Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

Cold Cup

“How many times do I have to tell you? How many times do I have to explain how this works? How many conversations must we have until you understand what you have to do?” she yells into the deserted room. Her face twists with inexplicable anger, her eyes darting around the room as if she were following a balloon that had sprung a leak and was carelessly flying all over the place as it deflates.

“It’s not what I asked for,” she yells. “We each had a role that was vital to the others, when one falls, we all fall. Now we just look like a bunch of bloody idiots!” Her eyes widen and her cheeks go red. “How dare you try to blame me; my planning was not to be faulted. If everyone….” She glances over her shoulder and tightly clenches her hands into fists. “You stay where you are, this is far from over! I will not be left here to look the fool while you run away unscathed!” Her mouth drops open in surprise, her eyes glaze over, and the blood runs from her cheeks.

“B-B-But, that wasn’t the deal,” she says softly. “What do you mean the deal’s changed? It can’t change, I made it. I’m the only one who can c…. What are you doing?” Suddenly, she lifts into the air and is thrown across the room. Screaming in agony, she hits the wall with a devastating impact and crashes to the ground in a heap. Slowly, she pulls herself onto all fours, groaning in pain as an ever-growing pool of blood forms beneath her.

“W-W-Why?” she says softly as she collapses into unconsciousness. When she next opens her eyes, there is no pain. She looks around the room while they stand there, watching her from the shadows. She looks up at the tall, naked man who stands in front of her. He smiles as he holds out a hand to help her to her feet.

“Welcome home, my love,” he says. “I’m sorry you had to come home sooner than expected, but sometimes a deal must be changed for the betterment of all.”