Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

Wonder ing if the moonlight was playing tr icks on his eyes, Lachie tr ied to locate
his tor ch in the side-pocket of his fleece. How ever , instead of finding the pocket, his
hand encounter ed a r agged-edged hole in his side. His finger s inadver tently delved
inside, passed the w r eckage of his r uptur ed low er r ibs and enter ed a w et, pulpy
cavity ?
The moonlight faded and the dar kness thickened. Although he could see almost
nothing, he became awar e of a figur e standing a yar d away.
He hear d Jimmy ask tr emulously, ?Lachie? Is that you? What?s happening??
?I don?t know ? It just feels like? Like? We?ve been fir st-footing that br ae for a
long, long time.?
?Aye. So long that ever ything?s muddled up. Time, I mean.?
?Time?s out of joint? Who said that??
?It was in Hamlet. Mind? We studied it at school ? ?
A shaft of light emer ged fr om the cottage?s door way. They tur ned their heads and
saw Gr anny Ander son standing on the thr eshold, br andishing the tumbler of
w hisky they?d pour ed her.
Scow ling at them, she declar ed, ?Well, ther e ar e sur ely tw o villages that ar e
missing their idiots tonight.?
About the author
Jim Mountfield was born in Northern Ireland, grew up there and in Scotland, and
has since lived and worked in Europe, Africa and Asia. He currently lives in Sri
Lanka. His fiction has appeared in Aphelion, Blood Moon Rising, Death Head's
Grin, Flashes in the Dark, Hellfire Crossroads, the Horror Zine, Hungur, Midnight
Street and Schlock! Webzine and he blogs regularly at Blood and Porridge
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