As for what happened next…. What can I say? I did what needed to be done. An evil power had seized control of Dr. Cheshire. He was a fine man for the most part, but he had a wicked side … a dark imagination … and something evil had found nourishment in that darkness. It had driven its roots deep into the doctor’s very soul. And it was my job to uproot that evil.
You’ll find Paxton up in his room, Officer. I checked on him just before you arrived and he’s fast asleep. Please take him to the hospital and have that repulsive skull plate replaced with a good one. I pray that will turn him back into a normal boy.
Take me away now, Officer. I’m tired of talking.
Oh, but I should add…
Dr. Cheshire is still in the basement. After Paxton went back up the stairs, I noticed that the doctor had turned his attention to the fake bones and joints on the table. Admiring his own foul work. Such sinful pride.
I realized immediately what I had to do. Baby Elephant had grown into a strong woman … and the doctor’s hammer was in easy reach, along with all his other tools. Long story short, I broke up everything down there that might prove harmful to the world.
Including Dr. Cheshire.
About The Authors
Mark McLaughlin’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in more than 1,000 magazines, newspapers, websites, and anthologies, including GALAXY, LIVING DEAD 2, THE BEST OF ALL FLESH, WRITER'S DIGEST, CEMETERY DANCE, MIDNIGHT PREMIERE, DARK ARTS, and two volumes each of THE BEST OF HORRORFIND and THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES (DAW Books).
His latest paperback fiction release is a collection of his darkest stories from over the years entitled HIDEOUS FACES, BEAUTIFUL SKULLS. Other collections of his fiction include BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM, BEACH BLANKET ZOMBIE, MOTIVATIONAL SHRIEKER, SLIME AFTER SLIME, and PICKMAN'S MOTEL. He also wrote the novel MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL with collaborator Michael McCarty. He once won the Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in Poetry, along with co-authors Rain Graves and David Niall Wilson, for THE GOSSAMER EYE.
Be sure to visit Mark McLaughlin’s Amazon Author’s Page to find out more about his various works, including his other Kindle story collections: http://www.amazon.com/Mark-McLaughlin/e/B008QCY4TC/
Michael Sheehan, Jr. works for a local school system and loves horror and science-fiction movies. Michael and Mark co-authored the chapbook, CASINO CARCOSA, and they have collaborative stories in the SUMMER OF LOVECRAFT anthology, as well as THE GRUESOME TENSOME, an anthology that pays homage to horror director H.G. Lewis.
Be sure to check out another Lovecraftian Kindle story collection by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.: The Abominations Of Nephren-Ka & Three More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015KCOYPE/
The Horror In The Water Tower & Five More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos fiction and cover artwork ©2016 Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
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