STORY SHOWCASE #5

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THE ROMA PROJECT

by Vincent St. Claire (now writing as V. P. St. Clair)

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A little taster…

Carlisle jotted down some notes on a legal pad and shuffled the note cards. He was just as bored as the chimp, but the suits in charge at the CIA scheduled thirty minutes of testing. Carlisle knew damn well that the ape could tell which number was on each card, but until the arbitrary time limit was up, he had to play along.

“How about this one?” Carlisle held up another card and smiled half-heartedly at the chimp. Romulus furrowed his brow and snorted. The smile on Carlisle’s face was shakier now, but he continued to hold up the card and nod with encouragement.

“That’s it, buddy. Just let me know what’s on the card.”

Without warning, the chimpanzee’s lips peeled back to show his clenched teeth and he glared at Carlisle with red eyes. The scientist darted his glance to the one-way mirror on the wall to his right. A small team of animal handlers waited on the other side in case of emergency.

Romulus screeched and punched the tabletop, leaving a dent.

About the author

Vincent St. Claire (now writing as V. P. St. Clair) is a Minnesota based writer, artist and musician. When he is not at his desk writing suspenseful tales, he enjoys a good cup of coffee, cooking succulent meals and spending time with his cats. His story in this collection marks his first publication, and he hopes and prays that another one will get published in the future. More of his stories and illustrations can be found within the pages of his self-produced zine, Little Terrors.

We asked Vincent…

K&R: What was the spark or idea that led you to write this story?

VSC: I have a soft spot for the “evil science lab” subgenre of horror stories and wanted to write one even before the call for entries, but I never found the appropriate excuse. When I heard the announcement for Trash Tales and saw some of the suggested themes, I basically tried to check off as many from that list as possible in my outline. Chimps were long used as test animals in science experiments, and thus seemed like the perfect subject of an “animal attack in an evil science lab.” The chimps from The Lawnmower Man movie were at least a subconscious influence as well. Congo seems like it should be an obvious influence, but I’ve actually never seen the movie or read the book.  

K&R: Do you have any other work do you have out there, for folks to dig into?

VSC: I have a story called “A Simple Act of Kindness” published in the anthology Doors of Darkness III: The Mall by Terrorcore Publishing. I have another story that just got accepted into an anthology, but I’m not sure I’m allowed to announce it yet. I also have quite a few stories (with pictures!) that you can read here.

K&R: What’s next for you as a writer?

VSC: I’m in the middle of writing what is shaping up to be either a short novel or a long novella. Between drafts of that, I will continue writing and submitting short stories to magazines and anthologies. While most of what I’ve written has been horror or horror mashed up with other genres, I’m interested in branching out into more of a crime direction as well.  

K&R: What does “trashy fiction” mean to you, and what do you love about it?

VSC: Trashy fiction doesn’t aim to prove a point, teach a lesson, or challenge the intellect of the reader. Especially between more “serious” or “literary” books, I enjoy reading trashy books as a palate cleanser. It’s a crucial part of a reader’s diet as far as I’m concerned.

K&R: Hit us with your own favourite “trashy” fiction recommendations!

VSC: I’m a big fan of John Saul. He’s basically the “RC Cola” to Stephen King’s “Coke”. Some of his books have virtually the same plot, the premises can be so bonkers that you would think an alien came up with them, and every story ends with “actually, they didn’t stop the evil.” His novel Creature is a favorite of mine, and definitely an influence on “The Roma Project”.

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