Runner-Up 2: “Artistic” Category
“…The rusty axe still dripping blood.” An unexpected campfire pop startles us. We laugh.
“Time for bed, everyone. More stories tomorrow,” I say.
Later in my tent, I lie awake.
What was that?
Only forest sounds, but still foreboding.
All the kids are sleeping, except the one inside of me.
Alexander Key teaches high school when no one is looking.
The umbrella’s plastic penetrated darkness through the girl’s clammy fingers, hissing wicked commands. Nora’s eyes adjusted; she was now aware of the undead body she greedily consumed.
Desperate for rain’s icy kiss, she tossed the umbrella and started running.
Her voice echoed, “I’m coming my love,” down the hollow alleyway.
Vanessa Henderson is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in Seattle with her husband and dog. Most days you will find her feeding a caffeine addiction while chasing after characters she can swoon over. She writes young adult fiction and blogs from www.youngatink.wordpress.com.
Lee noticed the thinning during halftime—a fuzz of movement to the left of the TV, colour desaturated, like something was pushing against the air.
The pusher came through during penalty shootout, a sunken, watery stare from behind the plasma screen. Only then did Lee find breath enough to scream.
Jennifer K. Oliver is a British writer and web designer who requires regular doses of speculative fiction to function properly.