Page 23 (1/2)

Hater David Moody 19660K 2023-08-31

The lobby is silent I shut the door to the flat behind me, lock it and cautiously look around I&039;ve told Liz to make a safe room like they said on TV and then to shut herself and the kids in it The living room is the obvious place She&039;s closed the curtains and they&039;ve turned the TV do From outside it looks like no-one&039;s in

I open the front door and cringe as the usual loud creaking sound echoes around the insides of the e

&039;Is anyone there?&039; a voice hisses from the darkness upstairs I freeze and try not to panic What do I do? I want to keepbut I can&039;t My fa that someone else is in here with the for et to Lizzie and the kids But ould they have shouted out like that? I let the door go and it creaks again as it swings shut I take a fe steps back into the shadows and, for a second, I think about going back into the flat I know that&039;s not going to achieve anything I have to go out and get Harry at some point

&039;Who&039;s there?&039; I hiss back, cursinglike a character in a bad horror movie You&039;re supposed to run away from the monster, I tell myself, not move towards it

&039;Up here,&039; the voice answers I look up towards the top of the staircase and the first floor landing There&039;s a face staring back at me from between the metal struts of the banister It&039;s one of the men from the flat on the top floor I don&039;t knohether it&039;s Gary or Chris I start to cautiously cli when the steps beneath my feet become tacky The floor&039;s covered in sticky puddles of blood The round in front of runts and rolls over onto his back His jeans and T-shirt are soaked through with blood He turns his head to one side and e me He relaxes, relieved that someone&039;s finally with him I suppose He&039;s in a realI can do for him or aasps, propping himself up onto his elbows &039;I&039;ve been stuck here for hours I heard soet&039; He stops speaking and collapses and lies flat on his back again The effort is too les and rasps There must be blood in his throat What aot a clue how to try and help hiet you back upstairs?&039; I ask uselessly He shakes his head and ss to clear his throat

&039;No point,&039; he groans as he tries to prop hiain I put my hand on his shoulder to keep hio up to the flat and get me a beer?&039;

His eyes flutter for a second and I wonder if he&039;s about to go I get up quickly and climb the stairs to the top floor flat he shares with the otherthe hallway and into the living rooly clean and well-kept Don&039;t knohy I expected anything else really There&039;s an upturned table in the middle of the room and next to it a smashed lamp There&039;s a video camera on a tripod next to a co the leather sofa and and I realise that I&039; out the flat while one of its occupants lies dying at the bottoo to the kitchen and grab a bottle of beer froe I open it and run back down to the o,&039; I say as I hold the bottle up to his es to s Most of it seems to run down his chin When I move the bottle away I see that its neck is covered in blood from his lips What aood He moans with pain whenever I touch hi and there&039;s absolutely nothing I can do to help hi who did this to him or if there&039;s anyone I can try and contact - the sudden exit of his lover / friend / business partner early this uilt I feel terrible as I stand next to hi at my feet But what else can I do?

&039;I&039;ll go and get help,&039; I say quietly, crouching down closer to hiet any of his blood on o and find someone who&039;ll be able to help you&039;

He licks his blood-stained lips, ss and shakes his head

&039;Too late now,&039; he wheezes Everye amounts of pain I wish he&039;d just shut up and lie still but he won&039;t He has so ain and stares straight into my face

&039;Just keep still and&039; I start to say