Читать книгу Hush Hush: From the million-copy bestseller comes the most gripping crime thriller of 2018 - Mel Sherratt - Страница 22

She woke to the sound of screams and sat up quickly in bed.

‘Mummy?’ Pulling the covers back, she tiptoed across the carpet. When she reached the door, she hesitated. What if Daddy was so cross that he hit her again?

‘Leave me alone!’

A bang. She jumped and almost ran back to hide under the covers, but there was another scream. She couldn’t leave her mummy in the hands of a monster.

She opened the door. Another bang and the sound of breaking glass. She padded across the tiny hallway. The living room door was ajar so she peeped around the corner of the frame. Mummy and Daddy were on the floor. Daddy was on top of Mummy, but Daddy had his hands around Mummy’s throat. Mummy was going red in the face.

‘Mummy!’ she screamed.

They both turned towards her, the room dropping into silence except for the sound of heavy breathing.

‘Get back to bed.’ Daddy pointed at her.

‘You’re hurting Mummy!’

‘If you don’t move by the time I count to three, it will be my hands around your neck.’

‘Go back to bed, darling,’ Mummy said. Her voice didn’t sound like Mummy. It was all croaky and had a shake in it.

She shook her head.

Daddy got to his feet slowly. She froze as he clenched his fist and came towards the door. Then he slammed it shut in her face.

She ran back to her room. Because she knew what would happen next. Her plan hadn’t worked. Grabbing her teddy bear, she crept into the wardrobe. She covered her ears with her hands to block out the sound of Mummy’s screams. On and on they went.

‘Don’t hurt my mummy,’ she sobbed.

She hated it inside the wardrobe. It was dark and things dangled over her and scared her. But it felt safer than being in bed.

And then it went quiet. She squeezed the teddy to her chest. She could hear Mummy crying too.

‘Don’t hurt her, George, please,’ she begged. ‘She’s only six.’

‘Get her in here.’

‘No, let her be.’

There were bangs, as if someone had fallen. She heard Mummy groan. And then the bedroom door opened.

‘I’ll break every bone in your body if you don’t come out from where you’re hiding.’

Daddy’s voice was so loud and scary. She held her breath, trying not to let him know where she was.

The wardrobe door was flung open. Daddy stood there. He had taken off his belt and wrapped it around his hand. She could see the buckle hanging down.

‘Please don’t hurt me, Daddy,’ she cried.

He reached inside the wardrobe, grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her to her feet.

‘Come here, you little bitch.’