I still remember the night it happened. I was nine. We were driving home from my grandma’s house late, rain pounding the windshield so hard the wipers couldn’t keep up. Dad was humming along to the radio, Mom was half-asleep in the passenger seat. Then the truck came out of […]
It seemed as if I were awakening from a dream when I snapped to in the middle of the sidewalk, stopping in my tracks while people behind me yelled as they bumped into me. The cold winter air brushed my cheeks, yet that was the only thing that seemed familiar.
The air was foggy, so much so I was barely able to see my hand before my eyes. The mist surrounding me was dense and the heat added to my pleasurable experience. I took the highest seat, my favorite and I was alone. The solitude was thoroughly enjoyable, something I
Chlorine stained the concrete like blood in the glow of the pool lights. Tree limbs offered dying leaves as fall slipped away into winter.“Are there cameras?” she asked, searching the far corners of the pool yard hidden by shadows.“If so they don’t work,” he said. “This area got overlooked a
As soon as Paul Anderson walked into Bennett’s Bait and Tackle, I immediately thought of the homemade missing persons sign stapled on the corkboard by the bathroom, constructed with the hope of it aiding in finding his missing son. Then my mind drifted to an image of the poorly written
“Delta squad, clear that building!” The command ripped from Tim Brinley’s throat, echoing through the blistering desert air, a phrase so familiar to him it was more reflex than speech. This was his second deployment, and he knew with weary certainty it would be his last. The monotony of military
A lot of questions have been asked of me lately by many different parties. My parents want to know why I almost refuse to leave the house anymore. My doctor wants to know what has been causing my insomnia. The police want to know my whereabouts and actions on the
The Wood Witch’s Ritual Read More »
His heavy corpse clings to her back like an undesirable cloak. His rotting flesh melting into her pores, moulding itself to her structure. She used to be able to peel his skin away with her finger tips but now she must use a pair of blunt scissors she carries in
Love is but a knife we sear ourselves with Read More »
Lady Vermella’s piano was large and black. It was covered in a thick, feathery layer of dust. Its keys were turning yellow. It pounded out a strange, haunting melody every night under Lady Vermella’s fingers.Lady Vermella lived in an ancient manor on the top of a hill above the town
Read Part One here We both drove back to the station and handed in our gear and changed. I could still smell the faint odor clinging to my uniform. I suppressed the urge to gag as I threw it back into my locker without any finesse, just wanting to get
Just Another Summer in ‘95 Part Two Read More »
I want to say this happened in the early summer when our park was full of hikers, campers, and tourists. Montana had its beauty in those summer months, so I couldn’t blame them.A lot of the tourists hadn’t spent a day camping or even been backpacking. A lot of them
Just Another Summer in ‘95 Read More »
There were rules in our house that no one ever had to say out loud. Don’t speak when he’s drinking.Don’t look at her when she’s disappointed.Don’t cry where anyone can hear you.Don’t be noticed. Don’t be loud. Don’t be a problem. Silence kept us alive. It was the kind of
He Said He Would Protect Me Read More »
1 – ‘Crime’ The night was dark and cold, wind was blowing through the trees but otherwise there was hardly a sound to be heard. This silence and solitude suited the killer just fine. He worked alone, keeping to the shadows…exploiting cracks in the social fabric and indulging his sadistic
I’ve always been a big fan of Halloween. When I was a kid, that was of course because of the candy and the chocolate bars. As I got older and entered my teenage years, that changed. My love for the holiday remained, but that was because of the costumes and
Little Monsters of Hallows’ Eve Read More »
My name is Lydia. I’m 30 years old, and I love celebrating Halloween with my best friend, Martha. Martha and I have been best friends ever since we were ten years old. We do everything together, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. You see, when I
Riley, My Haunted Halloween Doll Read More »
Barker watched from his car with a morbid sense of curiosity as the mark crossed the dual carriageway and went into the greasy spoon Cafe opposite. Barker had been on the trail of the mark for almost a month before finally catching up, just outside of Glasgow. Dragging on the
The scene was gruesome. As if I had walked not inside an apartment in Pune, but a Hollywood horror movie set. The plain white floor tiles were drenched in blood, and the peach walls streaked with red. Shards of broken mirror lay dispersed on the floor intermixed with round dull
It’s been about a month now that Kenny’s been gone. Three weeks and five days to be exact. He left in his pirogue one night just after sunset to go frogging and never came back. Man just up and disappeared like a fart in the wind. Now, it’s just me
I live alone in a houseboat on the bayou. Something’s been tapping at the hull at night. Read More »
The moon hung low over the sleepy town of RidgeWater Creek, its faint glow barely penetrating the dense forest on the outskirts. As I stepped out of my car, my boots crunched against the gravel road, carrying me toward the cordoned-off crime scene. The red and blue strobes of police
I’m a Cop, and My Town Is Dying in Ways No Autopsy Can Explain Read More »
As a kid, it took everything I had not to paint the inside of my family’s car with a wave of vomit. My carsickness was the bane of our long road trips. We tried dozens of tricks to minimize the Jackson Pollocks I created on our car windows. Books, movies,
I Made Him Up For Company on Long Car Rides, Now He Follows Me Everywhere Read More »
“Hi!” I walked into the room and waved at the beautiful dark-haired woman sitting in front of me. Her pale features stood out starkly against her dark brown dress and the maroon wall behind her. She looked up, and a smile instantly spread across her face, revealing dimples on both
The sun was slowly setting behind us, painting the sky in dull shades of gray and yellow, as the cold wind blew. Teresa walked with her head down, silent, right behind me. Mathias Santiago walked beside me, holding his AK-47 as if it were an extension of his own body.
WHERE IS my daughter? I need her to come and say goodbye. Cancer isn’t the only thing eating me alive. My son-in-law John is standing next to me, as are my granddaughters Chandra and Kendra, but where on earth is Cheryl? She should be here, but I don’t see her.
1 – The Train I can’t say why I was chosen to ride the shadowlands express. Why me, and not the countless others who have sinned during their mortal lives? Perhaps all will be forced to face their demons in the end – I can’t say for sure. But clearly
The Shadowlands Express Read More »
