The blood dripped down the chest of the woman, her body limp in my arms. My teeth released her neck, leaving behind two dots of red. I let her fall to the ground, her thick clothes muffling the thud. The life I had taken now reverberated within my sterile veins. […]
All the Legends Say So Read More »
May sighed with relief as she lowered her weary body to the side of the bed. Slowly, feeling every muscle and joint in her body protest, she shuffled herself into position and slid her legs between the sheets.“I’d forgotten how tiring it can be running after a child,” she breathed
There’s No Such Thing Read More »
I remember the day I found it as if it were yesterday. The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the flea market on the outskirts of our quaint little town. It was the kind of day where everything seemed still, the heat lingering, pressing
The Blood Moon Rising Read More »
My eight-year-old daughter’s screams pierce the quiet night as I check the time on my watch; it reads 10:12 pm. Anxious, I make my way to her bedroom and push the door open, flicking on the light switch. There she is, sitting up in bed, tears streaming down her face.
Mr. Chickenhead Man Read More »
It was an hour before Edgar’s alarm was set to go off when a series of rapid thumps on the roof jolted him awake. He shot up from the small, hard bed, eyes shooting around the old trailer home as the bombardment continued, like the contents of a butcher’s shop
Are You Ready to Board? Read More »
On one dark, foggy morning a news station began the daily evening broadcast to Sevier County, a low-population area in the middle of nowhere. It began with a poppy intro song, canned footage of various county locales, and fast-forwarded time lapses of the weather. When the intro wrapped up, the
I used to like to go exploring in the woods. Not anymore. My name is Jake Somersville. My mom and dad both have advanced degrees in agricultural sciences, whatever that means. They would survey land, crops, sometimes even the local wildlife. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was they did,
The Lake in the Woods Read More »
I think, looking back on it all, I had a very gothic upbringing. By age ten, I had attended two family funerals and no weddings, I felt that I ‘identified’ with the colour black, and I found graveyards to be an excellent place to relax. They remain one of the
I’m sure many of you who were kids in the 2000’s like I was had and perhaps still have a certain fondness for stores like Party City, Spirit Halloween, iParty, Toys R’ Us, and other similar retailers. There was always a sense of excitement to having your parents take you
I Got Lost in a Retail Store When I Was 9 and Only Remembered What Happened Recently Read More »
‘Must you have battle in your heart forever?The bloody toil of combat?Old contender, will you not yield to the immortal gods?This nightmare cannot die, being eternal evil itself.The horror, pain and chaos.There is no fighting it.No power can fight it.All that avails is flight.’ -The Odyssey. Dear James,I write to
The Shambler In The Attic Read More »
My first job was at a gas station in the town of Redwood in the midwest. It’s been my home town now for going on forty years. It’s not a town like most towns you see. We have a city hall/police department/fire department, Forest Joe’s the gas station, a bar,
When Jade was only twelve-years-old, her father came home one afternoon with his arms and legs covered in claw marks. Jade felt confused and excited about his appearance. While she didn’t like seeing her dad hurt, she wondered if he finally bought her the cat or dog she wanted. He
Buried in Hanging Hills Read More »
I had always loved the night sky, be it for the twinkling light of the stars, the clever smile of the crescent moon or that every night my mother would tell me stories as we gazed upon them together. She would bundle me up in my favorite blue blanket only
“Biiip,” echoed the machine in the empty back room by the door as my employee identification card swiped it. “Clocked out: 10:17 p.m. Have a good evening, Anthony.” It was a long walk to my car. The restaurant I worked at was right on the beach—I mean, like, basically on
When I was in college, I heard a rumor about a man in a bar that was making deals, very Special deals. Now I am no fool, I have heard of Faust and his tragedy, and I knew of Midas and his touch and many other stories warning ‘Be careful
Death Wears A White Trench Coat Read More »
My best friends Darius and Jordan learned about my fear of swimming during an impromptu tubing trip on the Farmington River. The summer after I turned twenty-six, Darius and Jordan took me to Foxborough Park, a park that ran alongside the river. Foxborough Park had recently undergone improvements as a
There was nothing special about that morning. The sun was warm, and the breeze was cool, one of the first hints that spring was here to stay. It started off as a simple thought, just an idea. But I never could have imagined what that idea was capable of causing.
Behind the Curtain Read More »
As I write this, I’m sobering up from the bender to end all benders. It would be safe to say that I’ve finally hit rock bottom. For so many years I’ve attempted to drown my sorrows with alcohol, drugs and one-night stands, but finally I’ve realised that I can’t escape
I grew up in a small town with a bizarre annual ritual Read More »
It was never a dull moment’s drive. Scotland was, by definition, a beautiful country of inspiring scenery, majesty, and relentless weather. Evie’s old hatchback had taken a beating from the rain and protruding tree branches that flicked across the windshield on this dark and stormy night in late December 1996.
The James Currie Film Read More »
The YouTube narrator leaned forward in his computer chair and opened a new email submission from a listener. It read; Hello, my name’s Gina. The following events took place when I was a sheriff’s deputy many years ago, living in a small Texan town on the border with Mexico. I
Rollercoasters. I hated them. I always did. When it came to school trips to the local theme parks, I always sat them out. I could enjoy the lazy rapids or the log flumes, the tilt-a-whirls or the space wheels; anything with a bit of height to feel the light breeze
My apartment was exactly what you’d expect from a cop who spent more time at the precinct than at home. The wallpaper peeled at the corners like old scabs, the carpet was a mottled gray that might have been blue in another decade, and the persistent smell of mildew suggested
It was night and gloomy and somber and serene. There was the wardrobe in front of me and on its higher corners dust had gathered and yet within the somberness the wooden fabric seemed to stretch out cosmically, darkly away. I was sitting and looking at my computer when I
A Million Tinges of Red – NGC 1569 Read More »
My vision was hazy. I could feel warm liquid trickling down my forehead as I attempted to lift my head. The car’s blinker thundered inside of me like a heavy bass. I tasted the blood inside of my mouth, and the coolness of the night seeped into the cracks and
