What’s your worst fear? Do you even know? If you said something like spiders or clowns— that’s kid stuff; take a second and try again… I don’t want to hear things like heights or small spaces, either; those are a little better, but I asked for your worst fear. We […]
My friends and I have always been pranksters. Our four-man group is comprised of Ricky, Danny, Taika, and myself. This story is about the consequences of our actions. Occasionally, we tend to go a little too far. A prank is a form of affection in our eyes. We never hold
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes Read More »
With a flick of my wrist, I flipped the cigarette up and caught it in my mouth. It was a cheap trick that I had learned as a kid from watching Robert Mitchum or James Dean or one of those pseudo-badasses from film noir who always seemed to have a
The Cold-Ass Drawers Beneath the St. Flambe Rouge Spookshow Read More »
The sound of the doorbell echoed through my empty house like a banshee’s wail. It was Halloween night, and I was alone. Not by choice, but because it was my ex’s turn to take our kids, Lily and Ben, trick-or-treating. The custody agreement was part of the divorce proceedings. Though
The Unanswered Doorbell: A Halloween Nightmare Read More »
Is this quest enough to sustain you? Is this accumulation of curses really worthwhile? Has everything progressed perfectly, with no loss or sorrow?– Anonymous, “The Holder of Remorse”_________ Tuesday, 10/31/2312:00 PM October, a month of chill, darkness and rain, has burst out in full glory. Leaves crackle underfoot. Wind whips
Sesquicentennial, Part One Read More »
There are always plenty of strange rumors circulating in small towns across the world. The one I grew up in has everything from tales of lizard creatures beneath the woods, to a bizarre bridge that leads you somewhere else if you cross it on foot. Still, the one tall tale
Never Enter the Old Corn Maze on Halloween Read More »
It’s Halloween eve. The night is delightfully crisp, with a bright, low-lying moon. The thrill of anticipation can be felt in the air. The autumn leaves blow with a scritch-scratch along the pavement outside, accompanied by a moderate wind that chases them playfully into every corner and crevice, around trees,
IT TAKES THE SADNESS OF LIFE TO APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF DEATHThis Story Is Dedicated To My Grandfather Elmer. Who Took His Own Life. Many wonder why some commit suicide. Perhaps this story will help explain the reason. His best friend had been dead for about a month. When the
The Beauty of Death Read More »
It was Halloween night, my parents had just left with my little brother to go to a party at the middle school. I didn’t go because I was in the 11th grade and just spent the day drowning from essays and tests, so I wasn’t in the mood to spend
Don’t Answer The Door At 9pm On Halloween Read More »
HALLOWEEN ADVENT CANDLEDAR Burn one a day till Halloween.Discover what it truly means.Don’t peek ahead at future labels.Savor all, if you are able… – THE CHTHONIC CANDLE COMPANY So read the note enclosed with thirty-one tiny candles, sent in a massive box with no logo. The creators of my Candledar
“Come on. Just pick a damn bag!” “I have to choose the biggest one!” Henry and Anna fought in a corner of the store while I laughed at them from the otherside of the candy aisle. We didn’t feel like going trick-or-treating today. We were supposed to be in Orlando,
“She was right again.” Old Farmer Bill threw one more load of hay in the trailer.“I thought I’d be able to finish it today. Agnes knew what she was talking about when she said I was overdoing myself. Almost fifty years of marriage and she’s been right every single time.”
Faces in the Pumpkins Read More »
It has been a long time since I reveled in the fears of those I used to prey on. It could be said that I reformed from my old ways. Well, the old ways of my kind. Not just my own. There was a time when I enjoyed the hunt
Halloween: When the Masks Come Off Read More »
It was almost Halloween. Leafless tree branches swayed in the crisp breeze. The grey overcast sky hinted at yet another day of rain. Yellow-grey cornstalks flitted past and dead leaves scattered as the big, brown Buick carried us down the empty country road. I looked forward to seeing Granny, even
What Lurks Beyond the Indiangrass Read More »
“Are we ever gonna get there,” Sarah whined from the back seat. “We still have a ways to go, Punkin,” my wife replied. I could tell she was as tired of being in the car as the kids were. Jeremy was still passed out in the backseat next to his
Sammy’s Halloween Spooktacular Read More »
Candy, laughter, scares, ghosts and ghouls. Halloween, easily my favorite holiday of the year. It has all the things I love most in life. Sweets, costumes, and the excuse to be someone else even if it is just for a night. Where fiction and reality can intertwine without it being
The Unnatural Rivalry Read More »
My names, “Otis Levenson” the Pizza Delivery guy. I’m a senior in high school, and I am an average student, who sometimes slack off. So, to make myself feel more productive I got this job. But unfortunately, it makes me feel even more worthless. Like imagine yourself just driving around
Dimension of Samhain Read More »
Brown husks of acorns crunched underfoot. Leaves glided down from the canopy overhead – walnut browns and russet reds and soft lemon yellows. They looped and twirled in a gaudy death dance, determined to party out their last days before they rotted and returned to the earth. The downward gradient
The Legend of Countess Esmeralda Read More »
“I never thought a childish prank would save me and my brother’s life.” It began in late September, my family cat had passed from old age a few weeks prior. I missed her terribly and assumed the strange things that began to happen were just echoes of my grief. When
The Cat Scratching at my Door Read More »
My name is Trina. Above all things, I am a horror fan. And while the year 2020 feels like a well-crafted movie or show akin to the Purge, actually living it out isn’t exactly entertaining. The country has been ravaged by COVID-19, morale is in shambles, and the general lack
Be a Doll, Would You? Read More »
“I love you Halloween!” This exclamation six-year-old Harry cried out to the night sky left his mother, Mrs. Jane Florence, reeling with laughter at the door. They’d just gotten home, from trick-or-treating, along with Harry’s older sister Sabrina who was already inside, calling for them to hurry up so the
“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!” ― Bram Stoker, Dracula As if a mad carnival rolled into town, the leaf-strewn street of the quaint picturesque village seemed to transform overnight in ghoulish metamorphosis into a riotous necropolis with skulls grinning and witches cackling at
Smiles of Fire to the Night Read More »
It’s been 13 years. 13 years since they found me. I want to run, but I can’t. They won’t let me leave. NO ONE leaves. This place traps us here, keeps us in this god-forsaken town. If you drive out far enough, you can find the edge of town, where
Beware The Soulless Read More »
Excerpt from a letter received by Governor Irvish Jackson and sent by Dr. Wilford Bellenshamp on December 17th, 1985: I have seen that despite my personal attendance in the past few months to each and all inquiries in the investigation of Orin Harley that not a single report has been
