Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

skilfully befor e cocking it r eady for fir ing. She could not believe they kept a fir ear m in the
bar. She could not believe Simon had just loaded it.
?Don?t Simon, please. Put it back. Let?s just go. Let?s just go back to the car. We can wait
ther e all night if w e have to. It?s better than this. Let?s just get out of her e, please.?
But on her ?please?, the lights w ent out. The snow -stor m pow er -cut had hit at last, and
Beth stood in absolute, ink-black dar kness. She could hear only her ow n quickening br eath
in the buzzing, pier cing silence - her ow n br eath and the ticking of the clock. And then
Simon?s voice: ?Why w on?t you have my baby??
She held her br eath. Then the sound of a match str iking over at the bar , and the br ight
flar e of its flame as Simon used it to light the w ick of an old br ass oil lamp.
?I noticed this hanging behind the bar ear lier. They must keep them handy. Pr obably
always getting pow er cuts this time of year.?
?What did you say that for ?? Beth star ed at Simon in disbelief.
?Say w hat??
?About the baby.?
Simon?s head glow ed copper or ange in the small pool of light the lamp gave off in the
dar kness. His featur es cast shadow s of black acr oss his face.
?What baby? It isn?t a baby yet, you said. It?s because of me, isn?t it? Nothing to do w ith
?being pr actical?. It?s me and you w on?t say. Why w ouldn?t you tell me you w er e pr egnant?
Why did I have to find out like that? How w ould you like it? How do you like being kept in
the dar k??
He blew into the funnel of the glass stor m guar d and extinguished the flame, plunging the
r oom back into absolute dar kness.
Beth sobbed quietly as she peer ed ar ound the r oom, tr ying to see thr ough the black
opaque veil, tr ying to see w her e Simon was. She could hear him moving stealthily in the
cor ner s of the bar.
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