MidNite Tales: A Collection of Short Stories
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About this ebook
These four tales deal with themes of love, addiction, greed, fear, and revenge. A couple who has just bought a home find out that they are not the only ones in the house. While a woman struggles to keep her family together as her husband battles past and present demons.
Duke Carlisle
Duke Carlisle was born and raised in Chicago,IL. He has published four novels to date, with many more to come.
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MidNite Tales - Duke Carlisle
MidNite Tales
A Collection of Short Stories
By Duke C.
Copyright © 2019 Duke C.
All rights reserved.
Distributed by Smashwords
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CONTENTS
Prologue
1. Bittersweet
2. Horrified
3. Johnny Boy
4. The Basement Stairs
Epilogue
PROLOGUE
Jamie stepped off the elevator on the ninth floor. The black arrow on the wall told her to turn left and keep walking til the end. Room 928 would be the last classroom on the quiet floor.
Jamie yawned and glanced down at her chrome watch. Oh Shit! It was 9:28. In two minutes she would be late for her first film class. Jamie smiled at the irony of her watch having the same numbers as her classroom. There was no time to waste though. Jamie walked as fast as she could down the dim hallway. Her purple and silver book bag hung from her shoulder as she tightened the grip on her heavy brown purse.
Why did I sign up for a night class? Jamie kept asking as she stepped with haste. The answer to that question was simple. Jamie wanted to be a filmmaker, and taking this night class was her first step in becoming one.
Jamie finally made it to the end of the hall. She opened the door to Room 928 and walked in.
We are thrilled that you’ve joined us,
The Professor stated, as he stared curiously at Jamie.
Jamie looked around the empty classroom. There were two other people already sitting down. Jamie took her book bag off her shoulder and sat down at the back table. She was exhausted.
And yurr name is?
The Professor asked. His slight southern drawl let Jamie know that he wasn’t from Chicago. Probably from Alabama or Georgia.
Um, Jamie. I’m Jamie Green,
Jamie answered.
The lanky Professor walked over to the door and locked it shut. Well Miss Green..one minute later and you would’ve been locked out of my class. Tardiness will not be tolerated. No exceptions! No excuses!
Jamie was confused as to why the Professor was locking the door. I understand.
Now that all three of ya’ll are here…let’s get started shall we. My name is Professor Haulman. And I’ve been educating students on film history and relevance for over 30 years.
Jamie’s eyes were getting heavier and heavier as she stared at Professor Haulman. He dressed weird and looked weird as well. He had on a black tuxedo with a white tie. The thin Professor also had on black leather gloves and a matching scarf. And his eyes. They were different. One was hazel, but the left eye was a creepy dark grey.
While Professor Haulman spoke about art imitating life Jamie watched her two classmates. They looked just as tired as her. The guy sitting in the front had on a worn khaki suit and boots. He either delivered packages for a living or worked in a warehouse. The unshaven guy also had two tall energy drinks and a candy bar sitting on the table in front of him.
The short girl sitting at the table in the middle wasn’t wearing a uniform.
She had on tight jeans and a yellow sweater. On her table was a cup of hot coffee and a blue notepad. The girl noticed Jamie staring at her. She looked over at Jamie and smiled.
Jamie rubbed her burning eyes. She just worked a 10 hour shift. Jamie was the manager of a fast food restaurant. So she was constantly moving and on her feet all day. That’s why she was almost late for class. Instead of showing up in school smelling like burgers and chicken, Jamie decided to go home and take a shower.
Let’s begin the first film shall we,
Professor Haulman said, before turning the lights off in the class.
The class was abnormally dark. Professor Haulman pulled the shades down on the windows for a more cinematic atmosphere. Jamie felt her watery eyes closing. When the screen glowed she opened them.
The Professor whispered. No sleeping in my class. The consequences for breaking this rule will be dramatic.
Jamie really wasn’t paying any attention to what the Professor was saying. The word BITTERSWEET appeared on the blue screen. Jamie was trying so hard to keep her eyes open. The film started and Jamie began to drift.
BITTERSWEET
Chapter 1
Liz opened the front door and ran down the concrete steps as fast as she could. She opened her car door and threw her small black suitcase on the passenger seat. Liz climbed inside the navy blue SUV and slammed the door shut. She started the engine and smashed on the accelerator. The tires screeched and screamed as they spun away from the curb.
Liz made a sharp right turn away from her neighborhood. She contemplated driving across the country and never returning home. Her life was too complicated for that though. Liz wiped the flowing tears from her green eyes. Before she could remove her hand from her beige face another stream of tears began to pour from her eyes.
The dull sky cast a dark and gloomy shadow across the Windy City. The expected rain was still miles away, but the heavy winds were beginning to pick up speed. Liz looked in her rearview mirror. Her stomach dropped when she saw her two sons slouched down in the backseat sobbing. They hated when she took them away from their father. They didn’t understand why they couldn’t stay at home with him.
Don’t cry boys, please don’t cry,
Liz begged her two sons. Liz wiped the flowing tears from her green eyes as she focused back on the traffic in front of her.
Robert stood in his quiet living room staring out of the window. He watched in anger as the yellow and orange leaves fell from the trees and blew into the roaring wind. The bottle of vodka Robert was clutching in his left hand was empty. That was his second bottle of booze and it was still daylight outside. Robert knew that his excessive drinking was becoming a serious problem. It was always an issue, he was just in denial about how much he drank. Robert looked down at the liquor bottle in disgust. He was allowing alcohol to tear his marriage and his family apart.
The vodka bottle that Robert was holding slipped from his hand. It bounced on top of the plush tan carpet before falling over. Robert was so drunk that he didn’t realize the bottle had fallen from his hand. Liz and the boys were on his mind. Every time they had a big argument she would leave and take the boys to her parents house for a night or two. For a second, Robert couldn’t remember what he and his wife were arguing about. And then he