Bound By Bellarmine

cold yet.

around in shirts with not

went down, that

ly empty. One or two cars tore p

of the streetlamps and the cru

t in a

fteen minutes, maybe less-a

in the wind that whipped through Aethelbu

back wa

ght from Westmarch, had decided to call every single

ved, which sof

utogrill near the s

still going, so someon

shed arguments drag

t before t

piece, so I brought a coat, stuck to lit

colour of old paper, darker above

and something burnt. A bus

I hea

High-pi

shouting

rom a side stre

en dropped out again, like whoever

ra

e again, clos

le.

walls, metal bins, two flicke

y entranc

could see the shadows move. '

e ans

ed furt

a shaved head, the other in jeans stif

n them, curled in. Her arms wer

her in the ribs, then

en barked a laugh. 'Back off, b

ing up a young girl doesn't make y

. Took a s

ved

sent him into the wall. Hi

ged at me, grabbe

d, and elbowed h

nd swung, wi

under his coat. Thick

drove my foot i

ed onto the pavem

ve.

. He pushed off the wall, limped ove

ked out. 'You've no idea who

still in my ha

metre and buried itself into the cemen

en grabbed his frie

l hadn'

nd, breathing in sh

eat clung to her hairline, catching th

up, blink

ill. 'Can

you... I don't think I can.

hed bes

e dirt. She was curled tig

cracked, and one cheek

though,

ahead, but it's probably cl

eve. 'Please don't. I

at her. '

't afford it. I don't

ped h

against me, barely touching at firs

I'd thought, just r

teps, she sta

strip me and leave me tied up all night. I'd have ended up with pneumonia or wor

hey after y

cked on interest. She gave them the house. Still wa

t her prop

dull chestnut, scraped back badly, parted off-c

s your

Her hand tighte

jum

ad kept it running past midnight-fluore

empty inside. Someone cou

. 'You can get

own. Her grip on my

I won't fo

e looked clean. No cuts.

had her shirt off,

ibs, the kind that

id it had