Give Me Your Heart: Tales of Mystery and Suspense Read online

Page 27


  How was this? The Lance Corporal was unarmed. Dozing and waking abruptly and unarmed and barefoot and in his bloodstained T-shirt and boxers in his own house. Goddamned Mack was the one with the shotgun not the Lance Corporal who was unarmed. Mack had not yet made the discovery in the cold scummy bathtub water nor the other on the floor of the bedroom. Yet grimly Mack spoke, Don’t do this, Dennie, back off. As in a nightmare in which you are stark naked the Lance Corporal was without a weapon. It was astonishing to be without a weapon at such a time. Sheila? Mack was calling. Hey, Sheila? It’s me, Mack. You could see Mack’s hands shake. You could see that Mack would not have the courage to fire. For Mack was a civilian, he had not ever fired any discharge of any weapon at any other person. The sight of his Lance Corporal brother covered in blood and barefoot and stark-eyed was terrifying to him, he could not possibly aim true. He was saying Dennie? Where’s Sheila? Where’s Dennie Junior? He was pleading, begging. He was holding his shotgun which had a short grip and a short barrel for bird-hunting and was not a shotgun the Lance Corporal believed he had ever seen before. His own shotgun he’d taken from Pa was on the kitchen table not yet loaded. A pack of birdshot he’d opened but had not yet loaded. Step back, Dennie, Mack was saying, but the Lance Corporal had not traveled so far, across so many oceans and galaxies, a steel plate in his skull and a miracle shunt in his heart, to be told what to do by a civilian. Calmly the Lance Corporal reached for the shotgun that was aimed at his heart and with all his fingers seized the barrel.

 

 

 


    Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon Read onlineStarr Bright Will Be With You SoonMy Heart Laid Bare Read onlineMy Heart Laid BareA Fair Maiden Read onlineA Fair MaidenThe Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror Read onlineThe Doll-Master and Other Tales of TerrorWild Nights!: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway Read onlineWild Nights!: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and HemingwayTwo or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You Read onlineTwo or Three Things I Forgot to Tell YouBecause It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart Read onlineBecause It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My HeartMissing Mom: A Novel Read onlineMissing Mom: A NovelThe Gravedigger's Daughter: A Novel Read onlineThe Gravedigger's Daughter: A NovelAmerican Appetites Read onlineAmerican AppetitesBlack Dahlia White Rose: Stories Read onlineBlack Dahlia White Rose: StoriesZombie Read onlineZombieSoul at the White Heat: Inspiration, Obsession, and the Writing Life Read onlineSoul at the White Heat: Inspiration, Obsession, and the Writing LifeSon of the Morning Read onlineSon of the MorningPatricide Read onlinePatricideSnake Eyes Read onlineSnake EyesWonderland Read onlineWonderlandIn Rough Country: Essays and Reviews Read onlineIn Rough Country: Essays and ReviewsLittle Bird of Heaven Read onlineLittle Bird of HeavenThe Haunting Read onlineThe HauntingThe Accursed Read onlineThe AccursedMy Sister, My Love: The Intimate Story of Skyler Rampike Read onlineMy Sister, My Love: The Intimate Story of Skyler RampikeDis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense Read onlineDis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and SuspenseYou Can't Catch Me Read onlineYou Can't Catch MeDaddy Love: A Novel Read onlineDaddy Love: A NovelBroke Heart Blues Read onlineBroke Heart BluesI'll Take You There Read onlineI'll Take You ThereMystery, Inc. Read onlineMystery, Inc.We Were The Mulvaneys Read onlineWe Were The MulvaneysThe Lost Landscape: A Writer's Coming of Age Read onlineThe Lost Landscape: A Writer's Coming of AgeEvil Eye: Four Novellas of Love Gone Wrong Read onlineEvil Eye: Four Novellas of Love Gone WrongNemesis Read onlineNemesisBeautiful Days: Stories Read onlineBeautiful Days: StoriesOn Boxing Read onlineOn BoxingMudwoman Read onlineMudwomanHazards of Time Travel Read onlineHazards of Time TravelNight-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense Read onlineNight-Gaunts and Other Tales of SuspenseMysteries of Winterthurn Read onlineMysteries of WinterthurnNew Jersey Noir Read onlineNew Jersey NoirSourland Read onlineSourlandBlonde Read onlineBlondeThe Corn Maiden: And Other Nightmares Read onlineThe Corn Maiden: And Other NightmaresThe Oxford Book of American Short Stories Read onlineThe Oxford Book of American Short StoriesRape: A Love Story Read onlineRape: A Love StoryLovely, Dark, Deep: Stories Read onlineLovely, Dark, Deep: StoriesAfter the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away Read onlineAfter the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew AwayFreaky Green Eyes Read onlineFreaky Green EyesNight, Neon Read onlineNight, NeonI Am No One You Know: And Other Stories Read onlineI Am No One You Know: And Other StoriesBlack Water Read onlineBlack WaterExpensive People Read onlineExpensive PeopleThe Falls Read onlineThe FallsSoul/Mate Read onlineSoul/MateThe Sacrifice Read onlineThe SacrificeThe (Other) You Read onlineThe (Other) YouWhat I Lived For Read onlineWhat I Lived ForPrison Noir Read onlinePrison NoirHigh Crime Area: Tales of Darkness and Dread Read onlineHigh Crime Area: Tales of Darkness and DreadFaithless: Tales of Transgression Read onlineFaithless: Tales of TransgressionGive Me Your Heart: Tales of Mystery and Suspense Read onlineGive Me Your Heart: Tales of Mystery and SuspenseThe Rescuer Read onlineThe RescuerA Book of American Martyrs Read onlineA Book of American MartyrsAmerican Melancholy Read onlineAmerican MelancholyDouble Delight Read onlineDouble DelightBig Mouth Ugly Girl Read onlineBig Mouth Ugly GirlBellefleur Read onlineBellefleurSolstice Read onlineSolsticeBig Mouth & Ugly Girl Read onlineBig Mouth & Ugly GirlEvil Eye Read onlineEvil EyeRape Read onlineRapeThe Man Without a Shadow Read onlineThe Man Without a ShadowMissing Mom Read onlineMissing MomMy Sister, My Love Read onlineMy Sister, My LoveThe Gravedigger's Daughter Read onlineThe Gravedigger's DaughterBeautiful Days Read onlineBeautiful DaysThe Lost Landscape Read onlineThe Lost LandscapeDaddy Love Read onlineDaddy LoveDreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror Read onlineDreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian HorrorThe Tattooed Girl Read onlineThe Tattooed GirlGive Me Your Heart Read onlineGive Me Your HeartIn Rough Country Read onlineIn Rough CountryThe Journal of Joyce Carol Oates Read onlineThe Journal of Joyce Carol OatesBlack Dahlia & White Rose: Stories Read onlineBlack Dahlia & White Rose: StoriesHigh Crime Area Read onlineHigh Crime AreaLovely, Dark, Deep Read onlineLovely, Dark, DeepA Widow's Story Read onlineA Widow's StorySoul at the White Heat Read onlineSoul at the White HeatWild Nights! Read onlineWild Nights!