Horror Bites #19

I have neglected my flash fiction recently, so it has felt rather good dipping a toe back into the water and writing for #HorrorBites. This week isn't gruesome. Just a bit dark and strange.

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I stood in front of the old water tower. My first day out of prison and I came here. It looked like a family home, obviously oblivious to what happened fifteen years ago . . .

Bunking off school seemed a good idea. Daring each other to go into the condemned water tower was not. We larked about, prodded a few dead pigeons before venturing up the stone stairs, passing a tattered prom dress. Nancy wore one just like it, before she went missing. I shivered. We reached the attic.

Crouching in the far corner was Billy. We all thought he’d left town months ago but it appeared he was living in the tower. His feral stare chilled my bones. Dried blood caked his pale face. A flesh stripped bone fell from his grasp.

He hissed, crouching on all fours. His leap towards us was a surprise. I fell down, my hands pushing him away. He snarled, his spit mixed with blood showering my face. I shouted for help, unable to hold him back.With a sickening thud and a crack, Joe swiped Billy with a plank. Sounding like a wounded animal, Billy yelped as he rolled across the floor.

I took the split plank, ready for Billy. He pounced again and I thrust the pointed end into his gut. He fell, writhing and gurgling. I watched until the blood stopped oozing from his gaping wound, as he lay motionless. I didn’t know what I killed that day. But I served my time and now I stood at the water tower.

The door opened and I watched a young family walk out. The dad locked the door and turned. Billy? It couldn’t be. I killed him, watched him bleed out. He stared back then smiled. He hadn’t aged at all.

What was he?

300

Written for Horror Bites #19, hosted by Laura Jamez over at Office Mango

 

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Horror Bites #12 The Special Offer

 

  The Special Offer

Fed up with wilting plants?

  Worry no more with our new 
Miracle Fertiliser.
  100% organic ingredients. As natural as nature intended.   

       

                Alfred read the leaflet with interest, looking out upon his withered flower beds. He’d tried everything without success. The new garden centre in town was just what he needed. And it was the grand opening tonight, promising special offers along with a glass of fizz.

            When Alfred arrived, it was packed but that didn’t stop him noticing the larger than usual potted plants, the champion winning sized vegetables and beautiful, aromatic flowers; brighter, bigger and taller than anything Alfred had ever seen.

          Excitement fuelled him as he hurried around the centre, searching for the fertiliser until a shrill scream stopped him in his tracks. Everyone rushed to the source of the scream and found a woman quivering in front of a bench where an arm hung at a distorted angle.

         Silence fell.

         Fear clenched around Alfred like a fist, wanting explanation but not prepared for the answer.     

        “I guess we’ll have to buy into this,  buy a bag of fertiliser,” a man said next to Alfred. “Ask no questions.” Alfred stared back, horror etched on his face at the acceptance of such an act. “It might be our only way out,” the man said.

       “Yeah, except,” Alfred began, “all I see are very large flowers and vegetables . . . but not one bag of fertiliser for sale . . .  not one . . . anywhere in this entire place . . . Don’t you think that’s odd?”

        “But . . . you can’t mean?” the man spluttered, his face devoid of all colour. Alfred never got a chance to reply as the ceiling opened up to slicing, grinding metal, descending down, cascading the plants in a wash of crimson.

287 excluding title but including advert.  

Written for Horror Bites over at Office Mango, hosted by Laura Jamez.

#HorrorBites Challenge A Bag Of heads

“Weirdo,” was the usual  greeting for Sasha as she walked through the school corridors. All she wanted was for someone to call a best friend. But she was alone.

   Luckily, Sasha found a way to have friends.

   Her dolls.

   They travelled with her everywhere.

    Until the school thug, Tony, decided that today he was going to be extra mean. Not content with kicking Sasha’s bag across the hall, he decided to empty it all over the corridor. Deafening laughter followed as Sasha’s dolls tumbled out for everyone to see. Red with rage, Sasha tried to ignore the laughter as she bent to pick up her dolls but not before Tony picked one up and pulled off the head, copied by Ryan and the rest of the gang until every doll was headless. Ryan threw a head at Sasha as the gang walked off, their laughter echoing in Sasha’s ears.

    “I’m so sorry Michelle,” Sasha said softly to one of her dolls. “I’ll fix this.” She placed the dolls in her bag and left.

     Once home, Sasha fixed up her dolls. 

But the magic had gone.

     The next day in school, the halls were peaceful. Tony wasn’t one to hunt without his pack but Sasha approached him.

    “Fancy kicking my bag around today, decapitating my dolls?” She delved into her bag and pulled out a doll.

     Tony blanched.

     “This is my new doll  . . . Ryan. He makes a fine doll don’t you think? While he’s like this, I can bring him back to life but if you do this,” she pulled off the head. Tony wretched, “he’s always going to be just a doll. Shame, for Ryan . . . and you.” She threw the head back in her bag with the rest of Tony’s gang, biding her time for their leader.

297

Written for Laura James' new #HorrorBites challenge over at Office Mango