The Web of Despair: Short Story

By James Loscombe

D.I.Y. never hurt anyone, she said. Which showed how much she knew. 

 

Billy and his girlfriend, Rebecca, envision a weekend of cinematic bliss amid the chaos of their new home's renovation. Little do they know, the house holds a malevolent secret that no amount of DIY can fix.

 

As they delve into the demanding task of home improvement, a fateful decision to dig in the garden unearths a nightmarish force. The tranquility they sought is shattered, and their lives plunge into a vortex of horror, forever altered by the unearthed darkness.

 

In this gripping short horror story, the question isn't just whether Billy and Rebecca will survive, but if they can break free from the insidious clutches of "The Web of Despair." Brace yourself for a tale where every nail hammered and every foundation disturbed unravels a deeper, more dreadful truth. Can they escape the tangled threads of malevolence, or will they succumb to the haunting consequences of their unwitting discovery? "The Web of Despair" weaves a narrative that ensnares your imagination and leaves you trembling on the edge of the unknown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JRV Press
• Release date: Feb 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386923947

James Loscombe

James Loscombe has been publishing under various pen names for the last five years. He lives in England with his wife Tamzin and their sons Jude and Oscar.

Book preview

The Web of Despair

The Web of Despair

A Short Story

James Loscombe

JRV Press

Copyright © 2023 by James Loscombe

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

D.I.Y. never hurt anyone, she said, which showed how much she knew.

Billy was on the roof clinging to a wobbly chimney pot, trying to fix a television aerial, and he was pretty sure that a fall would do more than just hurt. It might even kill him. He should have worn a safety harness, but from the ground it hadn’t seemed that high. Now he wasn’t even sure he could bring himself to let go of the chimney stack. Of course, that might fall apart in his hands and then he’d be for it. The last thing they needed was another project to add to the list.

Are you alright Billy? Rebecca said from the garden below.

He didn’t dare turn around to look at her. Just getting my bearings.

Can you see what the problem is?

They had moved into the Victorian town house months ago and the television hadn’t worked in all that time. They spent evenings huddled around her laptop, squinting at the tiny screen. This weekend, Becky had decided that they needed to get it fixed. Now he was stuck on the roof wondering why, considering the state of the rest of the house, the television was such a priority.

The television antenna was affixed to the corner of the roof and as far as he could see, it looked perfectly fine. It was pointing in the same direction as all the other antennas on the street and it didn’t look damaged. It must be a problem with the wire, he said.

He could hear her sigh. You’d better come down then, she said.

The roof seemed to slope dangerously. It was almost vertical. He wasn’t sure he could make it to the ladder, which was precariously balanced against the gutter. His stomach lurched at the thought of it and he had visions of laying on the ground in agonising pain while Becky asked if he wanted her to call an ambulance. He tried to work himself up to it, but the longer he waited, the more