“…so in conclusion: the classic gray aliens do exist. As a fellow critical thinker, I’m sure you see I’ve made an excellent case,” Maury said, grinning. Things like Maury’s conspiracy theories were one of the reasons I was going on vacation. I needed a break from things like this. I’ve […]
I’m never going on a cruise again Read More »
Glass breaks in random and chaotic ways. In a near instant the cracks can ripple throughout, separating the shards from the inside until it finally crumbles under its own weight. When this happens, its fragility is truly realized. But how random is it really? Glass can sometimes break in a
The body of the tramp had lain in the cellar of the house on Burgundy Street for several weeks now. He had finally shuffled off the mortal coil less than forty-eight hours after having sought refuge from the chill London winter. A half-empty bottle of cider stood going to waste
The Way of All Flesh Read More »
I called to her through the darkness and the shadow and the void and on and on, and what I got back was beyond horror. I called to my daughter, once young and free, suddenly shrouded in a blackness that extended further than sight. Things echoed back from the void.
When I was ten years old, I heard a man die and did nothing to help. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I was just a scared kid at the time. My parents often left me alone at home when I was a child. I won’t say they didn’t
The story I am about to tell you is crazy. I had the weirdest, creepiest experience last weekend. And I think people like you want to hear. The curse must have happened over 300 years ago. But for us, it started when my dad and I found a great-great-great-great grandfather’s
I think my family is cursed by Bram the Toymaker? Read More »
The roads are different at night. It’s something my mom used to say all the time. She said it when I was a child in the back seat, and she said it when she was teaching me how to drive. Every stretch of highway or backroad turn was different under
It has been the way of things since the dawn of time. Evil has always been birthed by darkness. The strong feed on the weak and the lesser. Not always for survival, but sometimes, just to revel in its cruel power. To inflict suffering for the sheer pleasure of it.
I tried to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. I warned them immediately after I was returned to the marsh, but they decided to detain me and ignore my claims. Twenty years have now passed, and they still don’t listen despite the urgent message I was unfairly tasked with delivering.
I Will Give Birth to the End of Mankind Read More »
The stillness wakes me. Not that pleasant quiet after a winter snow, or the comfortable silence of a sleeping house, but a heavy blanket of non-sound, as if even the air was afraid to stir. I lay in bed, barely breathing, straining to catch even the slightest movement. Nothing. Slowly
Face Mask Required Read More »
The obnoxious buzzing from the dryer that signaled the end of the cycle came up faintly from the basement. Shane could already feel Jen’s eyes boring into the side of his head. Shane kept his attention on the baseball game that was playing out on the TV. “Are you going
Mark sat in the heart of the Tomb of the Dammed. The Tomb of the Dammed was not an ancient crypt where the undead lurked but a year round haunted house attraction in the middle of a tourist trap district. When it first opened it’s doors in the 1975 the
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We hauled our bodies through a gap in the stone, entering into a narrow chamber. The walls were lined with skittering insects, and from beneath the stone far under my feet I could sense the flailing of eyeless fish swimming blindly in pools of black water. A dim circle of
The business card left in my mailbox was unassuming. A simple white font affixed to a black background. But its claim was bold: There is now an in-dream hotline you can call to escape nightmares! Simply find a red rotary phone in your dreamscape, dislocate it from the receiver, and
The In-Dream Hotline Read More »
It had been wracking my brain for months. What exactly did he keep in there? Why was he being so secretive? Even when I was younger, my father was more than happy to share his work with me at the dinner table. I listened intently, fascinated by the projects his
My Father’s Secret Room Read More »
Summer for me and my friend, Jake, usually only meant one thing: Endless hiking trips in the mountainous terrain around our city. While traveling far away was a luxury we couldn’t afford, we’d frequently spent the weekend camping out. There were plenty of new places to discover in our vicinity;
We Found a Cave During Our Annual Hiking Trip Read More »
I use the term retired in this context very loosely. I was never paid for my work and there was no pension to speak of. Cryptozoology has always been a passion of mine; one that, in my old age, I no longer have the energy to pursue. But I didn’t
Tales from a Retired Cryptozoologist Read More »
My friends and I used to wander into the dark woods at night, wielding little more than our flashlights and overactive imaginations. It was the surge of adrenaline we needed, gained from harmless, nonexistent horror. Lucky for us, there was a forest bordering our neighborhood. It was full of ancient
Bunker in the Woods Read More »
I’d only been gone for about fifteen minutes, sneaking in a coffee break in the early morning hours. By the time I returned, panic had spread through the office like wildfire. “James, what’s going on?” I asked, more confused than worried. He didn’t have to answer. Instead, he just pointed
He could feel his stomach almost twist as the aircraft started its long ascent into the sky. He was already holding onto his seat, yet now he couldn’t help but tighten his grip even more. How long had it been since he’d last been on a plane? A good fifteen
It Came From Above Read More »
Constance would not tell anyone who the father was. Not when her mother cried nor when her father yelled. Not even when her older sister, Emily, sat on her bed and held her in her arms – rocking her gently. Constance was four-months pregnant when she told her family, and
Another Hungry Mouth Read More »
We had all liked Mr. Winscot. He didn’t mind when we used the sledding hill on his property and he always gave out the best Halloween candy in the neighborhood. So when we heard he’d been taken by the Tall Man, everyone was really bummed out. You wouldn’t have heard
The Tall Man of Briarbell, Missouri Read More »
I’d been depressed for a long time, mostly since my dad died. All his friends called him a hero; he was a cop and he sacrificed himself to save the lives of 23 people being held by an active shooter. I was 9 when that happened, I remember it like
I Don’t Think My Friend Ran Away Read More »
“The water is perfect at this time of night.” Shana lifted her long, white dress over her thin shoulders and dipped under the cool depths of Lake Diamond. “Don’t be such a baby, Freeman. We didn’t come out here at two AM for nothing.“ She smiled when she spoke. I
I Met Someone Who Makes Me Feel Seasick Read More »
