Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

A Joke Off the Tongue

“Sticks and stones, she says—that’s what it’ll be. They’ll break every one of them, then use my flesh to boil their soup!”

Kevin reads aloud, then glances across the table at Gregor—the smile he struggles to suppress spreading across his weathered lips.

Gregor snarls, baring his teeth. With a sudden motion, he snatches the papers from Kevin’s hands and springs to his feet.

“Fuck you!” he spits, his voice trembling with venom.

Kevin laughs loudly, throwing his arms wide. “Seriously? I—I—” But he can’t finish, laughter overtaking him in uncontrollable fits, each one more vicious than the last.

Gregor’s face darkens. His fist clenches tight, his knuckles white. With a sharp motion, he scrunches his nose and punches Kevin square in the face.

The room falls silent.

Kevin stares at Gregor with wide, confused eyes. A trickle of blood snakes from his nostrils, vanishing into the thick forest of his bushy moustache.

“I—I—I,” Kevin stammers, his words trembling as they try to find their way out. He grabs his nose, squeezing it tightly as his brow furrows in disbelief. “W-Why?”

Gregor’s lip twitches as tears streak his cheeks. His breath comes in shallow bursts, and a tremor shakes his clenched jaw.

“I’m trying to share something close to me—something I’ve never shared with anyone—and you laugh at me! You mock it! You mock me! That’s why I hit you! That’s why!”

“B-B-But,” Kevin stammers, his lips curling into an ill-controlled smile. “I thought it was meant to be funny!”

Gregor’s response is instant—a second punch, harder than the first, sends Kevin toppling from his seat. He crashes to the floor in a mess of arms and legs, groaning.

But Kevin doesn’t stay down for long. He scrambles back to his feet, blood now trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he hisses, thrusting a finger toward Gregor. “I said I’m sorry! I didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be funny, but if you hit me again, I swear I’ll reenact some of those lame-arse moves you wrote into your stupid fucking story—on your face! Capisce?”

Gregor’s eyes flash with something unhinged. His lips curl into a grin too wide, too unnatural.

Without a word, he punches Kevin again, this time aiming low. The blow sinks into Kevin’s gut, forcing the air from his lungs in a sharp gasp. He stumbles, his arms flailing weakly as he mutters incoherent words, his head swaying as though the world is spinning.

Gregor doesn’t stop. Another punch lands clean, and Kevin collapses to the ground with a dull thud.

Kevin groans, dragging himself upright once more, his body trembling. Blood pools at the corner of his mouth, thick and metallic on his tongue. He locks eyes with Gregor, confusion giving way to fury.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Kevin hisses, his voice cracking. “You’re fucking broken and your story is a joke!”

Gregor’s eyes gleam with a terrible light, and his face twists into something monstrous—a grin too wide, a glare too sharp.

“A joke?” Gregor snarls, his voice cracking. “You’re the fucking joke, Kevin! You!”

With a violent motion, Gregor hurls Kevin against the wall. He staggers backward, his chest heaving, before reaching for the shattered remains of a chair.

Kevin gasps, his wide eyes fixed on the jagged piece of wood in Gregor’s trembling hand.

“Let’s see if you’re still laughing without a tongue,” Gregor whispers—his voice soft and calm—as he raises the chair leg high above his head and winks.