K. Marvin Bruce

  Danielle stood right in front of them. “That’s her,” Lindsey asked.   “Danielle?” Terah wanted to run.   He was too close to this young woman, and the look on Danielle’s face revealed what he’d been trying to hide.   “What should I have done?   Stayed there to be questioned, prodded?   Accused?   I didn’t do it!   I panicked.   The terror of life was naked and raw.   I followed my instincts.   What was I supposed to do?   Life doesn’t come with instructions!   God, you’d think an education would give you some answers—it only raises more questions.   Danielle, I—“   He looked up the hill.   She was gone. Lindsey faced him in the moonlight.   “Terah, I can guess what you’re feelin’.   You know it can’t happen.   We can help each other, though.” He wanted to ask why she automatically discounted a relationship.   Was it their age difference?   Was she repulsed by him?   She’d only...

  Terah looked around hungrily for Caileigh.   Instead a massive gust of wind blew a tree down across the abandoned road with a cannon-like thud.   Quick calculation revealed they would’ve been smashed had they kept walking. “My god—how did you know?” Terah asked.   “Did she warn you?” “Who?   Caileigh?   No.   He did.” Heart still clattering like a xylophone, Terah peered ahead and saw no one.   “Who?” “Wednesday.” That didn’t help Terah’s heart.   “Wednesday?   But how?” Tentatively, Lindsey led him forward.   The maple with its still naked branches, covered the entire road and they had to negotiate a way through the tangle.   Terah followed his young leader. “He followed me from the asylum,” she said simply. “But ghosts haunt places, I thought.”   Suddenly he felt ill-equipped.   Not having paid much mind to ghosts, nymphs, and other superstitious things, he’d never read the serious books on the topic.   They ...

  What could you do about a monster who doesn’t fear religion?   This spirit carried a Bible, for God’s sake!   A crucifix would frighten an old-style vampire, but now a former religion professor found himself helpless.   His concern for Mich taking hold, he burst from his bed with a surge of energy and launched himself across the room in a way that surprised even himself.   He hit some resistance but it wasn’t exactly solid.   His momentum carried him through, right into Mich’s hammock.   The boy awoke with a shout and began flailing.   Tangled in the netting, Terah couldn’t extract himself, breathing in the earthy tones of his companion.   Finally he found his voice. “Mich!   It’s me!   I was trying,” he gasped between blows, “to stop Wednesday!” At the mention of Wednesday Mich stopped swinging his fists and deftly dropped out of the back side of the hammock.   “What the hell were you thinkin’?” he shouted at Terah.   “...

  Terah swung around to see the man he’d found fucking in bed.   The figure leered at him, and seemed solid.   And clothed.   Terah backed into the burner as the figure approached.   Had Mich lied about being alone here?   Had he been setting him up? The man looked like the sex guy, but his face was pure menace.   He held a worn leather Bible in his left hand.   He approached, his smile broadening with every step.   He reached his hand toward Terah.   Then he was gone. The warmth of the boiler casing on his back brought Terah around.   He didn’t want his back exposed.   Keeping his eyes in the direction of Wednesday, he backed in the shadows to the next boiler, trembling. “It’s okay,” Mich soothed.   “He’s gone.” Shaking so violently he couldn’t speak, Terah remained in the shadows until the encroaching chill drew him back to the taunting orange light. “There’s a reason this real estate is so cheap,” Mich joked.   “I ...

Who isn’t afraid of the dark?    Anyone sensible knows you should be. Terah stood frozen.    A rabbit caught unawares by a downwind dog.    His own hand clapped on his mouth made him miss Mich, the younger, wiser man.    He waited, ears straining for approaching feet.    Seconds passed.    A minute.    An infinity.    No steps. He weighed his options.    Terah couldn’t stand here for the rest of his life.    Standing on concrete was uncomfortable enough.    He didn’t dare risk the stairs without a light.    He’d never be able to find the red trail left by Mich.    Reaching out his right hand, he found the wall.    This meant the doorway was just a step back, and to his right.    As silently as his untrained tread allowed, he took that step.    A little grit grind.    Stop.    No reaction from outsid...

His walk had begun before dawn, but already the sun hung at that dangerous winter angle warning of imminent night.   Terah’s initial impression of Fonthill Castle shifted more toward Mercer Museum.   Instead of opening into a grand foyer, the front hall was a narrow, claustrophobic passageway.   There were two right-angle turns that set him back to his original direction.   That was an odd architectural feature.   With no interior lights, he had to wait for his eyes to adjust.   At least he was out of the wind, although the temperature in the poured concrete didn’t improve much on the outdoors.   The climb had made him sweat, so opening his jacket seemed logical. The passage opened onto rooms about twelve feet in, and then continued on toward the center of the building.   He glanced into the rooms, noting abandoned equipment he couldn’t identify.   Vaguely medical enough to make him squeamish, he looked across the hall to find an office wi...