The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Marge Simon @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Joys of Arsenic
Velma Barfield’s Sory
by Marge Simon

“You married my granddaddy. Him I never knew.
About the time he met me was about the time he met you.
Then you killed Stuart Taylor. Someone had to know.
Every man you been with, one by one they go. “
– from “Velma”, Jonathan Byrd, Wildflowers album, 2001
Death is a forever nightmare. I was sure I’d be sent to Heaven, since I got Born Again in prison. But no. I see the shelf of bottles with the little skull and crossbones. It’s ever present in my endless dream, and just beyond my reach.
Never mind my childhood. Never mind that my own father was the first man to screw me up. It’s not his fault, being so nice to me one day and so fucking mean the next. It was just the mood swings that manic people get, so I don’t blame the bastard. The bruises from his beatings healed — on the outside, anyway.  I escaped by marriage to Tom Burke. We had two kids. Things got really bad after I had a hysterectomy. My back was killing me, I guess I got a little testy. Screaming fights, all that –and he started drinking. Well, wouldn’t you know he came to like the booze too much.
Anyway, long story short, I got Tom a bottle of bootleg from a neighbor. Waited till he’d passed out. Dumped gasoline on the living room rug and lit it. Took the kids to a movie. I was pretty messed up by then with pain killers, or I’d have thought twice about doing such a fool thing. House and husband up in smoke and no insurance.
To be sure, when my next house burned down by accident, it was insured. And when I married Mr. Jennings. Barfield, he had insurance. The poor man, a widower before we met, died of heart complications.  Then there was his nosy mother, who didn’t believe heart failure was the cause of her son’s demise. The old bitch died of stomach troubles because by then, I had discovered the joys of arsenic. No need to bother with burning houses down.
I must admit that once I was financially secure, I wasn’t alone, I had Mr. Codeine, Mr. Dexie, and Miss Valium. Steadfast lovers, they stayed by me all though my fun playing nurse to the elderly, helping them die in various stages of “stomach disorders”. It was a kick, and I took pride in sending the old farts to the Pearly Gates.
Found out, I was tried and sent to Death Row. I missed my shelf of bottles so much, I’d just sit there crying for hours. Maybe a guard took pity on me, because the church people came to preach to me so I would see the light. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I preached devoutly to my cellmates whenever we were gathered. But when the time came and the lethal serum was injected, all I could think of was that shelf of deadly liquids. Maybe I should have had something pious on my mind. Too late now.
Praise be to my grandson! His song proclaims my legend. Like the aftertaste of arsenic, a very bitter homage.
Fiction © Copyright Marge Simon
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More from Marge Simon:

 

Satan’s Sweethearts
by Marge Simon and‎ Mary Turzillo

Satan’s Sweethearts – a collection of poems by Marge Simon and Mary Turzillo featuring the most monstrous, evil women throughout history!

Available on Amazon!

 

 

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Nina D’Arcangela @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Hush
by Nina D’Arcangela

Been so many years, I don’t even remember the sun no more. I hear ‘em muttering, let ‘em talk. I’ll die in this box no doubt. I even heard they sealed it with the name. Trying to shame me I s’ppose. But I have my trophy; I pick my teeth with it every day. Wearin’ it down, but then it was so small to start with. Seems people dislike what I done, but that’s only ‘cause they don’t understan’ it. See, the sweet meat – it’s like veal, you gotta eat it when it’s supple, ‘fore it grows and loses the flavor.
Fiction © Copyright Nina D’Arcangela
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela 

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More from Nina D’Arcangela:

Mental Ward: EXPERIMENTS

A dank basement, shadow filled hallways, the deep echo of a metal latch being thrown while faint screams are heard… These are the things you might experience in a place where the unspeakable happens, where conscientious action and moral turpitude turn a blind eye in the interest of advancing one’s own personal pursuits in the most deranged and unjustifiable manner. The type of place where power corrupts, and depravity runs rampant among those imbued with it. A place where the unfortunate are abandoned to the devices of those who convince themselves their actions are in the best interest of science.

Mental Ward: Experiments is a collection of ten short stories that demonstrate the worst of humanity’s ambition in the interest of ‘civilized’ advancement. Step into a world where sanity is left behind, and horror is what the doctor ordered!

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Ela Lourenco @ElaLourenco @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Evolution
by Ela Lourenco

Rotting fish, decaying flesh
Scummy foam in verdant seas
Bloated corpses bobbing around
Air pungent with stench of disease
The humans came with cities of metal
And ever-improving technologies
But the sickness came and swept right through
With the chant of mumbled eulogies
Everything is toxic and polluted
They poisoned all they touched
But I and my brethren will remain
Immune, as we feast on our lunch…
Fiction © Copyright Ela Lourenco
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More from Ela Lourenco:

Essence

Katra is a Fae Hunter in a world once ravaged by a terrible war. Having lost all memory of her childhood and rightful identity, her duty is now to protect the tentative peace brokered by the varying races of the supernatural world. When an evil darkness begins to spread, draining young witches of their power, Katra must find a way back to her true past in order to save the future.

Enduring many trials as ever-increasing powers awaken within her, Katra must also struggle with the mixed emotions her new partner, Blade – a Black Dragon – is rousing within her. Together they must battle the shadows that plan to devour the world they know and prevent its decent into another thousand-year war.

Can Katra hold onto her strength as the truth of her very being begins to unravel? Can she bear the weight that ancient prophecy has placed on her young shoulders? Or is her destiny to regain her true self, only to lose the world she is sworn to protect?

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Lydia Prime @LydiaPrime @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Mariel
by Lydia Prime

I’m not sure what putting my name above this iron door was meant to do, whether they intended to remember me or if it was to keep me locked away and hide their guilt. If I could just push through, move past the burning sensation and find myself on the other side…
I want to see my family, I want to watch them grow and hear them laugh. They should know I’m there. They should welcome me and answer when I speak to them rather than ignore me as if I were some insignificant bug.
I know I’d been getting clumsy, moved glasses here or broken mirrors there – but I didn’t mean to frighten anyone. I didn’t push Rick down the stairs on purpose, but he shouldn’t have disregarded my question about our baby. I just want to be heard, to be noticed.
As I bang my fists against the gate for the umpteenth time a white hot pain shoots through my palms and I can’t take it anymore. I cry out half hoping someone, anyone, will rush to my side. They don’t. I pace back and forth in my tiny box, tears soothing my seared hands. All my wailing seems hopeless until I hear a faint giggle from outside. Is it them? Rushing to the gate and carefully leaning close enough not to touch it again, I see Rick and my son walking up.
For a moment, it looks as if Rick can see me. It feels like our eyes have locked for the first time in… well, longer than I even know. I crouch down, longing to stick my hand through the gate and touch my baby boy’s face. He sees me, I know he does. He slides a dandelion through the gate and I touch him for the briefest of seconds before a teary eyed Rick scurries him away.
“Come back!” I yell, I plead. “Come back! Don’t leave me here, please!” I slam my palm against the gate and it aches more than ever. They’re out of my sight before I know it and tears are spilling onto my damaged hands.
Fiction © Copyright Lydia Prime
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More about Lydia Prime:

Lydia grew up in a small, ‘Mayberry,’ sort of town, in New Jersey. She thoroughly enjoys gummy bears and laughing through the darkest depths of life. More often than not, she writes about demons and monsters, however, being a recovering addict tends to turn inner demons into fearsome foes to be fought beyond the constraints of the mind. ‘Sometimes,’ she states, ‘what’s inside, is scarier than anything reality throws at you.’

Please visit Lydia on Facebook for more info. 

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Kathleen McCluskey @KathleenMcClus4 @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Amy’s Coven
by Kathleen McCluskey

Amy was a resident at the coven’s mansion. She was the apothecary. The sisters came to her for help with their potions and spells. The help was for love, weight loss and the basic vanities that came with being a woman. They were an arrogant bunch of witches and Amy was constantly left out of their adventures. Being a mousy, quiet woman made her the target for their snide remarks and jabs. They would ridicule her powers and make her feel like less of a witch. They assumed her only skill was making potions and tending to the garden.
She sat in her salon and looked at the forbidden bottles that lay at the back of the wardrobe. She knew that it was time for her to investigate the potentiality that lie within them. Amy opened the glass door and lifted the large bottle off of the shelf. She blew the dust off of the top and examined the outer markings. She scoffed at the skull and cross bones that graced the front label. She thought to herself, “A little dramatic, don’t ya think?” She shrugged her shoulders and popped the cork out. A pale green mist slowly flowed out of the top. She closed her eyes and knew exactly what the liquid could do. A small sideways smile crept across her face as she began to fill a beaker.
As usual, dinner was promptly at seven in the lush dining hall of the mansion. Amy was the last to be seated as some of the other witches whispered amongst themselves. They giggled as they looked in her direction. She knew that they would not be giggling for much longer. She watched them as they ate. She only played with the tainted food. Amy stood as they began to choke and wheeze. A large diabolical smile came to her face as she watched them writhe on the floor. Their skin that she helped make silken now turned ashen and their eyes turned milky white. She raised her hands to the ceiling and spoke, “Now this is MY coven. All of you will do my bidding. You bitches are now mine.”
Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Elaine Pascale @DocLaney @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Men are Coming Back
by Elaine Pascale

She had perfected stick welding.  Where others became frustrated with the process, the focus on the minutiae made her feel as if she were soaring, just like the planes she repaired. Years of tatting, sewing, and knitting had trained her hands for precision. She was prouder of the machinery she repaired and fabricated than of any of the table cloths, napkins, or shawls she had made growing up.
She was doing this for her country, but she was also doing this for herself. She wanted to weld a small iron picket fence for her yard. She would put it around the rose bushes she dreamed of growing in her barren yard. She would delight in shocking everyone by saying that she had made the fence herself.
The men are coming back.
There were posters everywhere, encouraging the women to return to the home and hearth. The images of cherubic children eating the lunches provided by their mothers were meant to persuade. The war was over, and the men could now resume their important work.
The men are coming back
She was lost at home. Her skills were wasted and she fixated on the fantasy of the fence.
Her brother understood her dream. He snuck her into the cavernous garage. He helped to scavenge scraps of metal while she welded behind blocked windows. The iron melted together as if it were meant to be and she lost track of time while engrossed in her joy.
The men are coming back.
The men were inside the garage before they heard them. She and her brother didn’t have time to run. “You can’t let them in here anymore,” one growled while the others held her brother down. “They were told to go back home.” Their kicks and punches landed where they shouldn’t. Her brother’s brain swelled, and he was never the same.
The men are coming back.
The men were working inside the garage. They were working with highly combustible equipment. She knew all about that and she knew about many other tools that were at her disposal. It was not difficult at all for someone with her dexterity to permanently seal the doors shut while the fire consumed all that was inside.
This time, the men wouldn’t leave.
Fiction © Copyright Elaine Pascale
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More from Elaine Pascale:

The Blood Lights

They victimize all…

Jezzie Mitchell is in anguish; with her brother’s murder still on her mind, she’s noticed strange behavior among the girls in the residential treatment center where she works. Is there a connection between the contagion on Cape Cod and the deadly Bahamas vacation that changed her life?

Jezzie reaches out to former lover Lou Collins, a scholar who has chased proof of the lights for decades. Will he be able to solve the mystery of the lights in time?

Intensely competitive, reporter Bridgette Collins knows the lights are a way to secure fame in her career. And while it’ll put the final nail into the coffin of her ex-husband’s career, she vows to know the secrets of the lights. Even if it means unleashing a world-wide epidemic…

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author E.A. Black @ElizabethABlack @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Mother Nature
by E.A. Black

I first noticed something was wrong when the fireflies disappeared. I used to see them when I was a kid all the time at dusk. Then, by the time I was an adult, they were gone. Where did they go? Bees disappeared, too. I used to get stung every summer. Now, I hardly see them at all. The fruit trees began to die since there was not much left out there to pollinate them.
The invasive plant species took over even more than usual, crowding out and killing the local flora. Instead of being shy, snakes made their way into our garage, recoiling and snapping at us each time we tried to take them back outside.
I lived near the ocean. This year summer was unusually hot. Algae blooms flourished but they killed off far too many fish. Three seals had washed up ashore to die in less than two months. That was very unusual. People who paid good money for the whale watch tours returned to the harbor, disappointed they had not seen a single humpback.
What the hell was going on?
The seagulls attacked sunbathers resting on the local beaches. We had over the years nicknamed them “flying sea rats” since they would get into your food if you left your beach blanket for even five minutes. They could be aggressive around an open bag of potato chips but they never swarmed people and attacked them. An eight year old girl was sent to the hospital only a few days ago with a laceration above her right eye that required ten stitches. A black-backed gull had swooped down upon her as she ate a candy bar.
I stood by the cliffs overlooking the harbor. Gulls and ducks gathered on the rocks below. They turned to look at me, all in unison. Then, as if instructed by an invisible conductor, they flew into the air.
They headed in my direction.
I raced into the nearby woods. I got away that time but how much longer would I be safe?
How much longer would any of us be safe?
Fiction © Copyright E. A. Black
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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More from E.A. Black:

Teeming Terrors

Nature. Filled with wonder, beauty, majesty and mystery. Also filled with things that want to kill us. Normal things, little ordinary things. Things that creep and crawl. Things that fly, swim, scuttle and slither. Things that you might expect and be rightfully phobic about … as well as things you may have never imagined as a threat. Individually, maybe they wouldn’t be. But that’s just it. They aren’t coming for you individually. They’re coming for you in swarms, in flocks and hordes, in masses and multitudes. They’re coming for you by the thousands. They are … TEEMING TERRORS.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Tiffany Michelle Brown @TiffeBrown @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Heavy Lifting
by Tiffany Michelle Brown

I used to enjoy our Saturday afternoon ritual, the one put into motion by our wives’ mutual love of yoga. It used to be calming. Mundane. Predictable. Fun, even.
When the girls leave together, clad in poly blends, ready to strike warrior poses at the local YMCA, Aaron and I retire to the backyard to do manly things. Which is to say we lift weights and toss back tumblers of scotch.
Aaron’s really into fitness, the kind of guy who works out before going to his nine-to-five. I stay fit, but I’ll admit that I don’t have his level of dedication. My wife has always said she isn’t a fan of bulging, veiny muscles. I used to believe her.
Despite Aaron’s love of a good workout, our hangouts aren’t competitive. Not really. It’s just a dude thing. We shoot the shit and spot each other on Aaron’s outdoor bench press equipment. Maybe smoke a little weed if one of us has some.
It’s been chill. It’s been good, mostly.
But it isn’t anymore. Today, I want to run Aaron over with his fancy backyard booze cart. Instead, I pour him a drink.
“You still jetlagged, man?” His voice makes me wince.
I hand Aaron his booze. “I’m never letting them send me overseas again. Coming back is brutal,” I say, which is the truth, but my rough re-entry has nothing to do with fatigue or time zones. “You been benching?”
Aaron shrugs, acting all nonchalant, and takes a sip of scotch. “Here and there.”
“What are you up to?” I pour myself a generous draught.
“Maybe two-fifty?”
“Impressive.” I smile. “You should try for three hundred today. I’ll spot you.” I walk over to the bench, knowing he’ll follow. This is our routine. Why wouldn’t he?
Aaron sits on the bench and watches me load up the bar. “I’m not sure about three hundred. It’s a big jump up.” But even as he says this, I can hear that he wants to try it. I knew he would.
“Oh, come on. You could do this in your sleep.” I make a big show of making sure the weights are secure, then give him an encouraging smile. “Besides, I’ll be right here.”
Aaron rolls his meaty shoulders and sets his tumbler in the grass. He does a couple stretches to loosen up, then reclines on the bench. My muscles burn as I help Aaron hoist the bar. “You got it, man?” I ask. Aaron’s already a little pink-faced, but he puffs out, “Yep.”
I relax my grip until only my fingertips support the bar. “Lower when ready.”
And Aaron does. He gets in four shaky, slow reps before his muscles start quaking and he’s red in the face from the effort. My cheerleader comes out. “You got this! One more, man. Put in the work!”
As his elbows bend, I give the bar a jerk toward me and let surprise and gravity do the heavy lifting. Then, I use all my strength to pin the bar to Aaron’s windpipe. He struggles against me.  Normally, he’d be able to throw me across the backyard, but his arms are tired. His struggling is just that, struggling.
The whole ordeal is quick but clearly not painless. I watch Aaron turn blue. Spittle flecks his lips. Finally, his huge arms splay open, the fight done. His fingertips skim the tips of the perfectly manicured lawn.
I stoop, pick up Aaron’s abandoned whisky, and take a sip. It’s smoky and sweet and burns my throat, which is good, because I have a phone call about an accident to make. A raspy voice could make my plight sound convincing, though it’s one of my own making.
I know how Aaron’s wife will react to the news, but I wonder about Patricia. Her response will fill in the gaps, let me know how long they’ve been carrying on behind my back.
And then I’ll know if I have any more heavy lifting to do.
Fiction © Copyright Tiffany Michelle Brown
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Sonora Taylor @sonorawrites @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

As Quick As Poison
by Sonora Taylor

In the darkness, liquid pooled
Upon a table in the wood.
A bottle lay inside her hand
And seeped its poison in the land.
She’d thought a drink would calm her nerves,
That one last sip would stop the stirs
Of voices crawling in her mind
Which fed her thoughts and dreams unkind.
But when she drank that fatal cup
And took a moment to look up,
She fell to earth. Her time had passed
As quick as poison through a glass.
Fiction © Copyright Sonora Taylor
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela

 

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More from Sonora Taylor:

Without Condition

Cara Vineyard lives a quiet life in rural North Carolina. She works for an emerging brewery, drives her truck late at night, and lives with her mother on a former pumpkin farm. Her mother is proud of her and keeps a wall displaying all of Cara’s accomplishments.

Cara isn’t so much proud as she is bored. She’s revitalized when she meets Jackson Price, a pharmacist in Raleigh. Every day they spend together, she falls for him a little more — which in turn makes her life more complicated. When Cara goes on her late-night drives, she often picks up men. Those men tend to die. And when Cara comes back to the farm, she brings a memento for her mother to add to her wall of accomplishments.

Cara’s mother loves her no matter what. But she doesn’t know if Jackson will feel the same — and she doesn’t want to find out.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Naching T. Kassa @NachingKassa @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Another Man’s Poison
by Naching T. Kassa

Klaus Herrman sat behind the rusted bars, his eyes on the shadows shambling in the moonlight.
The dead gathered. Their numbers swelling.
His mind, clear as ever, reached back to the chain of moments long before the one he occupied. He had not believed in the devil then.
The year 1946 had begun with a chill he had never known, nor would long forget. Gone were the days of the sun, the days ushered in by his beloved Fuhrer. They had fled in April of ’45 when a bullet had creased the god’s skull.
Klaus, once a hero of the Reich, lay sprawled in his cell while the mongrels bayed outside the door. They called for his blood.
Two guards stood watch outside his cell. Neither responded when he asked for water and food. Cold stares were all he received.
Two hours before Klaus’ execution, a man entered the room outside his cell. Clothed in black with eyes to match, he slipped in like a shadow. If the guards saw him, they gave no sign.
The man stopped before the cell; he grasped the bars and shook his head.
“The end is nigh, Klaus,” he said, his voice soft.
“Who are you?”
“A friend,” the man replied. “Call me, Luke.”
He grinned and Klaus’ scalp prickled.
“My friends are dead.”
“Not all. There are those who think of you. I have come on behalf of just such a person.”
“Who?”
“Her name is Elsa Buren.”
“My maid?”
“She has given her soul to save you.”
“Why?”
The man shrugged. “I’m here to keep my end of the bargain not question the ways of a woman’s heart.”
Klaus glanced at the guards. He lowered his voice. “You have come to free me?”
“If immortality is freedom, then yes, I suppose I have.”
“Immortality?”
“You will live forever, my friend. You’ll never know thirst, or hunger, or death again. Once you take my hand and accept this gift, not even the rope can kill you.”
“I won’t hang?”
“Nope.” Luke slid his hand between the bars. “Just take my hand and I’ll be on my way.”
Klaus eyed the pale palm. No lines marred the surface.
“Time is precious,” Luke whispered. “Do you hear the seconds?”
Something ticked within Klaus’s mind. The sound grew faster, filling his ears.
“That’s your life ticking away,” Luke shouted.
Klaus reached out. He grasped the offered hand.
The ticking ceased.
“Good man,” Luke said. He shook Klaus’ hand twice and released it.
“I don’t feel any different. Where are you going?”
“My work is done. Have a good life, Herr Herrman.”
“Wait! Come back!”
Luke strolled past the two guards and out the door. He didn’t look back.
An hour after he’d gone, soldiers took Klaus to Nuremberg Prison’s gymnasium. Thirteen steps led him to a harsh hemp noose and a short drop.
It failed.
Several fruitless executions followed. With each one, Klaus’ confidence grew. He needed neither food nor drink for with immortality came invincibility.
And, then they built the cell. An impenetrable chamber with bars of thick steel. They kept Klaus in and the world out.
He remained there until the end. Until the guards no longer came. Until the dead rose to shuffle outside his cell.
There had never been so many dead before. They milled about outside watching him with white-filmed eyes and gnashing their blunt teeth. Skin and hair sloughed to the floor unnoticed and the bars, brittle and rusted, shuddered when brushed by their bodies.
Soon, they would break through. They would swarm over him.
Klaus shivered.
“Looks like the end is nigh,” a voice said.
Klaus looked up into a pair of black eyes.
“Luke.”
The man beyond the bars bowed. “In the flesh.”
“You have to get me out of here.”
“Sorry, Bud. No can do.”
“What?”
Luke leaned against the bars. They shifted under his weight.
“Don’t do that! They’ll get in!”
“Oh, I know they will. That’s the whole point. What’s the matter, Klaus? You can’t die.”
“I know… but…”
“Ah, yes. You still feel pain. Can you imagine those blunt teeth biting and gnawing for an eternity?”
The bars shifted again.
“Don’t! Please! I’ll do anything. Do you want my soul? It’s yours. I…”
Luke yawned and Klaus fell silent.
“I own your soul. Your actions condemned you to my custody long ago.”
“Is there nothing I can do?”
“Well… it is the Apocalypse and you are the last man on earth. We’re at a standstill until I collect you.”
“Collect me.”
“I can’t violate a contract. Elsa gave her soul that you might live.”
“Did she give it out of love?”
“I suppose so.”
“That negates the contract, does it not?”
Luke stared into Klaus’ eyes.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I believe it does.”
Tears glittered in Klaus’ eyes. “Free me.”
Luke pushed a hand between the rusted bars. Klaus took it.
When Luke pulled away the bars broke and fell. The dead ceased their mingling, their eyes focused on Klaus.
“Wait…” Klaus said. “You said you’d free me!”
The dead rushed forward as one.
Luke grinned. “Consider yourself free.”
Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Nina D’Arcangela
 

 

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More from Naching T. Kassa:


Final Masquerade

It’s the Final Masquerade and it’s your turn to dance.

The evening is ending and the guests are ready to leave, but the final event of the evening is just beginning — the unmasking.

Welcome to Final Masquerade where no one is who they seem.

Stories written by Daniel I. Russell * Ken MacGregor * J.C. Delisle * Joshua Chaplinsky * Lori Safranek * D.S. Ullery * Samantha Lienhard * Thomas Kleaton * Josh Strnad * Naching T. Kassa * Roy C. Booth & Axel Kohagen * Sheldon Woodbury * Craig Steven * Gregory L. Norris * Jay Eales * Dale W. Glaser * R.K. Kombrinck * Jonathan Cromack * Brian C. Baer * Adrian Chamberlin

Available on Amazon!

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