Don't Read After Dark: Keep the lights on while reading these! (A McCray Horror Collection) (92 page)

Fury sparked in her eyes as her finger tightened on the trigger.

Well, so did his. “At this range I can’t miss, Tamra. But you?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Cliver had been so worried about his sister that he’d missed Ruf approaching from the side. His brother came at him with his arms open wide. Cliver tried to get a shot off, but his gun was knocked out of his hand as Ruf gripped him in a bear hug. A breath-snatching, heart-stopping bear hug.

“Bad, Cliver, bad.”

* * *

Stacey watched as Cliver’s eyes bulged from their sockets and the veins on his forehead threatened to burst. Then a shotgun blast sounded as the back of Ruf’s head blew off, spraying the ceiling in gray matter.

“No!” Tamra screamed, raising her gun. But as Ruf’s body slid down, Cliver was in no better shape. His face was a mass of pellet tracks, red and angry. And his chin was simply gone. He too landed on the floor in a thud.

Had Cliver accidentally killed himself, or did he just want them both to go down?

Did it really matter? Stacey was left with the only sister still standing. Unfortunately, the bitch had a gun.

And what did Stacey have? Nothing except for the table standing over her that provided, at best, meager protection. Give Tamra a moment to regroup, and even that would be gone.

Just the table…

Reacting on instinct, Stacey put her hands up, lifted the table, and then charged toward Tamra. Dishes and glasses slid off, shattering on the floor, but Stacey didn’t stop. Bullets shattered the wood, sending splinters into her face, but still Stacey didn’t stop. Not until she ran full tilt into Tamra.

Only after Stacey slammed Tamra against the wall did she look over the top of the table. Tamra struggled to get her gun hand unpinned, but then stopped and grinned at Stacey.

“Your sister tasted like rosemary and honey.”

Oh no! She
didn’t
just say that!…

Stacey smashed the wood even harder against Tamra, but her damn big boobs acted as a buffer—and even gave the bitch enough wiggle room to loosen her hand. The barrel of the gun slowly turned in Stacey’s direction.

Maybe she couldn’t push
in
any harder, but up? Up she could do. Stacey shoved the table upward, knocking the gun from Tamra’s hand. They both dove to get it as it clattered against the linoleum floor. Stacey realized that she would never get to it in time, so instead, she grabbed Tamra by the hair because it seemed like the bitch liked that.

Tamra must have realized that the gun was too far as well, as she turned to Stacey and put both hands around her neck, squeezing. Stacey’s grabbed hold of Tamra’s wrists but the bitch had her mother’s grip. Instead Stacey dug her fingers into Tamra’s cheek. She could feel the flesh under nails as she marked Tamra. Stacey might die today, but this bitch was gonna have to walk around with gouges in her face. Try tempting coeds into her lair, then.

Stacey struggled to breathe as her vision reduced to a pinpoint. She might not be able to cry out, but her brain screamed for oxygen.

Then a shot ricocheted off the floor and into the wall. Stacey gasped as Tamra’s fingers loosened. Stacey pushed away from the bitch.

“I don’t know who to shoot!” the charbroiled woman said, the gun shaky in her leathery hand.

“The one with big boobs!” Stacey yelled, scrambling back.

The woman took aim and fired, winging Tamra in the shoulder. Finally those pontoons worked in Stacey’s favor. But Tamra was already making for the shotgun that lay next to Cliver. Stacey spotted a knife on the floor and grabbed it, lashing out in one motion.

Tamra must have had as little body fat as she claimed, since the knife easily sliced through the skin and through the belly wall.

Damn, these people took their cutlery seriously. Lucky for Stacey.

Tamra’s mouth opened into a perfect “O” as intestines slipped from the wound. She tried to keep them in, but it was like trying to juggle greased sausages. The more Tamra tried to stuff them back in, the more tumbled out.

Stacey backed away as Tamra tried to come at her, but the psychopath slipped on her own intestines, stumbling first to her knees, then to all fours. But still the bitch was coming for them.

Stacey grabbed the gun away from the woman and fired, hitting Tamra in the other shoulder. She shot again. Hitting her in the chest. Then again, in the neck.

Was this a fair fight? Fuck, no.

She fired and fired and fired until the gun clicked on empty.

Tamra lay in a pool of her own blood and guts. Only then did Stacey feel each and every injury she had sustained. The broken ribs, the sprained wrist, the splinters to the face.

“Is… is anyone still alive?” the woman asked, her blue-tinged eyes darting back and forth and a hand groping in front of her.

“Yeah,” Stacey said as sirens wailed in the distance. Jonathan must have dialed out before he got shot. But whatever law enforcement was coming their way was too little, too late in her book.

Carefully, she helped the woman to the floor, and then flopped down herself.

“Are they all dead?” the woman asked.

Stacey scanned the room to find it littered with bodies. Some friends, some enemies, but all dead.

“Yep. Ma and her brood are toast.”

The woman laid her head on Stacey shoulder, a shuddering sigh escaping her nearly mummified form. They both took several deep breaths, although honestly Stacey had to keep from gagging at the chick’s smell, but at least they were alive.

Suddenly, the woman’s head jerked up from Stacey’s shoulder.

“But where’s Pa?”

Afterword

Thank you so much for reading the Don’t Read After Dark horror collection! Hopefully you were as thrilled to read it as I was to write it.

If you did enjoy the collection I would ask a favor of you and have you go back to Amazon and leave a review. Indie authors live and die by their reviews!

I’d also like to ask that if you find any typos/errors to please contact me directly. Even though this and all of my books have been put through a gazillion rounds of edits, we are all just human. It really helps if you catch anything to email me at
[email protected]

Want more thrills? Who doesn’t? Check out the next section for more of McCray’s thrillers!

Other Works by Carolyn McCray

Got Thrills? A Boxed Set With Your RDA Allowance of Thrills

From the Carolyn McCray, #1 bestselling author in Technothrillers, Men’s Adventure, Action/Adventure, and War comes a pack of thrillers to get your blood pumping!

AMBUSH

The prequel short story to the extremely controversial
30 Pieces of Silver
.

ANATOMY

See where the Harbinger Mystery series began…
The Plain Jane
prequel.

HACKED

The prequel short story to the #1 action packed
Encrypted
techno thriller

GAUNTLET

The action packed prequel short story to the bestselling Mystery/Horror novel
All Hallow’s Eve
.

DEVIOUS

The shocking prequel to the blockbuster
9th Circle
.

MOONRUSH

Carolyn’s action-packed full length techno-thriller novel set in the near future.

CAUGHT

The prequel short story to the second cycle of the
Betrayed series
.

Praise for Carolyn’s thrillers…

“Everyone of these books is fast paced and exciting. All deserve a 5+ Star rating. Carolyn McCray is a magnificent writer!! She has easily become my number 1 author!!”

Guinevere

Amazon Reviewer

“I read these stories and really enjoyed them all for different reasons. She is definitely got a great way to tell a story and I have bought her other books that are available and are reading them now. Not sure why she is not more widely known her stories are the same caliber as other more famous authors. Highly recommend!”

Lisa Kubin

Amazon Reviewer

“I found this book to be just as the title said an action packed techno thriller. I read at least a book a week but this was one of those impossible to put down books. It was well worth the money and based on this book I bought her other book and will be placing the next in her series on my wish list.”

Scott Powner

Amazon Reviewer

To purchase or sample
Got Thrills
, simply click
here
.

* * *

Down and Dirty - Carolyn’s suspenseful crime collection

Need to stay up late? Then the
Down & Dirty
McCray Crime Collection is for you! Packed with suspense and terror, you better keep the lights on while reading these!

All Hallows Eve

The one night it’s BAD… to be good

Anatomy

The greatly anticipated prequel short story to
Plain Jane
. See where the Harbinger Mystery series began!

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

The prequel short story to start off the new series, The Nursery Rhyme Murders

Devious

The prequel short story to the blockbuster smash,
9
th
Circle

Gauntlet

An All Hallow’s Eve prequel short story

Praise for McCray's crime novels…

All Hallow's Eve…

“Scary and smart, All Hallow's Eve is perfect for anyone who wants to read a horror story that hits them in the gut. From the intricate psychopathology of the serial killer, to the hair-raising tension, to the skewering of pop culture, All Hallow's Eve is simply a great read.”

Your Need To Read

Book Reviewer

Anatomy…

“Anatomy is a short story that had a serial killer that was really creepy. The FBI profiler, Harbinger, was a real wise guy but also very brilliant. It was interesting and a fast paced story. I can't wait to read more of these stories about Harbinger. He has become one of my new favorite characters.”

Judy Russ

Amazon Reviewer

Mary Mary Quite Contrary…

“Really enjoy this book, short but sure made one want more of the story. I love this writer she gives a good story, keeps one step ahead of you but keeps your interest. Now for more info on when next book in series is coming out. I am ready for it!”

Shirleen

Amazon Reviewer

Devious…

“I loved the 9th Circle Serial Book, and this prequel gave me a much better understanding of Trey and Darc's relationship. Knowing where they both ‘came from’ and their history together put many more aspects of The 9th Circle. Full of suspense and thrills this book was a fun read.”

Readerwhit

Amazon Reviewer

Gauntlet…

“I love all the twists her stories and books have she keeps you guessing until the end. I am a definite fan! Amazon Reviewer”

Judith Flores

Amazon Reviewer

The purchase or sample
Down and Dirty
simply click
here
.

* * *

The Harbinger Mystery Thriller Collection

Hard-boiled mysteries not for the faint of heart