Collecting Scars (21 page)

Xavier twisted his face, scrunching his brows. What was his mother saying? Had she finally lost the plot? Again he gently put his hand to his mother's head.

“Oh Mum, did you hit your head? I'll take you to the hospital.” He took her elbow and moved to turn her towards the door. That was the only explanation, his poor mother.

“No Xavier, stop!”

“But Mum,” Xavier looked at her sadly. “Maddie's gone, Mum.” He pleaded, looking into her sad broken eyes. “She's not coming back. Asha,” he hung his head. “The police are looking for Asha, I know you like her Mum. I do too.”

“You don't understand Xavier,” his mother insisted, raising her voice. “Maddie has been locked away, all this time. She is in the shed.”

“No Mum.” Xavier was so confused at what his mum was saying. “What shed? What are you talking about?”

“Your father, he has Maddie locked away Xavier and now he has Asha too. We have to help them, we have to get them out of there. I'm scared he's going to kill them both.”

“No Mum, you're wrong.”

His mum marched to the other side of the kitchen, pulling a chair with her she climbed onto it. Xavier rushed to her side, afraid she would fall. She reached up to the top of the pantry cupboard where she pulled a box down. Climbing down from the chair, with the box in hand, she moved to the heavy kitchen table.

Annie carefully laid the box on the table and lifted the lid. Inside the box was a handgun. Xavier's eyes widened.

“Mum...where did you? Where did that come from?”

His mother pulled the gun from the box as well as a small box of bullets. She started loading the gun. Xavier could hardly believe what he was seeing, he never knew his mum had a gun, let alone how to use one.

“Frank gave it to me, years ago. In case I ever needed it,” she explained.

“Frank?”

“Yes, Frank. He's the only one who knew what a hot-head your father was. He insisted I might need it one day. He taught me how to use it.”

Xavier's head was spinning. He was struggling to get a grip on this new information, not sure he even believed what his mum had told him. Did his dad have Asha? Maddie? None of the world he knew made sense right now.

“I'm not understanding what’s going on Mum.”

“I know my beautiful boy,” she said with a sad smile placing her hand on his face. “Just come with me okay? It's all going to be okay. You just need come with me.” She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek then charged toward the back door. Xavier had little choice but to follow his mother.

Out the back door, down the small flight of stairs, along the small path that led through the garden to his father's forbidden sheds.

Annie Arnold heaved the heavy door of the shed open, Xavier quickly rushed to help her, knowing she was becoming so frail. Waiting momentarily for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the shed, was a sight he had not seen for many years. His sister's little blue mustang. He smiled remembering how much she loved that car. Then beside the car he saw something that made his heart sink to his stomach. A black van.

How could this be happening? Slowly the pieces were falling into place, the story his mum had just told him, Asha’s nightmares, the black van that had followed her. Could it have been his own father all along? It was too much to comprehend.

Chapter 29

Hours had passed, Maddie was still drifting in and out of consciousness. More out than in. When she woke, she managed a few words before drifting off again. Asha wondered if she had any idea of what was even happening around her. It was not like she was missing much.

Asha had never known such tedious boredom. She sat and read the paper with her picture on the front cover, over and over. Mostly she read it aloud to Maddie, she knew almost every word now as she had read it so many times, but it helped keep the gloom away. The best she could hope for right now was getting Maddie well enough to attempt an escape. She could try on her own, seek help for Maddie, but if she were unsuccessful, then they could both die.

There was no way of knowing for sure that Maddie would survive this anyway, but she felt compelled to help. She was in this now. Poor Maddie had been through enough torment. Poor Xavier had been through enough too. Not to even think about poor old Mrs Arnold, who without Asha doing all she could to save her daughter, would die, believing her daughter was dead.

Then again, at least she would not have to know what a monster her husband was. Asha pondered not for the first time, how a man, who appeared to love his family, could also be so cruel.  How could he have managed to keep Maddie from her mother and brother all this time? Without them even realising? Surely they must have suspected something? Sweet old Mrs Arnold, she just saw the best in everyone, including the wicked man she was married too.

Asha heard the deadbolt at the door and closed her paper, waiting for the monster to make his appearance. Hopefully, he would be in a good mood today. With any luck, he might have brought her some food.

“How's the patient today nurse?” he gruffed as he walked into the room.

Not off to a bad start, that was reasonably pleasant for him. She walked to Maddie's bedside.

“I think there is a small improvement, she still has a way to go, but I think the antibiotics are helping.”

“Good,” he grunted and sat down beside Maddie, taking her weak slender fingers in his.

Asha was astounded at times like this when she saw the soft side of him, those same hands had hit her, time and again. Had hit his wife and no doubt, Maddie too and yet he showed her such tenderness.

“Has she been awake?

“Not much, mostly not,” Asha answered. “Sleep is good for her though in her state. She could do with another set of clean sheets if you could...”

“No,” he boomed. There he goes again.

“I ah…ah,” she stammered, knowing she had to careful now his mood had changed. “She has soiled these sheets, I have washed them in the bathroom, but they take so long to dry. It's vitally important she has dry clean sheets, Mr Arnold. Otherwise...”

“Enough,” he yelled cutting her off mid-sentence. “Every time I come here you ask for more.”

“But...”

He was suddenly on his feet, his rough hands at her throat, pushing her against the wall, his face red with rage. “No more, now shut-the-fuck-up.”

Asha did as she was told, fear shooting through her body, not that she was able to speak anyway with his hands around her throat.

“What was that?” he whispered.

Asha listened carefully. What was that? She could hear a noise. Voices? Outside the door. Could it be someone coming finally?

“Don't say a fucking word,” Mr Arnold hissed, roughly spinning her around so her back was to his front.

There was something hard pressed against her throat, a small squeak escaped her mouth, coming from deep inside.

“Say a single thing and I will slice you from ear to ear,” he whispered, his breath brushing her ear.

Asha stood as still as she could, straining to hear the voices again. Her heartbeat booming in her ears. Her eyes darted to Maddie as she let out a whimper from her bed.

A massive bang resounded through the room and the door burst open. Asha's heart stopped. There in front of her was a sight she thought she may never see again. Xavier and his mother, both stood motionless, their eyes wide with shock.

Chapter 30

SECONDS PASSED BUT IT FELT like hours. No one moved, they just stood staring at each other, everyone in shock. Xavier and his mother stood together in the doorway of the room, taking in the vision in front of them. Their long lost daughter and sister, lying lifelessly on the bed. Their husband and father, standing in the middle of the room with a knife to Asha's throat. A million thoughts raced through her mind in those moments.

Relief, she had been found and would be rescued. Fear, that Mr Arnold would make good on his promise and actually slit her throat. Love for the man who stood there right now, aghast. Guilt that she had not tried harder to escape. Happiness and heartbreak all mixed in together and she had to fight back the tears that were threatening just behind her eyes.

Finally, the spell was broken and everything seemed to happen at once. Everyone spoke, and moved, except her. She stayed motionless, fully aware of the threat to her life. Mr Arnold with the knife at her throat.

Xavier ran to his sister's side, calling out her name. Mrs Arnold started yelling and Mr Arnold yelled back. It was all too much to take in. Then without warning silence filled the room. Mrs Arnold stood in front of her, holding a gun, pointed right at Mr Arnold's head.

“Did you think I would let you keep her from me forever Hugh?” she hissed out. Asha felt Mr Arnold tense behind her.

“Annie...” he pleaded, his voice soft.

“All these years Hugh. You have tormented me, tortured me. Tortured all of us.”

Asha's eyes flashed to Xavier, his eyes darted between his parents. Shock and confusion written all over his beautiful face.

“You stupid bitch, what did you think? What did you honestly think? Huh? You didn't deserve her. She was too good for you.”

“So you kept her away from her family? You took her from the boy she loved? From Xavier?” her voice raised but was still strangely calm.

“Mum?” Xavier called. All eyes but his mother’s turned to him, she kept her eyes and her gun pointed directly at her husband.

“Mum? Did you know he had Maddie?” Asha could hear tears in Xavier's voice.

“This bastard,” she nudged towards Mr Arnold with her gun. “He took her, I knew he had her, yes. He did it to hurt me.”

Mr Arnold sneered, “You really thought you were so smart didn't you? You and Frank. Both of you. You thought you could get away with it.” His voice rose, booming in Asha's ear. “Well, you were wrong. If I had it my way, Frank would be rotting in jail now, but he's not is he? Let me tell you a thing or two Annie,” he hissed her name full of venom.  “I knew all along about you and that no good piece of shit. He would come to our house, pretending to be my friend.” He was shaking, his grip getting tighter on Asha and the knife was starting to dig into her skin.  “All the while, you two were just trying to get me out of the way so you could run off and play happy families.”

“You are so wrong Hugh,” tears ran down Annie's face. “I never loved any other man but you.”

“Liar,” he yelled, making Asha's ears ring.  “The only person who ever loved me was Maddie.”

“Dad?” Xavier said in a broken voice.

“And so you took her away from me-- did that make her love you more Hugh?” Mrs Arnold went on, ignoring Xavier.

“I kept her away from you, away from you and your evil lies Annie. You would have let her marry that boy, she would have gone off with him and we would never have seen her again.”

“No Hugh, no you're wrong.”

“I had to keep her,” he breathed out on a sob. “She was all I had to love me.”

“You have to let her go now, Hugh.”

Asha felt the knife cutting into her skin and a small trickle of warm blood ran down the side of her throat, she tried to keep her breathing shallow.

“It's over Hugh.”

“It's not fucking over, you will have to kill me before it's over,” he sneered at her. “And we all know you haven’t got the guts to do that, you’re a weak pathetic woman. I'm glad I took Maddie away from you. You will never...”

He never got the chance to finish, the gun went off, and the noise was unlike anything Asha had ever heard. The whole room seemed to shake, her body went slack and she fell to the floor, covered in blood and chunky bits of matter, she did not care to think about. As she regained her bearings and noise began filtering back into her ears, she turned to see Xavier on his knees, on the floor beside her. Looking at her, then his father's lifeless body lying on the floor, one whole side of his face was gone as was the back of his skull. His body was whole, but his head was shattered and no longer recognisable. Mrs Arnold stood beside them looking down at the scene, gun still in hand.

“I'm so sorry Xavier,” she whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks.  “Your father is right, I am weak and pathetic. I should have done this years ago. Please get help for Maddie and tell her I love her.” She looked sadly at her daughter, then back at Xavier.

“I've got to know Mum, did you know all along?” Xavier had tears streaming down his face and it broke Asha's heart to see him like that.

“Only the last few years,” she replied pitifully. “It's over for me now, I did this for you both. I couldn't go to my grave, knowing you and Maddie would never be reunited. When he took Asha as well...” she shook her head and found Asha's eyes, “I'm so sorry Asha, please look after my boy.”

Asha clung to the wall trying to steady herself, she managed to drag herself to her feet. Xavier stayed on the floor, next to his father's lifeless body staring up at his mother. Annie turned the gun and pointed it towards her own head.

“No,” Xavier screamed.

Without thought, Asha lunged forward. There was a tremendous blast, quickly followed by another. She saw Annie's body burst open before her eyes, blood exploding from her as she fell to the floor.

Before her addled brain could comprehend what was happening she became aware of pain unlike anything she had felt before radiating through her and she could feel her own body falling, reaching out she tried to steady herself, but her legs gave way. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear, a gut-wrenching scream, was it her or was it someone else? She couldn't be sure. A white heat overtook her and then blackness.

Chapter 31

“ASHA, ASHA,” SHE COULD HEAR someone calling her name, somewhere off in the distance. She tried to concentrate, but it hurt. The blackness offered no pain, she wanted the blackness.

“Asha, baby, c'mon, stay with me. Don't you dare go as well.”

Xavier? Was it Xavier's voice? No. She was alone, stuck in this room with Mr Arnold. Chained to the bed, that’s why her shoulder hurt. Wasn’t it?