Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

the cosy blanket of the cottage? open peat fir e cr ackling, single malt w hisky glinting in its
glass, fair y lights tw inkling? not stuck on this solitar y tr eacher ous r oad w ith a br utal w ind
and visibility dow n to a w hite, angr y mania that glar ed in the beams of the headlights.
Beth r ested her head against the cold unyielding w indow and gazed out into the dismal
night. She star ed thr ough sheets of w hite flecks that danced like insane electr ic par ticles in
the bleakness of Space. She could just make out the huge hulking beasts of the hills that
skulked beyond. They seemed to be waiting, stock-still and sinister , like hunter s. She looked
over to Simon, but his young face was contor ted w ith tension and ir r itation. She w ished
they had not come. She was star ting to feel scar ed. Could anything be salvaged now ?
?It doesn?t feel ver y Chr istmassy, does it?? she said br iskly, like a r allying nanny.
Simon gr unted.
?Would it distr act you if I put the r adio on? Ther e w ill be Midnight Mass and Car ols on
Radio 4. That?s so Chr istmassy. It might get us in the mood.?
Simon wanted to look at her but was afr aid to take his eyes off the r oad for even a
moment.?Go on then. Remind us of w hat w e ar e missing.?
She smiled and clapped her hands in playful enthusiasm. Car ols at Midnight, they w ould
take her back? back home and Dad dr essing like Santa, and Mum cooking all night, and
her lying w ide-awake in her little bed, cr ackling w ith the tangible excitement of Chr istmas
Eve. How she wanted to go back.
?Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,? r ang out fr om the cr ystallized pur ity of
the voices of the ser aphim. ?In the bleak midwinter, long ago.?
They both hear d the w or ds of the car ol and laughed a little bitter bur st of ir ony.
The cr ash against the car was so loud it felt like the end of the w or ld. Out of now her e, a
thunder ing smash, and for a br ief moment Beth had no idea if they had been hit by
something, or they had hit something themselves or w hat in hell that something might be.
Then she was awar e of the car skidding, w ild and uncontr olled like a bucking hor se, as it
veer ed off the r oad and car eer ed to a br utal, abr upt halt.
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