by Jon Athan
Chapter Fifteen
Going Home
Austin returned to the main hall. He glanced towards his left as he contemplated his next move. He thought about the young woman in the bedroom. Despite the torture, she was still alive. Although the fact irked him, he knew he couldn't carry her out of the building in his condition. The police were her best option for survival. He figured Anna would have to wait for the police, too.
Austin whispered, “I'm sorry.”
The young photographer walked down the hall to his right. He stared at the forest-green door at the end of the hallway. The door swung in the door frame, moving an inch with each gentle breeze. Early morning sunshine poured through the opening. His escape was not far, but he kept a vigilant mindset. The killer always comes back to life, he thought.
As he reached the final door in the hall before the exit, Austin stopped in his tracks. The sound of a feminine whimper seeped into the hallway from the neighboring room. His exit was only a few meters away, but curiosity got the best of him. He turned, then he gently shoved the door open.
From the doorway, Austin said, “It's you...”
Austin nervously smiled, fighting the urge to weep. Sitting in the corner of the bedroom, a young girl, no older than 11 years old, sat on the floor with her face to her knees. He recognized the black-haired girl from the photograph in the station wagon. The young girl was petrified, but she survived the massacre. She outlasted the butchers.
With a quivering lip and teary eyes, the girl asked, “Are... Are you one of them?”
Austin walked into the room with his hands up – a gesture of peace. The young girl squirmed closer to the wall, frightened. Austin nervously chuckled as he glanced at his hands. He was drenched in blood – face, hands, and clothing. He looked like a butcher.
Austin shook his head and said, “I'm not one of them, sweetie. I'm... I'm one of the good guys.”
On the verge of breaking down, the girl asked, “Can... Can you take me to my mom and dad? Please?”
Austin sat on the bed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He gazed into the girl's glowing brown eyes and said, “I can take you away from all of this. I know I don't look like a good guy right now, but I had to do some bad stuff to the bad guys. I know you've seen them before.” The little girl sniffled and nodded. Austin asked, “What's your name, sweetheart?”
“Sam–Samantha...”
“Well, Samantha, my name is Austin. It's nice to meet you. If you trust me enough, you can follow me to the diner next door. I'm going to call the cops. They'll help us and anyone else in here. You understand? Do you want to get help with me?”
Samantha stared down at her blue sundress, pondering the question. She was visibly haunted by the experience. She had seen her fair share of bloodshed, especially from strangers. Yet, she trusted Austin. She was drawn to his kind aura. Through the blood, she could see the man was gentle and honest. He wasn't one of them.
Samantha nodded and said, “Okay.”
Austin smiled and responded, “That's great, sweetheart. That's great...”
Austin and Samantha walked down the hallway, strolling towards the exit. The pair were exhausted from the trek. Samantha stared down at the groaning floorboards as she walked, watching her bare feet with caution. Austin placed his hands on his hips as he strolled onto the porch. He could see the motel and the diner down the hill – the finish line.
As Austin walked down the porch steps, Samantha said, “Austin...”
Austin turned towards Samantha and asked, “What is it, sweetie?”
Samantha twisted her foot and twiddled her thumbs. She asked, “Can you please hold my hand? Please?”
Austin smiled and nodded. He chuckled as he vigorously rubbed his palms on his shirt, trying his best to wipe off the clinging blood. Eyes filled with tears, he grabbed Samantha's small hand. The pair walked down the porch, then they strolled down the dirt pathway. As the sun began rising on the horizon, wailing police sirens echoed through the desert.
Austin stared at the rising sun and whispered, “Let's go home...”
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Dear Reader,
First and foremost, thank you for reading! I'm glad you finished the book. If you didn't finish it and you skipped to the end, I apologize for failing to meet your expectations. Regardless, your readership is truly invaluable to me. I can't thank you enough for picking Butcher Road over the millions of books available to you. This was a product of genuine passion and it's gratifying to know someone has read the book from beginning to end. Butcher Road, like the rest of my work, was fueled by my love for storytelling and dark fiction. I pride myself in delivering uncompromising horror stories. However, I never intend on offending or appalling anyone. If you were offended by the content in this book, please accept my sincerest apologies.
Butcher Road was inspired by slasher horror films. Particularly, this book was inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho. If you love horror films, you probably noticed the elements I wanted to recreate from those movies, such as the hitchhiker and motel concepts. Of course, some would argue these aren't exactly your traditional slasher movies. Most people associate slasher with Halloween or Friday the 13th. Although I love those series (for completely different reasons), I felt like focusing on a drearier style of slasher. I wanted to create something grim.
There were a few tropes I obviously tried my best to ignore – maybe I failed, maybe I succeeded. The first cliché was the cast of characters. I was never a fan of the obnoxious characters that often plague modern slashers. In other words, I'm not a big fan of douchebags – is there a more appropriate word for those people? I don't know. Anyway, the only characters I wanted you to hate in this story were the butchers. Although our protagonists made a few questionable choices, I didn't want you to hate them. In a lot of slashers, you kind of end up rooting for a high body count – especially because some characters may irk you. I wanted to focus more on suspense and I wanted the few deaths in this story to unnerve.
I also ignored the whole 'gratuitous sex' trope in this book. I know, I know, it's part of the modern slasher DNA. In this case, however, I felt it would add nothing to the story. Secondly, I'm not great at writing erotic scenes, so I thought it would turn out ill-fitted. It was best to ignore it and focus solely on the horror. I did, however, allude to some abuse in the book – especially the abuse of the young unnamed girl in the bedroom. Abuse is never a pretty subject, but I felt it added to the human horror more than a sex scene. Again, maybe I failed, maybe I succeeded.
Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.com. Your review is incredibly significant. In fact, my career depends on your review. Your review will help me improve on future books and it will help other readers find this book. The more readers I garner, the more I can write. So, if you like this book, a review will help me release more. It will also allow me to gauge interest for certain genres and themes. Would you like to read more slasher-horror books? Was this book too violent? Do you prefer a slow-burn buildup to a grisly climax or do you want the deaths scattered throughout the book? Do you prefer sex scenes in your slashers? Answering these types of questions in your review will help me improve. Even simply letting me know you liked the book helps me improve – it's a morale boost. Your words have the power to influence my writing – please use them wisely.
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riends and family on Facebook, lend it to them, or even read it to them over the phone or video chat. Birthday, holiday, or special event coming up? Buy them a copy as a gift. Word-of-mouth is a superb method in supporting independent authors – and it's mostly free. My lifestyle consists of cheap noodles, tap water, and my neighbor's TV. (I need binoculars, I can't get caught peeping through their window again.) I need your support to sustain this 'thrifty' lifestyle.
Finally, if you enjoy scary stories, feel free to visit my Amazon's Author page. I've published over a dozen horror anthologies. Looking for a violent revenge/vigilante justice thriller? I highly recommend reading my shocking thriller, Mr. Snuff. Enjoy serial killer fiction? You should check out my horror/thriller, Sinister Syndromes. The book follows two killers on opposite ends of the spectrum. When they clash, blood is spilled throughout a dilapidated city. Furthermore, many of my books are available on Kindle Unlimited! I publish books frequently, so please keep your eyes peeled for the next release. I have a slate of books ready to release in 2016, including more serial killer novels – some more disturbing than others. Once again, thank you for reading. Your readership has kept me going through my darkest times and I am forever grateful.
Until our next venture into the dark and disturbing,
Jon Athan
P.S. If you have questions (or insults), you'll receive the quickest and most efficient response via Twitter @Jonny_Athan. If you're an aspiring author, I'm always happy to lend a helping hand. I know how difficult it can be to get started, so feel free to ask. You can also like my Facebook page and talk to me there. Thanks again!