The Smoke In The Photograph (25 page)

It had been two days since the attic attack. Two nights since Ariel. Julia had undergone surgery to fix her broken nose, and another operation to fix the nerves and severed tendons in her arms. The doctor had assured her that it had been a complete success. She would have most of the feeling and use back in her arms in time. She had asked if she would be able to paint again. The doctor had told her it was possible, but highly unlikely.

Steven lay in a coma. The blow to his head and the severe blood loss had nearly killed him.  However, hours of surgery by his own boss, Mr Walden, had saved his life. Julia, though still furious with him, sat by his bed all day and all night.

There was a knock on the door of Steven's room. Julia looked up from the book she was pretending to read and Saw Sam Fluting in the doorway. She waved him in clumsily with her bandaged arms.

'How is he?' he asked on entering.

'They said there was no permanent brain damage, but recovery is going to be a long, slow process.'

Sam nodded.

'Can you forgive him?' he asked.

She stared at Steven motionless on the bed, hooked up to so many machines.

'I don't know,' she said. 'I still love him, but I don't know if I can learn to trust him again. But I'll be here by his side until he's well. I'm not going to leave him when he needs me most. Then I'd be just as bad as him.'

'How're you?' Sam asked.

'I've been better,' she said, holding up her mummified arms.

'I just heard that Ariel's teeth match Philip Travers’s dental records. We're just waiting on DNA results now.'

Julia nodded. It was finally all over, but at such a heavy cost.

Sam told her that the more bizarre elements of the case were being kept out of the media. The official story was that when confronted by arrest, Ariel had jumped from the window.

The police didn't want a media circus around the paranormal things that had happened, and Julia couldn't blame any of them for that.

'You do believe me though, don't you Sam?' Julia asked. 'About everything that happened?'

Sam leant over and hugged her.

'I saw Helen Swanson too,' he whispered in her ear.

Julia felt a sudden surge of relief. She squeezed Sam tight. When she was done she let go and he stood up.

'Thank you. I needed to hear that.'

'I best be going. I have one final press conference to give on the case of the Lincoln Ripper.'

'Then what?' she asked. 'A new case, I suppose.'

Sam shook his head.

'I'm going to take my kids on holiday.’

Julia wished him well, and he left.

She went back to the book again, and waited for her husband to wake up.

THE END

Kit Tinsley is an English horror author. He is a fan of all things horror.

He graduated from DMU Leicester in 2002 with a BA (hons) in Media Studies and English. Since then he has spent time teaching both subjects in secondary and further education.

He has also worked on several independent films, writing a film called Red Route in 2007. Unfortunately, the film, which Kit also acted in, has been lost in postproduction hell since completion. 

Most recently he has worked on production of a film called Shadows of a Stranger, working with actors from the popular TV shows Doctor Who, Rainbow and Torchwood, as well as an actor who appeared in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film is being prepared for its release as we speak.

Kit is also a musician, He is lead vocalist/guitarist for a punk/folk/rock band called Dog Goblins.

He was born in Shropshire in 1978, but has lived in Lincolnshire since 1985.

He lives with his wife and their young son.

For more info, visit
kit-tinsley.com
.

Dan Martin and his family move into a new home. Soon they discover an ancient chamber buried below the house. As the secrets of the areas dark history come to light the family begin to experience frightening supernatural phenomena. Hooded apparitions stalk their garden at night, an unseen hand carves messages on their walls, and most disturbing, their neighbours start to die. Opening the chamber has released a dark and evil force that existed eons before man. Can Dan Martin, a scientist, accept the existence of the paranormal in order to stop it? Can he protect his family? Violence, horror and death combine in a nerve shredding climax. Will they survive what dwells beneath?

DARK COUNTY

The author of BENEATH takes you one a Journey into the dark heart of rural England Lincolnshire, a place of beauty and peace, but also a place of bleakness and violence. In this collection of short stories, Amazon bestselling horror writer, Kit Tinsley explores the darkness at the centre of the countryside. The ten tales within cover many aspects of the horror genre, from the supernatural to all too human evil. Included stories:

A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY - A troubled, married couple seek a pleasant day out, but it goes very wrong when they have an accident on the isolated, country road.

TRACKS - A young, deaf boy tries to prove his bravery by exploring a ghostly local legend, but will he survive the tracks?

THE HOUSE BY THE MARSH - A group of childhood friends find their whole lives haunted by a chance encounter with a derelict old house. THE CROWS - A career criminal takes on one last job too many.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN SKEG VEGAS - A young man with a gambling addiction owes money to a very dangerous man. Will a meeting with a strange old man save him, or damn him?

These stories and more will open you eyes to what is hidden under the surface of the DARK COUNTY.

THE WILDS

Something is roaming the countryside, and people are vanishing. When his older brother disappears, Karl Morgan returns to the sleepy town of his youth, desperate for answers. He meets local reporter, Jason Flynn, who is convinced that there is a wild big cat at large in the fields and woods around the town. Karl and Jason set off to investigate the disappearances and the legendary 'Darton Beast'.

Standing in their way is D.C.I Jon Pearce a man willing to keep secrets and break the rules for the greater good. Pearce blames Flynn for ruining his career and will do anything he can to discredit him.

As Karl and Jason get closer to the truth, the stakes become higher. Will they discover the big cat, or something far worse?

Horror and suspense combine in a climax that will answer the most important question, who will survive The Wilds?

With Siobhan Tinsley

THIRST FOR BLOOD:

A history of the vampire in folklore, fiction and film

Why are vampires so popular? Of all of the supernatural creatures to have stalked the collective nightmare of fiction and cinema, the vampire is surely the most eternally popular, but why? In this book we try to answer this question, and in doing so we take you on journey through time and across the world. *discover the ancient legends of vampiric figures from the oldest civilisations on Earth.

*Examine the Eastern European folklore that inspired the modern vampire tales.

*Learn the scientific explanations for vampire myths *Trace the literary vampire from its gothic beginnings to modern dark fantasy.

*Study the evolution of the cinematic vampire from silent cinema to Hollywood blockbusters.

*Meet the twisted killers who made vampires all too real.

All this and more can be found in the pages of this history of these dark creatures who have an insatiable THIRST FOR BLOOD.