The Perfect Victim by David Sodergren

Author:David Sodergren [Sodergren, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paperbacks and Pugs
Published: 2021-07-18T22:00:00+00:00

14

The smell was getting worse.

It had gone from a pungent sweet odor to a foul stench like the outdoor toilets at a festival. Now it was akin to raw meat on a hot summer’s day. Flies buzzed around Jill’s body. Katy imagined there were maggots there too, feasting on the decaying flesh of her friend. Somehow, she could feel the smell on her skin. How long would they keep them both down here? Surely at some point they’d have to… dispose of Jill.

Or you.

She shivered. She had seen their faces now. All of them. Four kidnappers, two of them murderers, and she could identify each one by face and name.

Things were not looking good.

They would kill her. There was no doubt in her mind. She would serve her sad little purpose, and then they would slaughter her like they had Jill. Sixteen years old, and her life was over. Her chance to escape had passed, as fleeting as a shooting star lighting up the night sky.

So what now? You gonna lie here and wait to die?

She looked at the steps that led up to the door. There were thirteen of them. She knew this, because she had counted them over and over. When you’re trussed up in a murder-cellar, you gotta make your own entertainment.

Thirteen steps, but there may as well have been a thousand. Even if she could somehow stand and make her way up, the door was locked. She needed the key. Which of the kidnappers kept it? Probably Baxter. Unless they all had a copy? Varg had come in last night as they tried to flee. She didn’t want to think about why he was coming to see them by himself.

What are you doing? You’ve already tried and failed to get out. Consider it a lesson learned. Play along with them, do what they say, and you still stand a chance.

It was sage advice. But this was no longer about escaping. This was about—

What?

She wasn’t sure.

Revenge?

Maybe. As crazy as it sounded, yeah, why not? Revenge. They had butchered Jill. They deserved it.

They’ll kill you.

So? She was going to die here. There was no sense in believing otherwise. A murder witness could not be allowed to live. And when you’ve nothing left to lose, and your back’s against the wall…

Don’t be an idiot.

Too late for that.

So what are you going to do, huh? You’re tied up, alone.

Okay, so there was no way to free herself. She would have to get someone else to do it for her. But who?

A key fidgeted in the lock. She waited — for what else could she do? — as the door opened and a dark figure stood silhouetted against the hallway light. Corvo. She could tell by his size. He came down the stairs slowly.

“Hey,” he said. “Bax wants to see you.” He sounded apologetic, and it infuriated her.

“Couldn’t he come visit himself?”

Corvo kneeled by the mattress. “I’m sorry about your friend. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It’s just Varg, you know.

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