Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

The Gift of Nature

“It’ll only hurt for a moment, well, that’s what they tell me, anyway,” she says, running a fingernail along one of the protruding veins in his neck before biting down. He gasps for air as her teeth pierce the fragile vein, and his blood rushes into her hungry mouth. She casts a glance at the young girl who crouches, petrified in the adjacent corner, and smiles as she drains him of all his life-giving blood.

The girl’s eyes grow wide with terror as she tries to pull her gaze away, but the sight spellbinds her.

The woman drops his now pale, lifeless husk to the ground and, slowly, on hands and knees, makes her way to the girl as his blood drips from her chin. “Well, aren’t you the pretty one,” she says, reaching toward her with a bloody hand, lightly brushing the girl’s hair from her face. “Come now, child, don’t be afraid. The big slob filled me, and I have no desire to spill your blood as well. Are you okay?” she says, getting to her feet and offering to help the girl to hers as well. The girl sits there for some time, staring at the woman before nervously taking her hand and standing beside her.

“Do you not talk?” the woman asks as she wipes the blood from around her mouth, while the girl stares at his corpse. “Don’t worry, love, he won’t hurt you anymore—not where I sent him anyway,” she says as she slowly begins to hum to herself and dance around the room, giggling, until she comes to a stop back in front of the girl, extending her hand. “Care to dance?”

The girl shakes her head vigorously in disagreement and grips herself tightly.

“Lovie, don’t be like that, come for a spin?” she says merrily.

The girl shakes her head again, and the woman pouts.

“Come on, lovie, I did just save your life. Can’t you at least give me one spin around the room as a thank you?”

The girl looks up at the woman and nods as she silently steps towards her. Eagerly, the woman grabs the girl and presses her tightly against her. It is then that she notices a smile creeping onto the girl’s face.

“He wasn’t going to hurt me,” the girl says as she drives a blade deep into the woman’s chest. “I was hurting him,” she adds with a wicked smile.