One Final Breath: A psychological thriller novella by Carol Gulliford

Author:Carol Gulliford [Gulliford, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2025-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

15

Cathy

Samuel is usually home from work by now. His friends are few, limited to online video game buddies from different nations. He's never been the type to go to the pub with his mates or play a game of snooker or darts. Gaming is his thing, though, and I'm glad he at least converses with his friends online. It seems to help him feel connected to the world.

I'd put some chicken and vegetables into the slow cooker before I left for work this morning, so the flat smells amazing and my tummy rumbles as I wait for Samuel. He finishes work before me, so it's not unusual for him to be sitting here waiting in the kitchen with a cold beer before I amble in. I wonder where he is today? Maybe a doctor's appointment or something like that? I suppose that might be something he wouldn't want to discuss with me.

I go over to the fridge and pluck a diet coke from the door. There are no beers left on the bottom shelf, so Samuel could have stopped off at our local supermarket to stock up. I pour my ice cold drink into a glass and decide to put my feet up. Sitting down on the sofa, I switch the TV on, selecting a recorded show which I have not caught up with yet. It's a comedy panel show called 'Would I Lie to You?', which is a program I love. I need a laugh, and soon I'm engrossed in an outlandish story that Bob Mortimer is relaying while the opposite team guess if it's a truth or lie.

The next thing I know, I'm waking up and it's dark. I fumble around in the pitch black, trying to find my mobile, which I know is somewhere close. I feel the cold block and give it a little shake until it comes to life. 10pm. What? Why hasn't Samuel woken me up or at least turned on a light?

With the help of my phone's torch, I locate the light switch and let my eyes adjust to the bright light.

'Sam?' I say. 'Samuel? Are you here?'

There's no answer, so I wander down the hallway to his bedroom in case he came in and went straight to bed. I push his door open and can already see from the slices of light coming from the hallway that he's not there. Still, I turn on his light to double check.

'Samuel,' I shout over and over as I walk around the rest of the house. Once I am sure he isn't here, I call Alice.

'Hi Cathy,' she answers. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine, thanks. It's Samuel. He hasn't come home from work and I'm getting worried.'

'Oh OK, that sounds a little odd in Samuels' case. Are you sure he didn't say he was going to be late?'

I roll my eyes.

'No, he said nothing and I'm sure he would've let me know if anything was out of the ordinary.' I'm not doing a good job of hiding the panic in my voice.

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