Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

Payday

“It’s perfect,” she says, taking a step back to look at the painting. “I love it,” she says, turning to him. He smiles embarrassingly, blushes, stuffs his hands in his pockets, and shuffles his feet from side to side.

“I’m glad you like it. I-I, I tried to incorporate all the elements you asked for, right down to the expressions on the children’s faces in the background and the detail in the foreground. I wanted it to be crisp, photo-like, so it seems as realistic as possible.”

“You did more than I ever thought possible, darling. It will be the central piece in the exhibition; everything else will be built around it. You should stay for the night and witness the reactions of those your art touches. People won’t believe it is a painting,” she says as she grabs his dirty, tobacco-stained hand and squeezes it. “Say you will, please?”

“I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion,” he says, looking down at his paint-stained, torn trousers and his dirty, faded hoodie.

“Don’t be silly, there’s a shower out back, and I have a collection of clothing still in the storage room from the old costume shop that used to be here before us. I’m sure you’ll find something dazzling to wear. Say you will?”

He blushes once more as she squeezes his hand tighter than before. “I-I-I… Okay, I’ll stay,” he says with a nervous smile.

“Marvellous. Tiffany, show Mister Sanderson—”

“Please, it’s Tim,” he says softly, his cheeks glowing bright red.

“Of course, of course. Tiffany, please show Tim to the back area and help him find something simply divine to wear for tonight’s opening, then help him get cleaned up.”

“Of course, Tina. Please follow me,” Tiffany says as she leads him out the back. “I love your work, by the way,” she says.

“T-T-Thank you. I try to put as much of myself into my art as I can.”

“It’s a rare quality you have. Not many people are born with such a gift.”

“I wouldn’t say I was born with it, more like I acquired it one day.”

“Really?” she says as she opens a door that leads into a dusty old room filled with clothing racks, each rack overflowing with costumes. “How would you acquire something like that? It’s not like you could win it in a game of cards or anything like that.”

He laughs. “No, not a card game, nothing like that. It just happened one day. I picked up a brush and started painting, not just shit, but really beautiful, realistic images. I don’t know how. I was never good at drawing or anything like that. Fuck, to be honest, I couldn’t even draw a house, and then one day I was painting like a master.”

“Life has a way of doing that to us all, sometimes when we least expect it. Here we go, try this on for size. I think you would look quite dazzling in this,” she says as she hands him a black tuxedo.

“Don’t you think it’s overdoing it a bit?”

“Somebody with your skill needs to realise that image is important. Without the image, the work is useless unless you die, of course, and then, then your work is worth much, much more,” she says with an evil smile. He swallows a mouthful of air as he feels his body break out in a cold sweat and nervously laughs. “So tell me, how many more pieces have you done since you discovered this amazing gift?”

“A few, but this is the first time someone has purchased one of them. All the rest are in my loft collecting dust.”

“You’ll have to show them to me sometime,” she says as she drops her dress, revealing her naked body. He stands there, his eyes growing wide. “Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to come here and join me?” she says as she leads him out of the room towards another that houses a makeshift shower of sorts. “Tina did say to help you get cleaned up, didn’t she?” she says with a smile. He smiles again and nervously follows her out of the room and into the small bathroom. “Close the door and get your clothes off,” she says as she turns on the shower and climbs in. Quickly, he rips off his clothes and leaps in after her.

“Is this really happening?”

She smiles and grabs him by the back of the head, taking a handful of hair tightly in her hand. “No,” she whispers, as she drives a blade deep into his neck, severing several major arteries. He has little time to react as his heart vigorously pumps blood from the open wound. Quickly, it spurts up onto the tiled walls and across her naked body. From the corner of his eye, he sees Tina standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

“Don’t be scared, Timmy. We’re going to make you famous.”