The Collection by West Sam

Author:West, Sam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

X

Helen stopped reading, her heart hammering.

A train ride to hell, she thought. Like that’s never been done before.

Even so, there was no denying that the story had frightened her. There was just something about it that had crawled under her skin. As with the previous story, the writing style unfathomably resonated within her with its familiarity.

What a strange and horrible little story.

She closed the book and held it loosely in her lap.

I shouldn’t be reading this.

The thought was sure and true, and a horrible feeling curled in her guts. An idea danced on the edges of her mind, but it disappeared before she’d had a chance to explore the possibilities of it.

She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the rain lashing against the windowpane. The imaginary landscape of Hell popped into her head, and for a second she saw it in all its glory, from the fiery pits, to the blood-red sky.

Her eyes snapped open and she shook her head at her ridiculous flights of fancy. Since when did she believe in God, yet alone all that nonsense of Hell’s fire and brimstone?

I’m just spooked, that’s all.

Outside, the thunderstorm showed no signs of abating. She frowned over at the window, the thin book clasped loosely in her lap. The shadows of the trees through the flimsy, vertical blinds in the long, thin window swayed back and forth. For a moment, she thought of the demons in the story she had just read, of how the author had compared them to trees. She imagined that the branches were long, bony fingers, tapping against the glass…

Cut it out, for Christ’s sake woman.

Sighing, she got to her feet to draw the curtains, closing the book and placing it gently in the middle of the sofa. Once there, she was unable to resist peeking through the blinds. A flash of lightning illuminated the black night and she recoiled from the blinds as if it had bitten her.

Her heart hammered painfully hard against her sternum, and she pulled the grey fleece she still had draped over her shoulders more tightly around her body.

My God, for a second there that tree by the window really looked like some kind of monster.

She let out a shaky laugh.

“I’m cracking up,” she said to the empty room.

A loud clap of thunder rumbled, making her flinch.

Briefly, she thought of Roger, out on this stormy night.

He’s gotta be soaked.

The thought cheered her a little. I suppose every cloud has a silver lining.

Stealing herself and holding her breath, she reached out a trembling hand for the blind…

The tree was just a mere tree; not a terrible creature from the depths of Hell with outstretched arms.

Well of course it is, you stupid cow.

A glance at the wall-clock told her it was eleven forty-five. Surely Roger would be home soon? He had promised her that he wasn’t going to go clubbing, that he’d be home by midnight, or one at the latest.

Well, I’m not going to bed before he gets back. I want to know if he comes home smelling of perfume….

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.