Tag Archives: scary

CHAD BENJAMIN SMITH: Closing Time

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

She removed her shoes. She tossed her coat to the couch. With a crooked gait, she made her way through the small apartment swaying from side to side, just as she did on her lonely walk home in the early hours.

From outside in the darkness, I watched and waited.

Fifty-word stories appeal to Chad Benjamin Smith because he is impatient and has a short attention span. Admittedly, Chad Benjamin Smith has more flaws than a short third-person bio can fit. He readily jumps at the opportunity to flaunt his shortcomings and embrace his negative qualities.

JAMES KOWALCZYK: The Devil Inside

Adventure, Submissions, , , ,

A bat flapped over the twins’ heads as they entered the nave of the abandoned church.  The faint whimper of an infant seemed to pull them toward the altar.

“Do you hear that?” Michael whispered to his sister Luci.

At that moment Luci bared her teeth and grinned. “I do.”

James Kowalczyk was born and raised in Brooklyn but now lives in Northern California with his wife and two daughters. His work has appeared both in print and online.

DOUG ROBBINS: The Clown in My Closet

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

My parents never believed me that I had an evil clown living in my closet until they met him one day.

“Stop telling tall tales,” mom would say, and dad would chime in, too. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

It took me days to remove my parents’ bloodstains from the carpet.

Doug has contributed to the popular horror anthology Demonic Visions 50 Horror Tales. Doug’s poetry is also featured in Poetry Quarterly and was an editor’s choice in a New England poetry publication.

MIRANDA LAST: Nightmare

Artistic, Submissions,

Every night, she twists and turns, dashing through those mangled brambles she calls “dreams” and those searing nightmares she calls “part of life”.

Yet… She cannot help crying.

About that one piercing gem of knowledge that shines dim in a dark room. Forever paralyzed by the knowing of painless morning.

Miranda Last is a girl who prefers pancakes over waffles. She also loves to write.

SUMMER STORIES – ALEXANDER KEY: Forest Sounds

Submissions, Summer Stories, , , , , , ,

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.

 

MANDI LESSARD: Fear

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

The butler beckoned me to follow. He reeked of evil intentions, but I reluctantly moved forward.

When the lights flickered out, I spun around wildly until a bone chilling scream froze me with fear.

Then, with my heart pounding, I whispered, “Albescu?”

He didn’t respond,

…but death eagerly welcomed me.

Mrs. Lessard resides in Vermont where she aspires to be a published author someday. Until then, she is content to entertain her four children with her numerous creative tales.

 

AARON BLACK: What Lurks Beneath?

Odd, Submissions, , , ,

Something was in the basement. She heard it creak and step and the stairs groaned.

Hand on handle; what lurked behind the door? She waited.

Nothing came. Creak, step, and groan. She twisted the knob, scared.

Nothing came, black, blank, void.

What was behind the door? Her mind was all.

As often as he can be Aaron Black is a freelance blogger and fiction writer. He spent ten years researching and writing a screenplay about Atlantis and now likes short stories because any more rejection letters from studios that made movies like From Justin to Kelly and Catwoman would make him bitter.