Welcome to our 2019 $500 Halloween Horror 50 Word Story Contest. Yes, that’s right. It’s already here. Every year we run our contests, and those of you who have been frequent readers, this is what you’ve been waiting for.
First we will be doing a print issue! We will be doing 2 print issues, and we will pick entries from this contest to be in our issue. If you had a 50 word story designated to be in our print issue, from a past contest, please contact us.
Second, we will be giving out a $500 reward for the best 50 word horror story. This is not easy for us. Every Writer is not doing as well as it did in the past, but we want your stories. I believe writers should get paid for their work. I wish we could pay all of our writers, but it’s just impossible. So $500 for 50 words, I think is a unique and valuable statement to our readers. Ten dollars a word is what all writers really deserve.
So here are the rules:
• Story must be scary
• Story must be 50 words
• Story must be original and your own
• Story may not be published elsewhere
• Story must have a title (does NOT count in word count)
• Deadline is October 25, 2019
• Enter as many times as you want
• Story must be written in the comments below!
• Be nice or be disqualified
I love these stories. This is one of favorite traditions of Every Writer. I look forward to this every year, and this year I have extended the time we are going to spend with the contest.
The winners will:
• Be announced on October 31, 2019
• Will get $500
• Will be published in our digital and print issue.
• Will get an author page on our site
There is no entry fee for this contest. It would help us out greatly if you would donate 1$ or more, if you can, to help out the site. We would really appreciate it. A donation will not be considered in the deciding this contest.
If you want to keep up with me on Twitter, please follow me at @everywriter, I follow back all writers.
Good luck, and let the writing begin.
HERE IS THE WINNER
I have picked 4 stories. They all have times and days on them. If the winner does not respond by Friday 11/22/19 the money will go to the next story on the list. Here are the top 4 stories in order. ONLY OUR 1st PLACE WINNER gets the $500. Also, so this insanity never happens again, the winner will be invited back next year to be one of the judges.
WINNER 1st Place:
Kit Steward 10/13/19 5:20 pm
THE MIDNIGHT INCUBATOR
She heard mushy sounds for days and suffered from unbearable itchiness.
A doctor’s visit revealed earwig pupae nesting in her ear canal, it was flushed out.
Later, weary from stress, she crawled into bed.
That night while she slept, the creature returned.
And finding the eggs missing, it laid more.
2nd Place:
Elizabeth Lee 09/24/19 4:36 pm
Secondhand Doll
She didn’t want a secondhand doll so she flung it across the room. Porcelain cracked against the wall. Her mom made her glue the pieces back together. A thin shard sliced her hand, baptizing the doll in her hateful blood. The secondhand doll decided she didn’t want an ungrateful child.
3rd Place:
Alexander Daley Escobedo 10/25/19 3:38pm
Heirloom
We Buried my brother today. Suicide. He thought something evil was haunting him. He’d been medicated, institutionalized, shocked and secluded. He found his own way out. I wish I could tell him I’m sorry. Or had listened more closely. Because, when I got home, it was on my couch. Laughing.
4th place:
JB 10/25/19 8:12pm
TITLE: RESEVOIR
We should have known something was wrong when we first tasted the water. It was a little brown, but no more than usual in this apartment complex.
We kept drinking it until it turned black.
When they opened the water tank, they found the bloated, rotting corpse of my neighbor.
We usually always contact the winners first, but after all the trouble, we are opening up the process. I am again, very sorry for how late this is. I did not expect 4000 stories. Next year I will be ready.
Rosemary McKinley says
Dropping her hand in the candy bowl, she smiled at the Dracula, costumed visitor. Thinking he looked familiar she invited him in. As she turned to set the dish down, he swung his arm around her neck and slashed as she fell to the ground. Grinning he left.
Julio P says
More
In the morning as his parents cried, neighbors talked, and police left, the funeral home came for the body. The hearse read Moore’s Funeral Home on the side so everyone assumed the tall man was saying his name when he showed up after several similar tragedies and simply said “More.”
Julio P says
No one believed me
Each night I heard something unseen crawl slowly toward my bed. No one believed me. I moved the bed across the room every night. Then desperately I fled for the summer. Relieved, I heard nothing the night I returned; only to learn it made no sound crawling across my bed.
Maya Coral says
Self Vampire
It was already coming out. Her mind was racing, on a constant battle between this very ridiculous side, and the one she sided with. But she was soooo thirsty. The gooey liquid looked so thirst quenching. She had to do it. When she tasted her blood it tasted amazing. She was suddenly off looking for more.
Karen M. Leet says
“Ripper”
“I know you,” she whispered. “But I can’t remember your name.” Hair prickled on the back of her neck.
“Who are you? How do I know you? What is your name?”
She shuddered at his slow smile, trembled at the darkness in his eyes, felt the blade’s first tender touch.
cybersavant says
first touch is the beginning of the story
final touch would be the end
Melissa Skafel says
A Quiet Evening
A piercing scream echoed from the basement of my empty house. I leapt from the couch. My heart pounded.” Who’s there?” I whimpered. Heavy footsteps ascended the stairs. I trembled helplessly gripped by fear turning towards the noise. When the room went cold and an icy hand grabbed my shoulder.
cybersavant says
if you’re looking toward the footsteps, how do you only see a hand on your shoulder?
Nina Gerardi says
Blind
I’m Blind!
Screaming tremors. A hand clinging to mine.
I’m blind!
The grasp zipping into the dark. My dear sister.
Knife in hand, I rush the closet. Oh, curled, useless flesh. Dripping, drooling eyes.
I’m blind!
I drive the knife through restless air.
But advancement never appears.
Because I’m blind.
Melissa Skafel says
Out for a walk
My heart was pulsating. My breath heavy from picking up the pace. I noticed someone else in the graveyard. I walked closer and tried to say hello but could not find the words. It was my mother standing in front of a grave. The tombstone had my name on it.
cybersavant says
drop weak verbs
… dead mother called to me, as she stood by the fresh grave … my name on it
Nina Gerardi says
Smile
An overworked policeman, I shuffled into the apartment to see the corpse.
And she was staring at me.
Frayed rope gnawed at her frame. Her eyelids stretched back, along with her grin, wide—too wide—pulled taut with rusted staples.
Then she moved—Alive!—eyes flitting toward somewhere behind me.
And thud. Blackness.
cybersavant says
this would work better in 3rd person, naming the cop
Gordon Baldwin says
November 3, 2020
Breaking News..
We have a Declared Winner!
After a long, expensive, bruising and probably the most divisive election in American History, we here at the network are declaring a winner of the 2020 US Presidential Election.
Donald J Trump has been re-elected President of the United States!
Melon Water says
Canoe-diasaster
Two girls were patiently awaiting their parents to pull them ashore. They were sitting on top of an overturned canoe. They had been on a camping trip with their family, and went canoeing. It was then when they realized their parent’s lifeless bodies were ashore, covered in blood. Dead. Bodies.
cybersavant says
easily reworked with active verbs. drop dead – hint at it instead
Karlindsey says
It was 3 am. I had that horrible feeling something was wrong… I was being watched my instincts told me to run. I knew that someone or something was in the room with me. I opened my eyes there was a face at the window. I will never get that face out of my head it was a woman. And her smile was unnaturally big. And there was something unsettling about her eyes l can’t explain it to this day. She left all the sudden with the most horrifying scream. She still comes to my window each night but I always remember. To keep my eyes shut
Alexia Joyce De Leon says
The Elevator
“On which floor are you?” the man asked.
“Please press 9th floor for me,” young lady said.
She looked around searching for something.
“Are you missing something?” he asked.
She answered with a deep voice. “I am looking for my toe tag.”
The elevator stopped and it was very dark.
Water Phantom says
Phantom bearing
He was walking past the old guest room. He despised that darkness that seemed to swallow him whole. He cat was preceding him going into his room. Henry stopped in his tracks, to look at the room. As he stared at the room, a dark phantom seemed to creep out of the room.
Ange Fuentes says
The Alleyways
I’ve always had a crippling fear of those claustrophobic, grimy, and rancid alleyways. The dead roaches, the unfamiliar smells, the unidentifiable creatures. Whenever I pass through those uncanny alleys I tend to whistle to calm my nerves. I am alone, but I hear something eerily whistle a different tune back.
Melissa Skafel says
The escape
The frosted branches slapped my face. I was soaked with sweat and chilled to the bone. I heard him howl. He is coming for me. I kept running, gasping for each breath. I struggled along the tumultuous terrain, trying to reach the road, when I was surrounded by his pack.
cybersavant says
tense shifts distract
drop passive verbs
the shorter sentences punctuate the action nicely
Carys M says
Scarecrows
You shriek as beaks peck at your eyes. Blackbirds swarm around you, and the Scarecrow commandes them. Suddenly, it stops. Or so you think. You have no eyes. Relief washes over you. But then… steel is driven through flesh. You crumple to the ground, bleeding. An evil laugh rings out…
cybersavant says
scarier with just the birds and scarecrow, does relief fit ?????
Yena Choi says
Scream in Darkness
“What?” I answered irritatedly.
“Whatever you do don’t . . . ” My mum screamed with fear.
I couldn’t understand what she was saying since it got cut off. Suddenly the lights went off, I was looking around and made eye contact with some unknown thing. Unexpectedly, everything turned black with a loud scream.
SMA SKHOSANA says
The Picasso of Murder
I twisted the pliers, removing one finger after the other. He whimpered and screamed from the intense pain, I licked his tears away before swiftly jabbing a knife into his thigh. “I love these vibrant hues of red.” I said as I painted my canvas with his bloody dismembered finger.
Pink says
TITLE: Unacceptable
I know he’s here. I can feel it. I still remember the look on his face. Was he hungry for revenge or was he confused? His eyes once the color of the sea, now a lifeless grayish color. His hands reached out. I backed off knowing it’s not him anymore.
cybersavant says
less expository
drop passive verbs
some unknown thing so vague as to be not an issue – give more without giving all
Hot and single says
I was sleeping. SLEEPING. That hideous woman was so lonely that she woke me up in the middle of my nap, to flirt. FLIRT. She woke me up with a start. She kept shaking me. I was already awake, but I didn’t care. I finally opened my eyes. Absolutely HIDEOUS.
Kit Steward says
DARK OFFERINGS
She curled like a caterpillar under a looming bird strike.
Kicks rained on her ribs in torrents.
Suddenly, her assailants were plucked away screaming into the night sky.
She lay bloodied, wheezing before a cold hand helped her up.
When she rebuffed a proposal for immortality; her neck was snapped.
cybersavant says
personalize it; why would birds KICK ??
drop SUDDENLY
a cold hand helped her up …. as she refused …..
Joel Reeves says
CHILDREN RELATE HORRIFYING ESCAPE,
SERIAL KILLER FOUND DEAD
I told them my plan. They agreed.
The other boys rushed me: Punching. Kicking. Screaming.
Then, the cage door unlocked. HE entered, yanking me off my feet.
Nose to nose.
Close. Enough. At last.
We had chicken last night. I saved the sharpest bone.
The screams are now his own.
John Kolyav says
RELIEF
James, the renowned horror playwright was busy even at midnight on a script entitled, ‘Possessed’.
Suddenly the ink turned red. His hand lost control. Pen started scribbling unknown figures.
His fist firmly held the pen. It rose against his will and struck hard his chest.
Mankind relieved of one evil.
SMA SKHOSANA says
NOT SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.
His body shook violently in a fit of spasms; his breathless struggles filled the room as his mouth foamed with a blood tinged white mucus bubble. “You look disgusting, and you sound even worse.” I said kicking his dying form. “Now shut up and let the poisin do its job.”
Faith Smitham says
What Lurk in the Shadows:
The shadows danced across the ripped wallpaper. Their silhouetted figures violently morphing into terrifying creatures, with long claws and beady eyes. You could hear the heinous laughs prying from their razor sharp blood-stained mouths. I felt claws rake my ankle, gripping me tightly, pulling me into the shadows, to them.
Faith Smitham says
I Confess
“I confess…I did something unforgivable. I stole the knife from the kitchen, and snuck into their room at night. I watched them sleep peacefully and die violently. I watched their blood stain the silk sheets. I’ll admit…I did it and I’ll confess…I enjoyed every second of it.”
Pink says
TITLE: NEWS AHEAD OF TIME
Looking out my window, the clock kept ticking. My eyes followed every stranger milling about. Something was happening; I’m being watched. I turned around and saw a black figure carrying a bag of newspapers. It lurched forward, reaching out an ominous hand. The hand closed around my neck. Pitch black.
cybersavant says
interesting, but too distanced from those involved
personalize it more
Faith Smitham says
Time for your Treatment
The ghostly and empty halls echoed with maniacal laughs and deranged chuckles. Shrill screams sent goosebumps that spread like an infection. It was clear, the doctors were making their rounds, joyfully. I could hear their equipment banging as they violently broke open the reinforced steel door. “Time for your treatment.”
Nelida Coronel says
SATURDAY NIGHT
Seven young guys drove their cars out of the city towards the fields. Parked by the paved road, they drank and laughed. A boy wishing to pee approached a wired fence, in front of tall bushes. Behind them, a smart man was gazing at the dizzy boy, eyeballs like fire.-
cybersavant says
starts interesting, but why would the doctors have to break the door down? and why is it reinforced?
??? barricaded???
Ann H says
Gossamer
I felt a tickle on my shoulder. I thought it must have been a loose hair. But then, the sensation crept up my neck. It was faint as gossamer on my skin. But it slowly tightened like a snake. My hands scratched at nothing as it pulled tighter and tighter.
cybersavant says
cool
intangible and spooky
Michael Walton says
TITLE: CRUNCH
Crrrrrunch.
Still snowing. My headlights—and heat—dead. Was that finally dad outside?
No, that shadow, veiled behind snowflakes, was too slender to be dad.
Crrrrrunch.
It cranes downward, white eyes peering through long, slimy, black hair.
Then it’s gone. And white eyes lock mine through the rearview mirror.
Crrrrrunch.
J B says
TITLE: LAY AND WAIT
She laid in bed, her husband lay next to her. His body was cold as ice, but as a quadriplegic she wouldn’t know. Her only caretaker had died overnight in his sleep. They lived on a farm, miles from anyone…
All that she could do now was starve to death.
cybersavant says
good potential here
use action verbs instead, she could hyperventilate or something
strain to hear passing cars, for someone to yell at ??????
J B says
TITLE: A BIG STEP
I’m about to take a big step.
Life is full of ups and downs, and you could call my life a rollercoaster. Twists, turns, bumps and bruises.
Yes, I’ve seen it all.
I’m about to take a big step – A step off this bridge and into the abyss below.
Dianna Chua says
INSIDE ME
I opened my eyes, locked in a box. A box that’s white, with only me inside. Inside there’s me screaming and shouting. Shouting my lungs out, with no one to hear me. Hear me please, that is all I thought. Thought I’ll be saved by the arms of my heart.
J B says
TITLE: A GATHERING OF ROSE PETALS
A warm spring breeze blew across the budding corn stalks – the harshness of winter was finally over.
The farmer placed two small bouquets of roses upon the shallow graves of his wife and child.
“Thank you” He said, flecks of meat still between his teeth “For getting me through winter.”
cybersavant says
to make it scarier name them
J B says
TITLE: MY NEIGHBOR’S SON
My neighbor’s child, Anthony, has been about the size of an infant four years now.
I think that something is wrong with him.
I finally got a good look at him yesterday.
She walked by me, cradling in her arms the small, purple and black petrified body of her son.
J B says
TITLE: SCARECROW
I looked out the window, seeing the scarecrow hanging from the branch of the oak tree.
Crows and vultures swarmed around the lifeless lifelike straw-man, and he swayed in the slight breeze.
I shrugged and carried on with chores.
It’s funny though, I don’t remember there being a scarecrow there.
cybersavant says
ooooh, good potential here
seeing -> saw
hang8ing -> hang
lifeless lifelike -> words too much alike
lifeless is good, and in the context of the ending all you need
shrugged and carried on -> you could ramp up tension here instead
Jess says
-Lay to Rest
The ticking of a clock. A glint reflects off warm metal- moonlight through a window. Something sharp scraping across stone. Small pink fibers slide off, swept downward in a sticky maroon wash. Across and back, across and back. Once more, the weapon is seized by the mother, repudiated and vicious.
cybersavant says
ticking -> the clocks ticks
scraping -> scrapes
small pink fibers ?????
blood? weapon is too vague, so is THE mother – too impersonal
repudiated ????????
Chiara Burson says
Blank
I don’t think. I just curl my hands around the bat, my mind blank except for one thing: stay alive.
An arrow goes right through the bat, missing my face by an inch. I laugh madly at the luck, ready for the next strike.
It comes, and now I’m blank.
Curtis Norris says
ALL EYES
Suddenly, there were eyeballs. Eyeballs everywhere. Floating in the toilet, pouring out of cupboards, rolling down the stairs. Too many eyeballs! Eyeballs bursting under my feet. Knee deep in eyeballs! Where have they come from? Who do they belong to? Which two are mine? I can’t tell in this dark!
cybersavant says
eyeballs need more visuals to make them scary
question – how does narrator see if eyeballs are not in head? also, how see in the dark?
i’d drop the SUDDENLY
Jacqueline Cavill says
The Faulty Fridge
It was never too much trouble for John, our electrician saviour, to come out and fix the cool room or one of our many fridges that seemed to be constantly breaking down.
The frayed lead stretched across the floor. John’s foot touched it as he washed his hands. RIP John.
cybersavant says
the room full of fridges is the more interesting bit – why more than one? what do they hold? it’s tragic, but not scary
Curtis Norris says
PIROUETTE
Swan Lake plays. In spotlight, the ballerina stands en pointe upon the high stool. The noose takes some of the weight, but, still, she trembles with effort. Left foot cramps. She lifts it, pirouettes slowly on one toe. A single tear falls, and then.. grande jete! The audience rises. Brava!
cybersavant says
oh, upon reread i get this – i missed the NOOSE first time through
she’s not far off the ground though – but i’m not sures what jete implies
Christine Rae says
Shattered Image
Sarah shrieked as a hideous hag stared at her with rheumy eyes, bedraggled tendrils framing her sallow face.
As she leapt backwards, the old hag mirrored her actions perfectly, shattering the glass between them, leaving Sarah staring in horror at a pile of broken shards, and her shaky wrinkled hands.
cybersavant says
oh, this is cool – but if she leapt backward, how did she smash the glass? wouldn’t she have to leap or reach forward?
Molly Connolly says
Ripping Need
My flesh rips from my body. Each word slipping through your beautiful red lips tears into me, pulling off strip after strip.
I moan and whimper, “More.”
Your claws slash me open.
“You need me,” you growl through a mouthful of my heart.
“Yes,” I beg, obviously needing the pain.
Yahtziri Lopez says
Skeleton Lifter
I had this very horrific and gruesome nightmare. When I was walking alone at night, there was a storm. Instead of water droplets, it was blood that smelled so rancid. All of a sudden, I see people screaming. Their skeletons were coming out of their bodies, and it included me.
Yahtziri Lopez says
Lifted Skeletons(This is my new title for my story)
I had this very horrific and gruesome nightmare. When I was walking alone at night, there was a storm. Instead of water droplets, it was blood that smelled so rancid. All of a sudden, I see people screaming. Their skeletons were coming out of their bodies, and it included me.
cybersavant says
you switch between present and past tense [distracting]
was is passive and distracting
since it’s a ‘dream’ it’s not really scary
Angel Stebbins says
“Forever”
He loved her. Combing her hair was easy. You just had to be super gentle and not pull out any strands. Her brittle body had to be handled with extreme care, so as to not crumble. The conversation, however, was very one-sided, but what would you excpect from a corpse?
-AS
cybersavant says
nice; the ‘you’ is distracting and i don’t think you need to mention she is a corpse, leaving room for more scariness
Angel Stebbins says
Thank you for your critique
This is my first time doing horror and I appreciate your comments
I agree I should not have used you I think He would have been better
I think I like your idea of leaving the ending open ended as well
Angel Stebbins says
“Ritual”
The tree branched swayed with the wind. They moaned their sorrows as the wind picked up force. The clouds parted overhead and moonlight bathed the clearing in the unsettled forest. A bonefire shot high into the air. Chanting dancers leapt wildly around the flames. A knife plunged into a sacrifice.
-AS
cybersavant says
typo in 3rd word, i had to reread to get context
typo in line 3 word5
doesn’t seem to be scary
Sophia Hannigan says
Admonition for Fitus Achates
When night arrives, the zephyr lingers. Oddly, there’s another presence lingering in the church.
“Thou lead us to mortality!” a woman breaks the silence to the nuns.
For the seventh night, the unholy beings unveil themselves. Following conscience, folk awoke to find anthropophagi in another bed and the bloodied doorknob.
cybersavant says
seems like and interesting premise, but you need more that 50 words to create the atmosphere and add fear
last lines a bit confusing
Curtis Norris says
NO MORE SECRETS
The night sky flashed, once, and suddenly there were no more secrets. People all along the street came out onto their lawns, dumb with shock from the sudden knowledge. Everyone knew their secrets! Burning realizations swept over them. They erupted into screams, and started to stampede. The bloody massacre began.
cybersavant says
too omnipotent – needs to be closer – 1st or 3rd person
not sure what secrets and realizations are – why should we care?
riots are shocking, not scary
cybersavant says
Waiting In the Darkness
I huddle in the dark on the hard earth and sense them again. Tiny claws prick across my skin and I feel the slither of hairless tails. Dusty scented fur assails my nostrils and I flinch at the slurping sound of sharp teeth chewing on my bloody, delicate, disembodied eyes.
Jason Allen says
NIGHT OF THE LIVING FRANKFURTERS
Benny bit into his hot dog, which yelped. Startled, Benny spit it out.
Dad spit out his shrieking hot dog, which scampered into the forest.
Around the world, desecrated hot dogs revolted. Dad was flogged by 27 weiners, then smothered in mustard.
Sarah ate veggie dogs, so she was safe.
CC Parks says
lol Fantastic.
meagan harrison says
Crows
The bird crocked its head.
“She fell for a lie, a bottle of shady wine. Drinking it made her feel… not so fine.”
The man sighed deeply. “Yeah, I see she’s been poisoned, and do you have to rhyme at every murder?”
“I am merely an observer.”
The investigator groaned.
Tamara Reid says
FOR THEIR ENTERTAINMENT
“It won’t get me… if I believe,” he chanted over and over, as instructed.
Then came the noise. He’d never heard such a noise. A loud, prehistoric screech of a noise.
“IT WON’T GET ME… IF I BELIEVE!” He repeated louder.
Then came the talons, followed by the crowd’s applause.
Curtis Norris says
JUST ONE MORE
Drained, the writer crawls up the dark escarpment to reach the smoking fissure. He leans in, and with ragged breath, he croaks, “One more. Please. Just one more.” Whispers rise from within. He nods wearily, opens the veins of his scarred wrist, then cocks his ear to another abominable recitation.
Mercy Godwin says
HALLOW’S EVE
Eyes about to drop from their sockets. Pale as the sun and mouth agape.
I was attacked by the image of the dead man on the street as I went to work that morning.
I opened my eyes at night and there he was next to me, on my bed.
Dannielle says
Love
“I’m just changing,” I yelled, smiling. “Come inside.” I was eager to see him. The floor creaked with his steps. He shut my bedroom door and I laughed. “I’ve just put my clothes on.”
“I’m here love,” my boyfriend shouted, muffled by the closed front door. “Can I come in?”
Kara Ellen says
BUT BROTHER
“Don`t look, Tommy!” I whispered, covering his eyes.
“But brother,” Tommy cried. “It`s getting closer!”
“Don`t listen, Tommy!” I whispered, covering his ears.
“But brother,” Tommy cried. “It`s getting louder!”
“Don’t speak, Tommy!” I whispered, covering his mouth.
“But brother,” an unknown voice spoke in my ear. “It`s behind you”.
Angela Cantiga says
HOT DOG VENDOR
“Hotdogs! Hotdogs!”
Who’d sell wieners at this hour?
It’s 3 in the morning. I was studying when the hotdog vendor peeked through my window and asked me if I’d like to buy one which I refused. Only when he left that I remembered.
My room was on the fifth floor.
Kara Ellen says
UNKNOWN GUEST
It had my face and it had my clothes.
It stared at me through the window, as I was watching it from the outside, not being able to look away.
“Honey, I`m home!”
That was Martha.
It smiled at me, showing its big, sharp canines, and turning the lights off.
Tim.S says
Dead On
It couldn’t be!
Blank eyes stared back. Worms crawled out of a seemingly laughing mouth.
After hours of digging, I still couldn’t believe it.
Leaning on the casket lid, with shaking bloody hands I wiped the dirt off the tombstone.
My name was written there.
I was dead.
Jacqueline Cavill says
Halloween
Spiders, bats and hooting owls
Inky black cats and werewolf howls
Witches on broomsticks cackling loud
Kids trick or treating – stay in a crowd
Scary costumes for dressing up fun
Something there for everyone
Cakes and lollies specially made
Pumpkins with candles shine from the glade
Halloween plots already laid
Taryn Zust says
Paper Cranes
It was just a paper crane. Miniscule, left in a downtown parking garage. I didn’t see the shadow when I took it. The next appeared on my car. The next, my doorstep. I fear the secret admirer now, especially as I open my eyes to the crane beside my pillow.
Ines Mateus says
I am sitting by the window. My white fingertips are pressed against the warm glass. The world outside is burning. And we will burn with it. “Why are you doing this to us?”, the kid is crying. I don’t know what he means. We must burn to get to heaven.
Chidolue stephanie says
She woke in a cage. She tried remembering how she got here.
“You are awake, my wife”. A voice said to her. An oversized doll walked over,picked her up and kissed her. She couldn’t see and couldn’t speak. Slowly, she breath her last. He smiled at his doll.
Simon Nagel says
Gatekeepers
I stumbled—although I’m not sure how—before their fireplace. The party guests were dawned in their finest dress. One creaked its head, opening its jaw to welcome me just as light tore the room in half. The new faces had flesh. “Stabilize him,” one said. “Or he’s lost forever.”
Ovye Tsaku says
HOLIDAY HALLOW
Unlike other holidays in America, there was something unpleasant about this one. Jake was in the room sleeping, an hour before halloween night there was a very loud thunderstorm that occured causing the street lights to go off which made Jake scream out “ahhh” loud because he didn’t like halloween.
Vera Van Mierlo says
High School of Horrors
“Bitch!” Oh dear, the claws were really coming out now! They looked just about ready to rip each other’s heart out. Poor Mr Jennings, he’d be scrubbing blood off the lockers for ages. But he’d learn not to faint as time went by. Let’s just hope he’s a fast learner.
Vera Van Mierlo says
Mirror, mirror
A mirror is a funny thing. Sometimes it only shows what you want to see, and sometimes only what you don’t.
I knew I did not want to see this, whatever this… gruesome thing was.
I recoiled in horror. So did the thing.
Its eyes looked exactly like my own.
Vera Van Mierlo says
A sore loser
“Don’t turn around! It’s right behind you!”
She giggled. “You’ll have to do better that that!” They’d played this game so often and she ALWAYS won.
“Soph, don’t look! Run!”
“Nice try, Giles, but your acting skills suck. I win!”
Something slithered around her neck. “Wrong. This time, I win.”
Vera Van Mierlo says
Sorry for reposting this, the previous version was one word short of 50.
Vera Van Mierlo says
Trouble
“Go on, she’s asking for it!” Jason looked at the drunk girl lying in the dark alley. Stilletto’s, fishnet stockings. No witnesses. His friend Rick pawed at her mini skirt. The eyes opened. Blood red. “You’re in trouble, boyssssssss,” it hissed. What a feast! Worked like a charm, every time.
Vera Van Mierlo says
Sorry for reposting, but the previous version was one word short of 50. Apologies.
Phelister Awuor says
DE’JA’VU
The stench hit her nostrils clogging her throat.
Her face twisted as she registered the sticky wet substance, blood.
She woke up with a stat, her heart drumming her ears.
Already knowing what laid hidden in the closet- a mutilated human heart- she screamt herself awake…
Her hands were bloody.
Ryan Imhof says
Hunted
“AWHOOOO”. The wolves howled, piercing through the murky darkness. My heart pounded through my ears as I stumbled away from the bodies. I saw a yellow eye. The hunters had found me.
Vera Van Mierlo says
A growing boy
“Awww, dad, you don’t know what’s hip!”
“I do so know what is hip,youngling, you just watch and learn.”
Ugh. Dad swagger. How embarrassing. Oh well, I might as well start with him then. So, so hungry.
They say the old eat their young, but I’ll beat him to it.
Vera Van Mierlo says
The lepidopterist
Lord Fitzgerald surveyed his collection. Beautiful creatures! He had pinned them personally into their glass cases.
He regarded his latest specimen.
“So sorry, but I have to wake you.” It always made for such lively coloring.
He shook the woman.
“Don’t worry, my pretty, this will only hurt a moment!”
Leslie C. Halpern says
FATHER GHOSTS BEST
Twenty years ago today, a quiet man whose wife spoke for him died in my living room. Sirens blared; EMTs shouted; the clergyman eulogized Dad, whom he’d never met. My house became alive with angry creaks, groans, and rumbles for one month afterward.
Now he’s returned, and brought Mom, too.
Eric Shelman says
Autumn’s Worship!
Frightful nightmares
terrorific nightscapes
demented beautifications
twisted taunted haunted tortured tales
retching rots
accursed heresies
condemned blasphemers
macabre madness
Gothic scenery and decor
death and decay’s admiration and worship
black and white witchcraft hoodoo voodoo and sangria rites, rituals, and sacrifices
dressing up like dead, demons, ghouls, goblins, witches, warlocks.
Phelister Awuor says
WHISPERS
The dose laid at one end, the razor blade wrapped in a nylon paper inside his belly, the food at the other end.
The voices, an explosion of worlds inside his brain was the reason he was in the institution, they kept him company.
But still he preferred the rope…
Phelister Awuor says
SHADOWS
She tore into the belly of the black-hearted night. Wild panic in her eyes and not fast enough.
She wouldn’t make it, she had failed.
The darkness spewed its darker straight into her heart, spilling blood onto the ground that opened up to swallow her mystic form.
Sacrificed at last!
Phelister Awuor says
SWEET REVENGE
Lights off…
It was the signal. Thick silence.
Lights on…
The prefect laid motionless on the classroom floor, an arm lost, head disconnected.
Screams rent up the air but we knew who did it, and he was nowhere in sight.
Bloody ‘vengeance’ written on the wall, bloody handprint his signature…
Andrea Baron says
MIDNIGHT PHONE CALL
While Mom and Dad were away, I invited my friends to stay over. We’re having a blast until the clock struck midnight and I got a phone call from Mom.
“How are you, dear? We called as soon as we heard that your friends had a car accident.”
I froze.
Angela Cantiga says
PARTY PEOPLE
Sounds booming.
Chatter and laughter everywhere.
My neighbor just loves holding parties. Every night, I get not even a wink of sleep. Not tolerating this anymore, I went to confront them the next day.
However, what I found was a spacious, empty block.
There wasn’t a single house in sight.
Delaney Filby says
The Face
The good Windex is 10 blocks up. Today, I settle for the corner store’s impersonation.
On the fifth round of scrubbing, the grime clears—a face appears underneath. A face that is not my face. I can’t see my reflection in this mirror.
“Hello.”
The black lips don’t move. Not yet.
Susan Rocks says
Widows Weeds
Returning from my husband’s funeral, wearing contemptuous black, I find the front door open, lights burning brightly. Pipe smoke drifts down the hall, his favourite song softly plays. Trembling, I enter the kitchen. My husband sits at the table, the remaining half of his face smiles.
‘Hello dear,’ he says.
neer says
A SPECIAL DISH
“This is the best dish I have ever eaten,” Monster-in-law said, forking the fleshy parts into her mouth, slurping the gravy, and crunching the bones.
I lapped up the appreciation. It had taken a life-time.
“Knew you would relish it,” I said sincerely. He had been Mamma’s boy, after all
Angela Cantiga says
ROOM 301
I heard weird noises from room 301 but nobody responded when I knocked. I peeked through the keyhole but all I saw was red.
I complained to the landlady.
“The last occupant there died from stabbing her eyes until they bled,” she said.
Then I realized why I saw red.
Angela Cantiga says
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
The unmoving body of my husband soaks on red liquid with a sickeningly dry, metallic scent. Everything looked hazy for a moment.
I braced myself and cried, “Please, help me! I found my husband dead”.
That’s pretty good, I think.
I sounded more convincing.
I grinned before calling the police.
Angel Stebbins says
“Party”
The costumes ranged from horrific to just plain silly. She watched the revelers with disdain – not sure even why she had come. A very authentic vampire victom stumbled her way. Before she could express her admiration, the girl fell against her and whispered “help”. Her heart was next to stop.
-AS
Angel Stebbins says
“Howling”
After ten years he decided tonight would be the last night, he was tired of dreaming. He sat on the park bench and, closing his eyes, he raised his face to the moonlight and howled deeply. Another howl answered right next to him and a furry paw touched his hand.
-AS
Jacy Bush says
I yanked on the door. I could hear the screams as if I was making them. The screaming stopped and the door opened, there she was. Her dead body was lying in front of me. “You’re next.” I heard a voice say. I ran as fast as I could home.
Juli Bradshaw says
Buried Alive
Caitlyn lay perfectly still. She could feel the damp earth beneath her body. Above her, the moon slid behind a dark cloud, enveloping her in inky darkness. Hearing menacing laughter, she prayed the drug would wear off soon. Too late, the first shovelful of dirt landed on her paralyzed body.
Kenzie Mosley says
The Man
By: Kenzie Mosley
Working at the store made Jacob forget. He was a new person. “The Beast” took over Jacob. He couldn’t control it. He killed everyone who got in his way. He had to serve a death sentence. He finally died. Something bad happened and woke him. Jacob is still out there.
Cassidy Hovey says
The Haunted Escape
You woke up in a room that looked like a library. You decided to search the room, so you searched some drawers and found flashlights and batteries. You were checking something and you were stabbed by a knife. As you died, the door opened. You died before you got out.
Cooper Bolling says
Demon Custodian
It was 3rd hour at Heritage middle school when everyone in the whole school heard the intercom come on. A creepy voice, ̈if you don’t give the school to me I will turn all of you into robot demons ̈ The teachers started dropping to the ground lying there motionless.
Angela Cantiga says
A MESSAGE
My boyfriend died.
The police couldn’t find his cellphone. They said it could’ve been stolen.
So, when I received a message from his number, I thought they finally found it. But I learned that’s not the case.
That’s because what I received was a picture of me reading the message.
Ryne Jensen says
DARKNESS
The boy ran through the suffocating darkness. The scratching resonating all around him. He was helpless as he ran through the twists and turns of the nightmarish place. He was thrown into a wall. He was in agony. He couldn’t run. “It caught me. It’s over.” Everything faded into blackness.
Ryne Jensen says
DARKNESS
The boy ran through the suffocating darkness. The scratching resonating all around him. He was helpless as he ran through the twists and turns of this nightmarish place. He was thrown into a wall. He was in agony. He couldn’t run. “It caught me. It’s over.” Everything faded into blackness.
Ryne Jensen says
The Unknown
The boy ran through the suffocating darkness. The scratching resonating all around him. He was helpless as he ran through the twists and turns of the nightmarish place. He was thrown into a wall. He was in agony. He couldn’t run. “It caught me. It’s over.” Everything faded into blackness.
Malia says
The man in the shadows
I had a dream that a man was watching me sleep from outside my window. When I woke up, I saw big bloody footprints…. next to my bed. I froze, quietly laying in bed with my feet dangling out of the covers. I felt a chilling hand grab my feet.
Addyson Faulkner says
Chopped Fingers
Amanda was walking around a house and she heard a loud noise! She was trapped in the house now and she was scared. She knew her grandparents were getting terrified. When she found the key the doors slammed shut on her fingers. Amanda couldn’t feel her fingers. They were gone!
Trent Morgan says
“Zombie Attack”
“Groan” I run through the woods fear filled in my veins. “groan” a zombie chases me it runs toward me and I trip and he’s on top of me. I try to kill him but then he grabs me I cut off his head. and the fear drains like water.
Malia bucksath says
I had a dream that a man was watching me sleep from outside my window. When I woke up, I saw big bloody footprints…. next to my bed. I froze, quietly laying in bed with my feet dangling out of the covers. I felt a chilling hand grab my feet.
Davis Johnson says
Stuck in the Forest.
Ava and Jaden Went to Ava’s house. Ava asked if Jaden wanted to go to the forest. She said yes so they did. They saw this beautiful tree and they went to it but there were murderers there so they ran home and called the police and they couldn’t see.
Landon Reynolds says
On Halloween night, a group of kids went to an abandoned house, when they went in they were freaked out. All of them were walking and then they heard a noise not just any noise a loud laugh. They all went towards it and then got their heads chopped off.
Malia bucksath says
The man in the shadows
I had a dream that a man was watching me sleep from outside my window. When I woke up, I saw big bloody footprints…. next to my bed. I froze, quietly laying in bed with my feet dangling out of the covers. I felt a chilling hand grab my feet.
Calen Domingues says
The Missing Of “He”
He was watching a movie on Halloween night,
He was sitting in bed and felt a bite.
He wanted to see what was under his bed,
Next thing you know, he was gone and dead.
Though nobody knows the details of his fate,
October 31st is forever a sad date.
David F Tamanini says
Each night I lay here waiting to sleep, knowing sleep will not come until the torture comes. I now almost crave it, her nightly spectral visit. Only after can I rest. From bed I hear mother say they hanged Rebecca Nurse the witch at dawn. I rolled over and slept.
Jakeer Shaik says
“TERRIFYING TOY ”
The wiry man was stupefied and stood like a statue when the tiny purplish jeweled toy whispered, “Hello”.
He replied, ” Getaway”.
Quickly, it mounted onto his neck and sucked his blood like a thirsty vampire.
He squawked for help but in a minute his bones were left on the lane.