WELCOME to another day of OCTOBER FRIGHTS!
And what better day to share zombies, and horror, oh my! Than FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!
Get some great horror freebies, read some scary fiction, and all kinds of spooky fun!
* 10/11: Spooky reading list and a bonus giveaway.
* Don't forget to check out the 31 Days of Horror on the Creepy Podcast. I'll update when my story, "Sweet Dreams" is scheduled. See website for latest episodes.
* 10/12: Who doesn't like skeletons? See the Skellie Mystery Reading List!
** Stop by the participating OCTOBER FRIGHTS blogs and see what they have going on:
Hawk's Happenings - Always Another Chapter
Crymsyn Hart - Be Afraid of the Dark
Camilla Voiez, British Horror Author
Frighten Me - Angela Yuriko Smith: Exercising My Writes
GirlZombieAuthors - James P Nettles
EV Whyte, Author - Silver Hollow Stories
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Excerpt, Chapter One - Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete
Q. You saw his face covered with blood?
A.
Yes, sir.
Q.
Did you see his eyeball hanging out?
A.
No, sir.
Q.
Did you see the gashes where his face was laid open?
A.
No, sir.
—Lizzie Borden at inquest, August 9-11,
1892
August 4, 1892
Lizzie Borden drained the rest of her tea, set down her cup, and listened to the sound of furniture moving upstairs. My, my, for only ten o’clock in the morning my stepmother is certainly energetic. Housecleaning, already?
THUMP.
For
a moment, Lizzie forgot her plans to go shopping downtown. THUMP. There it went
again. It sounded like her stepmother was rearranging the whole room. She
paused at the bottom stair, her concern growing, when she heard another thump
and then, the oddest of sounds—a moan. Uh-oh. What was that? Did she hurt
herself?
“Mrs.
Borden?” Lizzie called. “Are you all right?”
No
answer.
She
wondered if her stepmother had taken ill, yet the shuffling, moving, and other
unusual noises continued. Lizzie hurried up the stairs and paused outside the
partially opened door. The strange moans coming from the room sent a shiver up
her back.
When
she pushed the door open wider, all she could do was stare. Mrs. Abby Durfee Borden
stood in front of the bureau mirror clawing at her reflected image. And what a
horrid image it was! The sixty-seven-year-old woman’s hair looked like it had
never been combed and stuck out like porcupine quills. Her usually spotless
housedress appeared wrinkled and torn. Yet, that wasn’t the worst. Dark red
spots—blood, Lizzie’s mind
whispered—dotted the floor and streaked the sides, of the older woman’s dress
and sleeves.
Lizzie
gazed about the room in alarm. The tips of Father’s slippers peeking out from
beneath the bed also glistened with the same viscous red liquid. All that
blood! What happened here? What happened?
She
gasped, which got the attention of Mrs. Borden, who jerked her head and
growled. Lizzie choked back a cry of alarm. Abby’s square, plain face now
appeared twisted and ashen gray. Her eyes, once bright with interest, stared
from under a milky covering as if she had cataracts. She resembled a female
version of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
Another growl and a moan, and the older woman lunged, arms rigid, her stubby
hands held out like claws.
“Mrs.
Borden, Abby!” Lizzie yelled and stumbled backward as fast as she could. “Abby,
do you hear me?”
Her
stepmother shuffled forward, her steps slow but steady. She showed no emotion or
sense of recognition. The only utterances she made were those strange low
moans.
Lizzie
moved back even further, trying to keep out of reach of Mrs. Borden’s grasping
fingers. Then her foot hit something. Lizzie quickly glanced down at the silver
hairbrush that had fallen to the floor. Too late, she realized her error.
“No!”
Lizzie shivered at the feel of her stepmother’s clammy, cold hand around her
wrist. “Abby, what happened? What’s wrong with you?”
💀******* BONUS: Limited Time Halloween Sale! *********💀
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter & Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2: The Axe Will Fall.
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Check out these sites also:
October Frights Book Fair: https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair/
October Frights Giveaway: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/fPAZCcZ
* Thanks for stopping by this week! Stay tuned for more posts and Halloween fun! *
Great excerpt and an excellent book.
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