Fantasy fiction, English; Horror tales, English; Supernatural -- Fiction
The Manager looked black for a moment, and stared angrily across the
room at him. Then suddenly his expression changed as he stared, and he
tried to smile. It was meant to be a kind smile evidently, but it only
succeeded in being frightened.
"That _is_ a good idea in this weather," he said lightly, "but it would
be much better to lock it on the _outside_, wouldn't it, Mr. Jones?"
"I think not, sir. You might escape me then. Now you can't."
Jones took his pistol out and pointed it at the other's face. Down the
barrel he saw the features of the tall dark man, evil and sinister. Then
the outline trembled a little and the face of the Manager slipped back
into its place. It was white as death, and shining with perspiration.
"You tortured me to death four hundred years ago," said the clerk in the
same steady voice, "and now the dispensers of justice have chosen me to
punish you."
The Manager's face turned to flame, and then back to chalk again. He
made a quick movement towards the telephone bell, stretching out a hand
to reach it, but at the same moment Jones pulled the trigger and the
wrist was shattered, splashing the wall behind with blood.
"That's _one_ place where the chains burnt," he said quietly to himself.
His hand was absolutely steady, and he felt that he was a hero.
The Manager was on his feet, with a scream of pain, supporting himself
with his right hand on the desk in front of him, but Jones pressed the
trigger again, and a bullet flew into the other wrist, so that the big
man, deprived of support, fell forward with a crash on to the desk.
"You damned madman!" shrieked the Manager. "Drop that pistol!"
"That's _another_ place," was all Jones said, still taking careful aim
for another shot.
The big man, screaming and blundering, scrambled beneath the desk,
making frantic efforts to hide, but the secretary took a step forward
and fired two shots in quick succession into his projecting legs,
hitting first one ankle and then the other, and smashing them horribly.
"Two more places where the chains burnt," he said, going a little
nearer.
The Manager, still shrieking, tried desperately to squeeze his bulk
behind the shelter of the opening beneath the desk, but he was far too
large, and his bald head protruded through on the other side. Jones
caught him by the scruff of his great neck and dragged him yelping out
on to the carpet. He was covered with blood, and flopped helplessly upon
his broken wrists.
"Be quick now!" cried the voice of Thorpe.
There was a tremendous commotion and banging at the door, and Jones
gripped his pistol tightly. Something seemed to crash through his brain,
clearing it for a second, so that he thought he saw beside him a great
veiled figure, with drawn sword and flaming eyes, and sternly approving
attitude.
"Remember the eyes! Remember the eyes!" hissed Thorpe in the air above
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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