1 “Dump the fuckin’ tiles out on the table, boy.” Billy John Cader said gruffly to his son of only fourteen years old who sat shaking in the chair with fear. Billy Jay had just celebrated, if that’s what it could be called, his birthday only two...
1 Olive woke up suddenly from her usual restless sleep. At nearly 65, she was now accustomed to never sleeping very soundly. After all, she knew they were out there—all slimy with stinking skin drowning in their own warts. Warts that would easily pass on to...
Part One: The Wallachian Csejte Castle, Hungary, 25 May 1605 Blood dripped from the Wallachian’s blade like macabre gemstones of garnet and ruby shimmering in the sunlight. His preternatural hearing alerted him to the charge of a Hajduk raider from behind; he twirled, guiding his blade to...
“Donnie, when are we gonna stop? I’m tired, and I need to pee.” Shannon and Donnie, her sometimes boyfriend, had been driving for hours. They’d left Georgia for Arizona two days earlier and still had a ways to go. The trip was more of a...
Ryan and Nicole Sullivan parked their SUV in front of the badly weathered Victorian house. They had purchased the old home sight unseen at a bank auction for pennies on the dollar. Unbeknownst to them, the price reflected the house’s curious history, but as successful...
Valan forest, Derbyshire 1984 I sat in the driver's seat of my aging Ford Granada and listened to the rain pound relentlessly on the car's metal roof, a sound I had always found strangely soothing. Once the torrent subsided, I looked outside to watch late afternoon...
There are very few absolutions I have in this life. But leave it to me to ensure that I absolutely had three. Firstly, there is no one on this planet who knows the workings of the St. Magisford national park as I do. Woven through...
I’m afraid of the moon. Stupid as I know that sounds, I am, I’m afraid of the moon. I’m afraid because of what it can do to people. “Lunacy,” “Lunatic,” both have two things in common. They both mean insane or crazy, and they both have...
“That can’t be what I think it is,” I said out loud to myself. My friends and I had decided to get together at my place for some good old-fashioned fun. Our version of such includes competing in college drinking games. I’ll tell you right now...
I can hear them right now. Scuttling and scampering about. I can hear them whispering, debating on who’ll get the first bite. On which parts of me they’ll want to eat first. I can hear them from under me, under my bed. The floor and the...
Before we get into things here, let me ask you a question. What would you say if you were told by a close friend of yours that you’ve known all your life that they encountered something strange in the ocean while on a cruise? Would...
I just wanted to make her happy, that’s all. I just wanted to make her happy with me again. Was that so wrong? I mean, what’d I do to deserve this? Okay, so maybe I cheated. But I felt horrible for it and wanted to make...
From the Desk of Independent Journalist and Researcher James Thurwell: Recently, what could be termed a medical miracle was performed, in which scientists were able to revive tissue that suffered cellular death using a system known as OrganEx. This process was able to take organs harvested...
Raw vulgarities and unspeakable explicatives in a seemingly everlasting anguish, embedded like a cancer in his soul. Every unforgiven man has lacked forgiveness and thus has brought the pestilence to his own door. In order for one to be forgiven, one must find it in...
Abraham had concluded his business in Abbeville. He had slept extemporaneously since he had arrived, but he was anxious to see home. Home was several miles out of town, but it would be an easy walk. Abraham walked everywhere. Transportation for him had been a horse...
When we moved into the house, we called it our home. We were clueless as to what forces were living with us. It became apparent rather quickly we were not alone. All of the events I am sharing, I do with reluctance. I am not interested...
Chapter 1 “First of all, Ms. Fitzhugh, I want to thank you for doing this interview for my ‘Between the Covers’ podcast.” “Please call me Vivian, dear. Ms. Fitzhugh sounds so stuffy!” Randall laughed and took a sip of his tea, “Of course. Vivian it is. And if...
“Ye needn’t think the only folks is the folks hereabouts.” — H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror “Even in this world, more things exist without our knowledge than that with. And the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there.” — Judge Holden, Blood...
Chapter 1 I pulled up my shirt to study my back in the mirror. It stung. I couldn’t believe Wade could do this to me. If I’d held questions if this was only a game or real—I now knew as the pain and fear ripped through...
Chapter 1 Kevin’s stomach rumbled loudly as he sat staring at the bank of black and white monitors in front of him. “Dude… You hungry?” He slowly turned to his coworker and replied. “Yes, Lucas. I am hungry. What could have possibly given you the clue?” Lucas lit up...
