House of Redemption
by Kathy Finfrock
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Eight unscrupulous guests have been invited to the centuries old Blackstone Resorts. Each patron has his or her own reason for needing an escape from unpleasant circumstances. Tensions mount quickly as, one-by-one, they come to face their worst nightmare. Will they repent their evil ways or remain in Blackstone for the rest of their lives?
He turned the oven on as he passed. He went into
the pantry and found the fresh apricots and apples.
Where is the camera crew? Where are the people
in charge of this shingding? Are we in the right place? Rinsing the fruit,
he ignored his shaking hands.
The director should have met us. Where is the
cleanup crew?
“Shut up already,” Chris began to slice and dice.
What if...
“What if? What if? We’ll kill them all. All right?
Can we cook now?”
He shut out the voice in his head and stopped
thinking of anything but the food. The texture and smell, the process of taking
raw food and turning it into something to awe each sense. The scent of the food
for the nose, the sizzling for the ears, the appearance for the eyes, the
texture of the touch and of course the fine twist of the seasoning to tantalize
the taste buds.
All of them?
“Yes.”
Chris’s body relaxed as he fell into the
meditative routine of food preparation. God have mercy on their souls if this
setup was a joke because he certainly would not
Excerpt 2
Finnegan relaxed as he raised his face to the
Reverend, hypnotized by the soothing baritone voice. The Reverend cupped
Finnegan’s chin and gazed into his eyes as a father speaking to a wayward
child.
“I’m building this house as a home for people like
you. Yes, worthy people. They will visit with us, dine on the finest food,
drink to their content and through their journey with us they will be freed
from the destructive path they have chosen. Yes, this will be a house of
redemption for people like you.” His eyes darkened, the red fire returning. He
tapped the riding crop on the palm of his hand, bright sparks flying off the
end. His voice growing loud as thunder. Finnegan clasped his hands over his
ears.
“Liars, thieves, murderers. They will all come and
enjoy the fruits of our labor. They will face their sins and they will repent.”
Finnegan’s skin paled. He shook uncontrollably
under the heated gaze of the Reverend.
“Or,” Rev continued, his voice returning to his
normal soothing baritone. “They, like you my friend, will never leave this
house.” He smiled, laying the crop on Finnegan’s shoulder.
Finnegan flinched, the crop singeing his shirt.
Rev sighed deeply. “I see you need time to reflect
on the error of your ways.” He turned away.
“No.
I swear on my sweet mother's grave. It’s nothin but a misunderstanding,”
Finnegan’s voice garbled. He cleared his throat, forcing his tongue to speak.
Finnegan grabbed at Rev’s long coattail. “Where are you going?” He tried to
stand, but his legs would not move. “Please, don’t leave me here.”
Excerpt
3
Patty stepped out the door and onto the wide
porch. She peered down the front steps. Torrential rains pounded the ground,
making visibility impossible. She quickly hopped back into the house wrapping
her arms around herself. Shit, I’m going to be screwed if he doesn’t show
up. I burned those bridges behind me. No way can I return to the agency. I’m so
sick of taking care of old people. Her fingers intertwined with the
necklace she wore, one of the many trinkets she had picked up during her
care-taking of the elderly career. She felt no guilt. Those old women had no
use for the gems she had taken.
Patty wandered into the game room. She saw Jessie
talking with the woman by the fireplace. Her lips reared into a snarl. There
may be nothing wrong with that but I want nothing to do with that or that kind.
She turned to the game table. The men were laughing, enjoying their cigars and
whiskey at the card game.
At the bar, a dark haired woman stood wearing
tight black jeans and a red t-shirt with ripped sleeves. She was gulping
tequila shots one after the other. This girl looks like she knows how to
party. Patty joined her.
“A vodka orange spritzer, please.” The bartender
bowed his head and reached for a glass. Patty turned to the girl.
It was hard to judge her age. A half-smoked
cigarette dangled from her fingers in one hand as she gripped the shot glass
with the other. Patty noticed the needle tracks running up her arm.
Do you have any “side stories” about the
characters?
Yes, indeed. In my first draft, the first chapter started with
Chris in his apartment. He was having a meltdown and an unpleasant altercation
with his neighbor. The next chapter was about Tara, also in her apartment,
drinking and watching the news coverage of a fire she had set that had gone
horribly wrong. I wrote a chapter for each of the characters. Afterward, I
realized these chapters were all nothing but backstory and I had to cut it all
out.
At the end of the novel, I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to my
characters and I added the chapters I deleted back. I think the readers will be
interested to know where the characters were before coming to Blackstone. Maybe
it will change what they thought about the guests of Blackstone.
Kathy Finfrock is the author of the horror thriller House of Redemption and host of a podcast series Spooky Tales where you can find her short stories. An avid supporter of other writers, she is the organizer of a local writer's group and has published The Ten-Minute Writing Prompt (Volume 1). She is currently working on a paranormal ghost novel.
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