Read Twisted Fate (Tales of Horror) for Free Online Page B
Authors: Jonas Saul
hypothermia that would eventually take him.
How would he go on after this? How could he live after losing his wife and his two little girls? Where was Suzy now? Still wandering, or already freezing to death?
John cried, his tears warm, but cooling rapidly as they drifted down his face. Too many events mirrored the night his parents died. They’d been lost, wandering, people out looking for them.
Who was the woman in the window? Why am I here? Who am I?
The sound of engines again.
His mind slipped.
The sat phone rang.
Startled, he jolted his head sideways, eyes wide.
“Am I hearing things?” he asked out loud.
On the third ring he convinced himself that it wasn’t an illusion. He moved to get off the couch and fell to the floor in a heap of cold, non-functioning limbs.
The phone stopped its incessant drill.
I thought I dropped the phone. I thought it broke.
This time he was sure he could hear engines as the sounds grew louder, closer. Consciousness became harder to maintain.
John forced himself up, leaning his back against the couch. He waited. The engines stopped somewhere in front of the cabin. A moment later the door to the cabin slammed inward.
A policeman entered, followed by a paramedic. The third person was a ghost. John couldn’t believe it.
Tera, his wife. She ran to him.
“Oh, John, what have you done?”
She held his face in her hands. “I told you to take your pills. You were supposed to be home two days ago on Sunday. It’s Wednesday morning, John.”
She got moved aside as the paramedic started examining him.
John had enough strength to stay awake a little longer. He knew his hallucinations could be strong, but never like this. This one, while alone in the cabin, could’ve killed him.
The ghost woman from earlier stood by the door now. She wasn’t in the window anymore, and as far as John could tell, no one could see her. Tera turned to see what he was staring at.
He realized in a wave of lucidity that the woman by the door was a younger version of his mother.
She opened her mouth and whispered, “You’re mine. I’m waiting for you, John. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
She reared her head back and laughed a horrid, guttural cackle.
John shouted and tried to get up. The paramedic eased him back down.
“Did you hear what she just said?” he asked.
Tera looked at the cop and the paramedic, then back to him.
“John, I’m the only woman in the room. I didn’t say anything.”
“We have to stop her,” he shouted. “We have to stop her.”
He looked for the woman, but she was gone. In her place was his father, shaking his head.
“Goodbye, John.”
His father’s face evolved into something unexplainable. John screamed and arched his back as he tried to get away.
When he turned around, the sofa was drenched in blood now. It dripped off the center cushion, falling to a small puddle beside his head. The blood had pooled where the cushions were torn.
What the hell is that? What happened here?
He turned back around. The paramedic was gone. The policeman had disappeared. His parents were nowhere in sight. But Tera was there. She lay across the open doorway on her stomach, straddling the threshold of the cabin, her back a mess of blood and hair.
John gasped and brought a hand to his mouth.
“Baby?” he whispered. “What happened to you? Where is everybody?”
He crawled across the floor to her. The pain and the cold momentarily forgotten. When he moved the hair out of her face, he discovered Tera’s eyes open, lifeless, empty.
There was no doubt she was dead.
John looked down the length of her body and saw the axe imbedded in her back.
“What?” He crawled away fast and bumped into the wall. “How? Why ?”
His body shuddered.
“How could this be?” he asked.
“ It just
How would he go on after this? How could he live after losing his wife and his two little girls? Where was Suzy now? Still wandering, or already freezing to death?
John cried, his tears warm, but cooling rapidly as they drifted down his face. Too many events mirrored the night his parents died. They’d been lost, wandering, people out looking for them.
Who was the woman in the window? Why am I here? Who am I?
The sound of engines again.
His mind slipped.
The sat phone rang.
Startled, he jolted his head sideways, eyes wide.
“Am I hearing things?” he asked out loud.
On the third ring he convinced himself that it wasn’t an illusion. He moved to get off the couch and fell to the floor in a heap of cold, non-functioning limbs.
The phone stopped its incessant drill.
I thought I dropped the phone. I thought it broke.
This time he was sure he could hear engines as the sounds grew louder, closer. Consciousness became harder to maintain.
John forced himself up, leaning his back against the couch. He waited. The engines stopped somewhere in front of the cabin. A moment later the door to the cabin slammed inward.
A policeman entered, followed by a paramedic. The third person was a ghost. John couldn’t believe it.
Tera, his wife. She ran to him.
“Oh, John, what have you done?”
She held his face in her hands. “I told you to take your pills. You were supposed to be home two days ago on Sunday. It’s Wednesday morning, John.”
She got moved aside as the paramedic started examining him.
John had enough strength to stay awake a little longer. He knew his hallucinations could be strong, but never like this. This one, while alone in the cabin, could’ve killed him.
The ghost woman from earlier stood by the door now. She wasn’t in the window anymore, and as far as John could tell, no one could see her. Tera turned to see what he was staring at.
He realized in a wave of lucidity that the woman by the door was a younger version of his mother.
She opened her mouth and whispered, “You’re mine. I’m waiting for you, John. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
She reared her head back and laughed a horrid, guttural cackle.
John shouted and tried to get up. The paramedic eased him back down.
“Did you hear what she just said?” he asked.
Tera looked at the cop and the paramedic, then back to him.
“John, I’m the only woman in the room. I didn’t say anything.”
“We have to stop her,” he shouted. “We have to stop her.”
He looked for the woman, but she was gone. In her place was his father, shaking his head.
“Goodbye, John.”
His father’s face evolved into something unexplainable. John screamed and arched his back as he tried to get away.
When he turned around, the sofa was drenched in blood now. It dripped off the center cushion, falling to a small puddle beside his head. The blood had pooled where the cushions were torn.
What the hell is that? What happened here?
He turned back around. The paramedic was gone. The policeman had disappeared. His parents were nowhere in sight. But Tera was there. She lay across the open doorway on her stomach, straddling the threshold of the cabin, her back a mess of blood and hair.
John gasped and brought a hand to his mouth.
“Baby?” he whispered. “What happened to you? Where is everybody?”
He crawled across the floor to her. The pain and the cold momentarily forgotten. When he moved the hair out of her face, he discovered Tera’s eyes open, lifeless, empty.
There was no doubt she was dead.
John looked down the length of her body and saw the axe imbedded in her back.
“What?” He crawled away fast and bumped into the wall. “How? Why ?”
His body shuddered.
“How could this be?” he asked.
“ It just
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