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Back The Bad Place Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. THE BAD PLACE
  3. Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the author
  72. An Invitation from the Publisher

‘I’d be grateful if you didn’t tell anyone you saw me.’

‘I’m going to miss you.’

‘Hey, miss!’ called a voice. Distracted, she looked across the street and saw Lucas, his face obscured every few moments by the cars that whipped past.

‘Who’s that?’ asked Simon.

‘A boy from my class.’

Lucas stood at the edge of the pavement trying to get across, impatiently waiting for a gap in the stream of traffic. One, two, three vehicles passed. And then a gap opened up and he stepped off the pavement—

Just as a car screeched to a halt beside him and someone jumped out. Lucas staggered back, confused by the figure in a balaclava who stabbed something into his arm.

Karin watched in horror, trying to see what was happening as cars roared past, one after the other, obscuring her view.

‘Stop him!’ Karin screamed. ‘Stop him!’

Lucas’s legs buckled and his limp figure was gathered up by the masked figure. Karin only saw flashes as he was lifted into the back of the car, watched by a bewildered group of children. Then the figure, face hidden, ran to the driver’s side.

But Simon pulled back his shoulders, letting the heavy backpack fall to the pavement, and ran into the road. A car skidded to a halt in front of him, horn blaring, and he rolled across the bonnet in a fluid movement, landing on his feet. Simon grabbed the figure as he was climbing behind the wheel, but the driver punched him low in the gut. The wind knocked out of him, he doubled over. The figure lifted a leg and kicked him into the road.

Karin watched helplessly as Simon flew into the path of a van. There was a sickening crunch as he was hit at high speed. The van skidded left and right as the driver panicked, smashing into parked cars. Glass exploded, metal screeched, alarms shrieked. Simon spun in mid-air, rolled along the road – and lay still.

The car taking Lucas accelerated away down the road; Karin heard it skid around a corner and out of sight even above the sound of screaming children. She ran to Simon, who was splayed in the middle of the road.

‘Someone call an ambulance,’ she shouted at the crowd of kids. ‘Now!’

Simon wasn’t moving, she couldn’t find a pulse.

Happening again; it was happening again.

29

Simon was taken away in an ambulance and the street cordoned off so that officers could search for evidence. Lucas’s school bag was collected, but the syringe witnesses had seen the driver use to subdue him wasn’t found.