Prey Read Online Free PDF Page B

dropped to
her knees and almost tore the trouser pocket open. Her fingers
found cold, hard plastic. She pulled the item out and her tears
trickled between the trembling smile of her lips.
    The LCD display
of the mobile phone glowed with various colours.
    Her eyes darted
to various points on the readout. Battery: half full. Signal: full.
She peeled back her lips and revealed a bemused grin. Her forearm
swiped across her eyes to clear her view.
    Struggling to
steady her hand, Susan prodded at the small buttons of the device.
9... 9... 9. She pulled the phone to her ear and waited.
    The dial tone
rang out like a bugle at a victory parade.
    She
straightened herself up, a renewed vigour in her joints.
“Hello?”
    “ Police, Ambulance or Fire Brigade?” the tinny voice at the
other end asked.
    “ Police,” she begged. The growing stench of the room caught her
senses. “Police and ambulance.”
    A muffled
click.
    The prostitute
swallowed so hard, she almost choked.
    “ Police.” A monotone, male voice.
    “ Please help. Please.” Her knees gave out. She landed in a heap
on the floor, her fingers clinging for dear life to the phone and
knife.
    “ I need to know where you are and what the problem is,
Miss.”
    “ He's dead.” She spat her words out, spraying the buttons of
the phone with a mixture of tears and saliva. “Someone killed
him.”
    “ The address, Miss, I'm going to need the address.” The man
spoke in a level, calm voice.
    She froze. “The
address?” Her shoulders sagged and the phone almost slipped from
her grip..
    “ Are you at home, Miss?”
    “ No. I don't... “ Her words cut off. She swivelled around on
her hips and rested the knife on her thigh. Her free hand probed
the pockets of the man's trousers. She sighed aloud as they found a
wallet. “Just a second.”
    The policeman
waited.
    She tore the
wallet open, ripping at the compartments and seeking out some form
of ID. A high pitched squeal erupted from her throat. A driver's
license.
    She held the
piece of plastic in front of her face and read off the address to
the officer on the phone.
    “ I'm going to need more details, Miss. Are you alone in the
house? Are you sure your friend is dead?”
    She ended the
call. Her muscles relaxed and renewed aches and pains palpitated
through them. She rested her eyes for a few seconds and tapped the
handle of the knife with an outstretched finger.
    The marching
band behind her ribs reduced to a twenty one gun salute. She sucked
in a lungful of stale, repulsive air and gagged. The moment snapped
her back to reality.
    With an effort
which stretched her eyes in surprise, she jumped up to her feet and
bounded to the window. Her elbows rested on the sill as her gaze
stabbed through the darkness. She twitched her ears, readying them
for the wail of the siren. Her feet squirmed in the carpet, as she
waited.
    In the
distance, a light glared through some trees. It snaked around
various corners.
    Susan's heart
leapt into her mouth. She locked her gaze onto the beam, praying
for the accompanying siren.
    The luminance
faded and disappeared.
    She bit her
lip, sucking in air through her teeth as nibbled at a split in the
skin of her lip. “Come on!” She pushed her head and shoulders out
into the night, twisting to look in all directions. Nothing. She
exhaled through her nose and wiped at the sticky fluid which
escaped with it.
    A shiver
slashed through the young woman's body. She became aware of her
nakedness and turned to face the bundle of her clothing. Near the
door. Near the attacker. She quivered at the thought.
    She tiptoed to
the nearest corner of the cabinet, her eyes never leaving the door.
Silence. She edged further still. Her fingertips crept along the
solid surface. The clothing ruffled around her toes and she swept
down to pick them up in her arms. Her breath wheezed through her
lungs as she raced back to the safety of the window.
    “ Ah!” She dropped her eyes to the toes of one foot, cursing
under