Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

A Choice

“W-W-What?” Lee stammers, tears welling in his eyes, the blood draining from his cheeks.

“Bloody hell there was,” Sally answers quickly, as the others all turn to her with wide, gobsmacked eyes.

“W-W-What?” Lee stammers as he turns to her with tears welling up in his eyes and the blood draining from his cheeks.

“I said, there was heaps of doubt, and not just from me, but from EVERYONE!” she fires back with defiance, nodding her head and crossing her arms across her chest.

“I-I-Is that t-t-true?” he asks as he casts a nervous glance across the room, failing to make eye contact with anyone, until he comes back to Sally. “W-W-Why? I-I-I, I’ve always d-done what was right f-for the c-collective, n-never looking after myself. I-I, I can’t understand why you all now have doubt!”

“We’ve always had doubt, you fool, every single one of us has doubted you since day one, and we’re still doubting you now, except maybe for Shawna, but she’s retarded, so she doesn’t count, and besides, we know what you’re doing to her when you two are alone.”

“S-SHAWNA IS NOT RETARDED. S-SHE’S A BEAUTIFUL S-SOUL, A-A-AND NOTHING IS H-HAPPENING BETWEEN US. N-NOTHING AT ALL!” he roars loudly.

Sally rolls her eyes and arches her head up towards the sky. “We know you’re with her, Lee, we know, so you can stop lying.”

“I-I-I, I’m n-n-not with h-her, I-I-I swear.”

“Should we bring Shawna out, so she can tell us all about what’s going on?”

“Damn!” he mutters under his breath, twisting his nose in disgust. “What do you want?”

She smiles broadly. “What makes you think I want anything?”

“Because if you didn’t, they’d be part of the conversation— instead of a herd of mindless puppets,” he says, gesturing towards the others.

“Oh my God! Do you really think that I would do that?”

“The fact you didn’t deny the ability to do it sort of answers the question.”

Her smile grows wider. “You are very astute in your presumptions,” she says as they all centre their gaze upon Lee, and his face twists in horror as he stares at the mutilated faces of those he once called friends.

“W-W-What have you d-d-done to them?”

She laughs loudly, “Like you said, they’re a herd of mindless puppets, ready to do my bidding.”

“B-B-But you’ll change them back, once y-you’ve finished with them, r-r-right?”

Her smile grows even wider than before, stretching from ear to ear. “Now why would I ever entertain that idea when I have mindless servants who are only too happy to meet every one of my insane demands?”

“YOU CAN’T KEEP THEM LIKE THIS! FOR GOD’S SAKE— MELINDA IS ONLY ELEVEN!”

“So she is,” she purrs.

“P-P-Please,” he says as he drops to his knees before her. “P-P-Please, d-d-don’t take my baby girl away from me. P-P-Please.”

She presses her lips together and makes a smacking sound with her mouth. “Okay, but don’t go around telling everyone I gave you this chance.”

He smiles nervously and presses his hands firmly against his face. “T-T-THANK YOU, T-THANK YOU!”

“Oh my darling, don’t thank me yet, for you’ve still got to choose whose fate you will write, and whose fate you will leave to the stars.”

“W-W-What are y-y-you talking about, c-c-choose what?”

“Choose between the retard and your daughter,” she says, smiling broadly and winking.