First appeared in Jeani Rector's The Horror Zine. Reprinted by Jeani Rector, Adam Millard, Zoe-Ray Millard.
Summary:
A man finds himself changing... for the worse. Becoming a little more aggressive as each day goes by. He even finds himself grinning about what he's done in a creepy way while at the same time feeling shame.
Discussion:
I feel like I should have seen where this was going but did not. What motivates our worst behavior?
There's no mastery of style but the story itself is superb. It'd make a great addition to a TV horror anthology episode.
This appears to be the author's most reprinted tale. It opened his first collection of stories, which was nominated for a Stoker including a story that was also nominated.
After a 2-&-1/2-year battle with cancer, Taylor Grant died about six months ago, reported on his Go Fund Me page (see last few updates). I became interested in his work after reading his posts on Facebook--often witty but at times deeply spiritual as he faced the end. The entries were so personal and heartfelt, it was as if I knew him and his passing a blow to the chest.
The battle drained his coffers and people have generously donated now for his son's education.
He has a handful of stories not collected in a collection--not to mention an interview and essay. They don't add up to a complete collection (there may be others lurking in uncommon venues), but a collected works might be worth doing.
