Horror Bites - Tower Terror

For this Horror Bites Challenge I provided the photo, so I knew I had to come up with something special. And after reading some of the other entries the pressure was on, and the story slowly unfolded in my mind. It went very dark, and the punchline gave me chills. Hope it works for you too.

 

Emmaline pulled the chains harder, trying to reach the window, leaning over as far as she could, feeling the coarse metal cuffs cut into her wrists. She could only make out the tops of the trees, but it was enough for her to recognise where she was.

She’d been fascinated by the tower for years, photographing it every time she passed, and then getting bolder as it became more derelict by squeezing through a break in the wire fence to get closer shots. She knew when she had found the sinkholes that it had been a mistake, but she had always been the curious type. So had he it seemed.

She gave up trying to see any more and retreated back to the chair. She sat on it – the wood of the seat as bare as she was, and pulled up her knees, clasping them tightly as she wondered when he would be back, trying not to allow her mind to rest on what he might do when he did.

She thought she heard a scuff of feet below and held her breath. The dusty disused circular room reflected the silence as she strained to hear anything more. Then there was a clink, and she knew.

Her stomach felt like it had dropped into her naval, and her bowels loosened. She resisted the urge to urinate. She started rocking as the footsteps grew louder; the scuffing sound on each step working like a ratchet in her brain, turning it tighter, so that by the time they arrived outside the door she was giving off a low moan to try and release the pressure.

The door swung open and there he stood – all smiles. Her eyes flitted to the tubing in one hand and the bucket in the other, not missing the assortment of metal implements poking out the top. Her moan escalated into a high pitched whine, and then a scream as he walked towards her.

“Shhh, my lovely, shhh. Don’t worry, I’ll take my time. We can enjoy it together.”

Words 341