This story has just been accepted for a horror anthology.
You get to read it first !
Witness
By
Neville Raper
She blustered into the kitchen, a china shop
bull, even at this time in the morning she was beautiful. She was a Tasmanian
devil of shining hair and perfume spinning on a cartoon axis. What always hit
me first was her smell, not just the perfume she wore, but her skin and hair,
breath and perspiration. I drown in it ever time she’s near and I love her for
that. Of course I would not dare tell her and considering what was about to happen,
in the next 20 minutes, I would never get the chance.
She didn't see me. Whether this was intentional
or not, I did not know. I was, in this relationship, used to being ignored.
This morning I didn't mind because I was busy enjoying my leisurely breakfast.
Laid out before me were sticky sweet cereals,
breads and fresh butter, although there was always a choice, I must admit
I do tend to gravitate to the sweeter end of the morning’s selections. Who
doesn't love jam?
She
seemed lost in her own thoughts and leant over the kettle grumbling, 36 but she
did look much younger. Slender and tall, she dwarfed me. She prepared coffee,
one cup, I can never manage one myself, just the odd sip. She stared at her
mobile and I noticed that she was chewing her lip nervously. The kettle’s
steamy siren broke her concentration, I couldn't help but noticed she jumped
slightly, and trembled as she reached for her cup. She poured in the hot
liquid, stirred it violently and raised it to her lips, there, again, I could
detect a slight quiver. She was nervous. I knew better than try to bother her
when she was like this so I carried on with my repast. A loud knock made us
both jump, I thought I could see the
door shake with the stress of it.
She walked to the kitchen door and opened it
slightly. The man forced the door open and using his shoulder barged his way
in. Shocked, I was frozen where I was. The man was large, his teeth were bared
like a rabid dog, he screamed a stream of obscenities, machine gun menace in
staccato spittle.
She echoed his anger, shouting furiously about
his uninvited intrusion, he didn't seem to listen, ignoring her and walked over
to her handbag on the kitchen table. She tried to stop him but he pushed her
roughly to one side. At this point I'd seen enough, I shouted for him to stop
and get
out.
He was so wrapped up in his storm he carried on not seeming to hear me at all.
He pulled out her phone and waved it in her face. Now ranting about messages to
his wife. Then it started to become a bit clearer. They'd been having an
affair, he'd finished it and she had decided to start
messaging his wife.
He
whirled and launched the phone against the wall, it shattered above me into a
hundred pieces, communication exploded all around me. Luckily no shrapnel
connected with me, but, like the coward I am I stayed rooted to my
position. The shattering sound spurred her into action she spun round and
grabbed a large sharp knife from the block next to the kettle, she waved it in
the man’s face like a talisman warding off an evil spirit. A horrible rictus
grin stretched across his face, he took the knife from her in one swift fluid
movement that, to most, would have been impressive, I knew I could move that
fast I just wished at this moment I had the courage.
She screamed at him, he maintained that terrible
humorless grin. Her shouts came to an abrupt stop as he plunged the knife into
her throat. I saw all this in terrible slow motion, the serrations like sharks
teeth gobbling into her flesh, the gout of metallic hemoglobin fountaining and
striking the wall.
She did more than fall, she seemed to crumple as
if the blood kept her turgid, like a deflated
balloon
she sunk to the floor. I could tell she was dead before she embraced the
cold tiles. The man showing no emotion or reaction to his deed turned and swiftly
left the house. He left as he had entered, slamming the door behind him.
I
flew over to her side, blood pooled and congealed around her. Its strong sweet
smell mixed with her perfume. I let it wash over me a tidal wave of olfactory
sea. God help me I found myself tasting
it. I sobbed as I drank.
It
was probably the shock but I lost all concept of time, I slept, dreamless
sleep. I was awoken abruptly as the kitchen door was kicked in. Thinking that
the killer had returned I retreated back to my refuge of the kitchen table.
Three men walked in, two in uniform, one in a
suit. The suited man barked orders “Get SOCO here Wilson”! The subordinate
spoke into his crackling radio. In the gloom they didn't see me. The man in the
suit fell to one knee, “stabbed to death, no sign of forced entry, she knew her
killer”. He looked over to where I was and noticed the smashed phone. “Should
be a SIM card in that, have it checked for messages” he motioned to the other
uniformed man.
At
this point I could be silent no more, “I saw it all” I shouted. No response,
they didn't even acknowledge me. I'd had enough, I finally plucked up the
courage I'd been lacking and decided to approach them. The man in the suit
raised his hand and attempted to strike me, confused I fell back towards the
window, “oh and Wilson, open that window all we need is that thing laying eggs
and maggots all over the place,
it'll be contaminating the corpse”
The
outside air ruffled my wings. I heard them start to buzz, as I launched myself
at it, and flew away.
End
Neville Raper
2016
