An Act of Madness (part 1)
He awoke to a thousand little imps banging their tiny hammers inside his skull. Tentatively he opened his eyes. The battered old chair on which he had flung his clothes the previous evening with such wild abandon swam into view. Cans of beer some still half full littered the threadbare carpet but it was the scent of sex, cheap perfume mixed with the sickly odour of rutting animals which made him lean over the side of the bed and vomit onto the filthy brown carpet.
The act of vomiting made him feel a little better. Slowly his mind cleared. He focused on the girl lying beside him. She lay her head resting on the filthy pillow, her right arm clutching a battered old teddy bear. The bear had been brown long ago but the years had turned it almost black. The sheet had fallen away leaving the girl’s body exposed. Her almost hairless vagina and barely formed breasts showed that she was in her early teens, 13 or 14 but no older.
“Christ what have I done?” the man said.
His words spoken out loud made the girl open her beautiful blue eyes.
“Please, please mister don’t hurt me again” she said clutching the bear protectively against her.
“I’m sorry” he mumbled attempting to put his arm around her in what was, he hoped a comforting manner.
“Please, no more” she pleaded her eyes swimming with tears.
Without another word the man got out of bed and flung on his clothes. As he reached the bedroom door he looked back one final time at the girl. She lay her head buried in that bear her shoulders shaking convulsively with deep sobs.
The man descended the rickety uncarpeted staircase, his feet seemed unnaturally loud to him in this silent place.
“God I need to get out” the man muttered as he descended the final stair.
“Enjoy yourself did you man?”
The man’s heart leapt into his mouth. He haden’t seen the Jamaican standing, in the shadows at the bottom of the stairwell.
“Little cutie isn’t she. Just turned 13. I told you that Jo could find you fresh young meat. I didn’t lie to you”.
“No she was lovely” the man said. He wished the Jamaican would step out of the way of the front door so that he could get the hell out of that stinking flea pit.
“OK man, remember Tom and the next time you want some fun give me a call”.
The man nodded and Tom stepped out of the way allowing him to open the front door and leave.
