Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

?It is Chr istmas now ,? he said, looking at his watch.
?Yes, appar ently.? It had w or ked and another moment had passed. She bur ied that side
of Simon that w hisper ed to her still, br eathing w or ds of cold, uneasy misgivings into her
ear. But to bur y mer ely makes a thing unseen; it does not mean it is not ther e.
Beth could smell the str ong, bonfir e ar oma of tobacco. How could it still be so pungent if
ever yone had gone home, and w hy had they left the lights on? She w ent over to the ashtr ay
on the bar and picked up the cigar ette that had been bur ning itself out w hen they had
ar r ived. It was unfilter ed; all the butts in the ashtr ay w er e the same.
?Ar e they allow ed to smoke in bar s in Scotland?? she said.
Simon was standing r ight behind her now. ?I don?t think so. Guess they ignor e the r ules
way out her e. Bloody hell! What kind of cigar ettes ar e they? Look like Woodbines or
something. Chr ist!? He took the butt fr om her hand and w ith the Swan matches that lay by
the ashtr ay, he lit the r emains of the cigar ette.
?What ar e you doing? You don?t smoke! Put it out.?
But as the acr id, stench-filled smoke danced ar ound his face, he just sneer ed at her. ?Why
don?t you leave me alone??
Beth looked at him, not know ing w hat to say. Then they hear d it? the sound of footsteps,
clear and loud, coming fr om over head. They gr ew louder and denser ? ther e was mor e
than one of them up ther e. The dull, deep thudding of hob-nailed boots on a bar e w ooden
floor thunder ed above. Beth and Simon star ed at one another.
?I thought you said ther e was no one ther e,? Beth said.
?Ther e wasn?t. I?m going back upstair s. Someone?s ther e.?
?I?m coming w ith you!? Beth almost squealed. But Simon was insistent: he was going
alone and she was to stay ther e. ?Why?? she asked. ?What do you think is up ther e??
As he disappear ed thr ough the door behind the bar once mor e, Beth could still hear the
boots of the men moving br iskly and w ith pur pose upstair s. This was how she thought of
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