Pearl is a beautiful mistress. But is she worth dying for?
Last Thoughts is the sixth story in the horror anthology SoUtHeRn TeRrOr. It's the story of a corrupt politician named Jake Richardson who is murdered by his wife, only to be resurrected and doomed to repeat a similar death by her each day.
Jake Richardson may be a sleazy state senator, but that isn't the worst of his problems. He's also a womanizer. Currently, his naive wife, LaBelle, is out of town, so Jake is spending time with his mistress, Pearl, while LaBelle is away and clueless. Or so they think...
Jake finds himself trapped in a loop where each day, LaBelle somehow pops up and catches him with Pearl, then violently murders him in an act of pure rage. He always awakes right after his death with something left over from the fatal encounter, whether it's a burn mark, gunshot wound, etc.
After getting killed several times, he realizes what is going on and tries desperately to avoid it. But to no avail. Throughout the story, Jake is killed over and over again, whether by being set on fire, shot in the face, stabbed, etc. It's truly a never-ending nightmare for the state senator.
Jake Richardson may be a sleazy state senator, but that isn't the worst of his problems. He's also a womanizer. Currently, his naive wife, LaBelle, is out of town, so Jake is spending time with his mistress, Pearl, while LaBelle is away and clueless. Or so they think...
Jake finds himself trapped in a loop where each day, LaBelle somehow pops up and catches him with Pearl, then violently murders him in an act of pure rage. He always awakes right after his death with something left over from the fatal encounter, whether it's a burn mark, gunshot wound, etc.
After getting killed several times, he realizes what is going on and tries desperately to avoid it. But to no avail. Throughout the story, Jake is killed over and over again, whether by being set on fire, shot in the face, stabbed, etc. It's truly a never-ending nightmare for the state senator.
Background
This was one of my favorite stories to write. My inspiration came from a film I watched years ago called Salvage. Check out my hilarious review for it here. In it, a teenage girl is murdered by the same man over and over no matter how much she tries to avoid it. Similarly, there is an episode of Tales From The Crypt called Whirlpool where a comic book writer is repeatedly killed by her boss. I've always been intrigued by stories like this; the claustrophobia and hopelessness of dying a brutal death and being doomed to repeat it could really mess with your mind, I'd imagine.
Just to nip something in the bud real quick, no, Jake is NOT inspired by real-life womanizing politicians like Clinton, JFK, etc. Nor is he based on Donald Trump. (This story was written before he even announced he was running for president).
I decided for Jake to be a politician because I needed him to have a damn good reason for hiding the affair from the public at all costs. Not only did he fear his impending doom at the hands (or knife) of his wife, but he did not want to be humiliated and risk losing his voters. Public opinion means everything to this man. As the story progressions, his desperation to avoid both outcomes builds and builds, driving him insane.
Just to nip something in the bud real quick, no, Jake is NOT inspired by real-life womanizing politicians like Clinton, JFK, etc. Nor is he based on Donald Trump. (This story was written before he even announced he was running for president).
I decided for Jake to be a politician because I needed him to have a damn good reason for hiding the affair from the public at all costs. Not only did he fear his impending doom at the hands (or knife) of his wife, but he did not want to be humiliated and risk losing his voters. Public opinion means everything to this man. As the story progressions, his desperation to avoid both outcomes builds and builds, driving him insane.
Pissing off LaBelle Richardson will result in endless deaths...
You'll have to read the book to discover how and why Jake was trapped in this warp. (No, he was not in hell or anything cliché like that). However, the payoff is quite original, but unsettling for the characters in the town of Malo, the setting of SoUtHeRn TeRrOr.
At this point in the book, we're taking a break from the supernatural and monster situations and dwelling more into psychological terror. So far you have already read the stories about ghosts, werewolves, gremlins, etc. This tale and the next one takes us away from those threats for a little while. But don't worry; the monsters, demons, etc will be back in later stories. That to me is part of the lure of the book. There is something for everybody.
At this point in the book, we're taking a break from the supernatural and monster situations and dwelling more into psychological terror. So far you have already read the stories about ghosts, werewolves, gremlins, etc. This tale and the next one takes us away from those threats for a little while. But don't worry; the monsters, demons, etc will be back in later stories. That to me is part of the lure of the book. There is something for everybody.
Other SoUtHeRn TeRrOr Tales Include...
“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband.
“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.
“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.
“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..
“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...
“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.
“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?
“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...
“Mail-Order Bride.” – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.
“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.
"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.
“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.
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