AN ATTENDED DEATH
Fifteen Tales of Horror and Suspense
Nirvana
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The darkness has shown him a singleness of purpose; a purity of each moment, and seeing this, he believes the evidence has been around him, his entire life. All beautiful things: art, music, sculpture, literature, and everything creative; come from one place.
Pain.
Open House
Inspired by Actual Events
The call came in at about 2 a.m. and it was our turn to go. Outside, the storm raged, its electrical surges tripping alarms all over town. Investigation was an act of futility. Mother Nature was the only intruder but we had to go, just in case, protect and serve and all that jazz.
Summer's End
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His gaze was drawn to the shoreline outside the cabin and the makeshift boat dock just beyond. There in the morning fog was something he had not seen in all his years of coming here. A dark and rounded hump rested just off shore. Its’ details were smudged with atmosphere but it looked mechanical.
Chewed
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Bill has not left his closet in two weeks. He relieves himself in glass pitchers and plastic cups he has on the edges of the carpet floor. The odor is abysmal, but he no longer smells it.
Empty bags, cereal boxes and assorted cans litter the floor. His food is gone but the idea of leaving his safe place terrifies him. When his stomach pangs get too insistent, he eats the tongues from his shoes.
The Perfect Grout Line
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At home, Manny stands beneath the fluorescents of his garage; looking, seeing. Trowels and sponges litter the top of his work table. His eyes dart to its’ lower shelf, lingering on the ceramic pots, plant stakes and his dead wife’s gardening gloves.
