A Micro-Horror Story Inspired by True Crime Events
As a regular listener of the Sword and Scale podcast, I often take inspiration from some of its more gripping true crime stories. The most recent episode, #375, discussed the case of Angela Craig, whose husband James Craig was ultimately convicted for her murder.
James was an affluent dentist who seemed to have it all. When his wife discovered he was contacting other women online, he tried to convince her to leave him. Angela decided she wanted to fight for the marriage, but James had other ideas. Long story short, James poisoned his wife, which looked to medical professionals as a sudden and mysterious illness. Only when James was a little too enthusiastic about taking her off life support did hospital staff become suspicious. James also screwed up by having cyanide mailed to his office, which was discovered by one of his staff. This, along with text messages and an extensive Google search history he didn’t even attempt to hide, ultimately led to his conviction.
Imagine being married to someone who is nice enough to make you a protein shake, thinking they’re doing it out of love. Unbeknownst to you, the shake contains poison. What an asshole. Not only that, but he pretended to care for her and even put on airs for her family like he was the most adoring and attentive husband a woman could ask for.
This episode of Sword and Scale inspired my latest Flash Fright, Never Parted, Even in Death.
Flash Frights are short-short stories measuring 1600 characters or around 300 words or less. Each week I take a new horror premise and craft a tale complete with a video and audio clip.
This past week’s story begins inside a church during a funeral, with all those gathered bowing their heads. Next, we see the husband of the deceased, Dan, walk to the pulpit, where he weeps as he describes how much his wife meant to him. Unfortunately, his speech is cut short by a loud noise. That’s when everyone inside that church comes to a startling realization: Charlene has come back to life.
The story begs the question: Can an overwhelming desire for vengeance be strong enough to raise the dead? I believe it can, and Flash Fright #91 gives a strong case as to how it might happen and what follows once Charlene gets within reach of her husband.
You can read Never Parted, Even in Death by visiting Patreon.com/FromtheFrightVault, where I publish micro-stories like this one every Friday and a longer story each month. Go there and read, if you dare.
