by Bryan Smith
He carried the box out to the living room, removed some of the items from it, and arranged them carefully on the coffee table. The intent here was to make it look as if the old man had been consumed with nostalgia during his last night on earth. Once he was satisfied with the placement of the items, he went out to the garage, where he found his father’s shotgun. Back inside, he fetched a chair from the kitchen and put the old man’s corpse on it. The chair had been positioned so that where he’d already bled on the carpet would fit with what was about to happen.
Whether he would get away with what he had in mind was questionable. But Luke figured he’d already staged one crime scene tonight, so why not go for a second one? The odds against things working out in his favor were higher than ever, but he was damn well going to do his best.
He wedged the barrel of the shotgun up under his father’s chin and got his hands wrapped around the stock of the weapon. It was tricky and took some doing, but he eventually managed to make it happen. The blast of the gun made him cringe and momentarily deafened him while making a suitably messy wreck of his father’s head. The grisly tableau was sickening, but he refused to allow another surge of emotion to paralyze him.
His getaway came courtesy of the old Indian motorcycle Josh Benson had kept in the garage next to his Mustang. The bike was rarely used and its absence wouldn’t mean anything to the lawmen investigating the scene. If anyone asked him about it later, he would just claim the old man had given it to him months earlier.
The ride back to his isolated trailer was even more uneventful than the ride into town earlier. He didn’t cross paths with even a single vehicle from the sheriff’s department. The rush of the warm night air felt good against his face as he left Murfreesboro behind and cranked the bike’s engine to a high rev, feeling freer than he ever had as he sped down the dark rural roads en route toward whatever the future held for him.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bryan Smith is the author of numerous previous novels and novellas, including Slowly We Rot, All Hallow’s Dead, 68 Kill, The Reborn, Depraved, The Killing Kind, Strange Ways, House of Blood, and The Freakshow. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene described Slowly We Rot as, “The best zombie novel I’ve ever read.” The Trent Haaga-directed film version of 68 KILL recently completed filming. Bryan lives in Tennessee, where he spends the bulk of his non-writing time reading, binge-watching things on Netflix, and having the occasional beer or three. Visit his home on the web at www.thehorrorofbryansmith.blogspot.com.
SPOTIFY playlist for SEVEN DEADLY TALES OF TERROR: https://open.spotify.com/user/bryandsmith/playlist/3xlBszvJ9OBJpmlc8AA02m
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
INTRODUCTION
TAKE A WALK
DATE NIGHT
THE IMPLANT
HIGHWAY STOP
THE DOLL
BLOODSUCKING NUNS FOR SATAN
SOUTH COUNTY MADMAN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
