#halloween2023countdown π Short Story: THE SKULL RING BY PAUL D. BRAZILL
Short Story. Horror. Pulp Metal Magazine. Nightmare Illustrated. PULP. EC Comics.
The night that Rohan Berry found The Skull Ring, the late evening sky had been ripped open by the first and long-awaited storm of a stifling summer. Most people were overjoyed and danced in the street, wild and free. Rohan, however, awoke slowly and painfully from his deep and drunken sleep in a dingy alleyway at the back of the local Methodist church. Illuminated only by the light of a stained-glass window, his throbbing, rheumy eyes eventually focused on a glinting piece of metal beside a vomit and blood encrusted dumpster.
He stared at it for a moment and waited until he felt strong enough to move into a sitting position. Then he checked the pockets of his paint- splattered black leather jacket and was relieved to find his hip flask still contained a couple of mouthfuls of brandy. He downed its contents and let the booze wash over him. Eventually, he leaned over and picked up the sparkling piece of metal. It was a ring with skull and crossbones emblaβ¦
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