Raised on tales of the Michigan Dogman, a lifelong hunter dismisses the stories as mere folklore—until one fateful winter night in the remote woods. What begins as a peaceful morning hunt turns into a terrifying confrontation with a creature beyond understanding. As the familiar forest...
Trapped aboard a starship under siege by relentless alien invaders, Pvt. Edmund and Commander Rathburne must rely on their wits, willpower, and each other to survive. With time running out and danger closing in, the two soldiers face an impossible challenge: breach an impenetrable door...
Struggling to meet a delivery deadline during a brutal snowstorm, Jack Harper faces more than just treacherous roads. The ice beneath his truck isn't natural—it's alive, spreading and hunting with a will of its own. Joined by a terrified stranger, Jack must navigate a desolate...
Part I Listen, before I start—if anyone finds this, if anyone reads this, you need to know something. I shouldn’t be talking about this. It’s been ten years since that night, and I’ve kept my mouth shut like I promised, even when I wanted to scream...
It is the smell that Dachery notices first. A sour odor, not quite spoiled but somewhat acidic, wafts through the air. It joins the thick artificial popcorn butter and the sucrose of cotton candy to make a nauseating maelstrom of humidity that permeates through the...
Danny was always afraid of the dark. The kind of kid who'd slept with a nightlight until he was way too old. One who’d never dare to step out of his room if the hallway light was off. I remember our first sleepover, when tucked away beneath...
“With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Detective John McCarthy stood in the ankle-deep snow. Blowing hot air into his cupped hands while examining the scene. Christ. Why’d he...
His name was Connor. Dustin Connor, but he never went by that name. Some called him Con or Connor. I called him Mr. Connor. Mr. Connor was the bravest and most imposing man that I and many have ever known. He stood well over six feet...
I was always told not to look out a window at night, because you might not like what’s looking back at you. They call this an “old wives’ tale” or something like that, but for me, it was just a bunch of silly crap, so...
The air filled with smoke, but to Texan farmer Don Murphy, it was all part of his daily routine. Unlike most men, Don lived for his workdays. Even at fifty-seven he never grew tired of the fragrant fog of burning wood, the vast blue skies, and...
“Daddy, why is mommy so cold?” She was dead. Maurice knew that much, but why was she so cold? His father, a stout man named Gregory, was silent. Everyone knows we die. Not even children deny it. Yet knowing a fact and believing it are different....
I didn’t plan on staying at a motel that night. My apartment is normally a perfectly nice, pleasant, and comfortable place to stay. Unfortunately, the notice on the door of the building said we had to make other arrangements for the next two days. Why,...
Are you unfulfilled? I want to help you. Specifically you. Yes, you, the one reading this going “Is he really talking to me?” Yes, I‘m really talking to you. I know you, I know your type. Bored, frustrated with life, seeking that thrill that’ll make you...
I was twelve years old when I went on my first hunting trip. It took a lot of brown-nosing and a lot of help from my grandfather, but eventually my father caved and allowed me to go. I was ecstatic. Every fall, my dad and grandpa...
James was an eight-year-old boy with the heart of a dog and the energy of a hummingbird. His mother died when he was only five, so he lived with his grandmother, Babcia. They were very poor: their house was a tiny, dilapidated thing, with a...
I’ve never been good with people. It’s always just been easier to live my life alone, burying myself in fiction and living vicariously through the stories I read and watched. It was comforting to do that. My life could never have been as interesting as...
“Do not go outside! Ignore all cries for help, no matter how human they sound!” shouted Alex’s dad. He pulled the cellar door over and paused to look back. “And lock this door behind me.” The door slammed shut. Alex locked it, walked down the stairs...
We’d been driving around Texas for a while. Clayton, Tom and I had recently graduated, so we had no destination. We were just there to dick around and create some memories until we had to snap back to real life. At one point, Tom had gotten...
Tom Strand had to pee. Sixty-four ounces of gas station root beer sloshed in his gut, disrupting the constant thoughts of his mother. The problem was Tom hadn’t seen a rest stop for nearly an hour, and dusk was beginning to settle over the Louisiana...
In places where the very old traditions still hold, August is known as “the ghost month.” Hungry ghosts are said to roam the streets and hillsides, especially at night and especially when things are quiet. Some say that hungry ghosts are created when someone innocent...
