Page 65 of The Girl in the Woods

One of the masked men pushed past him at the door. He called over his shoulder to the man armed with a hatchet, ‘We should call an ambulance!’

Tim blocked their way. He saw the eyes of the man with the hatchet looking at him scornfully through the balaclava.

‘We’ll be back,’ he said, lifting the hatchet to smash the fridge door.

Tim grabbed his arm to stop him.

‘No,’ yelled Imram, attempting to pull Tim back. ‘He’s not worth it.’

Huma’s screams tore through the air.

‘Oh God,’ groaned the third masked man. ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this.’

Tim grabbed the hatchet’s blade before it hit the fridge and groaned as it cut into the palm of his hand.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ shouted someone.

‘You’re all fucking cowards, the lot of you,’ said the man with the hatchet. ‘I should have done the place over myself. I’d have done a better job. You clowns are just a noose around my neck. You’ll be telling them your names next.’

He tugged hard on the hatchet, scraping Tim’s hand with the blade, causing Tim to yelp and pull his hand back, giving him time to run from the shop.

Ana heard the shouts first, a fusion of panic and fear that pierced the quiet street.

‘Did you hear that?’ she asked Jonny, her instincts as a police officer already kicking in.

The screams propelled her towards the shop. As she approached, the sight of Tim’s bloodied hand and Huma’s slumped form on the floor brought her to a halt. Imran, still reeling from the shock, managed to utter, ‘One of them has a hatchet.’

Jonny’s distant yet distinct voice reached Ana’s ears, urging her to call for back-up. ‘Call the station,’ she instructed Jonny, her voice steady despite the adrenalin surging through her veins.

She didn’t have time to wait for Jonny’s response, as the fleeing lads nearly knocked her over in their haste to escape.

‘Police, stop!’ she shouted, giving chase.

One of the men clutched a plastic bag of cans. The other, menacing and defiant, held the hatchet aloft.

Shit, thought Ana, she didn’t even have a taser.

‘Get back,’ screamed the man with the hatchet.

The standoff between them was tense. Ana took a cautious step forward.

‘Don’t come any nearer,’ warned the man. ‘I mean it, I’ll do yer, I will.’

‘And what good would that do you?’ she asked, determined not to show him her fear. ‘Doing a police officer carries a long jail term. Is it worth it?’

‘Don’t be a moron,’ cried the other lad. ‘Just leg it.’

‘He’s right,’ said Ana. ‘Attempted assault on a police officer is no minor crime, sunshine, so why don’t you drop that hatchet and do us both a favour? You’re in enough trouble already for possessing it and using threatening behaviour.’

‘You always take their side,’ sneered the masked man.

‘Whose side?’ asked Ana, taking another step forward.

‘Stay back,’ he warned. ‘I ain’t scared of bashing one of you lot.’

‘If you’re so brave, why are you hiding your face?’

‘Because you’ll arrest me. But you never arrest them, do yer?’

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