The Last Mile (8 page)

Dan tried to cry out the names of his wife and daughter, but no sound emerged from his wounded throat. An instant later, pond blood rushed in to fill his mouth as his Master’s tentacles dragged him beneath the surface. And then Dan learned the dark secret that all offerings learned when they became one with the Masters, and he wished his vocal cords still functioned so he could scream.

* * *

Alice stood at the pond’s edge as the dark-red surface became still once more. She thought she was going to like being a thrall, but she was sorry to see her captor go. Not because she felt any sympathy toward him, but because he’d looked so tasty. If only she’d been faster back in the alley when he’d sneaked up on her, if only she’d managed to grab hold of the butcher knife she’d stashed in the garbage can before he’d struck her on the head. She’d lured several delicious meals that way, but then she supposed her successes had made her overconfident, and she’d gotten sloppy. Then again, she shouldn’t complain. After all, if she
had
managed to kill and eat the guy, she’d never have ended up here, would she?

Still, it
was
a long walk back to town, and she
was
hungry. It would be nice to have something to tide her over. She wondered if Mr. Goatee’s body was still back there or if it had been claimed by a predator by now. If she hurried…

She felt her thrall-mark tingle as an object came flying out of the blood pond and landed at her feet with a wet smack. It was her captor’s right forearm, so fresh the fingers on the hand were still twitching.

Yep, she was going to like her new job just fine.

Licking her lips, Alice retrieved the hunting knife from where she’d dropped it, knelt down next to the arm, and began cutting.

About the Author

Shirley Jackson Award–nominated author Tim Waggoner has published over thirty novels and three short story collections in the horror and urban fantasy genres. He teaches creative writing at Sinclair Community College and in Seton Hill University’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. Visit him on the web at: 
www.timwaggoner.com
.