Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

see, but he?s ther e for both of us. Right ther e.
I?ll make it easy, shall I? I?ll tell you w ho I see.
I see a man called James Mackie. Or JM, his mates called him, and he had a load of
them. Does that help make him clear ? What if I say he was just over six foot, and
his hair was gr eying. and he had one of those faces you can?t shave because it?s all
cr eases and r idges, but he tr ied, and his mates got used to pointing out the patches
of stubble, now on his chin, tomor r ow on his neck, the next day on his cheek.
Ach, I?m a lazy bugger , he said. Should just go at it w ith acid. Or a flamethr ow er.
That?d sor t the bastar ds out.
And his mates laughed. Does that help you see him? Do you see the same man?
The man w ho always had his money on the pool table, and a seat by the TV at the
bar. That man. You know. That man.
3.
And JM had a house, out towar d the edge of the tow n. Big, r ambling place; it?d
been his par ents, and he stayed ther e after they?d gone. His da had liked the
upstair s r ooms because you could look out over the sea. But JM stayed dow nstair s.
Ther e w er e always mates enough after a dr ink w hen the bar closed, and in the
mor ning, he?d find them splayed like dead bir ds acr oss the couches. JM?d step over
their legs and star t the fr y in the kitchen. You can smell it, can?t you? You know
w hat that smells like. Then he?d go in and kick them awake.
Br eakfast. Will y?do me a favour and just eat the bloody stuff?
So James?d make the tea and the coffee, and they?d eat and dr ink in the fuzzed
way you do after a night on the tear. And ever y mor ning, at half eight to the second,
he?d tur f them out.
Got w or k to do. Away out, you fucker s.
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