Page 242 of The Sleepwalker

Bernard is still bellowing behind them, but she can’t make out what he is saying.

Hugo uses one hand to push back his hair, squinting through the blizzard in an attempt to get his bearings.

Agneta has lost all sensation in her face and no longer feels the cold. Her lips are icy, but her bloody hand is burning.

The tinny sound of an engine reaches her through the gale,and in a sudden lull in the storm, she catches a glimpse of the open water up ahead. Frothing waves break over the thin edge of the ice.

A faint light flickers above the rough water, then vanishes into the haze.

‘A boat!’ Hugo shouts, dragging her further out.

Agneta stops and turns her back to the wind. She needs to rest, and can feel the hot blood from her hand seeping through her shirt, running down her torso and leg.

‘We need to keep going!’ Hugo tells her, glancing back.

‘I can’t.’

Her breathing is quick and shallow, her heart pounding uncomfortably hard, and she realises she is probably on the verge of circulatory shock.

‘Come on, I’ll help you.’

A dark figure emerges from the gloom behind them, and Bernard comes into view. His blonde wig has blown away, and his mouth and chin are smeared with blood. He is gripping the axe in his right hand, and he uses the left to wipe the snow from his eyes.

Hugo gets in between him and Agneta, holding up both hands as he tries to catch his father’s eye.

‘Enough now, Dad .?.?.’

Bernard jabs the axe out in front of him and hits Hugo square in the chest. The blow knocks the wind out of him, and the teenager drops to his knees for a moment before slumping onto his side and trying to catch his breath.

Bernard takes a step towards Agneta and severs the rope between them on the ice. He then stands tall and looks down at her with a sad smile.

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Joona turns off into the bay at a sharp angle, moving parallel to the ice. The searchlight on the RIB sweeps through the blizzard, towards the row of lakefront villas, flashing in broken windows and illuminating exposed beams, fallen trees and the debris of broken garden furniture and boats.

Aggressive clouds of snow blow across the dark ice.

He spots Bernard’s house up ahead, followed a moment later by three figures on the ice. Joona reaches for his pistol and tries to get a clear shot. The bow of the RIB breaks through another wave, and water crashes over Joona before the hull slams back down.

* * *

Bernard adjusts his grip on the axe and starts moving towards Agneta. She backs away from him in confusion, swaying when a gust of wind hits her.

He comes to a halt and raises the axe, studying her without emotion, like a predator watching its wounded prey.

Without warning, he swings the axe towards her. Agneta instinctively throws herself back, and the blade passes close to her face. She loses her balance and falls heavily onto the ice. Something in her neck cracks, but she immediately starts tryingto scramble away.

Hugo has grabbed one of Bernard’s legs in an attempt to stop him from going after her.

Agneta turns around and supports herself on her good hand, but she quickly realises that she will need to use both if she is going to stand any chance of getting up.

She whimpers in pain as she presses her bloody hand to the ice.

A searchlight cuts through the snow.

Bernard kicks Hugo away from him without so much as a glance.

Agneta tries to straighten up, but her bloody hand has already frozen to the ice. She screams in agony as she desperately tries to pull it free, but it won’t budge. She is stuck.