“We can’t have that, Alex! We can’t have Mary and her pals finding their way back onto the Black Pathway Trail! I tell you something, Alex… I should kill you just for having brought that little know-all Gary Ackley up on the trail with you. Things would have been a lot simpler without that smart-arse on board.” Howard laughed. “Fuck, he’s the only one of you that actually knows what they’re doing. Not to worry. We’ll pick him off, soon enough, and then that’ll just leave Mary and that other girl… what’s her name again? Ah, that’s it… Shark… stupid fucking name. Yeah, once Gary’s gone, taking out Mary and Shark will be a piece of piss. I’m looking forward to it. This is my last party, Alex, my last little party, and it’s really good to have you all up here, along with me.” Said Howard. He stopped walking for a moment; Alex’s body was slipping off Howard’s bony shoulder. Howard leaned his neck a little to one side, and tilted his shoulder bone upwards, which secured Alex again. “That’s better.” Commented Howard. He walked a few more yards, until he was at the edge of the forest, then turned left, following the scent of the three individuals that he was hunting down.

Howard strided forward, taking large, confident steps, quickening his pace. He took another sniff of the air.

“They’re not very far in front of us now, Alex. We’re going to have to take a quick detour in a minute, through the forest, so that we can get ahead of them without being seen. We’ve got a lot to get done… damn you, Alex, you really do make everything so difficult at times… can I let you into a secret, my friend? I’m not even sure if I’m going to kill you, anymore. Do I? Don’t I? Do I? Don’t I? And as for Mary, well… I’m even beginning to wobble a bit about her now, and do you know why, Alex? Do you want to know why? Because I can think of something even worse to do to her, that’s why. Yep, something even worse than just cutting her throat, or strangling her, or pounding her to death with my fists and my feet… no, that’s the easy way out. Mary should be made to really suffer, the fucking witch… it’s only fair. She led me on, Alex, she led me on, and then she turned on me, rejected me. She made me think that she was interested in me, but it was all some stupid sort of game. Nah, death… it’s too quick, too clean, too easy. I think I’ve got something much better in mind for dear, pretty, precious Mary.” Howard smirked.

Alex Crennell began to wake up, his head pounding from the beating that he’d taken off Howard Trenton. Both of his eyes were already turning black, his nose, broken, still dripped with blood. Alex’s mouth felt completely numb; he didn’t realise that Howard had kicked out most of his teeth. Where the fuck am I? Oh shit… it’s Howard… he’s carrying me over his fucking shoulder. The top half of Alex’s body dangled down across Howard Trenton’s back. Howard’s overcoat was twisted slightly, and Alex noticed a knife-handle jutting out of one of the pockets. His hand began to creep towards the blade.

“I tell you what’s going to happen to Mary, Alex.” Said Howard, oblivious to the fact that Alex was now conscious. “I’m going to have sex with her. Just like my father did with my mom. I’m going to have sex with Mary Broderick, and, in thirteen months time, she’ll give birth to our baby. That’s how long my mother was pregnant with me, Alex; thirteen months. It works different with… well, people like me. I’m going to have sex with Mary Broderick, but she won’t even know that we’ve fucked, because, well, it’s not how my kind do that sort of thing. There’s no… fucking, as such. Not when we reproduce. It doesn’t happen that way. No, I’ll give Mary the good hiding that she’s got coming to her, then I’ll make her pregnant, and then she’ll have to bring up my child, all on her own. Hey! I’ll have a legacy! I’ll…”

“Crazy fucking CUNT!” Screamed Alex Crennell, before plunging the knife deep into Howard Trenton’s lower back, and as soon as he did this, his captor went crashing to the ground like a sack of bricks.

***

Mary, Shark, and Gary all turned around at the sound of shouting, coming somewhere from behind them.

“Fuck, did you hear that?” Asked Gary.

“Yeah, I heard it. It sounds like people fighting or something. Do you think…”

“I think that we need to get out of this place as fast as we can.” Said Gary, alarmed. “Come on, let’s pick up our pace.” He went on.

“But what if it’s someone in trouble?” Wondered Mary.

“I don’t care. We’re in enough trouble ourselves, without having to worry about other people. Whatever’s going on back there doesn’t sound good. Let’s just keep out of it and get ourselves back on the Black Pathway, before it gets dark.” Whispered Gary. A short, sharp scream pierced the mist-shrouded, late afternoon sky. Gary looked down at his hands; they were shaking. “Come on, girls, faster. We need to move.” He instructed. Shark and Mary did as Gary asked, both of them picking up their pace. Mary looked back over her shoulder, but all she could see was mist. A cold chill ran up her spine, and she turned back to her friends.

“How far do you think it is until we turn north?” She asked Gary.

“We must be close. Look, I know that you’re frightened. So am I, and I don’t mind admitting it. Just focus on where we’ve got to get to. We’ll be okay, Mary, I promise.” Gary assured the young woman. I shouldn’t make promises that I’m not sure I can keep, thought Gary Ackley, privately.

***

Howard Trenton sat in the mud, cross-legged, next to the dead body of Alex Crennell, his knife still protruding from Alex’s left eye. Howard shook his head slowly, from side to side, glancing sidewards towards Alex.

“You always were a sly little fucker, Alex.” He said, grinning. Howard put his hand on the puncture wound to his back. He brought the hand back around and examined it; his palm and fingers were covered in thick, sticky blood. “You did a number on me there, Alex. That was a real good shot, you sneaky piece of shit. Well done! Who knows, I might even bleed to death out here now, because of you. Or maybe I won’t. I hope not, because I’m looking forward to having a play with lovely Mary. Hey, perhaps I could play with the other girl too… what’s her name again? Whale? Dolphin?” Howard tutted, then slapped himself on the forehead, leaving a blooded palm-print on it. “No, silly me, it’s Shark… yeah, maybe I’ll have a little bit of fun with her, too. Why not?” Said Howard. He twisted his body around, so that he was on all fours, and then crawled over to Alex. Howard pulled the knife from out of Alex’s eye-socket, and a small fountain of blood spurted up into the air. Howard put the knife back into his coat pocket, and then began dragging Alex’s body towards him. A few moments later, Howard was upright, and once again carrying Alex Crennell over his shoulder. He walked off, in the direction of the others, leaving a trail of blood, oozing from his back, behind him.

***

Detective Tom Grogan, together with two other armed policemen, reached the stone-bridge on top of Leeton Hill. It was almost five o’clock in the afternoon. Tom was on the phone to Kevin Burrows.

“Have they got any helicopter support sorted out yet, Kev?” He asked his colleague.

“Yeah, there’s one flying out from Salegate in the next half hour. They should be in your area at around five forty five.” Kevin Burrows informed him. Tom looked ahead, at the mist.

“Good. Not sure how much help it’s gonna be though, what with this mist… did you get that weather forecast for me, Kevin?”

“Yep. Clear skies by around seven tonight. Of course, we can’t be specific about the moor and mountains…”

“Yeah, I know that. At least we might get a bit more visibility. It’s pretty treacherous up here at the moment.” Replied Tom.

“The two search teams from Knighton left just under an hour ago, by the way. If Howard Trenton’s up there on the Black Pathway, as that journal of his suggested he would be, then we’re gonna catch him.” Said Kevin.