Another Man's Wife plus 3 Other Tales of Horror by David Bernstein Read Free Book Online Page B

“The dog’s waking up.” Billy watched
as two webbed claws appeared out of the water behind his
friend.
    “Mack,” he yelled, trying to warn his friend.
“Watch out.” The creature’s head and shoulders came out of the
water with lightning speed. Before he knew it the thing was in the
air, flying toward them.
    Mack turned around, but it was too late. The
creature landed on him and together they splashed into the shallow
water, the back of Mack’s head hitting the muddy shoreline. The
amphibian type creature had a wide sucker-mouth. Its bulbous eyes
had no pupils, reflecting its surroundings like giant onyx marbles.
It had no ears that Billy could see and a small dorsal fin on its
head. A strong algae odor filled the air.
    A guttural, phlegm-like sound came from its
mouth before it bit down on Mack’s chest. The webbed claws plunged
into the boy’s sides and seemed to be digging around. Billy charged
forward, kicking the creature in its head. It flailed backward,
Mack’s blood dripping from its maw.
    Squealing in anger, the creature pulled its
gore covered hands out of Mack’s limp body before smashing him in
the chest, causing his body to go under the water. Billy tried
connecting with another kick to the monster’s head, but slipped,
landing on his back. The creature sprang out of the water, landing
on Mack’s dead body, crushing it further before lunging at
Billy.
    A black streak dashed in front of Billy’s
eyes. He blinked and saw Killer attacking the creature. The dog had
the creature’s slimy arm in its mouth. Dark brown ooze, like
molasses, seeped from where Killer was gnawing. The creature
squealed.
    As monster and dog tussled, Billy scrambled
to his feet. The creature grabbed Killer’s head and began crushing
it. The dog yelped for a second before falling limp. The thing
grabbed both of the dog’s legs, ripped them off, and tossed them
over its head. They landed with a soft splash in the water. Billy
turned and ran.
    He had never run so fast and for so long in
his fourteen years of living. He burst through the downstairs door
of his house, out of breath, hands on his knees. His mind raced
faster than his pulse. He’d seen his best friend gruesomely killed
by some kind of amphibious abomination. And Killer, the dog that
had tormented so many neighborhood kids for so many years, dead.
Billy wasn’t sure if the dog had tried to protect him or had simply
saw a formidable foe worth challenging. Either way, the dog died
saving his life.
    “Billy?” his mother yelled from upstairs. “Is
that you?”
    His breathing was still rapid, but had slowed
somewhat. He plodded up the stairs, his adrenaline still
pumping.
    “Mom, Dad,” he said, no longer caring if he
got into trouble. People needed to know about the monster. He
entered the kitchen as his parents sat at the table eating.
    “What’s gotten into you?” his mother asked,
holding a fork with a piece of rare-cooked steak on the end of
it.
    “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” his
father said. “Is that my video camera?”
    Ignoring his father’s question, Billy blurted
out his tale, starting with the woman and her Jeep. He spoke
unhindered by his parents, ending with Mack’s and Killer’s
demise.
    His parents had stopped eating, cutlery
resting on their plates. His father’s expression was stoic at
first, seeming indifferent to what he had said, but his face
quickly reddened as his cheek muscles bulged.
    His mother’s face paled, tears welling in her
eyes. She looked horrified. Had she believed him? Had she known
about the creature? She looked away for a moment before turning on
him.
    “Do you know what you’ve done?” his mother
spat, tears falling down her cheeks.
    “I know I’m not supposed to go near the lake,
but . . .” Billy was cut short by his father’s backhand, the smack
loud and painful like a bunch of stinging bees. His father had
never hit him so hard before. He’d been whipped on his backside
with his father’s