Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

Dare You to Trust Me

“Just keep going north, I can’t go with you,” he says. She smiles faintly and grips her arm, tearing at it nervously as she bites into her bottom lip. He cups her chin with his hand and raises her eyes to his. “You’ll be fine, trust me, I’m dead anyway.”

“No, you’re not! We can still make it. I can’t just walk away. I can’t just leave you—not after everything!” she cries, grabbing him tightly. He forces her away, and she goes crashing to the ground. Her eyes widen with fear as she digs her fingers into the dirt, grabbing a large handful in each hand, ready to use as a weapon.

“Don’t you get it? Don’t you realise what’ll happen to me? I’m going to turn into one of those things, and there’s nothing either of us can do to stop it! So do me this last favour—let me save you.”

“What if there’s a cure? What if they come in time? Don’t give up on me.”

“I’m not giving up on you. It’s just too goddamn late, Sarah. I can already feel it eating at me, churning my stomach, changing me. It’s best if you go alone,” he says, hanging his head. He feels the tears escape from his eyes and watches as they drip from his face and splash onto the ground. Panic surges through his body as he looks at her. She takes a deep breath. The red streams cascading from his eyes signal the virus’s final, fatal effect. “Please, Sarah, run away from this place. I’ll go back—I’ll keep them away long enough for you to get far from here, to somewhere safe. Please.”

“B-B-But they’ll kill you, I-I-I can’t le—”

“Sarah, LOOK AT ME! You see what I’ve become. We both know what’ll happen next! I might as well be dead right now because I’m worse than dead—I’m one of those things. So just stop it. Get up, and RUN!” he yells, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to her feet. She throws a handful of dirt in his face and smashes him across the head with a rock in the other hand. He hits the ground with a thud. She stands over him, gritting her teeth and tightening her grip around the bloodstained stone. Her lungs scream for air as she, fraught with panic and desperation, breathes rapidly. He spins around to face her and lets out a low, inhuman growl.

“I won’t let you die by their hands,” she says softly, almost calmly.

“Then you’re going to have to kill me yourself. I warned you. I told you. You should’ve listened!” he yells as he scrambles towards her. She pulls a blade from her jeans as he leaps at her and drives it into his chest. They both crash to the ground in a heap, and, for a few moments, there is only silence.

Then the growls, snarls, and movement come from the distance. She forces his lifeless body off her, scrambles to her feet, and hurries northward—towards hope, salvation, survival. She feels the tears run down her face and wipes them away. Then, everything freezes—time, movement, life—as she notices the red smear on her sleeve and falls to her knees, knowing it’s too late for her.