©Monster (2010)

by

Candra Hope

01 June 2010 The project is now complete and the final book is available to buy here. Go buy it! I know I'm going to. As soon as I've read it, I'll post a review in the favourites page.

Below is an excerpt of my short story, Monster, accepted by The Dark Hoard  project and due to be published in May of this year. If you want to read the whole story, you'll have to pre-order a copy of the book by following the link above and signing up for updates;

Excerpt of Monster;

I'd been sitting in the corner of this scruffy old roadside bar all morning trying to get warm. I wasn't thinking about much of anything, just watching cigarette smoke swirl in the dirty shafts of light filtering through two tiny windows. And in he walked. The most beautiful man I'd ever seen. He had black hair, shiny like a crow's wing and the darkest blue eyes. They reminded me of the colour of the sky on midsummer night. And it seemed like he noticed me as soon as I noticed him so I encouraged him with a smile and he came over with his drink. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, finding out about each other, laughing.

He said he didn't do things like this often, things like picking up strange girls in roadhouses. He talked about how lonely he was - that he was an orphan too and he'd never been able to settle down or fit in so spent most of his life on the road. Just like me. He was friendly and sweet and it wasn't long before we left the bar for the privacy of a motel room across the highway.

Later that night I sat on the bed and watched him sleep. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay in that grubby motel room with its orange carpet and mustard drapes forever. My world focused into one moment in which I lived a whole lifetime, a life with him, where I could be myself and he loved me anyway. I rested my hand on his chest and felt his heart beating. A slow, steady, thump - thump. For a second I thought my own heart would burst from sheer happiness. Sounds stupid, I know, but back then I was lonely, and needy. Haven't you ever wanted someone to love you, tell you everything would be okay?

He opened his eyes and looked at me, his lips spreading in this lovely slow smile he had. I smiled back and leaned over to kiss him but his expression stopped me. He looked surprised, like he was trying to say something but couldn't get enough air to speak. He coughed and I frowned and looked down and realised why. My hand where it lay on his chest had changed and the nails had punched through flesh and bone and pierced his heart. I hadn't even noticed. I hadn't felt a thing. Nothing like this had happened before. I'd always known when it would start. The change. Like a tight feeling in my stomach. How could I not have felt it?