The Iron Knife

By Sam Austin

When a girl finds an injured man in the woods, and finds he isn't human, she and her brother have to fight for their lives against the monsters that want to kill him.

The Iron Knife is a short horror story comprising of around 7,400 words.

Plus free short story 'Monster':

A newly turned vampire fights for humanity to see her as anything other than a monster.

Monster is a short horror story comprising of around 3.5 thousand words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sam Austin
• Release date: Aug 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310784316

Sam Austin

Sam Austin is the author of over 25 stories ranging from short horrors to the 136 thousand word fantasy epic 'Damsel Knight.' Her short story 'Second Chance' was awarded an honorable mention in the writers of the future contest. Her favourite genres to play in are fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Most of her works could be considered young adult. Having autism and dyspraxia, she's passionate about including underrepresented characters in her stories. Her novel 'Damsel Knight' features a gender questioning teenager in a fantasy world with very strict gender roles. Roy of the 'Crystal Wolves' series occasionally battles mental health issues alongside solving paranormal crimes. And her upcoming series stars a protagonist who happens to have a severe spinal injury. She's very fond of underdogs, so most of her stories contain characters way over their heads. The sort of guys or girls who are way too stubborn to back down even when they seem to have half of London gunning for them (Truth Seeker), or are surrounded by creatures who could kill them with a flick of the wrist (Crystal Wolves). For updates on new releases sign up to her mailing list here: http://forms.aweber.com/form/70/1281520670.htm. Or check out her website here: http://samaustinwriter.wordpress.com/about-me

Book preview

The Iron Knife

By Sam Austin

All rights reserved

Copyright 2013 by Sam Austin

First Edition: October 2013

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing by the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

For more information see: http://samaustinwriter.wordpress.com/about-me

Cover photograph by motivo from foter

http://www.flickr.com/photos/movito/2214551923/

Contacting me:

To contact me visit my website at the above address, email me at ‘[e-mail]’, or you can catch me on twitter under ‘NyxAustin’. If you want to be informed when my next story comes out, you can join my mailing list through my blog at the above address.

Contents:

The Iron Knife

Monster

The Iron Knife:

Blood glinted on the pale snow. Brea had followed the trail for ten long minutes, the woods growing dense around her. The moon was only partly filled, and the trees sought to hide its light behind their skeletal branches, but Brea had lived with the forest all of her seventeen years. Her eyes were sharp, seeking each scarlet drop.

Whatever she was tracking had fought death long and hard, she hoped she would find it in time to make its struggle worthwhile.

Her bare feet made barely a mark in the crisp canvas spread out by the days snow storm. The world had become angry with it, hurling white like a child having a tantrum. Now the world was still, empty except for forest creatures moving through the dark as silently as Brea was doing. Except for the monsters.

No. She shook her head mentally. There were no monsters here. That was something Jermaine had said to keep her out of the forest. If there were monsters in town as he said, they would stalk the bars and houses in the middle of the town, not their home so far removed from any other.

Still, a chill that had nothing to do with cold crept under her nightgown, shooting down her spine.

She looked back into the darkness where she knew her house to be, where her brother Jermaine must be panicking by now. Then she glanced back to the next red drop, frozen to the snow.

It had to be close. Frail as she was, she could not do much, but for this creature she could do something. She stepped deeper into the forest.

The drops of blood came quicker now, their shapes messy. They staggered among the trees like the trail left by a drunk clutching a beer. She pictured it in her mind, something light footed and large, desperately trying to keep moving, and failing, with the knowledge that when it stopped the cold would take it.

The tracks were deeper here, but whether by distortion or poor lighting she could not name them. Some kind of mammal.

A cold wind shivered through the trees, and she looked up, catching sight of something large and slumped against a nearby tree. Blood