Kenzo shrugs. “You’re an asshole.”
Priscilla pinches the bridge of her nose as Jaxon steps toward Kenzo, knuckles white on the pool cue, and Malcolm, drunk as he is, has the decency, or at least the sense, to step in front of Jaxon and plant a hand on his chest. “Now, son—”
“I’m not yourson,” says Jaxon, shoving Malcolm off him, and then Sienna is stepping forward, reaching for her husband—soon to be ex—and Cate’s shuffling back, out of the way, as all the nervous energy that’s been building is channeled into the fray, and—
“Enough!”
The moment staggers.
Millie stands there, hands on her hips, chest heaving and eyes bright. It’s the loudest voice she’s ever used, and it lands like a bucket of ice water, sudden and cold enough to snap everyone back to their senses.
“Enough,” she says again, and the tension begins to leak away. Malcolm looks down at Sienna’s hand on his arm. Kenzo folds his arms and leans back against the counter. Sienna exhales in relief.
And then the lights go out.
Interstitial
FOUR OF THETROPIESTHORRORTROPES
(That I Still Love)
By Kenzo Gray
author of the forthcomingDon’t Look Down
LET’S SPLIT UP!
No matter if it’s on-screen or in a book, the inevitable words “Let’s split up” are sure to earn a groan from the audience, and for good reason. Ninety-five percent of fictional murders (absolutely not a made-up statistic) could have been avoided if the characters stayed together, put their back to a wall, and waited out the danger.
But half the fun is seeing characters get picked off, so choose your team, hold your breath, and hope the killer doesn’t find them first.
THE UNKILLABLE KILLER
Whether the monster is flesh and blood or a spectral horror, the figure behind the (metaphorical or literal) mask isn’t going down easy. Bullets never seem to hit their mark, knives only graze, and whatshouldbe a fatal wound never seems to faze them, leaving characters and readers wondering: Why won’t you die???
But no one’s invincible, killers included. And the fun becomes seeing if you can guess their Achilles heel before the Final Girl.
BEHOLD, THE FINAL GIRL
A troupe of campers or a high school class, a group of friends on holiday or a family at a cabin off the beaten path—horror is a numbers game, specifically, one where the numbers godown. It’s not a matter of when they’ll die, simply in what order. From the moment you meet the cast, it’s a veritable guessing game—Who will be the first to go? And who will be the last one standing? There’s a subtle commentary woven through the violence, a question being asked:
Who deserves to make it to the end?
NEVER TRUST TECHNOLOGY
If it relies on a battery (like a flashlight), a signal (like a cell phone), or any kind of power grid (like a house), rest assured, it’s going to fail at the worst possible moment. Maybe it’s a natural disaster, like the storm of a century, or maybe it’s foul play—watch out, the killer might already be inside the house. Roll your eyes all you like, and cry deus ex machina, but there’s a reason it’s so popular. Everything’s scarier in an analog world.
And horror thrives in the dark.
Article first published on JumpScare.com, July 2018
Chapter Six
“ALEXA?” CALLSJAXON.
Sienna feels herself let out a nervous laugh.
“Um,” says Cate, over the sound of a switch being frantically clicked back and forth. “I’m really not good with the dark.”
