When she was running, her mind could switch off from all the daily hassles. She could be herself again. Her son Joshua wouldn’t be throwing a tantrum because his TV programme had finished and there wasn’t time to watch another. Her husband Lloyd wouldn’t nag her because he couldn’t find something that he’d lost after putting it down somewhere ‘safe’. She wasn’t at the beck and call of staff and clients ready to interrupt her in a flash, unlike her day-to-day life as a customer services manager at the local building society. She was plain and simply Melissa.
At the bottom of the lane, she climbed over the stile at the side of the gate and ran into a small wooded area. She loved going through here. It was dark and somewhat eerie at this time in the morning.
As she clambered up the man-made steps and out into the open field, she wondered what to cook for tea. Maybe shepherd’s pie, if she remembered to get some mince out of the freezer. There would be no time to nip into the butcher’s to buy some fresh. It was going to be a late evening because she had staff training for an hour once the branch closed at five.
She was now coming into a hilly field, empty except for her. It was early; most people were still asleep. Melissa much preferred to run in the mornings than the evenings. There were fewer people about, and fewer cars too, which was good because the lanes were narrow. A creature of habit, she covered the same route for a few months before switching up to ensure her body became challenged.
At the top of the hill, she took a moment to catch her breath. Up here, she could see for miles. High-rise flats, factories intermingled with the odd strip of green, but mostly built up row upon row of houses. Manchester was a place she’d always call home.
After a minute’s rest, she began to run again. With a bit of luck, she’d be home before anyone in her household was awake. Oh, to have a coffee in peace before Josh was out of bed.
She was nearly at the other side of the field when she heard someone. Turning slightly as she ran, she saw a man running behind her. She slowed and stepped to one side to let him pass, and he drew level on the worn-down grass pathway.
When he threw a punch at her, she was taken by surprise. She gasped as he hit her again, stumbling backwards with the force and landing heavily on the ground.
Almost immediately the man was straddling her and his hands were around her neck.
She tried to push him off, but he was too strong.
She scratched at his hands, but he only squeezed harder. Struggling was useless, but she had to try. He seemed possessed, his face creased with rage.
As the light began to fade from the world, she wondered why she’d been singled out. What had she done to deserve death? Because he was killing her, wasn’t he? And she could do nothing about it.
Tuesday
‘What makes you think he likes you?’ Courtney Piggott asked her friend Lauren Ansell as they walked across the field behind their school. ‘Just because he looked at you a certain way doesn’t mean anything.’
‘Of course it does!’ Lauren replied. ‘And I’ve fancied him for ages, so that look means he’s mine for the taking.’
‘You’re so weird,’ Courtney’s twin sister, Caitlin, said. ‘If you believe that, then—’
‘Girls!’
The three of them froze as they heard their PE teacher, Mr Carmichael, shouting to them.
‘I wish you’d exercise your feet as much as your mouths,’ he continued. ‘Hurry up now. Get a move on!’
The girls picked up their pace, jogging a few feet across the field until the teacher turned away from them again.
‘I hate cross-country.’ Caitlin came to a halt with a groan. ‘There should be laws against making us do this. It’s not cool – at all.’
Lauren tripped over her shoelace as they walked, almost falling but managing to right herself in time. ‘I’ll catch you up in a minute,’ she said, shooing her friends away before bending down to tie the laces again.
The twins continued through the gap in the hedge and out onto the lane.
‘I wish there was a short cut back to the school,’ Caitlin said as they walked.
In front of them were the rest of the class, in twos and threes, only the odd pupil running alone. They were the last of the group by a good minute or so, but neither of them was bothered about hurrying to catch up. Instead, they dawdled as they waited for Lauren.
‘Or a magic portal. If there was, we could sneak back and watch everyone else coming in.’ Courtney laughed.
‘Or Doctor Who’s TARDIS!’ Caitlin laughed back.
In front of them, their teacher beckoned them to hurry up as he disappeared around a corner, but still they went at their own pace. They had run this lane many times during their five years at Dunwood Academy. There was nothing to see but a high hedge either side, a space for one car to drive past at a time, which was why it was safe for students to run down, as not many drivers used it.
Ahead of them the twins could see the roof of the school buildings, the railings around it coming into view opposite a row of council bungalows for the elderly.
‘Where’s Lauren?’ Courtney shivered as a gust of wind came up the lane. ‘We’ll be in trouble if we’re not back soon.’
‘I thought she was behind us.’ Caitlin swivelled round, but they were on their own.
‘She can’t have got very far, Cait,’ Courtney told her sister. ‘I bet she’s found a quicker way back and has left us.’
‘She’d better let us in on it if she has.’
They carried on for a few more steps and then Courtney stopped again.
‘We should go back for her.’
‘But we’ll get into trouble if we don’t finish soon.’
‘She should have caught up by now. It will only take a minute.’
With a heavy sigh, Caitlin followed her sister. They ran towards where they’d last seen Lauren, across the field and around the corner of trees.
Not noticing that her sister had stopped, Caitlin almost bumped into the back of her.
Courtney was pointing at a figure lying in the grass. ‘There’s something wrong.’
‘What do you mean?’
Caitlin followed behind her as they ran to their friend. The wind picking up across the open ground was the only thing they could hear. They drew level, their eyes widening with fear. Lauren was lying on her back, her blonde hair fanned out around her head.
‘She’s having us on, isn’t she?’ Caitlin said.
‘I don’t know,’ Courtney whispered. ‘Lauren?’
She prodded Lauren’s leg gently with her toes. Maybe that would make Lauren giggle if she was winding them up. But she didn’t move.
‘Lauren?’ Caitlin dropped to her knees. ‘Are you okay?’