Best New Horror #26 by Stephen Jones

Author:Stephen Jones [Jones, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PS Publishing
Published: 2016-02-22T05:00:00+00:00

Bill settled Casey into the passenger seat and rummaged through the glove compartment, locating a stack of napkins to staunch the bleeding.

Casey was sniffling, still apologising. “I just wanted to get a closer look.”

Bill was nodding. “I know it, I know it. It’s my own fault for coming out here.” He dabbed the napkins against the small laceration, seeing now that stitches would be unnecessary. “You’re a curious kid…it happens. Keep pressure on it…like this.” Casey winced and nodded.

Bill used his knuckles to gently swipe at the channels of tears on his son’s cheeks. He was moving to close the glove compartment when his hand froze, his fingers a few inches away from a tiny box of Ohio Blue Tip Matches. He picked it up. Bill inadvertently flicked his eyes at the house and heard a witch’s whisper. Burned down by hoods. The matches gave a bone-dry rattle as he gave the box an experimental shake.

“Dad.”

Bill trembled, shifting his gaze to Casey’s tear-swollen face. He dropped the matches back in the glove compartment and slapped it shut.

The headlights quaked as the car shook over ruts on the overgrown driveway. Bill checked the clock on the dash before giving a glance in the rear-view mirror. He stared at the vibrating, rear-view reflection of the house on the hill. With moonlight glowing from behind, the house’s silhouette appeared sharp-edged, as if crookedly cut from black paper. Something separated itself from the dwelling, a shroud shape floating into the yard, lingering in the knee-high grass. “Casey?”

His son had been facing the passenger window; now he turned, his expression and the set of his small body at ease. “Yes?”

“Will you tell me what you saw back there?”

Hitching in a breath, Casey told his story, and Bill listened. But with each bump along the narrow country road, Bill heard the box of matches shuffling around in the glove compartment, the brittle rattle of bones.

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