Scream Test: An unforgettable and gripping psychological thriller
Page 18
She was blinking too fast.
“And what if Ellie? What if we’re wrong?”
She came closer, swinging the shopping basket as if she was about to launch it into outer space.
“And what if none of it happened? And what if the gypsy woman was wrong and her prophecies full of shit and Nicole’s voice was never meant to be heard all over the world? And what if Cranston was right? What if there was something to all the other theories going around at the time? What if Nicole did go back to Ohio with her mom and her brother covered it all these years to protect her from whatever she was running from? What if she went to Russia? What if something else happened that no one ever thought about? What if she’s living the quiet life, having long since tired of celebrity? What if she died of old age?”
“Shut up!” Ellie screamed. “He raped her. He’s a killer.”
“And what if the old man never touched her? And what if deep down you couldn’t kill him because you knew it was true. What if everything we ever read on all those dumb forums was a lie and yet we still ate it up? What if you succumbed to the madness in your family’s blood? What if you’re just like your insane old grandmother? What if you killed an innocent man and carved up and marked a helpless old man for nothing? What if it was you all along? What if you made up the Shadow Man? What if you’re the killer?”
Cassandra stopped. Her skin grew more translucent as her presence began to fade away.
“And what if you were always alone at the river?”
Her voice fizzled out. The doubt had said everything it wanted to say. For now.
Ellie kept walking, covered in blood. It was all she could do. Forget the people screaming on either side of the street, watching her pass by like she was some kind of freak show. Some of them asking if she was okay. Most of them yelling at their people to stay the hell away from the crazy blood-soaked woman with the big knife. Forget the sirens and the flashing-colored lights. More screams from behind – sounded like tiny Diane’s voice on the street. Closing in fast. Maybe she had a gun. Maybe she was coming out to gain revenge.
“We did it,” Ellie said. “Nicole? Nicole?”
She could hear the flowing river in West Rouge calling to her. The sound of water had always comforted Ellie – ocean waves, waterfalls, streams and rainfall. There was a glorious song in the water, one that didn’t change with time and now what else was there left for her to do? She had avenged the Wests and to hell with Cassandra and doubt. This was a good thing she’d done today. But now she had nothing else in her life. She’d achieved her goals and now all she could do was follow the river, all the way to the might of Lake Ontario and beyond.
On Blue Jay Way, there was still time for one more scream. This time it was the cops. What were they saying?
Oh, the knife.
Cops to the front. People on all sides.
Ellie kept walking with the knife in hand. No, she wouldn’t put it down.
Anytime now, the river would swallow her. It would take her home before anyone else could hurt her again.
The End
Other Thriller/Horror/Suspense Books by Mark Gillespie
Mike Harvey just broke up with his girlfriend. Now her daddy, the Devil, is coming after him. And Daddy’s mad as Hell.
Devil in the Dark Woods
If you love taut, fast-paced, claustrophobic horror, you’ll love The Hatching
Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Titles by Mark Gillespie
After the End Trilogy
The Exterminators Trilogy
Dystopiaville
The Butch Nolan Trilogy
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