A Pound of Flesh

by Fred Venturini

"Venturini doesn't write in words and sentences. Instead, he lines the page with barbwire, concertina wire and spike strips that deliver the story deep into the reader's skin." –#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Chuck PalahniukAn intense home invasion thriller with unflinching violence and an ending that will leave you stunned . . . Harold and Wendy have been through everything together. Married for over thirty years, the parents of two loving daughters, their love has survived every test and overcome every challenge. So far. A knock at the door unleashes the biggest test yet. An aggressive, depraved evil plunges them into a world where death and separation may be the only mercy available to them. Trapped in the darkness and besieged by a madman, Harold’s love and loyalty is pushed to the brink. Sometimes, love isn’t diamonds or gold, it isn’t handwritten cards and surprise, romantic excursions. Sometimes love is deciding whether to take your wife’s teeth out with a pipe wrench, or brain her with it. A Pound of Flesh is a chilling tale of novelette length from the author of the genre-bending THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK and the horror-thriller epic, TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2017

About the author

Fred Venturini has eleven scars from eleven separate incidents, the most interesting of which is the time he was set on fire. For the others, just ask. His short fiction has been featured in the Booked. Anthology, Noir at the Bar 2, and Chuck Palahniuk's BURNT TONGUES anthology. He is the acclaimed author of THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK and the forthcoming THE ESCAPE OF LIGHT (Turner, 2019). On the basketball court, he is a three-point specialist and defensive liability. He lives in Southern Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story started off with such a delightful and hopeful tone! A couple married for thirty-five years are enjoying retirement and one another’s company in this short story.



The narrator’s humor at the start was infectious and silly, but there were heartwarming tidbits in between, too. Some of his thoughts about his precious wife, Wendy?

She got ready for bed, and our kiss goodnight turned into one of those moments you don't dare waste at our age. You give it a go unless something wilts or dries up, and hope that neither one happens. That night was as pure and natural as the first time we made love. No jellies or little blue pills. No tricks.



The couple chat about their two adult daughters and the narrator, Harold, takes a break from trying to install a garbage disposal when the doorbell unexpectedly rings. Harold opens the door and doesn’t stand a chance against the man poised to strike him on the other side. The story moves lightning fast after that point and becomes quite gory.

◈ What does a pound of flesh refer to?

The villain in this story says to the happy couple:

“One pound of flesh for you to cut off, and she's going to eat it. But don't you worry, girl. I'll cook him up first. I'm no barbarian.”




◈ Is this story very dark? No. It falls on the lighter end of the dark scale. But the ending, though...



Enjoyed!

[John The Crippledgimp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick intense read about a home invasion. The writing was awesome not gory at all but a very well written and intense ride that puts the reader right there in the story and makes you ask the question what would you do in that given situation. Very good short read and I highly recommend this one to those that want a well written intense story without the gore as this one is more of a psychological horror rather than extreme horror.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this demented ditty while browsing for random kindle genre freebies. The edition I downloaded was 50% a promotion for the author’s latest novel and a nice afterword about how he was merely trying to write a love story. Indeed, it’s a funny thing how genre writers approach everyday topics like love. Because this is definitely very much a love story, a story of a longtime loving marriage that gets terribly, horrifyingly tested one day when a stranger shows up.
So, yes, it is one of those stories, much like Strangers (and sequel) or Funny Games (and remake) where violence is as brutal as it is random. The kind of story that grabs the comfortable rug of one’s existence and does away with it as expertly and as quickly as a magician would with a tablecloth for a trick. That’s what makes it so frightening and so effective.
The writing helps too. Venturini has gathered acclaim and praise from a lot of well-known names in genre fiction. Acclaim and praise that judging by this story might be well deserved. The man says he was inspired by King and the late great Ketchum and it shows. Definitely an auspicious if tremendously disturbing introduction to a new author. Not an easy thing to recommend, but, you know, go there if you dare.

[Papaphilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting minimalistic horror story. Fred Venturini gives the reader just enough of a back ground to understand the horror of the situation and not enough to over explain it. No gory details, but lots of suggestion. A very nice touch.

[M.R. Tapia · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you finish a story and look back and realize you itched a lot and questioned what you would do in the situation while you were reading, you know you had a job well done. Great read.

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart rate was up!

My overall impression of this story was good.
It did what a short story should do in my opinion. It drew me in quickly and made me really experience something truly terrifying: potentially real horror. No unrealistic science fiction or fantasy. Just terrifying possibility.
I don't think that the first part of the story was executed well. I'm sure I was supposed to feel a stronger, more developed, connection between the husband and wife, but I was never convinced. The tone, personality, and language of their relationship wasn't right for how the story develops.

[Alissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt a bit ripped off from the movie Seven to me, the pound of flesh has been done already. Short stories are rarely impressive to me, they always feel like something that should have been a longer story that someone didn’t push themself to tell properly. I didn’t realize the true length on kindle prior to finishing, it completed at 50% bc there was a “freebie” at the end.

[Michele Dollar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get beyond 50% of this book. It's a short book, but it goes beyond psychological thriller. I love psychological thrillers, but this book made me one of vomit. It's not scary, it's actually kind of disgusting. For somebody that likes grotesque horror this is perfect for you, not perfect for me

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story and it started out gory right off the bat so I kind of wasn't anxious to get back to reading it. If you have a strong stomach you'll be okay. But its a really weird way to see how much you love each other.

[Brandilyn]

This wasn't as good as To Dust You Shall Return in terms of writing and tension, but that's to be expected considering it's a short story and some of Venturini's older work. I'd still recommend it if you want a super quick, gruesome story.

[Anne (w/ an E) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable, but I still really enjoyed it.

[Janeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A horror shortie that is a love story. Man breaks into a house and tortures family.

For as short as this one was- it was a good one. Definitely had me gasping a few times.

[Terri Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating yet heartbreaking short read about a family faced with the outrageous demands of a home invader, and the courage and power of faith and love. A book you won't forget!

[Kay Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

So suspenseful, so gruesome and so terrifying. A very well written story about what live means when you're facing a psychopath.