1969: A policemen engaged in a high speed pursuit crashes his car on the outskirts of London and is killed.
2004: He's back!
Following a raid on a jeweller's shop in Wimbledon, the thieves make their escape in a high powered Jaguar. They are pursued by an officer from the Metropoilitan Police Traffic Division in an equally high powered Rover.
The chase continues from Putney Heath down the Kingston By-Pass and out into suburban Surrey. It terminates when the getaway driver loses control of the Jaguar on a sweeping bend outside Cobham and it overturns, spilling its occupants onto the road.
In an attempt to avoid hitting the injured men, the police officers swerves off the road, where his car impacts with a tree and he is killed instantly.
Thirty five years later the police car reappears on the same stretch of road and prevents a young couple from having a potantially fatal accident. Is this the reason for the dead policeman's return, or does he have a more sinister motive?
Excerpt
She walked slowly forward without even realising it. As she approached the police car, it began to move, slowly and silently backing away from the Jaguar, maintaining a suitable distance. As it moved away from Tina, its twin halogen headlights came into view from behind the Jaguar's boot lid, and she was caught in their glare like a frightened rabbit.
'Who are you?' She screamed. 'What are you? What do you want with me?'
She continued to move forward, and the police car kept reversing.
She stopped and the police car stopped.
Obviously, whoever, or whatever was inside didn't want her getting too close. With her eyes firmly fixed on the car she started to walk backwards slowly, towards the Jaguar.
The police car began to crawl forward.
When she thought she was close enough, she reached behind her for the driver's door handle. The glare from the police car's headlights dimmed as they disappeared behind the Jaguars boot lid again. At the same time, Tina's hand closed over the door handle.
She thumbed the catch and the door swung silently open. Easing herself backward into the car seat, she swung her legs in and slammed the door in one movement. She quickly wound up the window, twisted the knob on the door, locking it, and then turned the ignition key.
As the ignition light winked on, she stabbed at the starter button with her thumb. The engine turned over slowly without firing. She swore under her breath and looked over at Terry for an answer.
He was still asleep. Tina noticed that there was a thin stream of drool working its way down his chin.
She turned her attention back to the starter button. She jabbed it again, and once more it turned over without firing. This time more slowly. What was wrong?
Wait!...The lights... she had left the lights on when she got out. She quickly flicked all the light toggles into the off position, and then thumbed the starter again. The motor turned over slowly three times... then fired into life. Glancing quickly in the rear-view mirror, she jammed the Jaguar into first gear and slipped the clutch.
With a squeal of rubber, the big car leaped forward. Moving quickly up through the gears, she was up to the speed limit within seconds. Almost without thinking she flipped the lights back on.
The fortunate inherit riches, prestige, positive notoriety. Those not so lucky bear legacies filled with poverty, infamy or, worse yet, the unhinged insanity and murderous urges of their ancestors.
Happy Halloween. A volume of Horrible Haunts & Twisted Tales taken from the horror books La Belle Rouge has written every October for a decade and a half. If you have read her works in the horror genre, you know the invitation is for you to enjoy thr
Grab those side-irons, saddle up and join former Civil War sharpshooter Luther Henry for a ride into pure terror, western-style…think ‘Wild Wild West’ meets ‘The X-Files’.
