I walked as quietly as I could down the corridor. Each traitorous step sounding as thunderous as my heart beat. The blood on my hands—once hot like the silent tears running down my face—was now cold. “Children,” a croaking voice said from the darkness. “Are you...
Carlos became aware of the damp brick against his back, cold and rough through the thrift-store parka. He opened his eyes, grateful that the rain had stopped, but unsure how long he’d been out. No dreams, thankfully. It must not have been long; the last few...
The glow of the screen has beckoned me and I have answered its call. It’s the middle of the night and I am compelled to walk downstairs, still rubbing sleep from my eyes, and sit down at my desk. The screen is on, a writing...
Alone in the drafty old wing of his family’s farmhouse, a young boy awakens to a strange rhythm echoing through the night. At first faint, the sound builds into something deliberate, something that doesn’t belong—and it’s moving closer. Isolated from the rest of his family,...
Aight, lemme tell ya about the time my Uncle Mauricio tried to take me to a baseball game in Pittsburgh and instead almost got us murdered by a goddamn skinwalker in the woods of Pennsylvania. Now, I know what you’re thinkin’: “Vinny, what in the hell...
Ayy, lemme ask ya somethin’. You ever look back on your teenage years and think, “Wow, how the hell did I survive bein’ that stupid?” ‘Cause that was me—fifteen years old, sittin’ cross-legged on a musty basement carpet, watchin’ my idiot friend Marcel freakin’ Lugosi try...
Ayy, listen up. You ever witness somethin’ so brain-dead, so cosmically moronic, you gotta pause mid-bite of your bacon egg ‘n cheese and wonder if maybe—just maybe—you accidentally mixed up your arthritis pills with your Uncle Tony’s “secret stash?” Yeah? That was me last weekend at...
So there I am, sittin’ in this greasy spoon off 9th and Flatbush—real classy joint, the kind where the silverware sticks to the table and the coffee’s strong enough to melt paint. I got half a plate of eggs in front of me, cold as...
I’ve been in therapy for a while, struggling to come to terms with events that happened during my childhood. To face them head-on, my therapist recommended writing down everything I can remember about that time of my life. Just to get it out of the way,...
On the last night of summer, three teenage boys dare each other to enter the infamous Crowder House, an abandoned mansion with a sinister reputation. What starts as a simple test of courage quickly turns into a fight for survival when they discover that something...
My aunt was a con artist, and she learned from the best – her father. Grandpa never made it big, but he lived for the game. Staying under the radar was probably what made sure he never did get caught. Not once. He was so...
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...
It was August 9, 2010. I was thirty-eight years old. My oldest daughter, Avis, was twelve, and the younger pair, my twins Joanne and John, were nine. I’d been married for fifteen years. I worked at an insurance firm. And every Sunday, while my wife...
Thanksgiving. My least favorite time of year, a holiday dedicated to the ancient art of overeating in the name of familial “bonding.” But this year, for the second time in a row, I was the poor sap hosting, and let me tell you, I was...
Some things you see, you can’t unsee, no matter how hard you try. I’ve spent months replaying that afternoon in my head, asking myself if it was even real. But every time I close my eyes, I remember Donovan—what happened to him. How fast it...
June smiled at her reflection in the hotel mirror, her skin glistening from the shower. It was their second anniversary, and she was in a good mood as she prepared to surprise her husband. She had been planning this since he’d told her that work...
“Think they’re gonna hear us c-c-c-coming?” “You’re the loudest of us all, Joe, dragging that bum leg of yours.” Joe tried to keep the volume down — it seemed deafening in the quiet night air -– but he continued to kick up gravel as he hobbled down...
I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded in establishing a really profitable connection,...
"Reverend and Mrs. Decan, the doctor will see you now.", the receptionist announced. "Thank you, Melissa. Tell your mother that green bean casserole was delicious." "I will, Reverend." The receptionist replied, glancing up while shuffling through the mess of paperwork that blanketed her small desk. "Will you be...
