Read Online Fossil Lake: An Anthology of the Aberrant by Ramsey Campbell, Peter Rawlik, Mary Pletsch, Jerrod Balzer, John Goodrich, Scott Colbert, John Claude Smith, Ken Goldman, Doug Blakeslee - Free Book Online

about protecting my sister from your shit. I’m talking about making sure you keep your fucking mouth shut from here on. Is that clear enough, asswipe?”
    Darkly Gothic writer Bert Granchi shit himself.
    Maxon wrinkled his nose. “That doesn’t help the aroma around here any.”
    “You can’t do this! Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just being, you know, who I am.”
    “Yeah, I know you were, Bert. You think you’re the bad boy of the new Gothic revival, and you’ve just naturally got to piss off anyone you feel like, and they don’t get to say squat about it. Fuck that. It’s time you learned that there are some people you just don’t go around pissing off. I’m one of them. Drop him boys.”
    Bert hit the ground hard.
    “Okay, let’s get this over with.” Maxon said.
    Bert heard the snick of a switchblade opening. The rope holding his bound hands to his ankles was severed.
    “Can’t stuff you inside all bunched up like that,” they told him. “That wouldn’t be very comfortable, now would it?”
    Next he felt his clothes being cut off. “Hey, what are you guys, faggots?”
    “You wish, mother-fucker,” Maxon said. “We’re just concerned about your health. It’s going to get mighty warm in that cow tonight. We wouldn’t want you to get heat-stroke, or something.”
    “We ain’t gonna wipe you ass for you, though,” one of the others said. “You’re just gonna have to lie there in your own shit.”
    “Fuck you, you cuntboy faggot!”
    Someone kicked him in the crotch, doubling him up.
    “That wasn’t very nice, Bert,” Maxon said. “In fact, I don’t think I care to hear anything else come out of your pie-hole.” He tore loose a long piece of duct tape and wrapped it several times around Bert’s face and the back of his neck, not being very careful about Bert’s long, greasy hair. Some wound up taped into his mouth.
    That chore done, Maxon held the cow’s body open while the others picked Bert up and placed him inside the corpse.
    “I wouldn’t wiggle around too much in there,” Maxon said. “The ribs are exposed. You might impale yourself on one, if you get too frisky.”
    Bert tried to scream.
    “Sorry? I didn’t quite catch that. If you want out, you just say so and we’ll pull you free right away.”
    He tried again, choking on strands of hair, breathing rotten cow-stink and his own shit-stink above piss and sweat and other indescribable odors.
    “How’s that? Still not getting a clear signal. Well, boys, doesn’t look like Bert minds too much. Let’s sew him up.”
    Bert thrashed around, poking himself on the cow’s ribs.
    Maxon leaned over him. “If you’re worried about air? Not a problem.” He pointed. “Good thing cows come equipped with assholes, isn’t it? You’ll get all the air you need through old Bossie’s butt. Considerate of us, wasn’t it?” Maxon glanced around at the others. “You guys got the sewing kit ready?”
    The taller of the other men held up a spool of fishing line and a large needle. “Ready when you are.”
    Maxon smiled down into Bert’s face. “You just relax, and we’ll have you all nice and cozy in a few minutes.” He dropped the clamshell side of beef closed.
    The corpse jerked and twitched as the men sewed the halves together. It took a while, but eventually they had old Bossie back in one piece again. Bert heard the big Ford engine fire up, and the car drove away.
    He lay still a long time, willing his pulse to slow down. He stared out of Bossie’s ass. The moon illuminated the small opening, not that there was anything to see but a few weeds just beyond. Bert flexed his arms and legs, unable to loosen the ropes.
    They’ll come back in a while, he thought. This is just a big joke, and they’ll get me out of here soon. I’ve just got to be calm until they do. Ha-ha, very funny, Maxon. We’ll see how funny the law thinks this is.
    Bert felt a tickle along his side and belly. Something was moving around