Flowers in a Dumpster (31 page)
She reached out and pecked out the word ‘Reflections’ then hit enter. The screen went white for a moment, and then Mace Hunter’s inbox popped up. Vanessa had not expected success, and it took her overwrought brain a moment to realize she had, in fact, succeeded. She leaned forward, not wanting to admit what this meant, not wanting to think about the implications.
There was only one new message waiting in Mace’s inbox, and it was from her husband. With trembling fingers, Vanessa opened the email.
FROM:
[email protected]
SUBJECT: Two Halves of the Same Whole
Mace, I simply cannot wait until you get here.
You understand me like no one ever has, and having you here will mean so much to me. I know it may be a bit presumptuous, but perhaps you could even extend your visit indefinitely. I need someone like you in my life.
I have come to realize that I’ve been kidding myself by thinking Ness will ever be able to understand me. She doesn’t get it, and she never will. All she does is throw up obstacles, and I don’t foresee her changing. I think you are right. I don’t need that kind of negativity. It is time that I got rid of her. I think I have known that for some time now, but I didn’t want to face it. But when you are here, standing by my side, together we will have the strength to do what needs to be done. I won’t have any use for her once you are here.
We’ll take care of her, then we can live happily ever after.
Rich
Vanessa bolted up as if she’d received an electrical shock. The chair rolled away on its wheels, stopping only when it banged into a glass-fronted bookcase. Vanessa stared down at the email, her breath sounding loud and ragged in her own ears, her hands clammy and cold. Richard needed help, serious professional help. She had to admit to herself that he was quite possibly dangerous. She needed to get out of the house, and quickly.
Vanessa turned toward the door and froze, a tiny squeak leaving her lips. It sounded like a rubber-soled shoe skidding on a freshly waxed floor. Richard stood in the threshold, blocking the way out, staring at his wife. He did not move. He did not blink. His expression was blank and utterly unreadable.
“Richard,” Vanessa said, trying to make her voice firm but failing. When her husband did not respond, she said, “Rich?”
Still Richard did not move. He barely seemed to be breathing. Vanessa looked into his eyes and saw nothing but a stranger.
Backing away from the door, realizing that there was nowhere for her to go, Vanessa looked at the man in the doorway, a man who looked like her husband but wasn’t, and said in a quavering voice, “Mace . . . ?”
THE END?
Not at all.
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BIOGRAPHY
Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He has been lucky enough to work with some wonderful publishers such as Apex Publishing, Bad Moon Books, Journalstone, Evil Jester Press, Etopia, Sideshow Press, Sinister Grin, Great Old Ones, Crystal Lake Publishing, and Gallows Press. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his fiancé Craig A. Metcalf.
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