Arachnight E-Book

Angela J. Maher

• Herausgeber: Angela J. Maher
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Brian Archer is old, tired and alone. Taking advantage of his care facility’s inadequate staffing levels, he finds enough of his old spark to sneak out for a clandestine midnight feast. The added vigour he feels after a decent meal is addictive, and soon it becomes difficult to hide his true, monstrous nature.Includes bonus flash fiction story.

Leseprobe

ARACHNIGHT

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A Horror Short Story

Angela J. Maher

¶

PRONOUN

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Copyright © 2017 by Angela J. Maher

Cover image © Pixabay

Interior design by Pronoun

Distribution by Pronoun

ISBN: 9781508075219

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

A Summer’s Walk

About The Author

Also By Angela J. Maher

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

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BRIAN SAT UP IN BED, forcing muscles and joints to move that would rather stay immobile. Old Mr Archer, they called him. Yes, he was old, but so was everybody else in this dingy, stinking facility. Why did he get “Old” added to his name? Maybe he was the eldest, he didn’t know. His breath came in short gasps as he finally got himself somewhat upright. Anyone would think he’d just climbed a dozen flights of stairs. After a long moment, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and lowered his bare feet to the cold floor.

The nursing staff had begged him to eat his dinner, but he’d refused. The homogenous glop they’d served up had made his stomach roil just looking at it. So what if it was designed to fill his nutritional needs, it wasn’t real food and he would not eat it. He knew they suspected he was starting to show signs of dementia, but unless they put a monitor on him, or his door, to stop him wandering, he didn’t care. He also knew they thought he would be the next resident to drop off the perch. He could understand why, looking at the stick-thin limbs protruding from his pyjamas.

Brian stood up, stifling a groan. Straightening his back, he shuffled across the floor, opening the door to his room a crack. He peered with his good eye down the hallway, as far as he could. There was no movement in the gloom. He held his breath and listened. Nothing. He hadn’t expected anyone to be around but had to be careful. It was time to track down some proper sustenance. It had been a long time since he’d done this, but he felt weaker than he ever had before.

He slowly opened the door, creeping out into the hallway, before gently closing the door behind him. He checked and oiled the door regularly, to make sure it didn’t squeak the way most of the doors in this wretched place did. He hadn’t bothered to put his dressing gown on, and the chilled air made him shiver. It didn’t matter; what he needed was not far away. His steps came quicker as his eyes adjusted to the near darkness. His eyesight was one thing that had never failed him. Well, in his good eye it hadn’t, at least.

He came to the end of the hallway and paused near the door to the last room. Loud snores emanated from inside. On a bad night, he could hear them from his own room. He started to reach for the doorknob but snatched his hand back. No, not tonight. He carefully moved around the corner and into a small foyer, with doors leading to the garden in front of him. Glancing up at the security camera, he breathed a sigh of relief. The dangling cord and missing lens attested to the fact that it still hadn’t been fixed after Alfie had attacked it with his walking stick several days earlier. Poor Alfie, his paranoia had finally got the better of him. He had been moved into the secure wing now. Brian did not expect to see him again.

He eased the door to the garden open, turning the lock to the open position before closing it and moving off into the darkness. It was even colder out here, with the brittle grass under his feet damp, small stones jabbing him. Brian didn’t care. He was out, free. Maybe not for long, but it still counted.