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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

‘Mum!’ Angel let out a scream and Sasha turned at the top of the stairs, saw Ian Carrington staggering behind Karin.

Knife still in her hand, she waited for Karin to rush past, but instead Karin told her urgently, ‘Make sure they’re safe.’

And then she shoved Sasha, causing her to stagger backwards through the open door. ‘No!’

Karin slammed the door in her face, sliding the bolt home on the inside.

‘Karin!’ Sasha shouted, pounding on the door with her fists. ‘Open up!’

She heard Karin’s body thump against the door as Ian smashed her against it, and heard his rasping voice.

‘I wanted to humiliate you,’ he told Karin. ‘I wanted to make you suffer for what you did, but now I’m just going to kill you.’

Sasha heard Karin cry out. She slammed her fists against the cellar door as the kids disappeared into the glare of sunshine. A moment later, a familiar face appeared.

‘Over here,’ she screamed, slamming her shoulder against the door again and again as Craig Power ran to her. ‘We need to get this open – right now!’

61

His hands around her neck, squeezing so tightly that she couldn’t breathe, Karin felt her life ebbing away and knew there was nothing she could do about it.

She and Becky would finally be reunited in death.

Pressed against the wall, an explosion of shape and colour filling the inside of her skull, his fingers digging into the meat of her throat, her thoughts became sluggish.

What little light there was in the room seemed to dim, so that all she could see was Ian Carrington’s grimacing face, like an angry mask; lips curled back in concentration, teeth clenched. She felt his hot, panting breath on her cheeks as his strong hands tightened inexorably around her neck. One of her feet twisted off the edge of a stair but, pinned against the brick, she was unable to fall.

She was dimly aware of voices on the other side of the door and a ferocious pounding against the wood. Karin, the voices called from very far away, we’re coming.

But it wouldn’t be soon enough.

There was a pipe sticking out of the brick at her side and when her fingers brushed across it, it moved. Karin plucked at it, feeling the way it rattled in the loose cement.

Vicious thuds made the door shake. Once, twice, three times. The wood bulged and the rusted bolt shuddered, but the door held fast.

Ian’s face was pressed close to hers. Me and you, his voice was like an echo from another room, we’ll die together, me and you.

And she realized – maybe it would be her final thought – that those three kids, Sammi, Lucas, Angel, were alive, and he couldn’t touch them now.

They were alive because of what she did.