I met Elaine at the rim of a fountain. The water bellowed from the spicket in its ornate pattern. The fact it was running at all was a miracle for our underfunded University. It was just after my 8:45 class on early horror films. No better way to start your […]
Berries in the Window Read More »
It was a dark, foggy night, as it really should be whenever something eerie happens. I was walking from my dad’s house over to my mom’s. I’d had a fight with my dad about something, the topic of which I’ve since forgotten, and realized at 17 years old that I
The Grim (Black Shuck) Read More »
My father had always told me growing up to never open my eyes when it was a full moon. He claims that there was a spirit that lurked at night, preying on people who were awake past the witching hour. I never believed those silly stories he told me; I
The Thing Who Knocks Read More »
Richard removed the lightswitch to the basement stairwell. It wasn’t that he simply disabled it, no. He removed the entire thing. Plastic covering, screws, the switch box—all of it. Though, he had shut off the power to the basement for good measure, too. Every once in a while when a
It’s Safer To Be Afraid Of The Light Read More »
Patchwork Man, Patchwork Man, play a game!Patchwork Man, Patchwork Man, in the frame! And the next line is something about stealing your skin. But for the life of me I cannot remember the end. I’m trying to find it for an old friend. This friend—for privacy’s sake, let’s call her
Does anyone remember the rhyme about the Patchwork Man? And the picture game Read More »
One call. Years of service with the police and there was one call that I’ll never forget. The shift started like any other. Nine PM start and I was in for the long run. It was a cold, Monday night so I expected a relatively quiet shift. After the evening
Robert never came to the beach when his friends and family invited him – for a swim, for a picnic, for a party – and so they stopped asking. He didn’t hate the sea. It was more complicated than that; he was a poor swimmer, true, and justly afraid of
“Ugh, Emma, can you get the trunk for me?” The dim winter sun was setting over the parking lot, nearly devoid of shoppers at this late hour, aside from a van in one distant corner that had just started backing out of its spot. I set my bag down in
I work the night shift at a local mom-and-pop convenience store at the front of my neighborhood. We sell snacks, drinks, milk, bread, all the normal stuff that people need but aren’t willing to make a traditional run to the grocery store for. There was talk about adding a gas
CRASH! Thomas nearly jumped out of his skin at the waitress, suddenly dropping her tray of glassware a mere 5 feet from his booth. The sound of jingling glass shards and metallic forks bouncing around could be heard long after the accident initially occurred as they bounced around wildly. This
With every passing minute, 10-year-old Elijah stares at the clock, knowing that bedtime is right around the corner. Ever since a thunderstorm knocked out the power a few nights ago, his fear of the dark has been keeping him up at night. Reluctantly, he turns on a large reading lamp
Goodnight, Sleep Tight Read More »
I was told I shouldn’t write this. My friends, those few that I have left, tell me it will be embarrassing, a public declaration of my mental illness. My father, dry as ever, reminded me that it would contradict my sworn testimony in court. And for my part, I know
People kept going missing from my town over the last couple of years. Their mangled remains were all that were ever found of them (if anything was found at all), and many thought that some sort of large predator was to blame. I guess that in the end, they weren’t
Rachael and I were high school sweethearts. We met through mutual friends and hit it off like a house on fire. Our weekends were spent hanging out enjoying each other’s company. Our first big stumbling block came after graduation.We were accepted into different colleges four hours away. Most relationships would
God didn’t answer my prayers but something else did Read More »
I had no prior belief in the preternatural, paranormal, or mythical. I was very much the atheist and a practical man, but the events of that night changed me for the worse. I’m hoping that someone might know what I’m dealing with, and whether I should stay looking over my
Easton, School For The Gifted Read More »
There’s never one point where something ‘clicks’. Some like to believe there is, that hobbies or skills reach a well-defined turning point, an ON-OFF switch. It’s never that simple. Even the most abrupt of changes occur over time, not in discrete, quantum moments. That’s why the worst changes are still
Sea of the Fractured Circuit Read More »
The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. It happened the first time a couple of days ago at the restaurant, and I’d hardly caught it during a brief glance while I quickly washed my hands. It was in the eyes, something about the eyes. Not the normal brown
A smile covers my face as I look up to see Emily looking down at me as I awake from my nap. I never really took work seriously, something she always got after me for, but waking up to see her beautiful golden silky hair, her bright blue eyes resembling
A Night at the Inwell House Read More »
Uncle Marsh had always been the black sheep of our family. A thorn in my father’s side and a constant reminder of how corrupt and decayed our ancestral roots truly were. Sebastian Fredrick Marsh was my mother’s elder brother. A genetic throw-back, a deviant, and if the rumours surrounding him
She often wore red ― the color of blood, love, and lust. She was often quiet, though when she was on stage, she would come alive, her voice a soft echo that carried out through An Angel’s Heart, a bar in the middle of nowhere. Nobody came here, though I
Curiosity isn’t always a good thing. I once thought discovering everything the world had to offer was my true passion. It turns out though some things are best left alone. I always had an interest in the unknown and the unexplained. Mysteries were what I enjoyed most and the darker
Extract from records found at scene, author unknown. Dated October 1883: Matted fur stuck to the Beast’s sides, sweat dripping down its flank as it expelled rancid breath. Thick ropes of saliva swung from pus-stained teeth, protruding from black-lipped jaws like shattered battlements. A single black eye glinted out at
The Angel of Death Read More »
Everyone on the train was normal. Of course, Stuart didn’t care to notice that they were normal. When something is normal, the brain doesn’t pay it any mind. Why would it? It’s a waste of energy to notice the mundane. If it’s normal, it’s not a threat. It doesn’t need
The Town That Could Not Point Read More »
For as far back as I can remember, my family has always lived in and around Innsbrook. This peaceful little suburb outside of Richmond has a lot of history and charm. With a population of less than 10,000, this is a place where you are only a degree or two
My New Neighbor Might Be Satan Read More »
