Evil Games Read Online Free PDF

recreation.
    Dearest Sarah , she began.

SEVEN
    Ruth Willis stood in the shadows of the shop doorway, her eyes trained on the park. The cold seeped from the ground up through her feet and into her legs like a metal stake. The odour of urine surrounded her. The plastic bin to her right overflowed with rubbish. Crisp packets and fag ends had spilled onto the tarmac.
    The visualisation exercise was crystal clear in her mind. Alex was beside her.
    ‘You are not skulking in the shadows and you are not frightened.’
    She had no fear; only nervous anticipation last experienced right before her A-level results. Back when she was a real person.
    ‘You are not dreading him leaving the pub, you are anticipating it.’
    Had he felt this way on the night he’d taken her light? Had he shivered with excitement as he’d watched her walk out of the supermarket? Had he felt the sense of righteousness that coursed through her body right now?
    A figure exited the lower park gate and stood at the crossing. The light from the street lamp illuminated a man and his dog. There was a lull in the passing traffic but the dog walker waited for the crossing to beep before traversing the dual carriageway. Following the rules.
    ‘You are not a victim. You feel strong, confident, righteous.’
    As the figure levelled with her, he paused. Ruth stilled. Ten feet away he leaned down and placed the handle of the dog lead beneath his left foot as he retied the lace on his right shoe. So close. The dog glanced in her direction. Could he see her? She didn’t know.
    ‘You are confident and in control.’
    For the briefest of seconds she was tempted to rush forward, to drive the kitchen knife into his arched back and watch him fall face first to the ground, but she resisted. The visualisation had climaxed in the alley. She must stick to her plan. Only then would she be free. Only then would she retrieve her light.
    ‘You are a lone female behind a grown man and you are not afraid.’
    She exited the shadows and fell into step a few paces behind him. Her trainers made little sound against two cars racing along the stretch of road.
    In the alleyway, the sound of her footsteps was exposed. His body tensed, sensing a presence behind him, but he didn’t turn. He slowed slightly, as though hoping the pedestrian would pass by. She would not.
    ‘Your hand is wrapped around a knife in your coat pocket.’
    Halfway into the alley, at the exact spot she’d visualised, her heartbeat quickened with her step.
    ‘Excuse me,’ she said, surprised by the calmness of her tone as she repeated the words Alex had given her.
    His body relaxed at the sound of a female voice and he turned with a smile on his face. Big mistake.
    ‘Do you have the right time?’ she asked.
    Her expression remained open when confronted with his face. He had raped her from behind and his facial features meant nothing to her. It was the sound that transported her back. His breathing was laboured from walking the dog. It was a sound she remembered well in her ear as he had split her insides open.
    He used his right hand to uncover the watch beneath the elasticated cuff of his jacket.
    ‘I make it half past …’
    The knife plunged into his abdomen with ease, traversing its journey through flesh, muscle and throbbing organs. The blade turned north and met bone as she thrust upwards. She turned the knife slowly, mincing anything in its path, like a kitchen blender. Her hand rested briefly against his stomach and could travel no further.
    ‘Feel his flesh against yours but this time on your terms.’
    A sense of achievement washed over her as she withdrew the blade from his stomach. The thrust and turn needed to overcome resistance had been satisfying.
    ‘You watch the blood puddle and you know that his control over you is gone.’
    His legs wobbled as his right hand clutched the wound. Blood ran over his splayed fingers. He clutched harder. He looked down, bewildered, and then into her eyes and