Chapter 1

That night will stop in my head for a long time, I got home from work around sixish, checked the post and then got changed into my running gear. It had been a nice day and the evening was dry and balmy. A great day for a run...

I stepped out of the house and started to do some stretches before I ran down the lane. I did not know the area that well as I had only lived there for a couple of months, so I always ran the same route although I did reverse the route, sometimes running clockwise sometimes anti-clockwise.

As I said I did not know the area that well. I had moved there when a ten-year relationship had ended badly. I had been lucky that the company I was working for had just taken over a company in Cornwall and I managed to get a transfer to help them with the handover. It was a twelve-month contract, but it got me away from the area I had lived in all my life, it was a fresh start for me, and I grabbed it with both hands. It was time to regenerate and a time to rebuild.

In the short while I had been there, I had decided once my twelve months were up, if I did not get taken on full-time, I would look for a job in the area as I loved the place.

When I had moved, I had taken a long hard look at myself, I had put on a bit of middle-aged spread. I am not a gym bunny sort of guy, so I took up running. I had not run since school but when you live in such a great place it makes it easier. The scenery around the small town was gorgeous. We had the beach, a harbour, a large country park and some great woodland.

I started with short runs, but I was soon up to four or five miles an evening. It did not take long for me to lose a few pounds and drop two trouser sizes. I was feeling fitter and feeling much better about myself. I no longer ran out of breath walking around the supermarket.

The more I did it the better I felt about life and myself, I was soon running ten miles a night. I did have Saturday evenings off as I tended to go for a beer and spoil myself.

So, I finished my stretches and then ran down the road toward the beach, I ran along the beach and up the seawall before heading up the cliffs and out along the coastal path.

The evening sun was dipping, and dusk was coming in over the sea. I reached my five-mile point and turned to my right, this was a path that led down into the local park and then back toward my house.

By the time I got to the park, it was nearly dark.

I heard the scuffle before I saw it, there was lots of swearing and shouting. I heard a woman shouting for help. Her voice conveyed the trouble she was in, you could hear the panic in it, hear the worry. There was no way I could ignore it. No one could.

I picked up my pace and as I rounded a corner, I saw the fight; two huge guys were attacking one woman. I ran toward them shouting as I did so. I had never been a fighter, the odd scuffle at school yes, but nothing since but I knew she needed my help.

“Oi, you get off her “I shouted trying to make my voice as loud and as menacing as possible.

It was only when I was a few yards from her that I saw she was in uniform; she was a policewoman. One guy had taken her truncheon from her and was swinging it backwards to bring it down on her head, I sprinted the last five yards digging deep into my energy banks. I hit him hard, putting all my weight into it and he fell over.

The other guy was raining punches down on the policewoman. I turned and kicked him hard twice, three times in the ribs. He turned to face me...

“Fuck off mate this is fuck all to do with you!” he scowled; you could sense the venom in his voice. He looked like a real bruiser.

I swung a huge haymaker that caught him square on the jaw, at the same time I was bundled off my feet by the first guy, he ran to kick me, but I rolled away and was on my feet in a moment. I knew enough about fights to know that being on the floor was not the right place to be.

He kicked out at me, and I stumbled backwards and was on the floor again.

I tried to stand up and he kicked out at me, my arm took the full brunt of the force and wow it hurt, I could not move it at all, it was dead, and I was sure there had been some serious damage done. I just about managed to get to my feet.

He came at me and swung again, missed and I kicked out at him. I could see that from the corner of my eye the policewoman was back on her feet and had the truncheon in her hand. She was swinging it at her attacker and at the same time trying to use her radio.

My attacker swung again and caught me in the guts as I stepped backwards, the breath was forced out of me. He swung again, and I sidestepped and hit him in the face, it was my left hand that hit him and as I am right-handed It did not do much damage, but it did put him off his stride for a few seconds

I could sense noise from behind me but had no idea what it was. I must have dropped my guard as he hit me twice in the face and I heard teeth breaking and my jaw felt like it was on fire.

Then my attacker ran at me, and rugby tackled me to the ground. He was hitting me repeatedly in the ribs and I knew I was in trouble. I could only move one arm, so dug my fingers into both of his eye sockets. It made me feel sick and it made him scream with pain and or anger I was not sure which.

He rolled off and I managed to get back to my feet.

“You cunt ... you fucking cunt “he screamed at me; I could see hatred in his eyes as he glared at me.

I saw that the policewoman was now grappling with her attacker, and he was getting the upper hand. I ran and kicked him, catching him in the upper arm. He turned to face me and caught my next kick flush on the chin. At the same time, I felt two huge arms wrap around me and lift me off the ground.

The pain that was coursing through my arm was making my eyes water and I was screaming out loud.

“You little Bastard, you’re going to die!” he shouted in my ear.

He was crushing the breath from me; I could feel my strength draining from me as I struggled to get out of his grasp. I could see the other guy he was back on his feet and he and the women were in a bit of a standoff. I saw a glint of silver and knew it was a knife. I knew that I had to do something and do it quickly. The policewoman was swinging her truncheon, but she looked knackered.

The thug that was trying to squeeze the life out of me was shouting in my ear that he was going to kill me, and I believed him.

“I am going to kill you!” he roared, “I am going to fucking kill you!”

I had to get out of this bear hug and fast, then it came to me. I had seen a film where the guy was being bear-hugged, and I remembered how he got out of it. I swung my head forward and then rammed it back as hard as possible. I heard the crunch of bones and a yelp. The grasp on me loosened and I fell to the ground.

I turned around and the brute that had been trying to squeeze the life out of me was holding his nose and blood was oozing from between his fingers. I kicked him as hard as I could in the balls, and he dropped to his knees. I then kicked him hard in the guts and I heard a gust of breath as he rocked backwards.

I turned back to the policewoman; her attacker was waving the knife at her and was getting closer and closer. I ran at him, hitting his blindside and taking him to the floor. His knife bounced out of his hand, and I saw the policewoman pick it up. I stood up, something caught my eye and then I felt the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced in my life and at that point, I blacked out.

I woke up with white lights blinding me, I looked around, two green-clad paramedics were sitting next to me, and I saw tubes going into my arms. The room was rocking and rolling. I felt sick and waves of pain were washing over me.

One of them must have realized I was awake, he leaned over and smiled at me.

“It is all okay mate, you are in an ambulance, we are on our way to Truro hospital,” he said with a smile.

“What the hell happened to me?” I asked, and felt pain like I have never felt before, a white light flashed over me, and I black out again.

I woke up again and there were huge spotlights over me. There were several people dressed in white gowns. I looked down and I was naked. There was a screen over my hips so I could only see my stomach.

“He’s awake, “I heard someone say and someone else replied “I will sort that out”

A rubber mask was put over my face and I was out like a light.

I woke up and saw ceil tiles and looked around, there were some machines hooked up to me. My mouth tasted of sawdust. I looked to my left and my arm was on the bed, and to my right, my arm was in plaster and being held up by a series of ropes

I called out ... seconds later a nurse came in.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“I am so thirsty!” I croaked.

“Yes, the anaesthetics can do that!” She said with a smile and picked up a jug of water, she poured me a glass and slipped a drinking straw into it. she held it while I drank.

The water was cool and refreshing, I kept sucking it up, and my throat felt better as the liquid trickled down it.

I nodded to show I had had enough, and she put the glass on the bedside table, she checked the machines, wrote something on a clipboard and smiled at me.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked.

“You could tell me what happened?” I replied.

“To be honest I don’t know, I know there is a police sergeant outside waiting to talk to you!” she said with a smile.

“How long have I been here?” I said as she tidied the bed sheet up

“Oh, three days, “she said with a smile.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

“No, from what I hear quite the opposite, “she said, “but before the police can talk to you the doctor wants to check you over!”

She left and came back ten minutes later with a young Indian doctor, he was dressed as doctors do, white coat and corduroy trousers. He had a friendly face and a good bedside manner, he put me at ease that was for sure.

“Hello Mr Robinson, I am Doctor Kohli, “he said, “how are we feeling?”

“Please call me Zak doctor Kohli,” I said. He had a kind and reassuring voice.

“Okay Zak how are you feeling?” he replied with a smile.

“I am a bit sore and a bit confused,” I said truthfully, “please can you tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know the full details but had to do some repairs to your scrotum and a stitch or two in your penis,” he said with a concerned smile, “plus you have the broken arm, bruised jaw and a few cracked teeth!”

My heart was in my mouth, what the fuck had happened I wondered. I let out a low groan.