The Dark Element
By D. F. Benham
Copyright 2011 D.F. Benham
Smashwords Edition
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(All the characters and events within this story are fictional, any similarities to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.)
Chapter 1
Danny was laid on his bed, his eyes heavy and brain fuzzy with tiredness. He focused his gaze on a small house spider suspended from the ceiling; it was carefully wrapping a fly in silvery thread. A sweet familiar taste filled his mouth as he watched, he smiled to himself. The taste caused him to shut his eyes in remembrance. Where have I tasted this before? A shuffling sound outside his door caused him to snap back to reality. He glared at the doorknob in annoyance; nothing happened. He rolled over noisily so his back was to the door; he was not getting up yet.
"Danny, you getting up yet?" His sister called from behind the door. She knocked loudly. "You know that you have college right?" Danny gave no response so she knocked louder. "Danny get up Now!"
Danny growled in annoyance. Why can't they just leave me in peace? He buried his face into the pillow. None of you want me around anyways. His sister kicked the door in frustration.
"That's it! I'm getting mum; she can get your lazy ass out of bed."
Good luck with that! He listened intently to the sound of her dull thudding footsteps as they crossed the landing and descended the stairs. The voices of his sister and mother murmured inaudibly from the kitchen. Heavier footsteps stomped their way towards Danny's room. Ferociously turning the knob his mother flung her weight against the door. It crashed into the desk behind sending a cascade of pens onto the floor.
"Get out of that bed right now." She yelled, cheeks flushed with rage. Danny's sister tiptoed up the stairs to watch the drama unfold. Danny refused to move, so his mother walked closer to the bed. Clutching the bottom corner of the duvet she pulled back hard, revealing her sons naked form. "Oh for god's sake Danny, get up and put some clothes on." She dropped the quilt on the floor at the foot of the bed, turned on her heel and marched back out of the room without shutting the door.
Danny's sister dived into her room quickly to avoid any confrontation with her mother, she watched silently as she mother disappeared from view. Once the coast was clear she snuck along the landing to her brother’s open door.
"Hey Danny. I can see your ass you know?" his sister giggled.
"Fuck you Charlotte." He said as he tried in vain to reach for the duvet.
"Oooo someone is vicious this morning." She laughed at his attempt to grab his duvet. "Shame my phone is downstairs, I'm sure I know a few people that would die to see this."
"I said fuck you." He gave up trying to grab the covers. "Now piss off, unless of course you are some kind of pervert."
"Ewwww gross" She pulled a disgusted look and ran back to the safety of the kitchen.
Annoyed with his family, Danny rolled himself to the edge of the bed and grabbed a pair of tracksuit bottoms. As he pulled them up the towering figure of his father appeared in the doorway. The middle-aged man looked tired as he watched at Danny and prepared to speak.
"I'm awake. Getting dressed. No need for anyone else to get involved." Danny snapped at him.
"Just wanted to make sure you're alright." His father stepped back from the doorway to allow him to pass through.
"Why? You don't usually bother." Danny paused and looked him in the eye.
"Danny don't start." His father looked away.
"I'm not starting anything. You're the one who came up to my room remember."
"Are you going to college?" His father looked at him questioningly.
"I'm getting dressed aren't I?"
"No need for the sarcasm." He said sternly with a look of authority.
"Whatever." Danny looked away defiantly.
"10 minutes to get dressed, then I'll give you a lift to college."
"Yes Sir! Thank you sir." He said as he mimicked a salute in his father's direction, before disappearing into the bathroom. Ten minutes my ass! I hurry for no-one.
The bathroom tiles were cold against the bare skin of Danny's feet causing him to walk quickly to the bathmat. He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he turned on the shower and waited for the water to reach the perfect temperature. As steam started to rise and curl around him he stripped out of his tracksuit bottoms and stepped into the gloriously warm torrent of water. With his eyes shut, Danny's mind began to wonder, memories flooded forth of the previous day. The pain, humiliation and the real truth. How could she do that to me? Anger coursed through his body, tensing his muscles and balling his hands into tight fists. In front of everyone, why did she have to do that? Pain ebbed from his knuckles; he opened his eyes and looked down. Blood oozed from several fresh cuts and two shards of tile lay in the base of the shower.
"Fuck!" His body shook with both rage and the realisation that his father would be furious. He looked at the broken tiles on the wall. How am I gonna explain this? I can't tell them the truth; they'd throw me outta here. Then where would I go? As the water continued to pour over him he began to calm down, his breathing slowed back to normal and his muscles relaxed.
Grabbing at the shower rack he randomly selected a bottle of shower gel, clicked the top open and proceeded to lather it over his body. The scent wafted up and began to smother his senses. His body lurched forward suddenly and he began to retch. What the hell? Panicking slightly he pushed the shower door open and ran for the toilet. Wet feet made the tiles slippery underfoot but Danny managed to retain his balance as he ran What the hell is wrong with me? He dropped to his knees heavily, the vomit burning his throat on its way up. Relief came briefly between crippling heaves that took Danny's breath away. His body continued to shudder even after the vomiting stopped.
"Danny are you alright?" His father called from outside the door, concern evident in his voice. Danny hovered over the toilet bowl, too weak to move, too scared to speak in case he vomited again. "Danny talk to me, are you alright?" His father banged his fist against the door, causing it to rattle in its frame.
"Yeah." he replied shakily before the room faded to black. His body fell limp to the floor with a soft thud.
Danny's father was worried by the silence; he had seen his son in this state before. He hurried to his bedroom and retrieved his penknife from the bedside cabinet. Hurrying back he extracted the blade from its casing and slipped it into the bathroom lock. A quarter turn clockwise and the door clicked unlocked. Peering round the door he noticed Danny, laid on the bathroom floor, hunched up in an awkward position.
"Oh Danny." He sighed as he walked over and began to move his son into the recovery position. Holding one of Danny's hands he noticed the open wounds that were still bleeding slightly. "When will you learn to not get into such a state?" He dropped his sons hand and walked over to turn off the shower. He paused. "What the hell? Why did you go and do that?" He picked up the shards of tile out of the shower base. "Now I have to repair that. These tiles aren't cheap." The sympathy for his son faded rapidly. He threw the shards back into the base. "I'll speak to you later, when you've had the chance to sober up a bit." He marched out of the bathroom and used the penknife to lock the door behind him.
Head bowed to hide the angry expression on his face, Danny's father walked into the kitchen. His wife immediately put her coffee mug down on the side. "Is he alright?" she said looking slightly worried.
"Nothing a cup of coffee wouldn’t fix." He said looking grim.
"He's been drinking? Again?" She picked up her mug and slammed it angrily into the soapy dishwater. Bubbles slopped over the sides and up the tiles. Danny's father put his hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.
"Looks like it. I just wish he would learn his limit and stick to it." He grabbed the tea-towel and began to mop up the mess. "It's not healthy for him to keep ending up in this state."
"That boy is stupid." She snatched the tea-towel out of his hand and scrubbed at the tiles angrily. "The night before college. Idiot."
"I'll talk to him later." He massaged her shoulders gently. "When he has had the opportunity to sober up a bit." She finished cleaning up the mess and folded the tea-towel neatly over the rail to dry. They smiled at each other and kissed. "Now lets get going shall we?" He asked. "Don’t want that boy getting us all into trouble now do we?"
She pulled her husband closer to her and kissed him harder. "Or course not, lets go."
*******
Light blared through the obscured glass of the bathroom window, illuminating Danny's pale skin; he had been out cold for three hours now. His head felt heavy as he started to regain his consciousness. The cool tiles soothed the internal burning sensation that had been present since just before he passed out. He made the decision to open his eyes, breathing slowly he dared to open his left eye just a crack. The light was too intense and he shut it again quickly. Knowing the intensity of the light he took his time to try and adjust his eyes to it. What time is it? He looked over towards the window; he guessed it was about midday because of the intensity of the sunlight. Slowly he moved his body to prop himself up onto one shoulder, his muscles burned under his skin and his stomach was sore from the heaving. Slowly and cautiously he began to sit up, the burning taste of vomit still in his mouth, he rubbed his temples aggressively to try and shift the pounding headache.
Shakily he managed to get to his feet, he stood still for a while allowing his brain to adjust to the change. He shuffled his way over to the sink, making as little effort as possible. The mirror told no lies when he looked into it, his pale skin, dark eyes and dishevelled hair, spoke of a rough morning. He snatched at his toothbrush and toothpaste, hurriedly trying to rid himself of the nasty taste in his mouth. He spat the contents into the sink and plunged his face under the stream of cold water. The water tasted good, he drank heartily. The cold water hit the bottom of his stomach and he stopped suddenly, he didn't want to make himself ill again.
He stood there face to face with his reflection for some time.
"What's wrong with you?" he questioned himself. "What the hell happened this morning?" he turned to face the shower. "Why did you do that? It only makes things worse, now I'll have Dad on my case." He looked down at the shards of tile in the base of the shower. "These were expensive tiles too." Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Danny began to notice a putrid smell; it wafted to him in foul waves that made his stomach knot up in repulsion.
Oh man I didn't flush it did I? It’s ok just flush and don’t look. He walked cautiously towards the toilet, holding his breath to avoid the smell. Shit! Blood, lots of blood. He stood there in shock looking down at the contents. His body trembled in fear as he staggered backwards away from the horror. Am I dying?
The electronic chime of the door-bell grabbed Danny's attention away from his thoughts and fears. He went into auto-pilot, grabbed his tracksuit bottoms off the floor and pulled them on as quickly as he dared. He caught a glimpse at his reflection and paused to stare at it in bitter disgust. "A fine mess you've got yourself into this time Danny." The chime interrupted him again; this time followed by a series of loud and powerful knocks. Fuck you, I'm on my way. He turned to face the bathroom door.
"Danny Smith. This is the Police." The authoritative voice echoed through the house. A surge of adrenalin pulsed through Danny, his muscles prepared themselves and the hairs on his neck rose in anticipation.
"Just coming!" He yelled back at them, in the hope that it would prevent them from busting the front door down. He flushed the toilet quickly before leaving the bathroom.
Shaking slightly he unlatched the door and pulled it back, there on the doorstep were two male officers in full police uniform.
"I'm D.C. Collins and this is D.I. Rowley.” He said as he gestured to his partner. "We are here to talk to you about Rebecca Hatter."
"Umm OK. Is this about yesterday? Is she in trouble?" Danny looked shocked. I would never have called the police about what she did. Perhaps someone felt that she had taken it too far?
"I think we had better come inside." The first officer stepped forward into the hallway.
Danny felt that they probably would have barged in even if he had said no. "Sure. Come in." He led them through into the lounge. The officers sat on the large leather couch whilst Danny perched himself on the arm of his father's favourite chair. Collins made himself comfortable and then started riffling through his pockets to locate a notebook and pen.
Flicking through to find a fresh page he looked up at Danny. "So how do you know Rebecca Hatter?" He removed the lid of his pen with his teeth.
"Well I met her first at school. She moved away in the second year but we met up again at college." Danny slid into the armchair with a disapproving look from both officers.
"What is your relationship like?" He looked at Danny as if waiting for a confession.
"What relationship? It's over." Danny looked at the floor angrily, his fingers dug into the leather to control his rage.
"How did it end?" Collins smiled slightly as he turned to a new page.
"Is that relevant?" Danny questioned, tightening his grip on the chair.
"Gives you motive." His smile widened.
"Motive? Motive for what?" Danny looked up at them in alarm. "What's going on? What aren’t you telling me?"
"How did the relationship end?" Collins questioned, ignoring Danny's request for information.
"She finished it." He looked Collins in the eye. "Tell me what is going on."
"How did that make you feel? Were you angry?" He watched Danny glare at him. Satisfied by the way Danny’s body tensed and his grip on the armchair grew tighter with rage.
"I'm not angry about breaking up." He said through gritted teeth. "I just wish that bitch had done it differently."
"You sound angry to me." He scribbled down some more notes. "Did she embarrass you?"
"Embarrass me?" Danny's rage spilled over and he began to shout. "She publicly humiliated me!"
They sat in silence for a few moments, Collins' pen hovering above the paper poised to write. Rowley shifted uncomfortably and coughed causing Collins to jump slightly. The two officers looked at each other; Rowley gestured for him to continue the questioning.
"Where were you last night between the hours of 9pm and 1am?" Collins continued.
"What? You haven't told me what this is all about." Danny protested and glared at Collins.
"Answer the question." He snapped in reply.
"I was here." Danny snapped back.
"Can anyone verify that?"
"Well I don’t know. Does anyone watch you sleep all night?" Danny looked away to avoid their gaze.
"Quit the sarcasm." He continued to write his notes. "You are in enough trouble young man."
"For what?" Danny shouted and jumped out of the chair. "You have yet to tell me what the hell is going on."
Rowley rose from the couch quickly, and with one fluid movement removed the cuffs from his belt and grabbed Danny's wrist.
"Danny smith, you are under arrest for the murder of Rebecca Hatter. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be given in evidence in a court of law. Do you understand?" Rowley struggled with Danny for a moment trying to get him into the cuffs. "Do you understand?"
"Fuck you." Danny continued to fight the cuffs, but the thick cold metal was too strong.
"I take that as a yes Rowley." Collins closed his notebook and stuffed it back into his chest pocket along with the pen. "Lets get him to the station, looks like he needs some chill out time before they do the taped interview."
Danny was shoved forwards through the hallway and out towards the door. "Mind the steps." Collins shouted before giving him another hard shove forwards. So much for innocent until proven guilty. He stopped fighting the cuffs and walked compliantly with the officers towards their car. Seemingly annoyed by his sudden compliance and the fact that he had retained his balance the whole way, Collins bundled him roughly into the car. Danny's head made a sickening crack against the metalwork.
"Mind your head." He smiled as he shut the door and laughed quietly as he made his way to the passenger seat. Anger faded into anxiety as Danny watched the scenery shift from his neighbourhood to that of the city. Dad's gonna kill me for this. The car turned off towards another housing estate. He could feel the acceleration of the car and then the weightlessness as they launched over one of the speed bumps. The momentum caused Danny to smash his head into the roof of the car and then land heavily on his cuffed hands. You bastards!