The Human Condition

The Human Condition Read Free Page B

Book: The Human Condition Read Free
Author: David Moody
Ads: Link
should see each other for the rest of the...'

    She's shaking her head.

    `Too late for that,' she grins. `You're going to learn more in this little room than you will on the course,' she promises. `I'm going to do things to you that are barely legal. You're mine for the rest of the...'

    She stops talking. The expression on her face changes suddenly.

    `What's the matter?' I ask, half-thinking that she's just winding me up.

    `I...' she stammers, `I can't...'

    She grabs hold of her neck with one hand and grips the shower curtain with the other to keep herself steady. She can't breathe. She's suffocating. She's trying to breathe in but she can't get any air. She's looking at me with wide, frightened eyes and I don't know what to do. I just stand there. I can't move. I want to help her but I don't know what to do.

    Her legs buckle underneath her and she falls, pulling the shower curtain down with her. Her head hits the faucet with a soft thud that makes me feel sick. Now she's lying in the bath shaking and choking and there's blood pouring out of a gash on the side of her head and washing down the plughole, mixing with the foam and running water. I turn off the shower. Christ, there's blood everywhere. I need to get help.

    I run to the bed to get my trousers. My legs are wet from the water that's splashed on me from the shower and I can't get them on. I stumble and trip around the room. I grab the phone and dial for reception to ask them to get an ambulance but there's no answer. No-one's picking up.

    I'm standing in the bathroom door again now, half-dressed. Helen's not moving. I've got to do something but I can't bring myself to touch her. Christ, I think she's dead. What the fucking hell is happening here...?

    Now I know that I must be a real spineless bastard. Poor girl's lying dead in front of me and for a split second I feel relieved. Now I might have a chance of salvaging my life from this mess. I can tell them that I was in the room next door and I heard her fall down so I came in to help and I found her like this...

    Hold on, maybe that will only make things worse. My things are all over this room. Not just my clothes either, there will be hairs and fingerprints and God knows what else all over the bed and probably all over and inside her too. Fucking hell, what if they say I did it? What if they think I pushed her over in the shower to keep her quiet about what we'd done together?

    Got to get out of here. Can't stay here any longer.

    I grab my things off the bed and run to the door. I try and leave the room but then I see her body again and my conscience tries to make me stop and help her. But I'm too fucking scared. I open the door and go out into the corridor.

    There's another body on the floor. Jesus Christ, it's a porter. I don't want to get any closer to him. I can see his face and it's all twisted and contorted with pain and there's blood on the carpet around his mouth.

    There's another body further down, just outside one of the rooms. It's Steve Jenkins. I sat opposite him at dinner last night.

    I can't handle this.

    I let myself into my room and sit on the end of the bed.

    I can't hear anyone.

    I try the phone again but no-one answers.

    I'm scared.

    I'll wait here for a couple of minutes then I'll go and find help.

    James Harper cowered in his hotel room for more than two hours before finally plucking up courage to go out and look for help. The smell of burning forced him into action. The hotel kitchens were on fire.

    He searched the entire building but could find no-one else left alive. His colleagues, the course tutors, the guests and the entire staff of the hotel were dead.

SHERI NEWTON

    Of all the shifts I have to work, this has to be the one I hate the most. I can handle starting early in the morning and working through the day, I don't mind starting in the afternoon and working through the evening, but this I can't stand � sat here from one in the morning until nine. It's not too

Similar Books

Bone Deep

Gina McMurchy-Barber

In Vino Veritas

J. M. Gregson

Wolf Bride

Elizabeth Moss

Just Your Average Princess

Kristina Springer

Mr. Wonderful

Carol Grace

Captain Nobody

Dean Pitchford

Paradise Alley

Kevin Baker

Kleber's Convoy

Antony Trew