“Alan? Are you out there, Alan?” She called. There was no reply. “Alan, come on, if you’re out there, can you just drop it with the stupid pranks? It’s too fucking cold to be stood out here on the doorstep.” Kate went on, but her plea was met with silence. She walked up the front pathway, to the gate. Again, Kate looked up and down the road. It was empty. “Alan? Alan?” She called. Nothing. I give up. I must have imagined that knock on the door after all. Weird, thought Kate, before heading back down the front path, and into the warmth of her home.

Kate Williams went into the lounge, and sat back down on the settee. Let’s try calling Alan again. Kate reached for her mobile phone; it was no longer on the sofa.

“I don’t understand. This is where I threw it down.” Puzzled Kate. She looked towards the floor, in case the phone had fallen off the sofa. It wasn’t there. Kate ran her fingers along the gaps between the settee seats, thinking that the mobile might have slipped into them. When that produced no result, she stood up, and pulled the seats away from the sofa. There was nothing underneath them. Kate got down onto her knees, running her hands along the back of the settee. Again, there was no sign of the mobile phone.

“I didn’t pick it up again after I threw it down… did I?” She said. “Or did I? No, I’m sure that I didn’t.” Kate stood back up, and scanned the lounge floor once more. She sank back to her knees again, this time looking underneath the sofa. The mobile phone wasn’t there. Kate was just in the process of getting back to her feet, when someone knocked on the front door again.

This time, Kate ran through the lounge and the hallway to the front door, yet when she opened it, once again there was nobody there. Kate lost her temper.

“Hey! Whoever you are out there… and I know you’re there somewhere… if you knock on my door one more time, I’ll be calling the coppers.” She shouted. Her voice echoed a little around the empty road, followed by a stubborn silence. Fucking kids… I bet it’s those fucking kids… the ones that are always hanging around down at the bottom of the street, outside the telephone box… the little bastards, guessed Kate. “If I find out who you are, I’ll string you up, you annoying little toss-pots.” Kate warned. She stood on the doorstep for a few more moments, before going back inside again, this time slamming the front door behind her. Kate bounced, angrily, back into the lounge. She turned off the light in the room, and then peered out, from behind the curtains, staring at the road outside. Come on… just try it again, you smelly little street rats… I’m waiting for you this time. Kate stood at the window, peeking out from the gap in the curtains, for five minutes, ten minutes, a quarter of an hour. Then she gave up her vigil.

“It’s probably past their bedtime now. Tossers.” Said Kate, as she switched the living room light back on. She was just about to resume her search for the missing mobile phone, when Kate heard its ringtone begin to play, from somewhere in the distance. “What the fuck?” She muttered. Kate walked in the direction of where the ringtone was sounding. This led her out of the lounge, down the hallway, and into the kitchen. Kate flicked at the kitchen light-switch, which failed to come on. “Fucking light-bulbs.” She cursed, continuing forward, towards the sound of her ringing mobile phone.

Kate followed the ringtone, and found herself at the fridge. She pulled open the door. Her mobile phone was inside, on top of a pizza box.

“How the hell did it get into here?” She asked, reaching for the phone. Kate pulled it from the fridge. It was Alan calling. She put the phone up to her ear and answered the call.

“Alan? Where are you?” She asked, in a stroppy voice.

“I’m upstairs.” Came a whispered reply. Then the line went dead. Kate froze for a few seconds. Whatever Alan’s up to, he’s freaking me out now. This joke has gone on far enough. Thought Kate. She walked away from the fridge, back through the darkened kitchen, and into the hallway. Kate reached the bottom of the staircase and looked up to the upstairs landing.

“Alan!” She shouted. “Alan, stop fucking around, and get down here now!” Kate ordered. A little jingle came from her mobile phone, indicating the arrival of a new text message. Kate opened up the phone’s inbox; there was a message from Alan, that read,

I’m in your bedroom. Hurry up. I want you. X. Kate grinned for a moment. The saucy bastard… she thought, but then something else crossed Kate’s mind, hang on… how the fuck did Alan get inside the house? She decided to ask him, by shouting up the stairs.

“How did you get in here, Alan?” Kate wanted to know. There was no reply from her lover. Another message pinged into Kate’s phone inbox. It was from Alan again.

Come upstairs, and I’ll reveal all. But only if you reveal all to me, first. X. Kate giggled, and shook her head.

“Alright, Alan. I’m coming to get you!” She shouted, before climbing the stairs. “I hope that you’ve got a good excuse for being so late, too. I thought you’d stood me up…” Kate Williams continued. She got to the top of the stairs, and walked along the landing, to her room. Before Kate went inside, she undid a couple of buttons on her blouse, revealing a fair bit of cleavage. A warm, pleasant sensation began to spread between the top of Kate’s legs. She entered the bedroom…

Chapter Sixteen

Mary Broderick had been waiting all night to take issue with her new boyfriend, Alex Crennell. The opportunity came when Gary Ackley left the pub table in order to buy another round of drinks, and the scary-looking, blonde-haired young woman called ‘Shark’ wandered off to the ladies toilets, at the same time.

“What the fuck is going on, Alex?” Mary spat. “You didn’t mention anything about Gary and… that woman… walking the Black Pathway with us. I thought that we were going on our own!” Alex tried to placate his girlfriend with a smile.

“Hey, what could I say? Gary said that he wanted to come, too. He loves getting out and about. He’s my best friend, Mary. I couldn’t turn him down.” Replied Alex. Please, Mary, please just say that you don’t want to do that fucking walk any more… I’ll be able to get out of it too, and without losing face. Fuck it if Howard Trenton has got one over on me. I don’t really care now… the more I think about it, the more I’m actually dreading three days spent out in the freezing cold, surrounded by fucking mountains… “You do still want to come, don’t you?” Alex enquired. Please say ‘no’. Please say ‘no’, Mary…

“Of course I still want to do the walk, Alex.” Mary replied. Alex felt his heart sink. “It’s just… it’s not Gary. I like Gary. But Shark? She’s weird. And why is she called Shark?” Wondered Mary.

“By all accounts, she’s a bit of a biter.” Smirked Alex.

“A biter?” Mary replied, puzzled.

“Yeah, you know… a biter. In bed. She likes to, well… bite.” Alex said. Mary shifted uncomfortably on her seat.

“Oh. I see.” Mary commented, her face flushing a little red in colour.

“So, you’re still okay about doing the Black Pathway then? Because if you’re not happy about Shark joining us, we could always put it off until…”

“Yeah, I’m fine about it.” Answered Mary, waving her hand. She sighed. “The more the merrier, I suppose.”

“Exactly!” Exclaimed Alex, wearing a false, enthusiastic expression. “Exactly.” He repeated, trying to convince himself that walking the Black Pathway was going to be even more fun now that Gary and Shark were also on board.

***

Kate Williams entered her bedroom, which was bathed in darkness. She reached toward the light-switch and pushed it. Light filled the room. Kate looked towards the bed, expecting to see Alan there, but the room appeared to be empty. Kate turned towards a large wardrobe at the other end of her bedroom.