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    Giggles (a novella)
    Giggles (a novella)
    Giggles (a novella)
    Ebook107 pages58 minutes

    Giggles (a novella)

    By Michael Crane

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    About this ebook

    It was supposed to be a simple robbery. But when things go horribly wrong and a bank teller winds up dead, Chad and Ray need to keep themselves hidden from the law. They find a house where conveniently the family is absent. It should’ve been the perfect place for them to stay out of danger.

    But there’s a greater danger lurking inside. A child’s sock monkey waits in the shadows, and has terrible, awful plans for the pair.

    From the author of LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES comes a tale of pure terror and mind games.

    Mr. Giggles is ready to play...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichael Crane
    Release dateAug 29, 2013
    ISBN9781301950829
    Giggles (a novella)
    Author

    Michael Crane

    Michael Crane is an indie author and short story writer. Switching between slice-of-life fiction and horror stories, he is the author of In Decline (stories), Giggles (a novella), and a number of drabble collections (Lessons and Other Morbid Drabbles, Lessons II: Another Morbid Drabble Collection, Lessons III: Demonic Dolls and Other Morbid Drabbles, Lessons IV: The Dead Carnival and Other Morbid Drabbles, Lessons V: The Terrible Town and Other Morbid Drabbles). He currently lives in Illinois with his wife.

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      Book preview

      Giggles (a novella) - Michael Crane

      GIGGLES

      BY MICHAEL CRANE

      © Copyright 2013 by Michael Crane

      Cover photo provided by istockphoto.com/arquiplay77

      Cover design and layout by T.M. Roy / TERyvisions www.teryvisions.com

      Smashwords License Notes:

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. Names and places are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

      CHAPTERS:

      1

      2

      3

      4

      5

      6

      7

      8

      9

      10

      11

      12

      13

      14

      15

      16

      17

      18

      19

      20

      21

      22

      23

      24

      Acknowledgements

      Death is not the worst that can happen to men.

      - Plato

      1

      This wasn’t going to have a happy ending.

      The moment they set foot inside the house, Chad swore to God, or whatever the hell resided up there, that he heard something in his head telling him—no, yelling at him—to run while he still had a chance. A chill in the air forced his stick of a body to shiver.

      This is a house of evil, he thought.

      Well?

      Chad’s teeth chattered. I don’t like it.

      Well, there ain’t much to like, my friend, said Ray. He stood as a giant compared to Chad, mostly built of body fat and unmanageable body hair that stuck out like pine needles. A messy brown beard kept the lower half of his pudgy face hidden. I think we can agree the situation is pretty fucked up, but it could’ve been worse.

      How could it be worse?

      We could be rotting in jail, stupid, Ray huffed. I don’t know about you, but that sounds a helluva lot worse. Please, stop your bitching. I’ve had enough of it.

      Chad dismissed the comment and surveyed their surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The furniture appeared subtle but nice. Nothing overly flashy, yet nothing looked as if it had been purchased at a low-end flea market. A medium-sized TV, with a brand name Chad didn’t recognize, sat by the fireplace. Probably a cheap hunk of junk produced by whatever shit electronic store they bought it from. The fireplace caught his eye. Pictures of a smiley, happy family rested on the shelf. A mother, father, son, and daughter. The kids looked as though they were only a few years old. Chad walked to them, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He observed the family photograph, noting they were the typical clean-cut people you’d see on those horrible made-for-TV specials.

      So who are they? Chad asked.

      Come again?

      Chad pointed to the photograph. The family. Where are they? When Ray offered a snort as an answer, Chad’s eyes became big as he turned to his friend. "Ray… you didn’t?"

      Fuck no!

      Then where are they?

      Ray walked over to the fireplace and shrugged. Hell if I know, buddy. I checked this place out a few days ago and didn’t notice anybody around. Seemed like a perfect place to lay low if we needed it. He gave another shrug. Maybe they’re on vacation or something. You know? A nice cruise? People do go on vacations. I hear that’s a thing these days.

      Chad wanted to curse him and his damned sarcasm. It wasn’t the night for his belittling. Not after what they’d just been through. That Ray could be so matter-of-fact about everything made Chad uncomfortable. He didn’t expect the man to vomit and break down in goddamned tears, but the tiniest sign of emotion—just a little hint of remorse—would’ve made him feel a bit better. It wouldn’t erase the deed, but it would remind him that a person existed beneath that body fat and hair.

      What if they come back tonight?

      We’re not sticking around for long, Ray said.

      What if they beat us to the punch?

      Then we handle it.

      Chad cringed, thinking about the poor bank teller and how Ray had handled that unpleasant situation. Fuck, I ain’t killing no kids.

      Who the hell said anything about killing? If they come back before we’re ready to leave, then we’ll tie them up, vamoose, and get the fuck outta Dodge. Simple.

      Chad really wanted to believe Ray, but he had the awful idea that Ray would put a bullet in each of their skulls without thinking twice. He couldn’t picture Ray going through all of the trouble of restraining the unfortunate family. It’d be easier for him to shoot them and split. The botched bank job showed Chad what a heartless monster Ray could be if circumstances forced his hand.

      His head bothered him again. While rubbing his temples, Chad walked to the crimson sofa and sat. His eyes felt as if they would rip right out of his sockets. He pictured his eyeballs breaking free, landing on the floor, and rolling away with a high-pitched cackle trailing behind them. Chad shivered from his morbid imagination.

      You gonna make it? Ray asked. You look sickly.

      I just want the whole thing to be over with already.

      It’ll be fine, Ray said, picking at his teeth with his dirty fingernail. We lay low for a little bit, and then we scram when it feels safe. He chuckled. You worry too much.

      We’re probably all over the goddamned news by now, Chad said, feeling agitated. No way would the cops call off the search. They already went ballistic whenever a bank was robbed. Not only had he and Ray participated in a bank robbery, but they participated in one that ended with a death. The cops wouldn’t forgive that. The cops would be on their asses for the rest of their lives unless they did something drastic, like flee the country. Chad had already thought about where he’d like to go. Mexico had sounded nice at first, but then he remembered all of the terrible stories about the Mexican cartels and the trail of bodies they left behind. Perhaps Mexico wasn’t the safest place. He wasn’t much of a traveler, and he cursed himself for not exploring the world more. He would’ve had a better idea of where to go. Still, Chad had become pretty good at making himself become a ghost, especially to anyone looking for him.

      We’ll be fine so long as we’re smart about it, Ray said firmly.

      Like that thing with the bank teller, right? Chad said, folding his arms. Smart like that?

      Ray exhaled and faced Chad with closed fists. The right corner of his mouth twitched, and he didn’t blink. Not once. It’s her fault. The dumb bitch pressed the alarm when I specifically told her not to.

      You didn’t have to kill her.

      And she didn’t have to push the button, goddammit! But she did.

      Chad massaged his temples some more. Why the hell did he bring that up again? Trying to get himself murdered, perhaps? Did he want to be punished? He didn’t know, but keeping his thoughts to himself proved to be tough for Chad, especially with Ray playing it down. As if he’d only stepped on an ant.

      Whatever, Chad surrendered. What’s done is done.

      "My thoughts exactly.

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