Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

ar r ested. The man: his eyes unnatur ally w ide and mouth fr igid. The w oman: face
blanched, blank as wax. And the bell continued its funer eal chime. They clutched
each other ?s hands, the air leaving their lungs as if stolen by the sea. An icy water
chill r an thr ough them. The other s opened their mouths as if to speak. Come on.
She pulled at his ar m. They r an, or r ather stagger ed, sliding and stalling on the
steep shingled incline, desper ate to r each the r oad. This way and that. Disor iented
and desper ate. And all the time, the mist r olled in mor e heavily behind them.
#
A gladdening glow appear ed ahead and they caught the bitter sw eet tang of
w oodsmoke. A congr egation of voices tr avelled, spir its high. In the near distance, a
chain of small bonfir es illuminated Aldebur gh beach thr ough the mist, like
beacons. They looked at one another. Back to the beginning. Fear , that had clung so
tightly to them for so long, began to r elax its gr ip. Moving quickly, they
cr iss-cr ossed fr om gr oup to gr oup, eager to tell their tale, but the r eveller s car r ied
on r evelling, w ine and wassail making them oblivious to all but their immediate
company. They passed unnoticed. A little way off, closer to the shor e, a splinter
gr oup, seated on w ood and uptur ned fishing cr ates ar ound a fir e, belted out a car ol.
To save us all from Satan?s pow?r,
when we were gone astray?
They made a tight-knit cir cle, their ar ms linked for war mth and pr otection.
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,­­
Backs tur ned to the dar k in a supr emacy of shadow , the fir elight danced over
happy faces. The ur ge to tr espass futile, they hover ed a little way off, outside the
or bit of war mth, biding their time, watching for a lull.
30