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The Queen of Hearts

Chapter seventeen

Zach had stayed up all night, but he had finally done it, he finally had a lead to follow.

There had been fingerprints on the letter and they had been traced, but the address that was listed had been wrong. When he had visited, he’d found only an elderly couple. But they had given him a bit of info, a town which the previous resident had moved to and he figured it was a good a place to look as any.

The town was a good hour’s drive away and Zach set off as soon as possible, making sure he had a gun safely tucked in the holster at his shoulder. He didn’t want to face a possible murderer unarmed, especially since the guy had kidnapped the boy he loved.

He hadn’t told anyone at the station where he was going, simply slipping out without a word, taking all the paperwork he’d found on the guy with him. At least he had a picture to go on, so he’d know who the killer was when he found him.

Zach couldn’t stop thinking about Madison, couldn’t stop wondering if the boy was already dead. He found himself drifting into thoughts of arriving to see Madison’s cold, dead body with a man standing over him laughing. The thoughts were so chilling they made him feel ill. He was sick with worry, worried that he wouldn’t get there in time, that he would never be able to see the boy smile again. All he wanted to do was take Madison home, hold him close and never let go.

He was determined. Even if it cost him his own life…if he could save Madison, he would.

His fingers were shaking as he brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it. He wasn’t sure if it was the cold, or because he was deathly afraid of never finding the boy he loved. Either way, it was a horrible feeling.

The hand that gripped the wheel of the car was so tight his knuckles were white, a reminder to how tense, how worked up he had made himself, how determined he was not to fail.

Some time later, he found himself entering the town he’d been heading for and he was surprised to find it mostly empty. The streets were laid with fresh, untouched snow, indicating that no vehicles had driven down them in some time.

The houses were old and falling to pieces, most made of wood that had long since rotted. It looked…and felt, like a ghost town.

A few minutes past the rows of houses, Zach came to an area where the streets were lined with small shops and he decided to pull the car over and continue on foot to find any signs of life. His boots crunched in the snow as he stepped out of the car and the chill instantly set in, making him wrap his jacket tighter around him.

Even the town centre seemed deserted. The shops were mostly boarded up, pieces of wood falling off of rotten door frames, jagged pieces of glass hanging from smashed windows. It was a far cry from the home town that he had left and he soon found himself desperate to get back.

It seemed like forever before he came to the end of a long row of shops and found a pick up truck sitting on the side of the street, the tire tracks coming from the other direction. After some searching, he found the owner inside a little shop, one with dusty, forgotten shelves and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

“Hello?” Zach began warily as he entered the shop. The man- old and white haired with a long, scraggly beard- turned to face him, an eyebrow raised.

“What a surprise,” the old man said, taking his dark, beaten hat off of his head, “Never expect to see any folks around here, not since everyone left. What do you want, sonny?”

Zach paused, glancing around briefly at the old shop. It had long since been abandoned, with what looked like rotting food sitting on some of the shelves and there was an ancient cash register on a tall table next to where the old man stood. The blond had to wonder if he was there to loot the place, but then, he reminded himself, he didn’t care, he was there to save Madison.

“Hi, my name is Zach Todd…I’m here looking for someone.”

The old man scratched his head with long, bony fingers.

“Not been any people round here in a long time.”

A pang of fear clutched Zach’s heart. If the man was telling the truth, then it meant that his lead had been completely false…and he was no closer to finding Madison than he had been.

“What happened to everyone?” he heard himself ask and he turned his head to stare out of the grubby window at the snow laden street.

“Mostly people ran scared. They all believed this town was cursed. Young men kept disappearing and then turning up dead.”

It was too much of a coincidence. Zach fished the picture out of his pocket, his fingers aching from the cold, and he held it out to the old man.

“Do you know this man?”

The pensioner took the picture and stared down at it for a few moments, scratching his head.

“Yeah I know him. His father used to be the town’s doctor until he mysteriously died. His boy, Adam they called him, never left the place. He stayed on after everyone left, over at the old mansion. But the loneliness has really gotten to him, I wouldn’t recommend going anywhere near the place.”

Zach took back the picture, shoving it into his pocket with almost shaking fingers.

“I have to. He took something…very important to me.”

The old man nodded, seemingly knowing what he was talking about.

“Then you’d best be findin’ him. Take a left at the crossroads, continue out for about five minutes til you get to a pair of tall, rusty gates. Blackfield Manor it used to be, that’s where you’ll find him. But I don’t suggest you go unarmed Mr…Todd, was it?”

The blond nodded. “I’m a police officer.”

“Best of luck to you, young man,” the pensioner said as Zach moved towards the door. “I hope you get back what you’re after.”

“Thanks.”

He was growing more and more anxious about what was coming. As he slipped back into his car to follow the directions the old man had given him, he could feel a pounding in his head that echoed the heavy beating of his heart and he knew it was fear. It was like so many horror movies that he’d seen- the setting, the atmosphere and one psychotic killer, and while the movies usually had a happy ending, there was always much bloodshed along the way.

The gates were standing open as he finally reached the Manor and he pulled the car into the long drive, slowing as he saw another vehicle before the wide steps leading to the building. He decided to park off to one side, beneath the shade of some overgrown trees, so anyone looking out of the windows wouldn’t be able to spot him.

Dead leaves crunched beneath his feet as he walked towards the building, opting to stay under cover as much as he could. He didn’t want the killer to know he was coming and give him time to prepare an ambush. Zach’s mind was solely on Madison and he knew that would probably ender up hindering his concentration.

As he pushed open the heavy door at the front of the building, it creaked loudly and he had to stop, wondering if the killer could have heard it. Silence greeted him from inside and he stepped through the doorway, finding himself in the entrance hall.

There were footsteps in the mud tracked in onto the floors. One was large, seemingly made by heavy boots, but the other was smaller, thinner, made by what looked like sneakers. Were they Madison’s, he had to wonder, but he wasn’t going to stay there and think about it, in plain view of anyone.

As he set off towards the stairs, he was unaware of a pair of dark eyes watching him from the upper floor. Said eyes narrowed angrily with a murderous gleam before the figure slipped away, heading soundlessly down the corridor.

Madison had just drifted into sleep when the door was roughly yanked open and a dark figure loomed in the doorway. It took him a few moments to realise who it was, but by then the killer had grasped him by the arm, yanking him to his feet roughly.

“Stay quiet or I’ll cut your tongue out,” the man hissed, dragging Madison along the corridor towards a staircase that lead down into darkness. “How did he find me? Why is he here to ruin my plans?!”

Madison fought to stay quiet as he was dragged down a stone staircase by the harsh grip on his arm that threatened to pop his other shoulder out of joint. It hurt so intensely, but the words the man had just said served as a distraction. Someone was there…to rescue him? Perhaps it would all finally be over.

“I’ve seen you with him,” the killer growled, “that blond cop. You slept with him didn’t you? Well he’s going to die, long and slow…and you’re going to watch.”

Zach. Zach had come to save him, but he couldn’t help but think how stupid the man had been. Now it wasn’t just Madison in danger, it was the both of them, and the killer had the advantage of knowing every inch of the place. It hurt to think of anything happening to Zach, and Madison prayed the man would, when he couldn’t find him, give up and go home.

The killer was still babbling about murdering the blond as they reached the bottom of the staircase and he lead Madison across into what looked like a dungeon and shoved him inside.

It was filthy, disgusting. The stone floor was caked with dirt and grime and he could have sworn he’d seen a rat scurrying towards a crack in the wall. There was an old pile of straw in the corner, which Madison was pushed onto.

“You’re staying here until I get that bastard. Then I’m coming back for you.”

“Please!”

Madison shifted up onto his knees to scramble towards the man and he clutched at his pant leg desperately.

“Please don’t hurt him, please! I love him…please…”

He turned his grey eyes up to the killer’s only to find an angry glare on the other’s face. It was sheer desperation that caused him to shift, pressing his head on the brunette’s thigh, not caring that he was a man that had murdered his best friend. All he cared about at that moment was saving Zach.

“Bitch!” the killer hissed, suddenly backhanding Madison round the face so hard that he fell on his side. “You can’t love him! You’re mine!”

He gave the boy a harsh kick in the side before storming out of the room, slamming the door closed.

It was a while before Madison could move and when he did, there was an intense pain in his chest that made him sure that one or a few of his ribs were cracked. The man was inflicting more and more injuries upon him- it made him wonder how much more he could take.

It took some time for Madison to get to his feet. He had to keep pausing as the pain overwhelmed him, rushing to his head and causing the room to spin around him. There was one thought going over and over in his head- that Zach was probably going to die.

He had been too weak, when he should have been strong. He should have kicked out with all his might and done all that he could to stop the killer, even if it meant his own life. His life didn’t matter. As long as he could protect the man he loved, he would do anything, but it was too late. He was locked behind bars while the killer rampaged around the building, stalking Zach like he was prey.

Madison could do nothing except lean his back against the wall by the door, taking deep breaths as he tried to ignore the pain. His wrist was throbbing, all red and swollen and his shoulder ached fiercely. But now he had another injury to add to the list and his chest hurt with such intensity that it made spots dance in front of his eyes.

Eventually, he sank to the floor by the door, moaning softly at the pain. His eyes stared around him, head lolling back against the wall as he felt almost too weak to hold it up.

A few moments later, he heard the sound of footsteps outside the room and tensed, sure that the killer had returned. His only thought was to pray that the man hadn’t found Zach and had returned unsuccessful in his hunt.

But instead of keys at the lock, he looked to one side and saw hands wind round the bars on the small window set into the door and Madison shifted forward to eventually see a worried face.

“Zach,” he breathed, so happy and utterly relieved to see the man.

“Madison! Oh my God…you’re alive. Jesus, look what he’s done to you…”

The boy knew he looked like a complete mess. He had lost weight since he’d been captured and his skin had taken on a sickly paleness. He was streaked with dust and dirt that clung not only to him, but the dress he was wearing. His long hair was wild around his head, messy from not being washed and from being pulled so constantly by the killer. And then there were his various injuries. All in all, he truly looked as if he had been through the wars.

“Zach you have to go,” Madison pleaded, struggling to his feet, “he’s looking for you…when he finds you, he’s going to kill you.”

He took hold of the blond’s hand through the bars, happy just to finally feel him, remember that he was real.

“Don’t worry, I’m armed.”

“Please!”

Madison could feel the tears beginning to run down his cheeks. The sheer thought of Zach being murdered, especially after he had finally seen him, was too awful to think about. But it was possible…anything was possible.

“Please leave me…please go…I don’t know what I’d do if he got you.”

“I can’t leave you.” Zach’s face was deathly serious. “I can’t and I won’t. I love you Madison, I’ll do whatever I can to save you.”

“Please…”

Madison broke down in tears, the pain and the sorrow overwhelming him. It was almost too late when he noticed shadows moving behind Zach and his eyes widened in shock.

“Zach! Look out!”

But it had been too late. The killer approached the detective with a heavy object in his hands and he brought it down on the blond head with a loud thunk. Zach’s hand slipped from Madison’s own as the man slumped to the floor and the boy couldn’t help the anguished scream that fell from his lips.

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