Nightmare Express

By Cathy Pace Matthews

What is apparent at first glance doesn't always show the truth. What can appear beautiful on the surface, can hide pain and horror underneath. A beautiful sunny day on your honeymoon can hide untold sorrow and death. We all chase our dreams but watch that last step. Do you want a house in the country? Remember every house holds a few secrets. Parks can be a lovely way to spend the evening but demons can hide even there.
Have you every walked into a restaurant or a bar and felt the need to leave as quickly as you got there. Did you ever stop at a rest stop and for some reason you decided not to stop. Have you ever seen something on the highway and it left goose bumps on your flesh. You get these feeling but you can’t explain why. In Nightmare Express you may get your answer to these question. There are things in this world that we don’t see. Not because we can’t see them but as humans we choose not to.
There are demons and monsters you never suspected. The things in your nightmares are real you just don’t want to see it. John is an individual that will lead you through each story and tell you why certain things happen. He will show you the stuff of your nightmares.
There are no real happy ending in this book, well maybe one. Every character you are introduced to in each of these stories has something in common with the one before them. They all share a link. They each go about their lives making choices that effect not only their lives but the lives of everyone they come into contact with. We are told from the time we are very young that we have those choices in life and it’s true we do. We choose the path we take and ultimately it comes down to whether or not we make good decisions. Yes we all have our choices, until we die.
So come and take a ride with John and me as we take you to places so dark your mind will scream in terror. Oh don’t bother with the seat belt where we’re going you won’t need it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cathy Pace Matthews
• Release date: Feb 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311826633

Cathy Pace Matthews

I love the twisted and macabre. I also love the old horror where the thing that went bump in the night scared you and not all the blood gushing from a jagged wound that is more likely to gross you out. There is a difference. Don’t get me wrong I can do gore and quite well when I need to.I’m also not a young adult author. I’m way too old for that and personally at this point in my life I want to read a book that involves men and women over twenty five and under one hundred and twenty five. If you’re younger than that I don’t think you’ll care and if you’re older than that, then God bless you and let me know, I’ll change the upper end of the timeline.I tend to be outspoken and nothing is sacred when it comes to my writing. Well that part isn’t entirely true. The farm in the Blood Lines series is and I don’t apologize for that. I started writing because of that farm.I strive to create the unusual and different and that’s not always easy, as a matter of fact, it’s hard. I try hard not to do the tried and true.When I read a horror story I want to read a horror story. Can it have love and caring in it? Sure, but let’s keep things in perspective. I want to scare you and I’ll leave it up to other really good authors, and there are some really good ones, to give you all that other stuff.I set out to write horror. I will take you to places in my books you’ve never been before and along the way I may make you laugh because what fun is real horror if it can’t make you laugh on occasion? The good part about the humor, you still have to turn the page and what waits for you there might not be so funny.I have also recently become a producer for the short horror film, She Summoned Him. I'm looking forward to the the release.I'm married to a wonderful man, Buddy, and between us we have three very beautiful daughters. We love to travel in our converted 1963 Greyhound 4106 and discover new places and meeting new people. I grew up with four wonderful brothers, one of which is no longer with us. I was born in Mississippi, grew up in Tennessee, and fell in love with Missouri as well as a man who comes from there.I am surprised at how much writing has helped me grow as a person. I pay a lot more attention to things around me than I used to and can find a story in almost everything I see and hear. I have also learned what a truly dark sense of humor I have. I love making people raise an eyebrow at me on occasion.My husband and I were recently at a local restaurant and were picking at one another. The waiter walked up about that time and I asked if they had an oven large enough to put a body in. He asked why and after a short explanation with a wicked little gleam in his eye he told me they did. What concerned me was that wicked little gleam. I have since found out that a lot of restaurants do have ovens big enough to hold a human body. My suggestion to you is not to make the waiting staff of any eating establishment angry. You might end in up on the menu the next night.With seven books of my own under my belt, at present count, nine short story books, one exceptional book of short stories along with eight other gifted writers and the next one in the Blood Lines Series that I'm working on I'm pretty happy with where I am in my life right now.

Book preview

Prologue

Till Death Do Us Part

Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, and Ghouls Need Not Apply

The Legend

Don’t Let It In

A Dark Ending

The House

Changing of the Guard

I’m Down Here

When They All Die

Major Pickup

The River

The Rogue Part 1

The Rogue Part 2

Epilogue

The Vial

Introduction to My Life as a Ghoul

About the Author

Other Books by Cathy Pace Matthews

In Appreciation

Connect with Cathy Pace Matthews

Prologue

John sat in his truck thinking about the days and nights ahead. It would be the same thing over and over again. He would pick up one delivery after the other. Some would go up front and others would be shoved off into the back. He had been doing this job way too long and he was tired.

He had seen things change over the centuries. People for the most part were good but you had enough evil in the world that it more often overshadowed the good. War when he walked the world was bad enough but now they could take out entire civilizations with just the push of a button. They had handheld weapons that could kill dozens of people in a matter of seconds and were often used not in war but in crimes or stupid causes. People died for watches and rings, for belonging to this group or that, for being with this person instead of another, because you didn’t believe in the same thing as someone else did. Oh even in his time people often died for the same reasons but now they died on a much larger scale and he hated seeing it. He hated being the one who had to pick up the souls of these people and dividing them into categories and then sending them off to their final destination.

It was bad enough to put an innocent person up front when they had lost their lives because of the stupidity of another. When you had to put someone in the back because of a stupid decision that led to the death of another, to him was even worse. If they had just made a few smarter choices their lives and deaths would have had a much better outcome for not just them but also for their victims.

Now he had to step out of his truck to pick up a delivery that really made him mad. Another case of a really stupid decision that had resulted in the death of a true innocent and the stupid decision hadn’t even been one of malice but simply what it was, a stupid decision. Instead of calling the police the man had heard something in his backyard and gone out to see what it was. He had taken his gun with him and although there hadn’t been anyone in his back yard he had fired his gun. Not deliberately but by accident. The poor man had tripped in the dark and the gun had gone off. Regardless of how the gun went off the bullet had found it’s mark and now John was collecting the little victim of that stupid accident.

John got out of the truck and walked toward the house where he would pick up this latest delivery. The little girl sat on the top step of her front porch with her hands folded in her lap as if she was waiting for him but he knew she wasn’t.

If anyone had walked by and seen the child they would have wondered why such a small girl was sitting on the porch this late at night alone. All the lights in the house were out and there didn’t appear to be anyone home.

John knew there wasn’t anyone home because they were all still at the hospital where the little girl had taken her last breath. He should have picked her up there but like all children they had a way of getting away from you even after they passed from this world. She was up and back at her home before you could blink an eye. Her little soul had wanted to be home where she had been happy and right now she was scared.

John walked up the sidewalk to where the little girl sat. The step she sat on put her at eye level with him when he approached her.

Shanna don’t you think it’s a little late for you to be out here on your own? John spoke softly to the child. He didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was. Children were very tricky spirits. They could slip away from you and hide. It could take years to get them to come with you if you weren’t careful.

The child didn’t move but neither did she run from John. He was saddened by her size. She was no more than five or six years old and she was a beautiful child. Her little braids hanging back behind her ears. She had big bright brown eyes that were filled with tears at the moment.

Are you waiting for someone? John continued to talk softly to the child without moving closer to her.

The little girl still didn’t speak but she did nod her head this time.

Will you let me help you honey?

Shanna shook her head no.

You’ve been taught not to talk to strangers?

This time she smiled as she nodded her head yes.

Well Shanna my name is John and if I know your name then I can’t be a real stranger can I? John hoped this would work. Shanna was at least smiling as she was at least thinking about what he had said.

John do you know where my parents are? Shanna had finally decided to trust the tall stranger but she was still hesitant. Her soft little voice barely holding back the sobs that threatened to escape.

Yes honey I know where your parents are. The thing is your Grampy wants to see you. John knew he was taking a really big chance with this one. Shanna’s grandfather on her mother’s side had passed away only a couple of months before. He had lived with Shanna’s parents since before she was born.

Grampy? I thought he had gone away and I couldn’t see him for a long long time. Shanna’s eyes had lite up at the thought of seeing her beloved grandfather.

Well honey hasn’t it been a long long time? John wanted to get this small child aboard as soon as possible. The family would be coming home soon from the hospital and he didn’t want the child’s parents coming in and upsetting her. This poor little girl running to them when they got out of the car and then them not acknowledging her would have a devastating effect and she could pop out and he might not get her back. It really was always hardest with the little ones.

He also had a really tight schedule for the next several months. They were trying to keep him out of trouble by increasing his work load. John had started to question everything and he had even been accused of interference with the living. He guessed he had but John was tired of what he was seeing. Too many people dying at the hands of other living beings and no one seemed to care. The thing was, John did care. He had seen too much death when he walked the earth as a living being and that had been so long ago. He had seen millions of people die since. John was tired of watching people die.

I want to go see Grampy. Shanna held out her hand for John to take and the moment he did he felt her soul surrender. There was no more hesitation in her as John led her to his black semi. He opened the door on the passenger’s side and sitting in the passenger’s seat surrounded in a bright glow was Shannon’s grandfather.

Hello Mouse.

Grampy! Shannon was so happy to see her grandfather and him calling her by the nickname he had given her at birth.

Let’s go see the family shall we?

Will mommy and daddy be there? Shannon was smiling from ear to ear now.

Not yet Mouse but they will be along in a while. We can wait for them together. The old man hugged the small child to him as John shut the passenger’s door on his truck. For the second time in as many months John felt a tear run down his face but before he could wipe it away it fell to the earth at his feet. Where it landed the ground smoked and a dark patch formed in the side of the road where his rig sat. If someone were to come along and notice that spot and try to cover it up they would be met with failure. That small black spot would remain there as long as the road remained there. There was no paint or paving material that would be able to hide that mark in the side of the road.

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Till Death Do Us Part

John sat in his truck looking out at the road. He was waiting for his next collection. That appointment wasn’t for another fifteen minutes. The long empty road glowed in the afternoon sun. The heat rising off the road waved and fanned doing a seductive dance that would have been hypnotic if he had been alive.

As it was he only took notice of it and nothing more. It was warm for this time of year especially this far north. The large amount of snow that had fallen a couple of days ago still remained in small patches in the shaded areas under the trees close to the road.

Just up the road was a patch of ice that lay on the road where a large grove of trees grew too close to the edge of the asphalt on both sides of the road. It had shaded that spot for quite a ways and hadn’t allowed the ice to melt like all the rest. It was because of that patch of ice that he was here. Or at least that patch of ice would be the reason for his next collection.

He really didn’t like this one. This was one of those that somehow managed to make him really hate what he did. In his mind he knew this wasn’t fair. The ones he was about to collect didn’t deserve what was about to happen.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an oncoming car. Oh it was still a couple of minutes away but his hearing was extremely sensitive. He wondered if he should get out of the truck and wait for it to get here but decided not to. Of course they wouldn’t be able to see him until after it was over but still it always made him uncomfortable to be standing around when the whole thing happened. He always wondered if sometimes they did see him and if so did he contribute to what would happen. Of course this huge black rig sitting here on the side of the road wasn’t exactly something you could hide if they could see it so what difference would it all make. If they could see him they could see it and that could well be the thing that made all the difference.

He heard the car make its way around the curve about a half mile from him. It wouldn’t be long now. He decided to go ahead and get out of the truck and get this over with. The sooner he got to them the sooner it would be over and the sooner their pain would end, and there would be pain this time.

***

Chris guided the car around the curve. He didn’t know when he had been happier. Michelle sat next to him and continued to look at him with an expression of total happiness on her face. They had only been married for a day and after stopping overnight in a small town not far from here they were headed now to the place where they would spend the rest of their honeymoon. They were on their way to a wonderful place in Massachusetts. It had been expensive but the setting was perfect and they would have a lovely cottage with a fireplace and a four-poster bed. They could curl up by the fire tonight and have a glass of wine and make love in front of the fire.

Chris never saw the patch of ice before he hit it. He thought he saw the outline of a large truck sitting on the side of the road just before he felt the tires slide on the ice and then all his attention was on him trying to control the car as it went into a spin. He had hit the patch of ice doing about fifty five miles an hour which was the speed limit but now it only served to send him twisting in the road at a dangerous rate of speed.

The scream that echoed through the car was Michelle’s as she was thrown sideways into the passenger’s door window. This was followed by the sound of shattering glass then all he heard was the sound of crumbling metal as the car slammed into a large tree only a couple of feet off the road. Chris felt something pierce through the side of his head then nothing but blackness.

***

John walked over to the tangled mess that had been the nice little sports car the couple had been riding in. He headed first to Chris. Michelle was still alive and he couldn’t touch her until she had taken her last breath. It wouldn’t be long considering the shape she was in. When her head had hit the side window it had shattered and now her head hung out the window with her neck resting on a ridged line of glass still held in place by the molding along the bottom. Her throat was cut and she was bleeding out fast. There was nothing he could do for her to ease her pain right now and that was one of the things he wished he could change. He could in no way take her until her life expired on its own.

He walked over to Chris and reached in and took him by the hand. He gently pulled him from the car and his body. Being careful to shield Chris from a view of the car he supported him as he led him to the truck.

Michelle. Chris said in a weak and raspy voice.

Don’t worry I’ll get her. We just need to get you in the truck until we can get someone here to look at your car. John tried never to hit them with the ‘you’re dead’ thing when he first took them. They were confused enough and a newly transcended spirit could be unpredictable and hard to control if they got upset during transition. If they fought hard enough they could end up getting left where they were and that’s how places ended up haunted.

John helped Chris into the cab of the truck and watched as his face lit up as he noticed his grandfather there waiting on him. With Chris secured John went back to collect Michelle.

The young woman was still clinging to life but only barely. John looked over at Chris’s body with the wayward branch sticking through his head. His death had been quick and almost painless but this poor girl was now fighting to live and it was a losing battle. John wanted to reach out and take her hand and try to offer some semblance of comfort but he couldn’t. The minute he touch her it was over and that wasn’t allowed. It had to be by the rules. He couldn’t do anything until her heart beat for the very last time.

John listened as Michelle fought to breath but now she was drowning. Her own blood was filling her airways and lungs and she was no longer able to take in air. He counted the seconds as she slowly lost her battle and finally could fight no longer. Michelle went still. John waited a little longer as he listen to her heart shut down and the finale beat echoed in her chest.

John was finally able to take the young woman by the hand and pull her out of the wreckage and gathered her into his arms. She was even weaker and more disoriented than Chris had been but her death had taken longer and had been much harder. He now led Michelle to the cab of the truck and helped her in. Chris waited for her there and pulled her into his arms. The one thing that made John feel better about this whole mess was he knew they would have a long time together to love and cherish one another.

John went around to the driver’s side and hooked up the rig and headed down the road. The next stop he also wasn’t looking forward to. Oh he was never really happy about a pickup he just hated were the next pick up was. John hated big cities and this next one was a really big city.

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John

John had been standing by his truck waiting for David and a couple of others to show up. He looked up at the sun and wished he could feel the heat of it on his face. At least for a few minutes he and the others would be able to enjoy the light the sun offered. John turned his attention to the long sleek black semi that was pulling in followed by another one right on the first one’s tail. Soon three others pulled in after the other two. They all gathered around a picnic table there at the visitor’s center.

What’s this all about David? John had been wondering that ever since David had asked for this little get together. Reapers never gathered in this number. At least they had found this place which wasn’t full of people