All The Lonely People - David Owen Page 0,84

promised we would retaliate if you continued to attack us. You didn’t take us seriously.’

What enemy was he speaking to? Whatever enemy he had invented in his mind to justify his hatred, to turn it back on the world.

‘You bitches, who spout your anti-male propaganda, need to learn that there are consequences,’ he said, walking around the back of the chair, within inches of where Kat was helplessly crouched.

Tinker was trying to talk through the gag, a single repeated word that sounded like please.

‘You try to emasculate us. You want to tear us down from our rightful place in the world and make us your slaves. Most of the world might be fooled, and that is why we who see the truth must fight back to realise our potential. We’re going to send a message. And you can help us decide what it’ll be.’

Again, Kat reached for the keys, willing her fingers to find a grip on reality. She managed to knock them to the floor, but from there no amount of concentration allowed her to pick them up. The chains, holding Tinker tight even as she struggled, passed clean through Kat’s hands. She began to cry, roaring in frustration at her futility.

‘There’s a lot of people threatening us or telling us to stop,’ said Justin, reading the livestream chat on his own phone. ‘But there’s a few actual ideas coming in.’

Holding the screen for Tru to see, Justin looked so relieved that it was working, that he had something to contribute.

‘These are all great suggestions,’ Tru said.

Kat fought the urge to be sick. People watching this live were actually egging them on. They had to think it was all a joke, a publicity stunt. Surely those people didn’t believe it was real, didn’t want to play any part in causing pain.

‘Let’s start with something simple.’ Tru walked across to the cardboard boxes, and he leaned down to tear the tape from the top box. From inside he produced a pair of hair clippers. ‘We’ll get rid of this slut’s pretty hair.’

He wielded the clippers like a pistol, laughing as he set them buzzing. Behind the camera Luke laughed too, wide-eyed as if he had never been so entertained, while Justin wiped sweat from his forehead. Tinker whined and gnashed, thrashing her shoulders uselessly against the chains.

From the floor, Kat watched in despair. She had let fear of being alive get the better of her, let herself fade away almost to nothing, and now it had stopped her from saving Tinker, of doing any good in the world. Kat squeezed her eyes shut in revulsion and shame.

A metallic bang rattled around the unit. The clippers ceased buzzing as they all turned to see the shutter behind them ripple slightly.

‘It’s nothing,’ said Luke, but the shake in his voice betrayed him.

Another blow against the shutter, harder this time, followed by another and another. The plates of the metal clanked and roiled in angry waves.

‘What the hell is that?’ said Tru, pulling away from his captive.

Kat stood, a smile of hope breaking across her face at the sight of the bucking shutter. Somebody had come to help.

35

Life Buoy

They drove as fast as Jordan dared, the old car juddering and swaying as Wesley called directions and they swerved through traffic.

‘How do you know where we’re going?’

‘I just do!’

Kat’s presence was calling to him, a ship’s light on his horizon, but there was no way he could pinpoint it yet. As they drove he had started to call the police, before realising he wouldn’t know where to send them. All he could do was feel her presence growing closer and guide them towards it. Find Kat, and he would find the attackers.

‘I should never have left,’ said Jordan.

‘At least you’re here now.’

They ran through a red light, narrowly avoiding being side-swiped by a van. Its angry beeping fell quickly behind them.

‘It was hard, being around after what Dad said.’ Jordan gripped the wheel hard. ‘I hated you for it. And if Dad thought I was the bad one, I was going to live up to it. I should have shown you a better way, but I didn’t know it myself.’

‘Did Dad show you how to drive like this?’ said Wesley, pinned back in his seat.

‘No, this was all me.’

Another corner, and Wesley shouted ‘Here!’ pointing to the fast-approaching entrance of a storage warehouse.

The car tremored as Jordan slammed the brakes, turning them onto the track between a long boulevard of outdoor units like oversized

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