The Gateway - Chapter VII: Hell Hath No Fury

When Mary and myself pushed on the door of the King’s barn we found it unlocked and, to our even greater shock, we found Susan in a labourer’s clothes holding a shotgun that I presume had been stolen from Geoffrey’s house.
‘What do you intend to do with that?’ I asked, fear squeezing my stomach into a tight knot with the effect of making me want to be sick.
‘Oh, just to scare him, don’t worry Geoffrey won’t come to any harm as long as he is reasonable and obeys our demands.’ Susan said casually, as if she thought using a gun to intimidate someone was a perfectly normal thing to do.
‘You can’t do that, you’ll be arrested’. I cried.
Susan shrugged.
‘I’d be saving many girls from him as I do so. Sometimes in life we have to make sacrifices, I’m willing to be one for women in England.’
‘Mary,’ I pleaded, hoping she would have better sense, ‘I know you hate Geoffrey but surely you don’t agree with this?’
‘We must all pay for our sins John.’ She answered bluntly.

We were there for hours; it was late night when I heard a man’s voice.
‘It’s all right Nell, the doors open – God knows where the key’s got to.’ Geoffrey called as he walked into the barn and into Susan’s trap. Susan and Mary had thrown themselves against the wall adjacent to the door leaving Geoffrey’s eyes to fall on a very worried me. Susan quickly strode up to the door and locked it, producing the barn key she had stolen.
‘What the fuck are you three doing in here?’ he shouted, fear and anger combined in his voice, as he looked in turn at each one of us. Susan cocked the shotgun at pointed it at his chest.
‘We have a proposal for you Geoffrey,’ she smiled menacingly.
‘Who do you think you are, eh? The police are lookin’ for you, there’s no where to run for you now.’ He snarled.
‘On the contrary,’ Susan revealed her white teeth, which had previously looked so appealing, now looked like those of a lion knowing she has cornered her prey. ‘We, if necessary, can go to an estate in Kent which my father owns. Your remark is actually quite ironic Geoffrey, as you may not have quite perceived yet, but it is you who has no escape. The door is locked and I, who hold your shotgun in my hand, am in possession of the key. Now, everyone in the village knows you smoke, and just fancy if you were to go into the barn one afternoon, have a cigarette as you do so regularly, and were, on this occasion, accidentally to drop it setting the whole place on fire, and say the outcome was quite tragic – it would be a terrible pity would it not?’
Geoffrey looked placid for a while before he broke into uproarious laughter.
‘You three have been thinking about this haven’t you – and let me guess John here is your alibi so no one need know you were here. The thing is, Susan, if that’s your name, I know your type. You’re a young, upper class girl who, despite a good education, knows very little about how life works outside the classroom and above all things, you haven’t got what it takes to kill me. You’re just a pair of silly little girls who are going to find the response of the law to this offence most enlightening to the harsh realities of life.’
‘You have no idea who you’re dealing with,’ Susan said darkly, her face was creepily void of emotion, her eyes hard and concentrated, purging Geoffrey’s soul with their dead stare.
Geoffrey made no effort to conceal his scorn.
‘Do you think you’re a vigilante or hero of some sort; you pathetic little girl. Give me the gun and get off my farm; and while you’re at it I suggest you hand yourself into the police and explain your wanton behaviour – for that is all it is; wanton, reckless. You have no motive, and if you reveal my relationship with Mary I shall come down harder on you than you would have ever thought possible.’
‘You forget John is a witness to all of this,’ retorted Susan, inspecting her fingernails as she did so and thus discarding Geoffrey’s previous speech flippantly - as if his words were of no consequence.
Geoffrey smiled at me in a rather slimy way, which he thought to be sincere and welcoming.
‘I’m sure John would like some new toys or perhaps a few shillings for simply not believing the scandalous lies you are drivelling.’ He eyes searched for agreement in mine, but I had no intention of giving him anything to find. As much as I didn’t wish for Geoffrey to come to any harm I had no urge to sympathise with, or assist, him.
‘Have you sunk that low? Raping a fourteen-year-old girl was not enough? You now resort to bringing a child, who has not any concept of the impudence and repugnant nature of your crimes, into your web of deception and lies?’ Susan was ablaze in fury. Her eyes bulged with passion and ferocity like a wild beast; clearly she was not dead inside yet. The desperation in Geoffrey was becoming noticeable, I fancied he had begun to see Susan was actually quite unhinged and dangerous; he was starting to perspire which was evident from the damp of his brow. He took a step toward Susan and held out his hand. His face was lined with the stress of his current anxiety, and in a firm voice he spoke:
‘Give me the gun now.’
Susan lowered the gun slightly from his chest to point at his pelvis.
‘Step back or I will take away your weapon’
Geoffrey, with resent, did so. This was partially because females, whom he had little respect for, were ordering him around and therefore his pride was diminished. I think he felt deep shame in being forced to accept it was Susan, a mere girl, who had more authority than him at present. Geoffrey, who had dominated women all his life, was being forced into checkmate by one more emotionally and mentally frail than most; for although Susan seemed strong she was in fact plagued by her past and this was the reason such depression intoxicated her and her disposition was melancholic.
‘Stupid woman,’ he muttered.
Susan raised the gun to his face.
‘You’re the stupid one. You should have gathered from what my brother said in church that we do not belief in an afterlife and thus sinners must be punished in this one.’
‘Do you think I’m scared of you? You’re nothing, you’re deluded.’ Geoffrey spat.
‘You’re petrified of me. Do you know why? Can you fathom the root of your fear? It is because I’m an intelligent, independent woman and you religious types can’t handle it. I will destroy all men like you.’ Susan smiled sinisterly.
‘You’re fuckin’ crazy!’ Geoffrey shouted unable to contain himself.
‘Shut up!’ Susan commanded in an aggressive whisper.
‘Why the fuck should I?’
‘If you don’t Nell will come and find out about your hedonistic tendencies towards female employees and, more importantly, I will blow your bloody legs off.’ Susan stated calmly.
‘Oh I get it,’ said Geoffrey, smiling to himself in a sick, vain way. ‘You enjoyed our romantic afternoon together didn’t you Mary? You want another steamy session in the hay, no? Susan, my dear, why didn’t you just say you wanted to experience my sexual prowess? I’ve got to admit the whole holding-me-up-at-gunpoint- thing is very daring, but I suppose I wouldn’t have the heart to decline you. I’ve never had two women at once before; this could be interesting.’
Susan snarled at him, her disgust in men was reaching new peaks. Geoffrey moved towards her and caressed her cheek with his hand. He bared his teeth in an ugly smile.
‘I bet you like it rough don’t you darlin’,’ he smiled. Then his facial expression turned serious and in a swift movement his hand came down from Susan’s cheek to fix around her neck. He squeezed, suffocating her and ripped the shotgun out of her hands and flung it to the floor. Susan struggled with all her might but he was too strong for her and her blows were shrugged off by his firm body, grafted from years of hard toil on the farm. He thrust her against the barn wall, his hand still tightly around her neck. With his other hand Geoffrey stopped her hand, which was furiously resisting and he proceeded to run his tongue up her cheek with pure lust embedded in his eyes. Mary and myself watched frozen in unspeakable horror, shocked in how easily the slimy Geoffrey had transformed into such a monster. Susan spat in his face. He struck her with his fist, felling her. She stared back at him as he towered above her menacingly. Her eyes watered with fear.
‘Every inch of me will resist!’ she screamed at him as he stood above her grabbing his genitalia and grinning evilly. He started to undo his belt, safe in the knowledge no one could get in and stop him and we could not get out as Susan, helpless and delicate, held the key to our escape.
‘I always knew I’d fuck you. The first time I laid eyes on you I knew I’d have you. You silly little bitch. You know you’re enjoying this.’ Geoffrey said, his eyes gleaming as his trousers fell to his ankles. ‘I reckon your sister Felicity’s next,’ he laughed in a way that filled with such a chilling dread that you wondered how someone of the same species as you could commit such a foul act and be so depraved in the mind to have not been hitherto detected by society. A voice came from behind him.
‘Geoffrey, can I join in too?’ asked Mary. Geoffrey turned round with his complacent smile stuck on his face. His joyful temperament quickly disappeared however, as he felt the two bullets of the double-barrelled shotgun smash through his kneecap and thus obliterate his ability to walk. Mary dropped the shotgun, which was still smoking from having fired the two rounds. Geoffrey was taken off his feet and as he fell Susan started to rise. She stood above him and, having regained her composure, calmly withdrew a match from her labourer’s clothes and lit it off the wall of the barn. She looked down at Geoffrey, the match burning bright in her hand and the flame reflected in her eyes, which gave them a magical and rather beautiful colour. Geoffrey saw the fire in her eyes and shook as she spoke like an all-powerful goddess.
‘Now, you will experience the fires of Hell.’