Chapter 1

'You're going to get yourself killed one of these days,' was one of Darcy's mum's favourite sayings. It turned out, on this occasion, she might be right.

With her phone out of battery, her friends miles away and the two creeps tailing her, Darcy knew she was in trouble. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention despite the heat of the late-October night. She could hear creep number one whispering to his pal, who snickered in reply. Sneaking a peek over her shoulder, her eyes met theirs, and something in his expression told her it was time to run.

'No time to take my heels off,' she thought as she broke out into a jog. She kept her eyes on the floor, staring at the uneven floor paving with avid concentration. The little flowers and grass that poked up between the cracks, stretching to the sun, were the perfect example of resilience in the face of odds but were also a dangerous tripping hazard. As she hopped over them, something in her peripheral vision caused her to glance up. 

A young man dressed as some sort of freaky serial killer stood at the corner of the road, lighting up a cigarette. He was the first person she'd seen since leaving the nightclub, aside from her pair of stalkers.

Darcy's hand flew up in a friendly wave before the plan had even finished forming in her mind, as if by divine inspiration. 

"Hey, there you are!" she cried loudly enough for the two thugs on her tail to overhear. They had been behind her for five minutes now, following her down every twist of her journey. She wasn’t even taking a short cut, so there was only one reason for them to remain behind her—they had to be up to no good.

The guy looked up, face covered by the blank white mask. He was bound to be confused, but Darcy did her best to convey the situation with her face. She nodded gently and widened her eyes, silently pleading with him to go along with it.

He didn't appear to catch on to her desperate gesturing, remaining still. 

"What do you want?" he grunted, his voice muffled by that pale and creepy Halloween mask.

"Erm, hi, I’m sorry to bother you." Darcy swallowed and lowered her voice. "Please may I borrow your phone? My ride left me, and these two guys are following me home."

The masked serial killer glanced over her shoulder, looking at the two creeps who had followed his example and stopped to light up cigarettes. They lingered by the wall lining the adjacent street as if watching, still intent on doing whatever it was they wanted to do to her. Rape her? Mug her? Or... something worse?

Her hero, though alone, was much taller than either of them but solidly built as opposed to lanky. He had the physique of a man, but something in his voice and attitude told her he was no older than the teenage criminals on her tail.

It crossed her mind that he might not have a mobile phone, or that it might be out of battery or credit.

It didn’t cross her mind that he would simply refuse.

"No," he uttered before turning to walk away, leaving her at the mercy of her stalkers.

In a confused panic, Darcy grabbed his hand, causing him to pause.

"Please," she asked, trying to figure out what his problem was. "I—I'm not trying to steal your phone, I swear. I—I just need help."

Darcy could understand why he might be hesitant. As far as he knew, she could be working with the two guys in some plot to steal his stuff. She vaguely remembered hearing about something similar to that happening in this part of town. A girl had arranged a date over an internet dating site and instead of turning up, she’d sent her male friends to relieve him of his possessions. The poor lad had been stabbed, if she remembered correctly.

His hand was huge, she noticed, as he stretched his fingers and pulled away. Black polish decorated his nails, and thick silver rings lined his fingers like knuckle dusters. Something about them was oddly familiar. 

When he began to laugh, she felt her heart drop in her chest.

"I know that," he sneered, pulling up his mask. He took a drag on his cigarette and looked down his nose at Darcy. "I said no because I can't stand you."

Josh Parker.

She hadn't recognised him in the silly mask and wig. That... and he'd grown much taller since school ended. During school, her friends had made sport out of teasing Josh. Bullying, some might call it.

Of all the people she’d avoided since the end of school, he’d changed the most. He’d gone from a skinny, spindly little boy into a man in the matter of a few months.

"Look, I know I wasn't exactly nice to you in the past, but we're adults now and I'm in danger—" Darcy started.

"Go eat shit and die," Josh said with a grin before replacing his mask and turning away. She'd told him to do the same after he'd chewed her out for upsetting one of his little girlfriends in the school canteen.

Was he serious? He’d seriously leave her in danger because she’d been a bitch in high school?

‘Oh, grow up, Josh, for heaven’s sake!’ she thought but didn’t say out loud.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she cried, running after him. Her heel caught on a stone, and she slipped, almost twisting her ankle. A sneaky glance over her shoulder confirmed her worst fears: the creeps were still hanging about. At least they were keeping their distance for now, but she had the sneaking suspicion they would sprint over and grab her the second Josh left her alone.

She decided there and then she wasn't going to let that happen. So what if she’d treated him like crap in the past, she was a young girl in danger, and he was a scumbag if he left her there.

"Apology not accepted," Josh said.

"Whatever." Darcy shook her head. "I'm just going to follow you whether you like it or not."

He stopped walking so suddenly she almost walked straight into his back. When he turned, he pulled off the mask and stuffed it into his pocket. 

"You haven't changed at all," he said. "You're still a hard-faced bitch. But hey, if you think you can keep up with me in those shoes feel free to try. You remember who held the record for the 500 meters, though, right?"

It was true, and one of the reasons her high school boyfriend had despised Josh. Ted always hated coming second place.

"I haven't had a good run in ages," Josh gloated, stretching each of his leg muscles in turn. He looked back at her with a maniacal grin, and she knew he was serious.

"Don't," Darcy pleaded, beginning to panic. "Don't leave me here. I know you hate me, and you have every right to but please... please don't leave me."

She stared up at him with her best puppy-dog eyes, praying that he would take pity on her. 

His face softened ever so slightly.

"Please, Josh. I'm scared," she whimpered, begging with her eyes. “Please?”

He looked away, let out a long, drawn-out sigh that ended in an exaggerated groan. "Fine."

Darcy let out a sigh of relief as she linked her arm with his.

"Oh no." Josh tutted and removed her arm. "Sorry but... there's a line and you just crossed it."

"Well, can you wait for me to take my shoes off, please?" she asked. "It's really hard to walk in them."

"So why wear them then?" Josh asked with a dead-pan expression.

As she crouched to undo the straps and slip off her favourite new heels, she explained to him that flat shoes made her ankles look fat. 

"So?" he asked, still frowning in confusion.

"So I want to look hot." Darcy shrugged. "I love these shoes more than I love my ability to walk."

"That's stupid," he huffed, but he patiently waited for her to slip off the 6-inch stiletto heels. "And you know there might be glass on the floor."

"You're suddenly worried about me?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm worried about how stupid you are," he said.

When Darcy looked back at the stalkers, she saw they were now sitting on the wall, puffing on their cigarettes as they watched her walk away. Their narrowed eyes, beady and rat-like, glowered as she moved further out of their grasp.

"Thank you," she said, realising she was safe.

When he glanced at her but said nothing, the conversation died. The walk home flashed by in a drunken blur of hedgerows, empty streets, and flickering streetlamps. It was only when they reached the jitty her friends lovingly referred to as 'dog-shit alley' that Darcy woke up.

"Oh please," she whined. "Do we have to take this shortcut?"

"You know those guys are long gone, right?" Josh pointed out. "You could go your own separate way."

The thought of being alone at night filled her with dread. Especially since her home was on the other side of town and she'd have to cross the park to get to it. The Park was great during the day, but after the families and dog walkers had gone home, it belonged to Eddie Carlson and his gang. Bumping into that lot wasn't the top of her to-do list.

"Do you mind if I stick with you and ring a taxi from your house?" Darcy asked. She could tell by the look on his face this was asking a lot. He looked as though she’d just asked him to recite the Magna Carta while doing a handstand.

"Please?" she added, giving him another one of her pathetic looks. It had worked before.  

As they neared the park, she could almost hear Eddie's voice echoing through the thick dark leaves. The wind whistled, carrying with it the whoops and cheers of drunken teens.

"Aww, you're not scared of Eddie?" Josh teased. "I seem to remember your little gang gave as good as you got."

It was true, but Eddie had gone downhill since high school, getting involved with drugs and criminals. He wasn't the same harmless loser who'd once tried to burn down the school with a Bunsen burner.

The prospect of facing him and his group of delinquent misfits alone wasn't a dazzling one. He’d most definitely have something to say to her, and though she hadn’t treated him quite as badly as she’d treated Josh, the chances of him showing the same grace were slim.

"I'm not scared," she said, unwilling to own up to her fears. "Just… weary."

"Well." Josh shrugged. "Your house is that way."

"Please can I just come to yours to ring a taxi? I won't intrude too much, I swear, I'll just call a cab and be gone," she promised.

"You seriously think I'm going to invite you into my house?" he asked.

"Why not?" she huffed in response, growing tired of grovelling. "It's not like I'm a vampire, Josh."

Yes, she was grateful for his help, but he was borderline exhausting.

"No. You're far worse," he said. "I think your forgetting just how badly you treated me and my friends. I honestly don't know how you have the nerve to ask me for anything."

'Is he right?' Darcy wondered. 'Is my safety not worth putting the past behind them?'

Upon reflection, she knew her safety came first.

'Still... you could at least try to apologise to him.'

"Look. I know I did some shitty things. I was... awful. I'm sorry, Josh. I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you. Please can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"No," Josh uttered. He looked over in the direction park as the sound of bottles smashing and cheers erupted. "I don't forgive you. But on this occasion, I guess I'll be kind since you at least attempted an apology."

"Thank you. Really. Thank you," Darcy gushed. In all honesty, she didn't give two hoots if he forgave her or not, so long as he didn't throw her to the wolves. 

“Come on,” he said with a sigh. “My house is this way.”

$ Chapter