing?" She said. Gary looked at Alex's boots, but failed to see anything wrong with them.

"They look perfectly fine to me." He commented.

"Yep, they are perfectly fine, and that's the problem… those boots that Alex is wearing look brand-spanking new." Shark pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. He only bought them the day before last. I was with…"

"So he hasn't worn them in." Interrupted Shark. "Which means, in an hour or two, his feet are probably gonna start to blister." She advised. "Is this the first time that he's worn them, Gary?"

“Yeah, I think so… he didn't have them on yesterday, down at the pub." Gary replied. Shark rolled her eyes.

"Oh my word, this is going to be fun." She said. Gary looked ahead again, at Alex's new boots.

"Maybe he won't have a problem with them?" He wondered, hopefully. Shark gave him a glance that was full of skepticism.