Dark Seduction Read Free

the girl go, sir.”
    “Look, she’s my daughter. I’m just looking out for her. What do you want her for?”
    The police officer stepped away from the vehicle. No longer a silhouette, he became a physical presence. “Sir, let the girl go.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I said so.”
    The wiry man chewed his lip.
    “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I’d prefer the hard way, but I don’t think you would.”
    “You can’t threaten me.”
    “Who said anything about threats?”
    Zen didn’t like the look of this. Something wasn’t quite right, the copper too bolshy.
    “The girl isn’t going anywhere with you. Now just fuck off and leave us alone.”
    The police officer pulled his baton out. “So you’ve picked the hard way. Good.” He smiled, his teeth luminous and predatory, then without warning, he charged towards the wiry man.
    A syringe full of fear injected Zen’s system.
    The wiry man let go of Chastity’s arm and tried to protect himself as the police officer attacked, raining down blows with the baton.
    Unsure what to do, Zen heard the police car door open and another man stepped out.
    This didn’t look good at all. Zen grabbed Chastity from behind. She struggled, squirmed, and tried to stamp on his foot.
    “Hey,” Zen hissed. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
    “I can’t leave him.”
    Chastity’s father lay unconscious on the ground, curled up in a ball as the police officer continued his onslaught.
    “Yes, you can.”
    The police officer looked at Zen. “Now it’s your turn,” he snarled, his face awash with shadows.
    Zen heard the other police officer running up behind him. He released Chastity’s waist, grabbed her hand and tried to pull her along.
    “Run goddamn it,” Zen said.
    Finally realising the seriousness of the situation, Chastity stopped struggling and with one hand holding up her boob tube and the other gripped by Zen, she ran.
    Zen had no idea where the dark, dismal alley led. He was in strange territory, the buildings drab and decaying. His heart pounded as though about to burst. Footfalls echoed like hard slaps, prompting him to run faster. The aroma of Chinese food filled the air and a pile of rubbish from the Chinese restaurant blocked the alley: bin bags and cardboard boxes in various stages of decay. Zen charged through the rotten containers, disturbing a couple of rats that scurried along the wall. Half-chewed spare ribs scattered across the ground – at least he hoped they were spare ribs.
    Behind him, the police officer growled like a rabid dog and Zen ran faster. At his side, Chastity wheezed.
    The alley twisted and turned like a maze. He ran down a short flight of well-worn steps that looked like a giant thumb had pressed down on them, and followed the alley to the right. At a T-junction, Zen took the left path. A streetlamp at his rear cast his shadow before him. As he approached the next light, his shadow shortened until the light sat directly overhead. The bulb flickered, bathing Zen in a baleful orange radiance.
    He felt strangely buoyant and giddy. Then the curious orange light flashed over him again and he saw a weird, intermittent light in the distance – for one ridiculous moment, it looked like a lighthouse. Strange as it seemed, the buildings now seemed different, almost predatory as they leaned over. He didn’t know why, but he thought he’d been here before; he remembered it like a bad dream, but he didn’t have time to stand and stare.
    Decaying metal drainpipes flanked the mouldy walls, putrescent liquid spurting from rusty cracks. Another flight of steps led up and turned to the left, causing Zen’s thighs to ache with the exertion. Then the alley came to a dead-end, a brick wall daubed with two luminous red, spray-painted words: world’s end .
    Zen wanted to scream.
    He quickly scanned the area and noticed a barely discernible door to the side. With no handle visible, he pushed, relieved when it swung open. He turned back to