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Please remember this story is being written and posted 'live' every day. I am writing today's episode and posting it here without benefit of a read-through, let alone an edit. I don't usually work this way and this experiment is exciting and different for me, not my normal work-ethic at all. To that end, please forgive me any typos, grammar errors and anything that you may think should have been picked up in an edit - it WILL be picked up in the edit.

I've already spoken with a publisher about getting this story published - possibly after Christmas, we'll see how it goes.

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Images from Google (licenced for reuse) and Pixabay

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A shadow passed the side window and all eyes turned to the next window he’d pass, the window next to the back door.

The outside security light blinked on.

The shadow arrived at the back door and became a silhouette because of the bright light. He didn’t knock, but tried the handle to see if it was unlocked. Robin had made sure the door was locked every time he’d passed it and so had Ash, so they knew he wouldn’t get in.

The silhouette looked down at its hands and the kids were shocked that it actually tried to unlock the door.

After a few moments, the visitor realised the lock had either been changed or the key was still in the lock, preventing his key going in far enough to perform the unlocking sequence.

“You cheeky, arrogant bastard,” Justin whispered.

Another shadow appeared at the side window and Ash took in a sharp breath. Robin and Justin looked at her and she pointed to the window but the shadow had gone.

Robin stood up, ready to unlock the door for Mike but Justin caught hold of his arm and stopped him going.

“Not yet,” he said. “If Ash saw someone else out there, let’s give them chance to play it out before we let them in here.”

They waited and watched the silhouette check out the garden and outside toilet. They lost sight of the silhouette on occasion and the tension in the small living room was high enough to make them all hold their breath.

The silhouette finally came back to the door and knocked.

Justin let go of Robin’s arm. The boy looked at Justin and he nodded. Robin went to the back door, hesitated and then unlocked it.

Mike entered the house, glanced at Robin, took a cursory look around the kitchen and went into the living room. Robin locked the door, checked it and followed Mike into the living room.

Mike stood in the living room and looked around.

“Where is he?” Mike growled.

“Where’s who?” Justin said, matching his ex-partner’s tone.

“You were a cop long enough to know not to play games,” Mike said. “But ok, I’ll go along with it. Where’s the junkie?”

“You mean the kid you groomed, raped and got addicted to heroin? THAT Junkie?” Justin said.

“Oh no, you’re not getting me on that. I never raped the little shit.”

“But you did fuck him and you fucked him before he was even ten years old, you fucking nonce!” Ash spoke quietly but her voice was steady and filled with hatred.

Mike looked at her as though he’d never seen her before. Then the recognition in his eyes showed and he leaned forward to her.

Justin and Rob thought he was going to give her his nose-to-nose intimidating speech. Maybe Ash did too because she didn’t flinch as Mike’s hand slapped her hard across the cut side of her face, spattering blood as the scabbing-over cut re-opened.

“Your dad’s looking for you, Ashleigh, and when he finds you, he’s gonna give you some more of that.”

“Mike, you fucking tosser. Leave the kid alone. You can see she’s had enough,” Justin said.

“Gobby little bitch needs showing how things work,” Mike snarled. “Go and fetch that fucking junkie.”

Ash stood up, holding her face, blood dripping from her chin. Her eyes watered but she didn’t cry.

Justin and Robin watched her go. There was something different about her. Her jaw was set in a determined manner and although she still hobbled, they both thought she was not quite so stiff as she had been. Maybe the painkillers had kicked in at last.

She went upstairs and checked on Nigel in the bathroom. She checked his latest injection area, the needle was still sticking out of his vein, hanging like a loose tooth.

She made sure he wasn’t bleeding-back into the needle but left it. Nigel was well-out of it.

She looked around the bathroom, making sure everything was in its proper place. Not that Nigel was in a fit state to use anything as a weapon of course.

She went into her bedroom, making sure the door didn’t open far enough to make the tell-tale creak and she fetched something from her drawer. Then she went back to Nigel.

“Come on, you fucking brat! Get that bastard down here and I can get him gone!”

Ash left Nigel and closed the door.

She went down the stairs and into the living room.

“Where the fuck is he?” Mike said.

“You’re gonna have to fetch him, he’s too big for me to carry.”

Mike looked at Robin as though he might be able to help but Robin wasn’t that much bigger than Ash and though the Junkie was emaciated, he wasn’t so light that the kid could carry him on his own.

“Fuck it!” he said and pushed Ash out of the way as he went up the stairs.

Justin reached for the phone and replied to the previous message. He looked up at Robin and nodded. Robin nodded back and went to unlock the back door.

The shadow passed the side window and then arrived at the back door. The back door opened and closed almost silently.

Upstairs, the clumping footsteps of the bent ex-copper sounded along the passage to the bathroom. The door creaked open and then they heard shouting.

Ash held up her hand to stop the new guy from going to the stairs and she ran out of the living room.

Justin motioned for the newcomer to back off into the kitchen, out of sight.

The sound of Mike coming down the stairs and then Ash running up the stairs could be heard clearly from the living room.

“The fucking junkie’s gone and shit himself! He’s fucking covered in the stuff! I’ll come back later when the brat’s given him a good washing-down,” Mike said, making his way toward the back door.