My friend Johnny and I run our own general contracting company. We specialize in waste removal and general repairs. We have an absolute work horse mentality. No job was too big or too dirty for us. That was until the Morrison farm. The job that left both physical and psychological […]
Life tends to have its favorites, and I have never been one of them. My sister was lucky to be born first, as life favored her far before I came along. She got most of our parents’ wealth, she graduated valedictorian, has her masters, has a beautiful family— “Kam!” Ashley’s
The Woman in the Mirror Read More »
I work for the county sheriff’s office up in NorCal. I received a call in the predawn hours on May the 23rd, 2020 telling me to investigate the collapse of a residence on the street I grew up on. It was hardly surprising to see my friend’s house had gone
The Grimoire of Leonard Hopkins Read More »
Deep in the great woods in England’s heart stands a small village of Eldenmoore. In the 16th century it was ruled by the great Baron Armstrong. He was a tyrant of a man known for little more than cruelty and greed. Few who lived under his rule had kind words
Most people in North Carolina had heard of the Reed mine by 1831. The story of the boy who found a yellow rock the size of a smoothing iron had already strained the patience of preachers and tavern keepers alike. They repeated it often, their voices rising with the part
I’ve been a police officer for a long time, and there are certain things you learn to ignore if you want to sleep at night. This is not one of those things. I’m writing this anonymously because I was involved in a case back in 2019, and despite everything we
Grandma’s Footsteps Read More »
Today is the day it ends for him. Luther has his last meal, which is a cheeseburger, fries, and a soda. Luther looks at the men who watch him eat it, who look at him with disgust. Luther just smiles through his food as he eats. Besides, in a couple
Heather found herself in bed, unable to move a muscle—trying her hardest to shift her arm and wake her husband sleeping next to her, but to no avail. She was in sleep paralysis—a phenomenon she’d read about but never experienced until then. It frightened her to lie there helpless, but
“Why does a writer write? Because they must.” -Anton Richards These words have been repeating in my head for the last week. They pound in my brain like a jackhammer. They prevent my mind from resting and keep me awake at night. That is why I am here at 3am.
The Curse Of Imagination Read More »
The Tuscan villa was a postcard come to life, a sprawling stone residence nestled among rolling hills thick with cypress trees and the silvery-green olive groves. For Tom and Linda Patterson, a middle school teacher and an office manager, and their friends Mark and Jennifer Walsh, a retail manager and
When I was really little, something nasty got into my blood. Daddy took me to every hospital he could, until he’d run out of money. Auntie said we should all just pray harder. Daddy said “God let my child get leukemia. I’ll take my chances with the Devil.” I’ve never
Mr. Kindly’s Pawnshop Read More »
Father Michael Hayes had stopped praying three years ago, though he still moved his lips during Mass. The words came automatically now, muscle memory from two decades of priesthood. Hoc est enim corpus meum. This is my body. Empty syllables. Theatrical gestures. He elevated the host and saw nothing but
1 I’ve never been the most sensible person. My mother would always tell me that I was “the dumbest smart person she knew”. I always figured that was just classic mom razzing, something that happened to every kid when they made some silly mistake that was easily avoidable. I recently
How far am I willing to go to make my dream come true? Through hell and back, that’s what I kept telling myself. Through hell and back. I’d been out of a job for 6 months. At first, I told myself it was just a rough patch. Everyone goes through
Anything for true art Read More »
It all started last Monday. I received a call from his basketball coach. My son, Riley, had been acting more strangely than usual. He said my son had seemed to intentionally pop two basketballs alone in the locker room. I made my son play for the church league after school.
My son can’t stop humming the same tune and it’s starting to freak me out Read More »
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
I always thought the old TV in my grandmother’s attic was broken. It would never receive channels, only emit a hiss of static when you tried turning the dial. But last December, I discovered it wasn’t broken after all. The first time I ever laid eyes on him, I figured
Read Part one here Read Part two here You know that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you wake up after a night of alcohol-fuelled debauchery and experience a deep regret over your actions? Well, take that feeling and multiply by a million, and you might understand
Hell’s Tour Guide – The Ninth Circle Read More »
Written below is the last known statement of Benjamin Harper, a former parish priest serving the village of Barton, Cheshire. Mr Harper was relieved of his position by Bishop Gerald Ellison of the Chester diocese and taken here, to Byron House, a home for the mentally disturbed, shortly after suffering
The Dreams Beneath The Witch Tree Read More »
My name is Brother Arthro but I am told that I no longer need to use that name if I wish. I am to understand that my childhood has been anything but ordinary; however in this strange world of colored lights and deafening noise I no longer know what is
Children Of The Sacred Gate Read More »
The large man stood in the corner of my dark room, peering at me through puffy slits surrounded by a century’s worth of deep eyebags and crust. Every breath his ancient body took was accompanied by loud wheezing, and the occasional band of elastic spittle dripped from a bulbous head,
A Man Appeared in My Room to Answer My Prayers Read More »
The Advertisement“Lookout wanted. For more information, call 1-800-200-2230” My eyes scanned the sentence thoroughly. The ad intrigued me, I never was one meant for city life. However, for the past four years that’s exactly what my life had been. Just another cog in the machine, wasting away at a desk
I woke up sweaty and in a daze. Most nights this is normal for me but not tonight. Something about my bedroom was odd, something wasn’t right. I felt around next to me and grabbed my phone and checked the time – it’s midnight. Seven more hours of sleep before
The Front Porch Light Read More »
-5/17/11- The constant low monotone droning grows increasingly louder. Jeremy tosses and turns as his eyes creep open. Jeremy:”Hey Beck?” he says, still practically asleep. Beck begins to stir. Beck:”What.” Jeremy: “Do you hear it now?” Beck rolls her eyes in frustration. Beck:”Yes Jeremy I hear it. I’ve already told
