My sister Brianna went missing on April 10th, 2008. On October 9th, 2013, Brianna came back. Six weeks later, on November 23rd, 2013, Brianna vanished again–and our house burned down. I was safe, sleeping over at my best friend’s house. My mother perished in the blaze. Since that day...
Part I My name is Elias Grayson, and until five years ago, I believed in God. Not the vague, modernist platitude of some benevolent creator, nor the cynical skepticism of a philosopher hedging his bets; I believed in a God with capital letters, the Almighty, the...
If you ever hear about a game called Corpse Hold, don’t play it. I mean it. There are some things in this world you don’t mess with, and this is one of them. It doesn’t matter what you’re promised or how much you want to...
My wife Abby and I have a nightly routine at our house that begins around 8:30 or so, starting with putting our son Hunter to bed. We take turns lying him down and reading him a story. He’s just turned seven, but it’s still difficult for...
Part I Michael adjusted the rearview mirror for the third time in two minutes, watching his 8-year-old son, Aidan, fiddling with a worn strap on his tattered blue tote bag. The bag, stitched by his ex-wife Hannah years ago, was barely holding together. The seams were...
Working security at the Twin Valley Behavioral Center for Children has exposed me to more strange events than I can count. For all its fancy wording, it’s a long-term mental-health facility, not maximum security–but we still get our fair share of crazy moments around here....
My family has a bit of a rocky history. My grandmother had some troubling religious beliefs, which drove a wedge between her and my mother. We couldn’t celebrate any major holidays together, so the only time I saw my grandmother was on my birthday. However,...
Seeking refuge from a world that no longer feels like his own, Samuel Reid takes on the lonely post of lighthouse keeper at St. Eris, perched above a desolate sea. But the lighthouse’s glow is more than a beacon for ships—it’s a barrier against the...
After a devastating accident leaves him with shattered ribs and no way to work, Elliot Harper is offered an experimental treatment that promises to heal him faster than modern medicine ever could. Desperate to get his life back, he agrees to the trial, but...
Drawn by the promise of gold and escape from their ordinary lives, Carter Weatherbee and Percy Cuthfert venture into the unforgiving Arctic wilderness with a group of hardy explorers. Ill-prepared for the physical and mental trials of the North, they soon find themselves stranded, isolated,...
Gabe lives in Winter Hollow, a town that takes Christmas obsession to a whole new level. When the dashing Prince Stefan of Veldenmark arrives, bringing his mysterious charm and a fairytale romance with local baker Holly, the town is swept up in holiday magic. But...
Haunted by the events of his childhood in a remote Siberian village, Yaroslav Teuter has devoted his life to understanding and eradicating the force that destroyed his family. But his pursuit of revenge leads him into a world where science and folklore blur, and the...
Officers Hank Lewes and Jay Bradshaw are dispatched to the ominous Stag Creek Forest, where a string of disappearances has left the community on edge. What starts as a routine investigation quickly unravels into a nightmarish journey through suffocating darkness, eerie sounds, and unsettling discoveries....
In a village suffocated by fear and bound by an unholy pact, four men dare to defy the darkness that controls their every moment. With resources dwindling and hope slipping away, they hatch a dangerous plan to break free from the iron grip of their...
Jared’s routine drive home takes a horrifying turn when he encounters something monstrous on a desolate backroad. What begins as a fleeting moment of terror spirals into an unrelenting nightmare, as a sinister force begins to invade his life, his home, and his mind. With...
Part I Henry Ashford sat alone in his small, dimly lit apartment, staring blankly at the television, though he hadn’t registered anything on the screen in hours. The dull, relentless whine in his ears drowned out any hope of following the plot of whatever movie he’d...
Darren was a little weird, but I didn’t realize how weird until it was too late. He came to our school at the beginning of fourth grade. The minute I met him, I knew he was going to have it tough in school. He always wore a...
Part I Alright, let me start with this: I’m not here to rant about technology or preach about privacy or whatever. I’m not even here to convince you not to download DreamShare—I know most of you probably already have it. But if you haven’t…well, you might want...
646 – Kingdom of Silla Queen Seondeok stood at her window and watched the night sky while considering the betrayal of Kim Bidam, chairman of the council of nobles. “Emperor Taizong is behind this! I know it!” Gim Chun-Chu, her normally composed diplomatic nephew, yelled while angrily...
Part I Nick sat in the cockpit of the small Cessna, his fingers curling around the yoke as the plane vibrated with the steady hum of the engine. It was his seventh lesson with Colton, and despite the growing familiarity with the controls, his pulse quickened...
