Parents

A short story.

               Parents

It was dark everywhere.  The trees blew in the gusts.  The woman who walked alone down the narrow path, was far from happy.  She’d made plans to meet her boyfriend.  No sign of him.  It was a sad story really, you meet a boy at school and your parents hate him straight away.  Years later they still took a dislike to him.  Because she still lived at home, she thought meeting him here was a better idea than him turning up at the door unannounced.  It just wasn’t worth the hassle.  Okay, they had a good reason to hate him.  Years ago he was heavily into class A drugs, even getting arrested a few times.  Because her parents were deeply religious, both couldn’t understand why he did this in God’s eyes, as they put it.  It was an odd affair really.  Her boyfriend of five years was a bad boy, and her mum and dad were clearly insane.  
What a life.
Her name was Verity and she was 21 years old.  She was pretty with long blonde hair.  Her taste in clothes was excellent, as people would always tell her how cool she dressed.  That night she wore a light purple blouse, stone washed Jeans with little holes around the knees.  Also a lightweight leather jacket which kept her warm in the not so lovely conditions.  Late November sucked, but at least Christmas was soon.  
“Where are you?” she shouted.  “This time you’ve really let me down, you utter prick.”
Around her right shoulder was her small bag with her mobile and make up in.  She placed the bag down onto the damp ground.  Her plan was to ring her boyfriend and see where the hell he was.  Where the hell are you, you prick?  The phone by her ear she waited patiently for him to pick up.  
Nothing.  
Looking about her unnerved her a little, in the middle of nowhere, knowing she had a fair distance to walk before she got home didn’t fill her with much confidence.  She’d had enough.  Placing the bag back onto her shoulder she carried on with the journey.
Okay, maybe she was overreacting.  Verity lived about three miles away.  At the most it would take about forty five minutes, but the thing which pissed her off was, she’d been at work all day slaving for a crap wage.  Also the boss was an idiot.  Working in a shop sucked.  There must be more to life than serving s**t heads all day that didn’t even smile or be polite to you.  Instead they’d complain in their droves.  B******s.
It was so isolated round here it did put the fear up her slightly.  Where was her bloody boyfriend, why the hell did he want to meet here?  It truly didn’t make any sense.      Her feet ached.  It was getting chillier by the minute.  Bloody b*****d, she kept thinking.  Thankfully she had a torch in her coat pocket and took it out, because the moon now sat behind heavy storm clouds, and visibility was awful.  With one click of the button a light shone out.  Taking her time she proceeded ahead, the light aimed at the road.  Where are you?  Anger slowly dwelling up inside of her.  Her heart raced.
Then with utter surprise she saw a vehicle parked at the side of the lane.  The closer she got the more she realised it was identical to her boyfriend’s motor.  So where the hell was he?  Angry as hell she ran to the car kicking the side with her high heels.  Ouch, that hurt.  
“Bloody b*****d.  Where the hell are you?” she screamed, not happy one bit.  
Then she saw something which terrified her very much.  At the back of the car someone lay on the damp grass.  Using her torch she took a couple of steps, hating every moment.  At the rear of the vehicle she shone the light onto the mysterious body, not knowing what to expect.  The light picked up more than she was ready for, as the head of this person had been completely mutilated.  She fell to the ground screaming uncontrollably.  “What the hell?” she shrieked.
Dropping the torch in utter shock, her first reaction was to run away as far as she could from this awful sight.  But where the hell was she heading, she didn’t have a clue?  In complete darkness she ran like the wind unable to get the dead person out of her head.  Something hard in the road clipped her foot, and falling to the concrete now lay in a heap.  Her bag flew off her shoulder, then landed somewhere close by.
“S**t,” she said, really pissed off now.  What the hell was going on?  Above her she could see the tops of the trees.  Then with horror she’d never felt before a figure stood over her laughing.  Verity was too petrified to speak.
“What are you doing?” asked the stranger.  “Being on your own in a place like this can be dangerous.”
She had trouble making out who this man was, as light was very limited.  But her idea was to act all innocent like she didn’t know anything.  “I’m so silly really,” she said nervously.  “I got scared walking in the dark, then panicked.”  She laughed hoping this would work.
The man bent down to her, before saying, “So why are you here?”
She could feel his breath on her face.  He stunk of cannabis.  “Okay,” she replied.  “A friend wanted me to meet him here.  For some reason I haven’t quite fathomed yet.”      All of a sudden another figure emerged from the trees.  “Did she see anything, mate?” was all the second man said, joining the first.
Verity didn’t like this at all.  “So, can I go?” she asked while trembling with fear.
The other bloke came closer.  “No you can’t.  Because we both think you know more than you are letting on.  Am I right, b***h?”
With confidence, she replied,  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?  It’s creepy if you know what I mean.”  
The other man was more aggressive then the first and said angrily, “So who was the f****r in the car, tell me now?”
Oh s**t, she thought.  “What are you talking about?”
The man by his side scratched the top of his head, before saying seriously, “Was the chap in the car your boyfriend?”
Verity stared at the ground, not knowing what to do next.  All of a sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder, then the familiar stench of cannabis in her face, as the man said calmly in her ear, “He owed us a lot of money.  He was nicking off us.  We both know you came here tonight to meet him.  Am I right?”
She peered up at him, petrified.  “Yes, he was my boyfriend.  So what are you going to do to me?”
“Finally we’re getting somewhere,” replied the bloke as he stood back up.  “By the way my name is Trevor.  And it’s very nice to meet you.”  He looked at his accomplice.  They began to laugh.
At this point Verity began to cry, realising she was in deep trouble.
Without warning one of the men dragged her up into a standing position.  What was going on, what did they want with her?  “Please no,” she screamed.  With force both took her through the trees.  It was quite a few seconds before a barn appeared out of nowhere.  “Where are you taking me?” she asked nervously.  Still their faces were covered in darkness.  Then the angry bloke shouted from a metre away, “We want our bloody money, b***h.  In there is a phone.  We don’t care how you get your boyfriend’s money that he owes us, but we want paying tonight.  If not, you’re dead meat.  Do you understand?”
The calmer man then said, “Calm down, mate.  We’ll get our money, okay.  Her parents are loaded.  Am I right, Verity?”
She stopped, her head spinning.  “How do you know my name?”
Trevor seemed amused as he said, “We know your boyfriend well.  He was always talking about you.  The only reason we smashed his head in is because he owed us lots of cash.  Nothing personal if you know what I mean.”
This can’t be happening, she kept thinking.  “But he stopped taking drugs ages ago.  How could this be.”
Both men burst out laughing.  Then the horrible one with the gold nose ring grabbed her around the throat.  He pushed her face into the mud, “You dumb cow.  You’re going to ring your parents and get money out of them.  Do you understand?”
Oh my God.  Her parents were the lamest people about.  How could she put them through this.  Maybe it was easier to say nothing and die on this very night.  “My parents are nice people, so you can f**k off.  I won’t put them through this.”
The nicer one picked her up from the ground, and said, “So your parents are wimps, and they would rather see you as another murder victim, then help you.  They sound like losers of the highest order.”  He let Verity go and put his hand on his chin while he rubbed it furiously.  “Maybe we should just kill her now.  If she isn’t going to ring her parents then we’re fucked.  But the good thing is, we know where she lives.  So once her body has been buried we can head round to her house and kill the f*****g b******s anyway.  Sounds like a good plan, mate.”
“No.  No,” she screamed at the top of her voice.  “Leave my family out of this.”
Anger came across his face, before saying aggressively, “The only person to blame is your boyfriend.  If he paid us the money then none of this would be happening.  We have people above us expecting their percentage, and when they don’t get it, we disappear if you know what I mean.  So yes, I’m desperate to get the cash, and I’ll do anything to get it.  Do you understand?”
The thought of them heading round to her place later made her feel terrible.  As lame as her parents were, they didn’t deserve this s**t at all.  Maybe it was easier to ring them and beg them for cash.  If the truth be told she had no other choice.  “Okay I’ll do it.”
Both men cheered, seeming happy by that response.  Then they took her to the barn.  Inside was dark and grubby.  The nice one turned on a light.  The place looked like a homeless man’s den.  On the floor was cartons of Chinese food, half-eaten.  The stench in the building made her want to puke.  They sat her down on a wooden chair.  Half a metre from her was a coffee table with a phone.  
“Pick it up and start dialling, b***h,” said the horrible man, rage in his eyes.
Taking her time she got hold of it, then dialling her home number waited patiently for one of them to pick up.  Knowing them they were probably watching a soap on TV, as mum especially loved watching that dire crap.  Before long a male’s voice was heard saying, “Hello, who am I talking to please?”  It was dad.
“It’s me, Verity,” she said nervously.  “I need to talk to you about something serious, daddy.”
After a couple of seconds, he replied, trembling, “You only call me daddy when you’re scared about something.  What’s going on?”
“Daddy, I’m so scared.  I need money.  If not I’m going to die,” she said before bursting into tears.  What the hell?  Then she heard her parents talking in the distance.  Before long her father was back on the phone.  “How much do you need, and where are you, Verity?”
“I’m not sure.  Give me a minute, dad.”  She turned to the two blokes.  “How much does my idiot boyfriend owe you?”  How could any of this be happening, deep down she was peeing her pants.
The nasty one came closer to her.  “Five thousand pound.  And we want it quick.  Give me the phone and I’ll speak to your dad myself.”  
Verity hated the fact that these awful people were going to talk to them.  But through utter terror handed him the phone.  “Be nice to my dad, if not you aren’t getting f**k all,” she shouted.  “And I mean it.”
“Let me speak to your dad.”
She tried to grab his face but the other bloke held her back making her scream at the top of her voice.  A hand covered her mouth to shut her up.  Verity had trouble hearing the conversation between the nasty b*****d and her dad, but she couldn’t help feeling bad about the whole thing.  Maybe her parents had been right all along about her boyfriend being a waste of space.  Once he’d slammed the phone down he turned to her with a smile on his face, this is when she noticed gaps in his teeth.  The hand was removed from her mouth, and with confidence she said, “Ever been to a dentist, you s**t head?”
He flew at her pinning her against the back of the chair, before saying angrily, “Let’s kill her now, mate.  She’s really getting on my tits.”
“Calm down, mate.  Is her beloved daddy coming with the cash?” the nicer one asked, while brushing a hand through his dark hair.
“Yes.  He’ll be here in about half an hour, as he needs to ring someone to sort out the five thousand.  Yes, mate.  Things are finally on the up,” shouted the man, relieved.
Without warning Verity was held tightly as one of them placed a gag around her mouth, then dragged outside.  She did her best to escape, but the men were too strong.  Near the barn a lamp light shone dazzling her as she was forced to the ground.  In her ear she heard a voice say, “Now we wait for your dad to turn up, pretty lady.”  Oh s**t, she thought.  How could things have turned out so bad.

................................................................................................................................................

Some time later car headlights were seen coming up the muddy road.  
Verity felt terrible, dragging her parents into this s**t.  She tried to speak, but the thing around her mouth only caused her to sound stupid.  The arrogant man who she hated more than life itself got up leaving the other bloke with her.  He looked round and grinned, before saying, “If he doesn’t pay us, then you’re all dead, b***h.”  He cackled as he made his way to the path just in front of the barn.  The lights from the vehicle shone on him, and within seconds the car stopped only a few metres away.  From the drivers door a man no taller than five foot seven appeared.  “Where’s my daughter?” he asked calmly.  In his left hand he held a suitcase.  He put it carefully on the ground.
Dad, I’m so sorry.  She felt awful.
The evil man approached him laughing, then replied, “Have you got our money, you pratt.  That’s what makes me laugh about you arseholes.  You all think you can save the world, because you believe in utter crap.  Religion, utter s**t.”
Verity’s father seemed a little annoyed by that comment.  “Where is my f*****g daughter.?”
Even Verity was shocked by that response.  Good on you, dad.
Out of his trouser pocket the nasty b*****d pulled out a gun.  “I’m going to kill you for that,” he yelled, nearing his victim.  “I’ve got your money, so what’s the problem.”  He smirked as he proceeded to the middle aged man.  
“I just want to know if my daughter is safe.  Please, God.  Is she safe?” he yelled, knowing he was s**t out of luck of negotiating with these pricks.  “Please don’t hurt me, as God will never forgive you for what you are just about to do.”  He put his hands together.  “Please, Christ.  Listen to me.  I am in peril, and I need your assistance.”
Verity cringed.  Bloody parents.
The person she wished was dead out of all of them pointed the gun directly at her dad’s head, only millimetres away, before saying in a rather aggressive tone, “Say bye to your kid, because you’re the saddest b*****d I’ve ever met.  And by the way, thanks for the cash.”
At this moment her father shouted, “Now, Wendy.”
What the f**k, Verity kept thinking.  Wendy was her mum’s name, but she was nowhere to be seen.
The man in front of her dad dropped to the ground.  Then the other one only a metre from her fell, hitting his head on her shoe.  Blood splashed over her legs, making her scream in sheer terror.  She got up trying to get away from this insane situation.  But a branch only yards from her caused her to fall to the damp grass.
What the hell was going on?  Out of the darkness came her parents.  The thing over her mouth was removed.
“What’s going on?” she asked, feeling more relieved than she’d ever felt before.  The first thing she saw was her mum’s face.  “What’s going on, mother?” she asked utterly shocked.
Her mum cuddled her, tears streaming down her face, before answering emotionally, “We knew your boyfriend was going to cause something to happen, so we hired a private detective to keep an eye on him.  But we didn’t realise it would get this bad.  My God, I’m so happy you’re okay, my sweet Verity.”  She kissed the top of her daughter’s head.
Verity still didn’t understand.  “What just happened?  Oh my God what happened to the people holding me captive.  What the f**k is going on?”
Her dad came closer, before replying, “Your mum was always a good shot.  This is how we fell in love.  Let’s just say we worked for the Government many years ago.  But some of the atrocities we faced together, we realised we’d had enough and got out.  Two years later you were born, and we have never looked back.”  He kissed her tenderly on the cheek.
“So you were a spy or something?” she asked confused, not believing any of it.  How could this be?
Her mum brushed a hand through her hair, then said, “Something like that, darling.”
For the first time ever Verity looked at her parents with pride.  “I love you,” was all she said.  “And after tonight I’ll take you guys more seriously.  Oh my God, spies.  James Bond.”  Daniel Craig came into her mind.  Lush.  Her dad picked up his mobile and began speaking to someone, within moments he was back.  “Who was you talking to dad?” she asked.
“Someone I used to work with at the Government.  I explained the predicament and they are willing to help.  All we need to do now, is go home.  Are you okay with that, Verity?”
Verity at this point was absolutely knackered.  What a night.  “Let’s go home.”
“Good idea,” replied Wendy.  “Because it’s bleeding freezing out here.”
They made their way to the car.  Verity did her best not to look back at the carnage, and tried to think of happy things, but tonight was a warning that no blokes could ever be trusted.  Once in the vehicle the air conditioning felt comfortable.  She closed her eyes, and before long she had fallen into a heavy sleep.

                          The End