Love and Lies

Chapter 8 - Town.

 The next two months passed quickly.

School was manic. We had tests in December so of course, the level of homework rose to at least a few pieces per night. It was getting stupid. And then we had to revise on top of that. I did a lot of it with William though, and somehow I didn’t mind it as much…..

Over the two months my crush grew and grew, up to a point where I was dreading being away from him. Ugh, I really needed to get a life. I couldn’t have feelings for William; I hardly knew him or anything about his past. But that didn’t matter, all that did was he was there with me. We spent more time together. I couldn’t help but get butterflies in my stomach every time he asked me back to his, or stare into his beautiful eyes. I couldn’t help it that my heart skipped a beat every time he said my name and that I dreamt about him every night. But I couldn’t quite ignore one thing. Almost every week he’d have a new cut, or a bruise. And every time I asked him he’d make up a petty excuse like he tripped over or walked into the door or fell off his bike. I knew they weren’t true. William wasn’t clumsy. That really fascinated me….. I would get so curious but I knew I shouldn’t go poking around in his business; after all, He might just have walked into a door or tripped over on the pavement. So I forgot about it most of the time.

The first strike.

 A normal Saturday morning. I went to his house with a bag full of homework and revision books. We worked our way through it at a steady pace, enjoying each other’s company. By the time we’d worked our way through Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Math and English work, we were tired and in need of food.

‘Hey, I want to get out of the house, want to go to town for lunch?’ William asked me as I packed my homework away and got out the rest of it.

‘Yeah sure, good idea.’ I replied and we headed off for town.

It was Saturday lunchtime, so of course town was busier than usual. The high street was packed and there was hardly enough room to walk around. Every café we passed was bursting; with every table taken, waiters running around like headless chickens and people queuing up outside the door. We passed Primark and William stopped walking. His eyes focused on someone in the distance.

‘Are….are you ok?!’ I asked him, not quite sure of what exactly he was doing.

‘Um...yeah, yeah I’m fine. Let’s um keep walking’ He said, his eyes still glued to something in the distance. Suddenly he diverted his gaze to the ground and walked on. ‘Gosh, it’s busy isn’t it? Every place is full up.’ He said still not looking up.

‘Yeah it is. I know this great little café just off the high street. My mum’s friend owns it and I don’t think it’ll be that full up. They do the best chocolate cake! Want to go there?’ I asked him, and he finally looked up.

‘Yeah that sounds great.’ He replied but he wasn’t concentrating. Something wasn’t right….

‘OK, it’s just through this alleyway’ I dragged him off down the alleyway. The shops stood tall all around us, each one towering over us. The end of the alleyway was light but the rest was darkish. I wasn’t scared of it though, I’d been down here many times by myself and I was perfectly fine with it. In fact, I found it strangely beautiful, the way it was cut off but was still part of town. Like I was the only one that knew about it.  ‘If we go through here it’ll bring us right out by it’ I replied when he started to look worried. ‘What’s wrong? Scared of alleyways?’ I asked, laughing.

‘No, it’s not that’ He looked backwards. I followed his gaze. A black figure stood in the entrance. I blinked but it was gone. I must have been seeing things…..

William picked up the pace and started walking faster, every few seconds checking over his shoulder at the entrance. I walked on, not quite knowing what was going on. I had the weird feeling I was being watched. We finally came out at the other end and the street was packed again. William took one step out into the high street and hastily disappeared back into the alleyway.

‘What’s wrong?!’ I asked him, wondering why he was acting like this.

‘Look, I’m going to tell you something. I need you to promise me you’ll do it.’ He said, worry in his eyes and his tone serious.

‘Fine, I promise, what do you want me to do?’ I asked.

‘I want you to run.’

‘What?!’

‘I want you to run. Run back down the alleyway, and walk the long way round. I’ll meet you in the café OK?’

What was he talking about?!

‘William…..’

‘No, Zara, please I need you to go. Right now. Don’t look back. ’ It was as if he was pleading me. He wasn’t saying it forcefully….no, he was begging me to do it.  He poked his head around the corner of the alley and then recoiled. ‘What’s the café name?’

‘But we just got here! I can’t go the long way! It’s right there, across the street. ‘Hannah’s’. See, right there.’ I pointed to it and he nodded. He grabbed hold of my hands and walked backwards, back down the alley. He grabbed my waist, turned me around and pushed me lightly down the alleyway.

‘Go, now. Run!’

So I did exactly what he said. I ran until I was out of the alleyway, not even looking back once. I did as he told me and walked all the way round to the café the long way and went in.

‘Hey Zara, long time no see eh? What can I get you?’ Hannah asked me the moment I walked in the door. Her long blond hair was tied back into a high ponytail and she had a pen and pad in her hand. ‘I’ll have the usual please, Times two.’ I replied and took a seat near the window.

‘Oh…. With someone are we?’ She winked at me and I laughed.

‘As a matter of fact yeah.’ I winked back and this time she laughed.

‘OK, I’ll just get that for you.’ She replied and walked off to the kitchen.

I sat in the seat, staring out of the window at the people who walked past. Everything looked out of place. I found myself getting very paranoid, glancing across the room at the other customers as it felt they were watching me. The crowds hurried along. Something made me feel restless…awkward. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  Then William walked out of the alleyway across the street.

Hobbling, one hand clutched round his stomach, the other over his mouth and nose. The people around him carried on regardless. He almost fell through the door.

‘William?! William! What’s wrong?!’ I asked, as he stumbled over to the seat opposite me. His hands were all cut, slashed in each direction, droplets of blood covering every inch of his pale hands. He cautiously removed his hand from his mouth and opened it to talk but blood came trickling out.

‘Oh my god. HANNAH!’

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