Sketch: All Tied Up With String #1 Read online

  "You're welcome. Now, stay still. I'm almost done."

  "I don’t feel so good…"

  "I told you. Blood loss. If you hold on, I can remedy that."

  "Please … please do. Hurry."

  Scott wobbled and flinched, his entire body now shot of any equilibrium. With a groan, he staggered to one knee and grunted. His mutilated arm fell beside him, the hand slapping the white canvas. Blood sprayed him in the face.

  "You useless piece of shit."

  Scott blinked, his gaze blurred.

  "All you had to do was stand still for one more moment. Just one, and you couldn’t do that."

  Scott fell onto his rump, his body giving out on him. A chill was now seizing his flesh. All other feeling had subsided. His eyelids grew heavy as Tabitha approached him.

  "The sketch is ruined. This always happens."

  "I … I want to go … go home."

  "What?"

  "I want … Verity. To see … Verity."

  "You're delirious too. The sad thing is, you almost brought her with you."

  Scott said nothing.

  "This was almost your daughter," she said, pointing to his skinned arm. "I would have skinned your daughter and made you watch. I would have taken my sweet time and watched you for every second of your discomfort. The spell would have rendered you useless to intervene. Well, like you are now, I suppose."

  "Wha…"

  "Thing is, the parents, or adults in general, they never last as long as their beloved children. I'm yet to discover why. Maybe it’s human emotion coming into play, maybe the child's subconscious isn't developed enough to succumb. Who knows? Humans are weak in general, it shouldn’t be a surprise."

  "You're … you're sick … sick."

  "No, I'm just curious. However, the fact you didn’t arrive with Verity was a major disappointment. You had promise, I'll give you that, but like so many before you, you failed at the important moment. You could have been something special, the first, even. If humanity had an epitaph, huh?"

  Scott rolled over, trying to escape, but he couldn’t move. He was rooted to the spot.

  "Don’t try to escape. It's pointless. Blood loss will kill you, but the spell will ensure you do so under my watchful gaze. And I'm not finished with you yet."

  As Scott felt his eyes closing, he saw Tabitha lift the scalpel up and dig into his chest.

  "Scott? Scott? You home?"

  Jay stepped over the threshold and paused, waiting. She knew she was overstepping her boundaries by walking into his house, but then he usually answered the door. After three knocks and no reply, his absence concerned her.

  The comfortable lounge spread out before her, silent and empty. Tidy; Verity's toys were all piled up in the corner, the carpet was fresh and hoovered, and the sofa cushions were plumped. Even his Xbox controllers were hidden away, their messy charger cables nowhere to be seen. Recent activity, and chores that sometimes slipped by with a child present.

  "Scott?"

  No answer.

  Jay took a couple of steps into the house. It had been two days since their uncomfortable chat on the doorstep. She was here to broach the subject of taking her daughter for the entire week, to ease up his schedule a little. She knew it was a lot to ask, but she was always willing to help Scott, despite their separation. Verity was their priority.

  Jay glanced up and narrowed her eyes. Something was off. Something was…

  New.

  There.

  Above the fireplace.

  Stepping around the sofa, she moved closer to the mantel, and smiled.

  "What in God's name…"

  A large, framed sketch of Scott stood proud on the wall. Aside from the head, which was still present with his adorable grin and concerning gaze, his entire body was skinned down to the muscle. His physique was spectacular, in a macabre kind of way. He looked like an inside-out bodybuilder. Jay moved a hand to her mouth and chuckled. Which video game was this based on? Splatterhouse? Resident Evil? She failed to recall.

  "His obsession with video games is unreal," she said aloud.

  She couldn’t remove her gaze from the sketch. Studying the detail, she marvelled at it. Whoever had drawn it was a great artist, every stroke was drawn with passion and verve. It really brought the image to life. Her eyes dropped to the mantel, and saw the business card there. Taking it between her fingers, she flipped it over. The card was plain white with three lines indented into it.

  Tabitha Kane. Artist. 07745493071.

  Which is when she had an idea.

  I wonder if she does princess drawings?

  Jay walked into the kitchen, scanning for her ex-partner. "Scott?"

  No answer.

  Fuck it.

  She removed her mobile phone from her handbag and dialled the number on the card. We have her for the week, she thought. I wonder if she has a slot. After a moment, it connected and began to ring. Verity will love this.

  After three beeps, someone answered.

  Jay swiped her hair behind her ear. "Yes, hello? I'd like to book an appointment, please. Yes, for me and my daughter, Verity."

  Cipher

  All Tied Up With String #2

  Available February 2017

  B-Side

  All Tied Up With String #3

  Available March 2017