Last night I listened to farmer Jack scratching at the front door and watched the snow fall over the garden. Jack’s movements became slower and slower. When they stopped, there were three inches of powder on the ground.
This morning, I fed the cattle and chickens in the barn, enjoying the warm comfort of their company, before dealing with Jack.
The first year, I stored the frozen bodies in an outhouse to bury in spring. But they thawed back to life. Now I use a chainsaw: head, limbs, torso. Chopped up, Jack is easy to handle.
I’ll burn him later.
Author bio: Caroline reads and writes in Edinburgh, UK. She writes short stories to distract herself from the bigger job of editing a novel.
www.carolinevonschmalensee.com
@carolinevon
Jack is part of 101 Fiction issue 2.
Kill it with fire. That's the only way. A nicely tough and practical heroine (is it a woman? I'll think it is).
ReplyDeleteI love how there are subtle hints that provide clues to the story. I had to read it a second time to fully appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteSincerely creepy. I love how we don't know who's inside or who's outside. Or what. *shiver*
ReplyDelete