Shattered Dreams

“What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Those words kept repeating themselves in Jana’s head. She should never have listened to James. The moment he suggested that the solution to their problem was murder she should have run. But she didn’t. His tender voice and soft embraces lulled her into his illusion of a perfect life with him.

Charlie had not died quietly or quickly. It had not been painless as James had promised. There was screaming and violent thrashing and blood. So much blood. It’s crimson stain would never leave her. Her dream life had been hacked to bits just like her deceased husband. And then the police inquiries and the lies and paranoia, it all became too much. When they finally came for her, Jana was almost relieved.

She still had nightmares, but now when she awoke in her prison cell, she no longer feared the shadows. The shadows lived within.

[This is my entry into Monday’s Finish the Story challenge. Writers are encouraged to create a short story of 100-150 words or less based on a weekly photo prompt and opening line.]

~V