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• Story may not be published elsewhere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.
Keith Coles says
The power is out and I stalk the silent corridors alone. My last match keeps the shadows at bay.
A faint light suddenly appears on the wall up ahead. Distant footsteps quicken and the light contracts, growing brighter as I near the corner.
This building has been abandoned for years.
Keith Coles says
Forgot to add the title: “Anybody Home?”
Laurel Kamada says
how do we submit our 50 word stores?
Andrea Simmons says
Here. Write your story in the comments with your name and email.
Laurel Kamada says
Reality scarier than fiction
Yoshi Hattori, a humble Japanese exchange student to Lousiana, US, was sixteen when he was killed in 1992 mistakenly approaching the wrong house for a Halloween costume party. The owner mistook them for trespassers yelling,
“Freeze!”
Yoshi heard “Please,” inviting him to proceed. He did so and was shot dead.
Jeya Mackelle says
DON’T LOOK IN THE MIRROR
She reached out to me with long, gnarled fingers, her nails sharp and covered in blood. I tried to get away from her, but the doorknob was locked, and I was unable to get out in time. She wrapped her hands around my throat and forced me to look her in her eyes. Her cold, dead, black eyes. They were void of emotion, but I knew she meant me harm. I fought to get out of her grasp, but she was too strong, and I was pulled closer and closer to her hideously emaciated body. I blacked out at some point, and when I came to, I was in my bed, the comforter on the floor, the sheets wrapped around my body, suffocating me. I unentangled myself and shuffled into the bathroom. I splashed cold water onto my face, looked up at the mirror…and screamed. The woman, the horrifying, emotionless woman, was me!
Andrea Simmons says
What Happens in the Barn, Stays in the Barn.
The old, red barn was barren, emptied years ago by tragedy which struck my family’s Swedish village. Cholera graves outnumbered livestock. Inside, the
smell of freshly drained deer enveloped my senses. Warm blood rose above my thighs, a weakening stench; I fell. Without struggle, I succumbed to my ancestor’s vessel.
Dorian J. Sinnott says
“Dark Skies”
The skies turned dark the day they arrived. They were nothing of our kind: large, round heads and clumsy, airless gait. We found shelter in bunkers while their space crafts circled the starless night. Waiting. For either hope or the end. For them to return home to their planet Earth.
Lex Black says
Title: Hitchhiker
She opens the passenger door, smiles, sits down.
“I can’t believe I found you! You’re what’s called a phantom hitchhiker, and I’ve been looking for you for years.”
“I know,” she says. “You found me years ago, and took your eyes off the road. Now you find me every night.”
Asith Umavin Pallemulla says
Died As He Lived
He’d wanted to play at his own funeral. We thought it was funny — his gigs were already plentiful; his funeral half a lifetime away. But then he’d taken that life early. We kept his funeral silent, so as to not taint his memory.
Soothing guitar melodies filled the room.
Asith Umavin Pallemulla says
Why Am I Sad?
“Let me go back,” I pleaded to God.
“Don’t test me.”
“Another try at life, please?” I begged.
“No.”
“I just want to live a happy one.”
“You won’t.”
“I can do better! I’ll be happy this time!”
“You won’t.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Because I won’t let you.”
Subhodeep Mukherjee says
UNDER MY BED
There is someone under my bed. He looks exactly like me.
I sit shivering on my bed, afraid to look under but I cannot resist. Two hands pull me towards the darkness.
I scream.
Sshh!
Deadly silence.
He points towards the mirror.
I see only one reflection.
It is his.
Asith Umavin Pallemulla says
Maturity
“And this is how I become a grown-up?” asked the girl.
“Oh, yes. This is what all grown-ups do,” replied the dark figure. “I promise.”
It offered the knife to the girl. She wanted to use it.
“It’ll be good,” said the figure.
The girl did what she did, alone.
Naman R Munshi says
On weekend womanizer Danny was returning from job, near a cross road; a beautiful lady having a kid asked for a lift. He welcomed her, few meters later Danny asks her for intercourse; she dropped her cloths…Skeleton.
Now on that cross road; three persons are asking for lift; including Danny.
Naman R Munshi says
Womanizer
On weekend womanizer Danny was returning from job, near a cross road; a beautiful lady having a kid asked for a lift. He welcomed her, few meters later Danny asks her for intercourse; she dropped her cloths…Skeleton.
Now on that cross road; three persons are asking for lift; including Danny.
Subhodeep Mukherjee says
THE GIFT
With a heavy heart, I disconnect the call. Another friend of mine has died. Number ten. They all wanted to tell me about a watch which they received as a gift.
The doorbell rings. A parcel for me.
I open it. A beautiful wooden case.
Inside it is a watch.
Naman R Munshi says
No Ghost in the World
In late night after completing his lecture on ‘No Ghost in the World’, Billy starts walking through footpath to reach his residence in London. He collides, looks back, fainted.
A man without had has crossed him.
Subhodeep Mukherjee says
THE FUTURE
“Cross my palm with silver and know your future,” the gypsy announced.
A mysterious man, fully covered and wearing a hood, entered her tent.
“You have told mine. I will tell you yours,” he said.
“I don’t know you.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, unwrapping himself.
It was a skeleton.
Subhodeep Mukherjee says
THE NIGHTMARE
Every night I wake up screaming from the nightmare.
I see her staring at me through the shadows, blood dripping out of her neck.
There’s a reason why I am in this mental asylum.
I had slit my wife’s throat.
Tonight, I intend to do the same.
To my nurse.
Savio Koman says
DEMON IN THE ROOM
Jim rushed to check after he heard Darren’s scream.
“Dad, there’s someone in the closet,” Darren was sweating on his bed.
“It’s just your imagination, Darren,” Jim switched on the light and opened the closet to check.
“Dad, there’s someone on my bed,” Darren was in the closet.
Jim froze.
Regina says
Nice!
Lyz Frerking says
The Call
By sunrise, I was gone. I wanted them to feel how I felt. Hated. Unneeded. Alone. I stayed in a motel room and dreamed of a call. A call where they cried. A call where they pleaded. A call where they loved me. I stayed a week. No one called.
Savio Koman says
FINAL GOODBYE
“Honey, I am home,” Darryl kissed Carla.
“What’s with the blood?”
“Minor scuffle with a robber on the run.”
Sirens heard.
“Darryl, there are cops on our porch.”
“Open the door. I am coming in a second.”
“I am sorry, mam,” the cop said, “your husband was shot dead.”
Savio Koman says
RED WITCH
“You think the red witch is a myth?” Selma asked.
“Just a good story,” Sam said.
“My convincing won’t help?”
“You are mesmerizing. So, never know,” Sam acknowledged.
“Hmm. So, here’s the convincing.”
Sam came face to face with long fangs, rotten flesh and fiery red eyes. Selma was nowhere.
Michael Devine says
SERIAL COW
“7 dead women, and the murderer appears to be a cow,” said the captain.
“A cow? But they were stabbed- cows don’t have opposable thumbs.”
“Solid DNA evidence in the semen.”
“Semen?! Wait, is ‘cow’ a metaphor?”
“No. Real. Science doesn’t lie.”
“Motive?”
“Snuffing competition. All the women were breastfeeding.”
Michael Devine says
Cows are always funny. Gary Larson knew this.
Michael Devine says
NOSFERATU GOES TO
THE PSYCHIATRIST
“You see, I’ve developed a taste for cows.”
“You mean meat? Like steak?”
“No, I like to bite their necks and drain their blood.”
“Hmmm, perhaps you’re searching for the mother you never had. Do these cows become vampires.”
“Yes, flying vampire cows.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“I need Prozac.”
“Indeed.”
Derek Wilcox says
Dude, this is a horror short story writing contest. Please stop writing nonsense.
Michael Devine says
Dude, there’s 500$ dollars at steak here, I’m going to milk my stories for all I can get. Your comment is bull crap. You want more bovine puns? Make another comment, i’ll stampede you with them, they’ll have to take you out on a geurnsy.
Michael Devine says
They’re also not just nonsense, they are also satire, and within that satire are real life horrors as follows 1) big pharma pushing anti depressants for profit, making psychiatrists overprescribing them, 2) the horrific way slaughterhouses treat livestock and the illegal aliens they hire for more profit 3) the horrible food MacDonalds shoves down our throat and we brain dead lap it up 4) the way cows milk is pushed by companies like Nestle causing harm. I see the overall theme here are the horrors corporations foist upon us. I take that theme up in several of my serious stories, but also standards like werewolves, ghosts and serial killers. You should check them out, I think you’ll agree some are indeed scary. I look forward to your feedback Derek.
Michael Devine says
Correction ‘cow’s milk is pushed over breast milk.’
(Third world)
Kit Steward says
The cow riffs are a great stream of consciousness.
Derek’s being “udderly” preposterous, it takes a lot of effort to bring something fresh to the table.
I find cows dopey cute when they want to be, but also extremely horrifying when they can turn your brains into scrambled mush or give you colon cancer.
Fight the good fight Great White Buffalo!
Michael Devine says
COWS VS UFO
The cows valiantly stood their ground, raising their udders towards the sky, milking the UFO’s windshield. The aliens- vision impaired- crashed.
The cow scientists reverse engineered the UFO, and two brave cows were chosen for space.
When they reached the alien planet, they were immediately slaughtered and turned into hamburger.
Michael Devine says
ZOMBIE COW
The cow ambled down the slaughterhouse queue foaming at the mouth.
“Pedro, that cow loco and green!”
“No problemo Carnito, this is a McDonald cow.”
The cow was put into the grinder producing black and green foul smelling meat.
Over several months, 100s of McDonald’s customers were zombified. Nobody noticed.
Andrea Simmons says
Bashful
“What’s your sister’s problem?” My friend Tony stared and shook his head. “Weird”.
She never spoke.
“Can I touch her?” I shrugged my shoulders.
Tony leaned in and nudged her arm. No response.
We went outside to goof around. Tony ran back to pee.
A scream. Awww, Bashful. Not again.
Keith Coles says
“Morning Watch”
The clock read 4:00 am, and the room was freezing. They had forgotten to close the window last night.
She felt snug beneath the sheets with her husband’s warmth at her back. She turned over to embrace him.
Who was the dark figure standing at the foot of their bed?
Lindsay Phillips says
When The Log Rolls Over
“When the log rolls over, we’re all gonna die”
The voice repeated itself, louder than before. They looked at each other, terror in their eyes.
“There it is again” louder now.
They opened the door, their eyes going wide, for it would be the last thing they would ever see.
Lindsay Phillips says
Lady of the River
“There’s a reason it’s just a legend” the boy rolled his eyes. “It’s not real”
They stood in front of the still river, waiting to see the ghostly figure from the legend.
Before either of the boys had the chance to speak, they saw the ghostly figure coming towards them.
Blake Kirkland says
Malositas
“The bones of men,” my mother said. Looking at her face, I wasn’t sure she was for real—but she was. I stared at her squinting, hungry, “The bones of men—qué men?”
“Malositos—wretched little things, y a veces, big ones too.”
Her words true, we would feed soon.
Carol Anne Lake says
Red Paint It Ain’t
I pass under the neighbor’s window,
Suddenly a red mist coats the glass
A white hand smacks the pane
creating an artistic, crimson swirl.
Fascination, then realization takes hold.
Flee!
My head violently snaps back, a quick movement
below my chin.
Fresh red droplets spew forth
A breathless flutter… why?
Kit Steward says
THE UN-FRESH PRINCE
A man was bound in the basement, his smug demeanor had fleeted.
His gagging mouth was crammed thick with cobwebs from the rafters above.
The newfound silence was relished.
Soon, several liters of Will’s blood were siphoned into nearby jars.
The notorious Black Widow of Bel-Air had struck again.
Chelsea Meadows says
Don’t turn around
Out of nowhere I hear a soft scream. The screams kept getting louder,so I just kept on walking fast trying to get home. Then a voice in my ear told me to not turn around. Me being stubborn I turned around and I was never to be seen again.
Chelsea Meadows says
Don’t play with the devil
Hide and go seek is a fun game to play, but not with the devil. One by one he was finding us and picking us off like flies. Then it was my turn to be found. The last person left be found. The last person to die or to survived.
Kit Steward says
A DYING BREED
“No scraps,” the skeletal ball huffed from the observation room’s corner,
“I want…mind food,” it whimpered.
Painful, measured torment had dragged on for weeks.
The creature, with its peculiar nourishment modality, was three pages away from extinction.
It’d been several months since scientists discovered the last remaining book on earth
Kit Steward says
A lesson in patience, and excessive revision, this story was a wonderful concept in the mind, but a rush to print killed it.
Good writing isn’t a sprint, it’s a steady marathon of revisionary steps.
Here’s what a focused SLOW revision can produce:
A DYING BREED (190928 #19 Revised)
“No more scraps,” the skeletal lump huffed from the observation room’s corner, “I…want…MIND FOOD!”
The creature’s slow, painful, starvation saga dragged on.
It had been months since scientists discovered the last remaining book on earth, and with its peculiar nourishment modality, the Legit Librorum was three pages away from extinction.
Jacob Hatton says
The Beast
At 3:15 a.m. I’m awaken by a agonizing shriek which chilled my bones. Someone was hurt or worse but I was paralyzed with fear. The next day there were police everywhere. One man said she was grotesquely mangled and was bite on the neck. The beast is back.
Jacob Hatton says
The Creature
John could hear growling, screeching, and a vicious gnawing outside his tent. He was alone and very petrified my not only by the nightmarish sounds but also by the putrid smell outside his tent. He took a peak and saw the wolf like creature chewing on the decomposing corpse.
Shirley Topeka says
Deathly Dance
Shadows crept across the wall. Fire flickered in unison with the shadows in a deathly dance. His chest heaved; snoring mimicking the chainsaw he planned to use for my dismemberment. Backwoods. Torture. An hour ago, I welcomed death. But in his drunken state, he got careless.
I stood.
Everything faded.
Caley Pelletier says
Name: Lust of the Dead
Suddenly, she felt it; the ice-cold touch of his lifeless fingers crawling along her back. Inching their way up towards the back of her neck, intertwining into her long midnight black hair. It was then, that he reached his cold dead hands through her chest, and pulled out her bloody, beating heart.
Michael Devine says
The Witnesses
Invited them in- Big and Small, coffee and tea- to preach to me.
I told them I believed. Huge smiles all around. Small- stiletto quick- terminated Big.
With bloody hands he nodded at me- the new chosen one.
I sipped my shaking cup, and prayed to God for a sign.
Michael Devine says
I’ve noticed that the vast majority of the entries don’t do the most essential thing- modifying their writing to fit more with less words. The goal here is not to just write a 50 word story, it’s to write a 100 story in 50 words. I post my example below, I hope some of you find this helpful.
I invited the Jehovah’s Witness’s in and we sat on the couch. I immediately forgot their names, but one had a very large build, the other was quite small. I brought out coffee and tea, and they began to preach. I told them I already had faith, I was a believer. We all smiled. The something shiny was produced by Small; he plunged the stiletto into Big’s heart. He smiled a sickening smile at me and informed me I was to be his new partner, the chosen one. Shocked, I sat ‘calmly’ and tried to drink out of my shaking coffee cup and prayed to God for some kind of sign.
115 words
Caley Pelletier says
Title : Nameless Temptress
She was the woman with no name. One look into her eyes and your soul would become encroached form within. Panic slowly takes over your body as she comes closer to you. Yet, you are frozen. You have no choice to but watch as this devilish dame comes to you, places her hands on your heart and steals your soul. She has now become you.
Laramie Dean says
“Dad?” he cried. He couldn’t see; the dark was thick, was touching him.
“Here!”
Relief; his father’s voice was distant, muffled, but there.
He reached out, groping. “Dad? I can’t see you!”
“Here!”
A sound; some sound in the darkness.
Light.
His father’s head; the blood. “Here,” he said, grinning.
Laramie Dean says
Title: DAD
Cynthia C. Scott says
Horror Story
He was crossing the quad toward home when he heard footsteps on the wet grass.
Squish, squish, squish.
His heart froze. The moon cut through thick clouds, briefly illuminating the shadowy figure racing toward him.
Gasping, he clutched the can of iced tea and bag of Skittles and ran.
Laramie Dean says
TITLE: The Door
They kissed like always.
“I missed you,” he said.
He frowned slightly. “Everything ok?”
“Of course.” His smile was the same, his face. The way he smelled.
“Dinner?”
But he was at the door. He couldn’t see who stood there.
“Yes,” he was saying. “I know exactly what to do.”
Robert Schmidt says
The Boundless
A Source less silhouette loomed over New York City; no explanation, no movement, only a feeling of baleful omniscience. Month after month the still prowling of our corrupter causes an increasing dread of expiration. Day 287 it disappears along with our shadows. Now our silhouettes symbiotically wander, while you flee.
Cj grey says
Title: Why Mommy?
Mommy, why? Why did you let daddy beat me to death, while he was possed with the demon of alcohol.
I was an innocent young girl. You’ve let him murder my innocence.
Mommy, you have hurt me in the worst way I possibly can imagine. Now, it’s my turn to return the favor…
Kit Steward says
IN THE WING
Cindy watched old horror movies in her living room late one night.
The last flick ended with the monster hunter stating,
“There is always something worse, waiting.”
Just then, a hallway door slowly creaked open, and from the dark recesses of the other room something hissed, “Yes, there is indeed…”
Laramie Dean says
TITLE: THEY CRAWL IN AND OUT
“Oh my god,” I cried, “I thought you didn’t make it!” and grabbed her and held her tight, tight, tight.
Something struck me. Then again.
I looked at her face in time to see another worm fall from her empty eye-socket.
“I didn’t,” she said.
Lyz Frerking says
O.D.’d
Rockstar Blaze Horizon woke up naked. There was a woman straddling him. This wasn’t unusual. The needle in her hand, however, was unusual.
“I would,” Blaze smirked. “But I’m sober now.”
“I’ve given you a lethal dose,” the woman scowled. “They’ll think that you relapsed. Burn in hell, you pig!”
Lindsay Krause says
Title – We All Return to Dust
The desolate land was supposedly called Death Valley due to the soul scorching heat, but as I became hypnotized by a massive dust devil emitting a human scream moving towards us at lightning speed, I began to have second thoughts. My lover squeezed my hand sighing, “Great vacation idea, dear.”
Ute Gillett says
Blackberry thorns slash his sweaty face like razors. He tears through the moonlit woods erasing the sight of the young girl’s corpse afloat in the water.
Suddenly, a cliff.
He contemplates the boulder-strewn dark river below. A breeze chimes a bell nearby. He startles.
Jumps.
Inadvertently.
They wash up entwined.
Regina Munoz says
Feline Freak
“That blasted cat!” seethed Rebecca, once again spying fresh droppings on her lawn. Vengefully, she menaced her neighbor’s cat at every opportunity, hissing and harassing, never leaving it in peace, until one night, it contorted and swelled into a grotesque miscreation, stared fixedly at her through the window and waited.
Storm McAdrian says
A QUIET PLACE
Darkness. Her heart raced. Boxed in, panic. Pandemonium.
“Why is it so silent?” She whimpered. “Because death– is a quiet place,” He said softly turning to her, “Hello.” He continued, His eyes glowed.
Mathias Anyanwu says
LAWLESS MATERIAL
“You wanted to die. Why?” The therapist asked.
“Many talked about my condemnation, but none talked about my redemption. I felt it was the only prize to pay for the victory over the irresistible desire to rape women, insert knives into their vagina or pull out their intestines.” I said.
Richard Wolfe says
Your Soul to Take
Of all the stillborn-baby souls at Waverly Hills, mine was the last remaining. Each Halloween since 1961, I’ve longed for the tours to bring me the perfect uterus. This year, I found it. Mom, if you’re reading this- I promise your death to be swift.
Michael Devine says
I love this- a fetus’ revenge. Very original.
Richard Wolfe says
Rub-a-dub-dub
I struggle against the force pinning me to the bottom of the tub, then euphoria sets in as water fills my lungs; I rest in peace. My brother was first and keeps me company. Now my sister kicks and screams as she joins us. I hope the cat is next.
Richard Wolfe says
Triangle
Perhaps I took this too far, but I thought hanging myself while writing the perfect 50-word horror story would surely win. My wife runs in and grabs my legs and pulls. Jokes on her, I cancelled my life insurance policy. Her lover runs in…so that’s how she got crabs
Julie Otalora says
NEIGHBORLY
We downloaded the neighborhood app “Neighborly”. Although they say it’s a great way to stay connected with your neighbors and keep up on the latest happenings, we joined for other reasons. The neighbors are posting about missing pets again. We know that means Grandma must be getting out at night.
S. L. Clarke says
Hush.
As he thrust himself inside her, with one hand he gently covered her mouth and whispered, “don’t worry, even your screams couldn’t save you now.”
Her displays of writhing pain weren’t quite enough, so he drove the blade of his knife deep into her, right where he himself once was.
Steve Whitfield says
Together Forever
“I’ve always wanted to do it in a cemetery. Now, I’ve got to pee.” She stood up and ran into the darkness.
She didn’t return. I searched for her. Suddenly, she grabbed me from behind. “Don’t worry, It will only hurt for a moment; then, we can be together forever.”
Kit Steward says
AULD LANG SYNE
The Class Reunion was bustling,
old friends reminisced by the bar,
while others ghoulishly gossiped about peers that had passed.
“…and Kathy died in ‘05, choked on nachos,” he added.
“How horrible, that poor girl,” came the reply.
Music played on.
“Hey, the food’s here,” he said, “…want some chips?”
Daisy Jean says
Rip Tied
The terrified crowd pushed and pulled on her small body. She tightened her fearsome grip on her mother’s hand as a cacophony of voices rained down. Suddenly, she was ripped from her safe tether-watching her mother swallowed in an instant, their screams drowning in a sea of panicked people.
Nicholas Battaglia says
Checking the Closet for Monsters
My son asked me to check his closet for monsters before bedtime. I crept to the door and swung it open. Much to my surprise, there was my real son wrenched in fear. He pointed “behind you!” Before I could turn I felt the changeling’s claws plunge into my flesh.
Angela Morgan says
Eyes open. He’s a tangle of limbs crammed into…something. Strains, peers through the hole in front of him. Sees nothing but a grey expanse. The ground begins to rumble. A cold sheen of sweat covers his body. Semi truck roaring towards him and all he can do is wait.
Angela Morgan says
The End
Eyes open. He’s a tangle of limbs crammed into…something. Strains, peers through the hole in front of him. Sees nothing but a grey expanse. The ground begins to rumble. A cold sheen of sweat covers his body. Semi truck roars towards him and all he can do is wait.
(edited from first comment-edit button did not work)
Mathias Anyanwu says
LAWLESS MATERIAL
“You wanted to die. Why?” The therapist asked.
“Many talked about my condemnation, but none talked about my redemption. I felt it was the only prize to pay for the victory over the irresistible desire to rape women, insert knives into their vagina or pull out their intestines.” I said.
Bosun Ogunshina says
SCREAMS
Screams wake me up, screams of pain and fear. I realize two things, my hands are cuffed and my eyelids are sewn shut. I hear another sound, different from the screams, metal sliding over each other. “Knives sharpening” I think imagination in overdrive. I hear laughter, I start screaming.
Michael Devine says
THE MAN FROM THE NORTH
“Are we in business?” I asked the carny.
“Ok. But seven? That will cost you two.”
“No problem.”
“What did she do to you?”
“She shoved an icicle into my heart.”
I writhed in pain- index and middle
finger gone- as I fondled her engagement
ring with my good hand.
Michael Devine says
An homage to Roald Dahl.
Toyin Adeniji says
BOTTLE OF WINE
…she stepped back in wondering where her family was. She found them in her bathroom, kneeling, tied together, heads severed horizontally from the nose, leaving their heads and necks looking like wine goblets and beside each of them sat a bottle of the exact wine she stepped out to get.
Denise Tidwell says
Inner Peace
I do what you cannot. I live with my deeds easily because I know that, unlike you, when I take a life, I take the lives of the unclean. The lives of those who would prey on the innocent.
Lauren Marcilliat says
THE STRANGER
Late nights at the office. Dirt under his nails. A stubborn blood stain. She lies awake at night, suspicions growing. She feels silly when he turns to her, passions aroused, and breathes a sigh of relief as those familiar hands close around her throat and squeeze a little…too…tight.
Denise Tidwell says
From the Mouth of a Babe
I told them there was something coming. No one believed me. My imagination, they said. They did believe me only when it was too late. Now the evil has them and will never let them go.
Lauren Marcilliat says
SMOTHERED
She feels the chill, smells rot. The woman in the corner watches longingly. Each night she comes closer. The mother clutches her baby to her breast. “You can’t have him!” she screams. She is so tired, so afraid. She holds him tightly—too tightly. The specter turns, arms full, satisfied.
Lauren Marcilliat says
MAN’S BEST FRIEND
She took off one day chasing a deer. He wandered through misty woods, searching and disoriented. They both returned by nightfall, but the light is gone from her eyes. When he calls her to his side, she emits a growl, hackles raised. He wonders, has she changed, or has he?
RICK MALOY says
“TRAITOR”
Breaking glass awakens her. Cindy creeps to the bedroom door and peers into the hallway. A shadow slowly ascends the stairs. She spins and hides herself. Sounds of heavy footsteps and raspy breathing finally enter the room. “Alexa,” where is Cindy hiding? Alexa whispers back, “She’s hiding under the bed.”
Laramie Dean says
THE BUS
I got away! I saw him left behind me, shaking his head slightly, as my shoes clacked triumphantly up the steps of the bus.
He was sitting there already, smiling and nodding his head. His eyes glowed gold. “Have a seat,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”
Regina Munoz says
Midnight Spooning
Thunder cracked and Nancy trembled, relieved when her shift-working husband crawled under the covers and tucked in close, an arm snaking across her waist. On the edge of sleep, Nancy’s eyes snapped open to her husband’s truck rumbling up the drive, body clenching against fingertips drawing circles atop her belly.
Laramie Dean says
BABY MINE
I offered my baby my nipple to suck. I smiled and hummed as his toothless mouth settled upon me; I sighed, enjoying the sensations.
The cold burned off him; I felt the bare bones of his arms and caressed them.
“I’m sorry I put you there,” I crooned. “Never again.”
RICK MALOY says
“Host”
“They’re beautiful,” exclaimed Allison admiring the pearls. The man across from her replied, “You’ll make a wonderful mother.” “Mother,” she gasped, “but we’ve only just met.” The pearls suddenly weld to her skin, pulsating with life. “I misspoke,” grinned the man evilly. “You’ll make a wonderful host for my children.”
Kit Steward says
THE TUNNEL OF LOVE
One night, two gelatinous slugs crawled into a snoring man’s mouth.
He suffered all night with intestinal pains.
The next day, bloated with pressure, he hid in the office bathroom and passed out, slumping to the floor.
His co-workers were shocked and totally unprepared for the baby shower that ensued.
Shell McLennan says
NIGHT SWEATS
Was it the cat creeping up her body as she slept? Shrugging off brain fogginess, her gut clenched as she realised ‘I have no cat!’ Shaking, she groped the light on. Sucking in her scream, she scrambled backward, forcing her body into the bed head. The rat glared, then lunged!
Ute Gillett says
Title: Entwined
Blackberry thorns slash his sweaty face like razors. He tears through the moonlit woods erasing the sight of the young girl’s corpse afloat in the water.
Suddenly, a cliff.
He contemplates the boulder-strewn dark river below. A breeze chimes a bell nearby. He startles.
Jumps.
Inadvertently.
They wash up entwined.
R. Wilder says
Disillusioned Siege
The plaid covers were scratchier today. More than usual. The wooden bed creaked as she lifted her head from her pillow to steady herself on her elbow. She glanced around the room. All the usual things, but such an unusual atmosphere. She was in a chamber. Scratchy, was the dream.
R. Wilder says
Sister
“Mommy, sister is back.” Mother’s eyes darted across the room at the little girl in the doorway. “Grab your crayons!” The boy rushed for his crayons, spread the paper and the three of them sat at the table together. “Draw,” said the deceased corpse of delighted Abestein Eloise Grey.
Halie Hale says
“The Change”
Autumn ran.
An icy chill raced through her veins; her legs burned with an awful sting. Despite it all, she refused to stop. Her ragged breath scorned her throat as she ran through the once colorful, now dead, forest.
Glancing back quickly, she screamed at the frozen eyes there. Wyntir.
R. Wilder says
Something
She ran. She slid her back down the side paneling of the home, boots embeded into the leaves, twigs and dirt. Her face array, as if to cry, she attempted to yell, “No!” As the nothingness swallowed itself into her throat, unseen. No whisper, no essence. Just Nothing.
R. Wilder says
Powder Room
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” “One more. I’m having a ball tonight.” Headmaster led the gentleman down the chilling hallway to a lavender room. Gazing into her young eyes, he touched her lip with a finger and her life energy drained. “How may I offer you payment?”
Jillian Farmer says
BREAKFAST SURPRISE
The scoop of Jell-O looked weird, nothing like the bowl I made earlier. I still took a bite of “Surprise Breakfast” my toddler made. Being pregnant meant I’d throw it up anyway.
“What’s this?” I pulled white hair from my mouth.
“Baby said it wanted to play with the puppy.”
Kias Arrington says
Demonic Mom
I was screaming and in pain from what happened. Being chased by my own mother. Demonic and her eyes paralyzing when I looked. Never again could I go back home. Is this a nightmare? Could this be real? No one would believe me if I told the truth. Now what?
Kit Steward says
UNHAPPY TRAILS
Buck slashed a knife across the carpet.
He giggled as a headless body twitched and black antennae ebbed distress.
That evening a dark blanket undulated from the ceiling,
and when it dropped the boy was smothered.
Later only his bones remained, the rest stripped away by thousands of tiny mandibles.
Faira Wilson says
EMBRACE THE UNEXPECTED
Crying from my son’s room sent me flying down the hall.
“I’m scared,” he wailed from his bed.
“Hush, I’m here.” I pulled him against me, pressing his cold head to my chest, but he didn’t feel right. I held him out in front of me. A doll smiled back.
Natalie Walker says
Sanguinary Wine
Blackout curtains shielded the room from sunlight. Sprawled on vermilion silk sheets, languid and nude, a punctured man clutched the stem of a broken wineglass. Veronica hung inverted above him, her ivory legs coiling a velvet rope.
“You should have swiped left,” she said, his blood dripping from her fangs.
Jillian Farmer says
THE COLLECTOR
Eye sketches stared up from his lap. Being an Uber driver, I’ve never been ogled like this.
He fished a bag out of his portfolio. When I looked over, the bag held gooey gobstoppers. I did a double take….
“I don’t have blue.” The man was staring. “You have blue.”
Laura Brandt says
HIDDEN
Drip…Drip…Drip! She could hear her sisters’ blood dripping from the knife as he came closer. Warm blood dripping onto the cold tile floor. Echoing in her head. It sounds so close now. Trying not to breathe so he can’t find her. Trying not to scream. Drip…Drip…DRIP.
Laura Brandt says
Unlocked
She had locked the door. She had a habit of checking everything three times, so she knew she had. Hadn’t she? Sighing, she locked it again on her way to bed, refusing to check it again until morning when she awoke. Unlocked! She was sure she had locked the door.
Michael Devine says
A CLEAN SLATE
She was raped, burned, and left for dead. In her hospital bed, with a crayon she drew a picture of who did these things. What she produced was not a child’s scribble, but an exact likeness of me, her pastor. I guess I’ll be transferred to a new Parrish soon.
Faira Wilson says
TRUE STORY
My friend says she sees shadow hands on the doorframe of her parent’s bedroom. What a liar.
Tonight I walked down the stairs to find my son staring wide-eyed up at me.
“I saw hands,” he said in a terrified whisper, pointing at the chipped molding. “There, on the doorframe.”
Wendy Montoya says
Seventeen:
“17 hours of hard labor, and not one damn thank you!!!” he growled at her just as she hit the floor. She cheek was hot and stung from his beastly hand. She reached out grabbing the counter for support as he watched her with a smug grin, suddenly; she plugged an ice pick into his Esophagus whispering “thank you!” with a giggle.
Wendy Montoya says
Cora’s husband Stewart:
Everyone was enjoying the bloody Mary’s Cora served! It’s so divine she smiled as she set the dishes in front of the guests. when her neighbor Jane asked:
“when will your husband be joining us?” Cora smiled widely “He’s already her dear!”as she placed a bowl of stew in front of her.
Zeina Abi Ghosn says
The Parking Lot
The dreadful silent is haunting and fear tickles my skin while I search for my car in the dark parking lot. I finally find my car. But then I notice the branches of a nearby tree swirling with the wind except today there’s no wind.
Kit Steward says
BOUND TOGETHER
He took the severed fingers and tapped them to his lips, checking for warmth.
“Can we save them?” he asked.
“I think so,” came the reply.
A suitable container was found and the fingers were placed inside.
The accomplice patiently waited for each successive snip and collected the remaining digits.
Danielle Hagar says
Penny For Your Sanity
She smoothed down her perfect hair and wore her perfect smile. If she could keep control she could stay a little while. So she took her perfect pills and she said her perfect words, It wasn’t until she looked in her bathroom mirror she realized the face there wasn’t hers.