Warning! Contains abuse, paedophilia and near rape. Don't read this if you can't handle things like that. If you wish to flame me go ahead for I appreciate them just as much as I do reviews.
Five Learn A Lesson"An escaped convict! Near here! Gosh!" Anne gasped as she heard the news from her brothers. Julian and Dick nodded. George rubbed Timmy's head gently.
"Theres a high reward out for him because supposedly he killed someone" Dick said excitedly.
"How awful" Anne said. The four were walking along the beach opposite Kirin Island.
"I think it's exiting. We have a description of him, everyone has. Wouldn't it be fun if we were the ones to capture him" George said, holding out the description everyone in the village had been given.
"No it wouldn't, I'll see you 3 at home. I promised Aunt Fanny some flower's anyway," Anne said before walking back towards the village, leaving the three to talk about catching the convict. It was a good walk back to the cottage, one Anne wouldn't usually do alone but she didn't want to talk about convicts and murderer's so this time she would walk it alone. As she walked she picked flowers and when she did have enough to make a pretty bundle she pulled off her hair ribbon and tied it around the stalks. "There, all pretty. Won't Aunt Fanny like these" she murmured to herself.
Unknown to Anne there was someone following her. A tall unshaven man in a convict's uniform with a twisted grin on his face. Just what he'd been looking for, a child out alone, a pretty little girl at that which would make a good hostage and help him get out of the country. He began to creep up behind her.
Anne was beginning to think that the walk wasn't as bad as she'd thought so she began to hum to herself. It was then she felt that presence behind her and was just about to turn to see who it was when one hand snaked around her waist, trapping her arms and a hand covered her mouth. Anne struggled and ended up dropping the flowers on the road as the convict started to pull her towards the hedge. Anne knew eventually someone would search for her so using the toe of her other shoe she pushed the other one off, leaving it in the grass.
"It's about time we got back" Julian said.
"Come on then, let's make a race of it" Dick suggested. And so absorbed in their race the 3 didn't notice the dropped flowers or Anne's shoe, even when Timmy stopped to sniff at them.
"Come on Tim" George called and Timmy ran to catch up. They arrived home breathless and hungry and tore into the kitchen.
"Oh hello children. Where's Anne?" Aunt Fanny asked as she helped Joan lay the table. The 3 looked at each other.
"She left long before us, isn't she here yet?" Julian asked.
"I haven't heard or seen her come in. I've been waiting for the flower's she was going to collect me" Aunt Fanny said.
"Well maybe she's dawdling" Dick said.
"Anne wouldn't dawdle, she hates the walk from here to the beach. She's always jumpy" George said.
"And Anne doesn't really like to be on her own" Julian said, beginning to worry.
"I'm sure she'll come in sooner or later and there'll be a simple explanation when she does" Aunt Fanny said. But tea came and went, it got dark and still no Anne came. "Quentin, I'm starting to worry about Anne" Fanny commented later, once the other 3 were in bed.
"Anne? What's wrong with her?" Quentin hadn't even noticed Anne wasn't there! Sometimes he was completely impossible.
"She never came home Quentin and the other's said she left before them" Fanny said. "Could you call the police, I'm really worried about her."
"She never came home? Oh deary me. Yes I will call the police." And with that Quentin went to the phone.
"I'm really worried about Anne Julian" Dick said from his bed.
"I am too, what if it's to do with that convict" Julian regretted saying that as Dick turned pale.
"You don't think he's got her do you?" Dick asked worriedly.
"I shouldn't think so, anyway the police will probably have been called. Let's just try and get to sleep Dick" and with that Julian switched off the light.
Anne was crying as the man dragged her into a run down building he'd obviously been hiding in and threw her into a corner. He threw an old a thin blanket at her and she wrapped it round her, staring at him threw her tears.
"What's your name girl?" the man asked coldly.
"Anne" Anne mumbled. He was writing a letter telling the police what he'd do to Anne if they didn't let him get out of the country.
"I'm going to do something, better make sure you ain't going no where" he said, almost to himself. He pulled a bit of rope from the wall and with one end tied her hands together, the other her he tied to her feet. Then her ripped the end of the blanket and gagged her. He made her lie down awkwardly and the covered her with the blanket. "Go to sleep pretty little girl, I won't hurt you...yet." A mad glint was in his eyes as he left, shutting the door behind him.
Now only the moonlight lit the room and Anne was so scared and so hungry. She sobbed into the gag, wishing she had stayed with the other's after all. Her wrist's and ankles hurt from the rope and her legs were cold as the blanket barely covered her. Oh how Anne wanted her mummy!
Joe Bloggs picked up a stone, tied the note to it with a piece of string and then lobbed it threw the police station's window before legging it. He ran threw someone's garden and hid by the wall. Looking threw a window he saw food on the table and decided to risk it. He smashed the window, grabbed as much of the food as he could before beginning to run back to his hide out.
"Quentin! Quentin! Someone's broken the kitchen window and taken our food!" Aunt Fanny screamed. This brought not only Quentin but the children as well.
"Oh mummy, it's got to be that convict!" George said angrily. A knock at the door startled them and Quentin opened it warily.
"Excuse me sir but we have just received this note. We have no procedures to go on for anything like this but we think you should decide what happens now" it was a police officer holding out a crumpled bit of paper. "It was thrown threw our window attached to a stone." Quentin took it and began to read aloud;
"Coppers, I hav wiv me a little girl called Anne. If you try to stop me from leavin the cuntry I will not only kill her but I will use her innocent little body in ways you can't even imagine. You wont recognise her pretty little face when I'm threw wiv her. You hav been warned. Joe Bloggs"
"Oh no!" Aunt Fanny gasped before fainting, Julian only just managing to catch her. George helped put her mother in the chair and fetched a glass of water.
"You can see why we wanted you to know" the police officer said. "The man Joe Bloggs was in prison for life for...using and killing a little girl. We fear greatly for your Anne."
"Anne's with a rapist?" Dick asked in shock. Quentin was shaking his head worriedly.
"I want her found. I want you to find him before he can do anything to her!" he said angrily.
"We cannot start a full search until the morning but when we do we shall keep you posted" the officer said before leaving, taking the note with him. He hated it when things like this happened, he hated being the deliverer of such devastating news.
Anne was asleep by the time Joe Bloggs returned and he sat by her, eating the food and stroking her hair. He'd always liked little girls, young, inexperienced and innocent. Anne was allot like Katie, the 12 year old girl he'd kidnapped and used before killing 3 years ago. That's what had landed him in prison with a life sentence, it was a surprise that they didn't hang him. Anne stirred slightly and jumped when she saw him.
"Uh uh little Anne, I've got food and I'll let you have some if you behave" Joe said, knowing how hungry Anne would be. Anne gazed at the food, hunger obvious in her eyes. Joe laughed and pulled her into his lap before taking the gag off.
"Let me go!" Anne said, thrashing to get away from him.
"No no no, you need some food" and with that he stuffed a bit of bread in her mouth. She still tried to get out of his lap but ate obediently. The food he fed her and the fear she was feeling made her sleepy but she was determined not to fall asleep in this mans arms. Unfortunately she couldn't stop herself. Luckily Joe was also tired and didn't feel like exploiting Anne any more so he moved her to the floor and went to his 'bed'.
"Come on, we need to hurry" Dick called. The 3 and Timmy were retracing their steps from yesterday and unknown to them were coming to the part where Anne disappeared. Timmy stopped at what looked to the children to be random flowers and barked.
"What is it Tim?" George asked, bending down to look at the flowers. At first she found nothing amiss, then she saw the ribbon. "It's Anne's ribbon" she gasped, picking up the flowers and showing it to the boys.
"There's sign's of a struggle here" Julian said from where he was now looking at the ground.
"What's that? The light's reflecting off it" Dick asked, pointing to an object near Julian's foot. Julian reached threw the grass and picked up a shoe, Anne's shoe. "Well I guess we've found some clew's, but what should we do now?"
"Timmy, which way did Anne go Timmy?" George asked Timmy who barked and went into the hedge. The 3 followed him and inside the hedge found a ripped bit of fabric from Anne's cardigan. "Good Timmy."
"He must have taken her threw the fields. But where too, the only place that was is the derelict cottage..." Julian trailed off.
"He's taken her to the cottage!" Dick gasped.
"Now what do we do? We really should tell the police about all this but if we wait and do that he might hurt her" Julian said thoughtfully.
"How about I run back and tell the police, I'm the fastest runner and then I could lead them to the cottage" Dick suggested.
"While you do that Dick, Tim and I will go on with Julian" George finished. Julian thought for a moment.
"Alright, take these Dick and explain how and where we found them. Come on George" Julian said handing the shoe and flowers to his brother before heading into the field following the tracks of Anne's struggles.
"Come on Tim!" George called before running after Julian, Timmy barking as he followed her. Dick tore off by himself up the road, clues in hand. He reached the police station and pounded on the door.
"We've found out where he is!" he said breathlessly, holding the clues as if they would understand. The police pulled him inside where he proceeded to tell of the entire morning and what happened.
Anne woke feeling cramped and cold and looked around her. Joe Blogg's was still asleep, his arm dangling off the makeshift bed towards her and his mouth hung open. The door was open. Anne looked down at her bound hands and started to work at the knot with her teeth. It came loose quickly but her pain numbed fingers had trouble un-doing the knot holding her feet together.
When it did finally come loose she found she was extremely unsteady on her feet and as she hobbled to the door she knocked over the remnants of a table. It hit the floor with a loud bang, waking Joe.
"Oi! You little bitch get back here!" he shouted. Anne tore out of the door as fast as her unsteady feet could carry her but he caught up, grabbing her around the waist so painfully she screamed. She continued to scream as he dragged her into the cottage and threw her to the floor. "You stupid bitch! What did you go an do that for? Now everyone will have heard you! I weren't gonna hurt you! But now? Now your gonna get it!" Joe ranted, showing the fact that he was completely insane.
Anne screamed herself hoarse as his fist's reigned down on her, causing so much pain wherever they landed. He didn't stop until his arms were tired and she was sobbing and bleeding. Her dress and cardigan were now ripped, dirty and bloody and her hair was a mess.
"I hope that's taught you a lesson you little cow" Joe swore at her while going his 'bed' to cover his bruised knuckles.
Julian and George heard a scream, a scream that was almost definitely Anne's voice. The scream continued and then started anew. Then more pain filled screams rang out into the air.
"Anne!" Julian cried worriedly, sprinting blindly in the direction of the screams. George followed him, just as worried. Soon they arrived at the cottage and the screams had died down to pain filled sobs.
"What can we do Julian?" George asked him in a whisper. Timmy was no where to be seen. The 2 crawled to a window and peered in. The first thing they saw was Joe Blogg's wrapping a piece of clothe around his knuckles, then they saw the sobbing figure in the corner of the room.
"We need to knock him out till the police come. You go make lot's of noise in the field to bring him outside and I'll take one of those boards and hit him" Julian said, picking up a board of wood from a pile of what looked to be fire wood. George nodded and ran out further into the field before she began shouting.
"Timmy! Timmy! I've found them! He's in the cottage! Officer! Officer! He's in the cottage!" Good old George, she knew just the right thing's to shout to bring the criminal out. As he did so Julian swung the plank into his stomach, winding him and making him double over before he brought it down again on the back of his head. Joe fell to the floor unconscious. Julian rushed in to Anne who stared at him in shock.
"Julian?" she asked weakly. Julian gathered her up in his arms, kissing her hair. The sight of his sister hurt him. Her little face was bruised, blood dripped from one swollen eyes, her nose and her mouth.
"I'm here Anne, I'm here." He whispered to her, holding her close as she began to sob again in earnest. George came in, took the rope from the floor and went outside again before returning and putting her arms around Anne and Julian.
"Timmy's guarding him but I tied him up just in case. Dick will get here soon" George said.
"Anne? Did he only hit you? He didn't anything else did her?" Julian asked his sister worriedly.
"He only hit me" Anne mumbled. They were still huddled together when Timmy's barking told them Dick and the police had arrived.
"We're in here!" Julian called. The first to enter was a police man who gasped and rushed out again, calling for an ambulance. Then Dick and surprisingly Uncle Quentin rushed in.
"Anne!" Dick cried, joining in the hug while Uncle Quentin stood and watched as 2 ambulance men came in with a stretcher to take the horrifyingly battered Anne to hospital.
"Get your hands off me!" Jo Blogg's shouted as he was dragged threw the field to where the police car was waiting for them. Julian put his arms around George and Dick as they followed the stretcher to the ambulance.
Anne smiled at Aunt Fanny fluffed up the pillow's behind her head. She was covered in bandages and could barely move, but she was happy at last. After the incident she'd gone sad and quiet, not speaking for a very long time but now she laughed and joked with the others who came and sat with her.
"Hey look here Anne, your mentioned in the article" Julian said as he read the newspaper to her. "Joe Bloggs has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a high detention centre with 24 hour guard after he escaped nearly a week ago. He tried to get out of the country by kidnapping Anne (do we ever find out their surname?) while she was walking home. His capture was also due to her 2 brothers, Hulian and Dick and cousin Georgina who were so worried about Anne that even though the police were running an investigation did their own and miraculously found the clues that took them to Joe Bloggs hideout. From our report's he had beaten Anne for trying escape when the others found him. The rest has been classified by the police but all that we know is that when they got their Joe Bloggs was unconscious and restrained and the 3 focused on looking after Anne. So this goes out to Anne, get well soon." Julian smiled at Anne.
"They called me Georgina, and they didn't mention Timmy!" George was full of complaint's as usual. Dick was doing a crossword but he looked over at the picture.
"How did you knock him unconscious Julian? I never asked" Dick asked.
"Well, you see there were these planks of wood by the house and I guess I just..." Julian trailed off causing the other's to laugh merrily.
"Well, this adventures taught me 2 things" Anne said and the other's looked at her puzzled. "Never to walk home on my own and never cross Julian with a plank of wood in his hand!"
The laughter could be heard down in Uncle Quentin's lab and unlike the rest of the family who were happy about Anne being her cheerful self again. All he could say was;
"You'd think they could be a little quieter!"
The End
A/N This was a one off that I randomly felt like writing!