of the intruder and as he did his heart increased its speed, its pumping became uncontrollable. He felt white hot pain stabbing at his chest, spreading with incredible swiftness along his left arm, causing him to drop the shotgun.
He opened his mouth to scream but only a low croak came out as the intruder pulled him closer, gazing into eyes which were bulging wide with pain and shock.
And horror.
The intruder was dressed in a two piece suit, filthy, covered in dust, holed in three places across the chest. And, in those holes living things moved. Creatures which writhed and twisted and slid over one another, exuding a noxious liquid. And, where there should have been eyes the intruder sported two more of these holes, holes which were nothing more than seething pits filled to bursting point with parasitic forms. And yet it could still see. Could still look at Bob who now felt as if his head was exploding. The pain in his chest and arm grew, spreading up his neck until it felt as though his upper body had been filled with red hot lead, as if his blood had been transformed into molten metal.
He tried to back away but his legs buckled under him and he dropped to the floor, the pain searing through him, unbearable.
Blood from his dead dog splashed his hand as he tried to drag himself away from the intruder who merely took a step closer, looking down on Bob with something akin to fascination.
Bob tried to suck in a breath but his throat had constricted. His chest felt heavy, his head was spinning. He rolled on to his back, eyes still bulging wide, the whites suddenly reddening as two blood vessels burst and his left eye turned crimson.
And, above him, the intruder peered down through those pits of writhing, reeking shapes, one of which fell and landed on Bob's heaving chest. Then it merely stepped over him and strode from the shop leaving Bob alone again.
The pressure inside his chest seemed to grow ever greater until at last the inevitable happened. His heart simply burst.
Bob Chamberlain lay still as his sphincter muscle opened and allowed his body to empty itself.
The stench of excrement filled the air, mingling with the other, stronger, smell.
The stench of decay.
Ten
The smell of so many flowers was overpowering.
Carter coughed as the sickly sweet scent settled around him like an invisible cloud. The priest paused in his endless ramblings and glanced across at him but Carter merely nodded for the man to continue. For all the effect the words were having, the cleric might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
Carter stood with his arms by his sides, immaculate in a black suit. The slight breeze ruffled his hair and rustled the lower branches of the tree above him.
Birds sat silently peering down at the small gathering below them, wondering what these black creatures were doing. One finally flew off, the movement scattering leaves, sending them to the ground, drifting lazily. One landed on top of the coffin beside a huge wreath of red carnations which carried the tributes:
`To Jim
An ace among Kings
Love Ray'
Carter took a step forward and brushed the leaf aside, careful not to disturb the other floral tributes which covered the lid of his brother's casket.
Everyone in the small gathering had sent flowers of some description. From the small bouquets sent by other members of Harrison's firm, right up to the massive white cross of roses which the boss himself had offered.
He stood beside Carter as the flowers were removed and the coffin was lowered slowly into the ground.
Carter sighed. It all seemed to have happened so quickly.
He'd been discharged from hospital two days before and, on returning home, had been visited by Harrison who'd informed him that all the arrangements for Jim's funeral had been made. He, himself, would pay for everything. That, he'd said, was only right. He'd pay for the coffin, the flowers, whatever was needed.
The cost wasn't important. Jim
He opened his mouth to scream but only a low croak came out as the intruder pulled him closer, gazing into eyes which were bulging wide with pain and shock.
And horror.
The intruder was dressed in a two piece suit, filthy, covered in dust, holed in three places across the chest. And, in those holes living things moved. Creatures which writhed and twisted and slid over one another, exuding a noxious liquid. And, where there should have been eyes the intruder sported two more of these holes, holes which were nothing more than seething pits filled to bursting point with parasitic forms. And yet it could still see. Could still look at Bob who now felt as if his head was exploding. The pain in his chest and arm grew, spreading up his neck until it felt as though his upper body had been filled with red hot lead, as if his blood had been transformed into molten metal.
He tried to back away but his legs buckled under him and he dropped to the floor, the pain searing through him, unbearable.
Blood from his dead dog splashed his hand as he tried to drag himself away from the intruder who merely took a step closer, looking down on Bob with something akin to fascination.
Bob tried to suck in a breath but his throat had constricted. His chest felt heavy, his head was spinning. He rolled on to his back, eyes still bulging wide, the whites suddenly reddening as two blood vessels burst and his left eye turned crimson.
And, above him, the intruder peered down through those pits of writhing, reeking shapes, one of which fell and landed on Bob's heaving chest. Then it merely stepped over him and strode from the shop leaving Bob alone again.
The pressure inside his chest seemed to grow ever greater until at last the inevitable happened. His heart simply burst.
Bob Chamberlain lay still as his sphincter muscle opened and allowed his body to empty itself.
The stench of excrement filled the air, mingling with the other, stronger, smell.
The stench of decay.
Ten
The smell of so many flowers was overpowering.
Carter coughed as the sickly sweet scent settled around him like an invisible cloud. The priest paused in his endless ramblings and glanced across at him but Carter merely nodded for the man to continue. For all the effect the words were having, the cleric might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
Carter stood with his arms by his sides, immaculate in a black suit. The slight breeze ruffled his hair and rustled the lower branches of the tree above him.
Birds sat silently peering down at the small gathering below them, wondering what these black creatures were doing. One finally flew off, the movement scattering leaves, sending them to the ground, drifting lazily. One landed on top of the coffin beside a huge wreath of red carnations which carried the tributes:
`To Jim
An ace among Kings
Love Ray'
Carter took a step forward and brushed the leaf aside, careful not to disturb the other floral tributes which covered the lid of his brother's casket.
Everyone in the small gathering had sent flowers of some description. From the small bouquets sent by other members of Harrison's firm, right up to the massive white cross of roses which the boss himself had offered.
He stood beside Carter as the flowers were removed and the coffin was lowered slowly into the ground.
Carter sighed. It all seemed to have happened so quickly.
He'd been discharged from hospital two days before and, on returning home, had been visited by Harrison who'd informed him that all the arrangements for Jim's funeral had been made. He, himself, would pay for everything. That, he'd said, was only right. He'd pay for the coffin, the flowers, whatever was needed.
The cost wasn't important. Jim
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