PANEL 1 Inside a pub at night. A tall, bearded man holding a drink chats/flirts with a woman, dark-skinned, kohl eyeliner. CAPTION: I ACTUALLY TOLD HER MY NAME WAS BLUEBEARD. I ALWAYS TELL THEM. IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PANEL 2 Night. A darkened house. A car with Bluebeard and the woman inside arrives. PANEL 3 A bedroom. In silhouette the two have sex. Low detail; suggested. PANEL 4 Morning. A hallway. The woman wearing only a man's shirt, drinking juice. The man points to a closed door. CAPTION: USUAL SPIEL. GO ANYWHERE IN THE HOUSE, BUT DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR. PANEL 5 Outside, day. Same house, but no longer in shadow. Car in the driveway. Bluebeard inside, smoking. PANEL 6 Inside the house, same hallway as before. Bluebeard is back inside. He has a subtle smile and is armed with a cleaver. The door is ajar. CAPTION: IT ALWAYS ENDS THE SAME WAY. THEY CAN NEVER RESIST. IT NEVER GETS OLD. PANEL 7 Bluebeard in the doorway. Closeup of his face. Mouth open; eyes wide. He's shocked at something. CAPTION: OH, SHIT. PANEL 8 Money shot. The room is a refrigerated meat storage. Lots of bodies of murdered men and women stacked neatly on shelves in the background. In the foreground, the woman sits on the floor, caught in mid-meal. She is eating one of the bodies. Her jaw is larger and she has elongated canines. Her eyes have blacked out. She is more muscular than svelte. CAPTION: A FUCKING GHUL. I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE SINCE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. PANEL 9 The ghul launches towards us, snarling; clear murderous intent. CAPTION: !

The Victim

Posted on 13th October 2023 by pj

Tade Thompson's most recent books are FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN (2021) and JACKDAW (2022). He is the author of THE WORMWOOD TRILOGY winner of the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke (ROSEWATER) and Nommo Awards, nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award (ROSEWATER REDEMPTION) and British Science Fiction Association Award (ROSEWATER INSURRECTION). He is also the author of the MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE Books (Shirley Jackson Award finalist, winner of Nommo Award and Prix Julia-Verlanger, nominated for the British Science Fiction Association award, among others) and MAKING WOLF (winner of the Golden Tentacle Award). Several of his works have been optioned for screen adaptation, including the short story THE APOLOGISTS. Born in London to Yoruba parents, he is a medical doctor who lives and works on the south coast of England where he battles an addiction to books.

Amazon Links to Books.

The Victim by Tade Thompson

PANEL 1 Inside a pub at night. A tall, bearded man holding a drink chats/flirts with a woman, dark-skinned, kohl eyeliner.

CAPTION: I ACTUALLY TOLD HER MY NAME WAS BLUEBEARD. I ALWAYS TELL THEM. IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

PANEL 2 Night. A darkened house. A car with Bluebeard and the woman inside arrives.

PANEL 3 A bedroom. In silhouette the two have sex. Low detail; suggested.

PANEL 4 Morning. A hallway. The woman wearing only a man's shirt, drinking juice. The man points to a closed door.

CAPTION: USUAL SPIEL. GO ANYWHERE IN THE HOUSE, BUT DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR.

PANEL 5 Outside, day. Same house, but no longer in shadow. Car in the driveway. Bluebeard inside, smoking.

PANEL 6 Inside the house, same hallway as before. Bluebeard is back inside. He has a subtle smile and is armed with a cleaver. The door is ajar.

CAPTION: IT ALWAYS ENDS THE SAME WAY. THEY CAN NEVER RESIST. IT NEVER GETS OLD.

PANEL 7 Bluebeard in the doorway. Closeup of his face. Mouth open; eyes wide. He's shocked at something.

CAPTION: OH, SHIT.

PANEL 8 Money shot. The room is a refrigerated meat storage. Lots of bodies of murdered men and women stacked neatly on shelves in the background. In the foreground, the woman sits on the floor, caught in mid-meal. She is eating one of the bodies. Her jaw is larger and she has elongated canines. Her eyes have blacked out. She is more muscular than svelte.

CAPTION: A FUCKING GHUL. I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE SINCE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

PANEL 9 The ghul launches towards us, snarling; clear murderous intent. CAPTION: !