Betty first saw Hell through a car window as they sped down the Interstate. Outside, the trees turned to ashen husks as the cornfields became desolate dustbowls. The sky hollowed out to an empty darkness that swallowed all the twinkling stars whole. She began crying and her mother pushed her[…]
Read moreCategory: Horror & Dark Fiction
A collection of flash fiction horror and dark fantasy stories.
From Whence You Cannot Awake
He could not get comfortable. He wasn’t in pain, just slightly uncomfortable. The cushions were soft and the couch was spacious but he kept shifting his weight, unsuccessfully trying to find a spot where he could relax. His neck hurt and he felt fat. His shoes were too tight but[…]
Read moreThe Shadow in the Fire
He had always been attracted to fires. It wasn’t the heat or even the flames, it was the sheer destruction that he found cathartic. Fire consumed and destroyed everything, leaving only ash behind. His mother and stepfather had been in his first fire. It was like his birth because he[…]
Read moreThe Ghost Car
He got out of the car. It softly chimed at him, reminding him to close the door behind him. He did so and barely noticed the empty, self-driving vehicle roll away into the vast city night. “Welcome, welcome,” the man at the front door gushed, a hint of red wine[…]
Read moreThe Sister Who Never Existed
My twin was stillborn. It is all I can think of as I hear the footsteps. One by one, they are the patter of little feet; wet on tiles across the kitchen and then slightly softer as they move up the stairs towards the bedroom. There is a soft clanking[…]
Read moreThe Benjamin Tree
“Oh, the tree comes with the apartment,” the Estate Agent mentioned waving at it as they moved through the lounge area, “The previous owner considers it part of 307’s furnishings.” The tree was small–head-height–and had a trunk that was made up of what looked like thick, gray, twirling vines that[…]
Read moreField of Corpses
The air had a honey-glow to it as the dry dirt permeated his nose. In the distance, the Sun was setting as half-pregnant clouds drifted teasingly by him. “We need rain, ” he said, dejectedly chewing the tip of a blade of wheat, “We need rain or we are not[…]
Read moreJefferson
He struggled forward–one step after the next–as he absentmindedly wiped his hand on his spacesuit’s pants. The blood had long since wiped off and the bodies were far behind him but all he saw was his goal. It was just in front of him. At this altitude, distance from the[…]
Read moreTim’s Demons & Other Friends
When humans evolved and got superpowers, not everyone got a cool power. Of course, there were the super-strong people, the super-fast, super-tough and those that could fly, teleport or read minds or throw fireballs, or pretty much do anything cool. Then there were the uncool or odd powers. Some people could[…]
Read moreThe Conversation
“How did you think it was going to end?” “I–I don’t know, I thought maybe–” “Well, it ended badly.” A silence hangs between the two for a moment. The first speaker is dressed in black with few other details that stick in your mind. Even your eyes tend to wander[…]
Read moreThe Apple
His wings lay to the side. The act of tearing them off had hurt more than he could explain but the jagged wounds in his flesh just felt numb. He felt numb. Then he remembered his anger. He remembered why he was doing what he was doing. He remembered who he[…]
Read moreMixed Signals
He smiled at her and she smiled back, but then the tide of students between classes carried her away. He would spend the whole of the next couple periods before close daydreaming about her. They were in different grades and shared no classes, so she may as well have been[…]
Read moreBeing in the Mist
“Hopefully he dies soon. We can’t delay the tunnel anymore and there is less paperwork with a death than a disability. The tunnel must happen.” Edward Athelard was shocked at the speaker. He just stood in the hospital with his mouth open gawking at her. His Grandmother had taken over[…]
Read morePillars in the Deep
The whole Blackpool Bay dock area smelt like fish. Old, barnacled fishing boats lined it sides as weathered men dourly stomped awkwardly around, their land-legs seemingly less developed than those they had at sea. Fish and other slimy things were hidden away in crates and being loaded into small, unmarked vans.[…]
Read moreThe Mouth in the Wall
“Psst! Hey! Sweet, little child, if you give me that loaf of bread you’re holding, then I’ll give you a chocolate cake,” a small voice suddenly whispered into his ear. He jumped up from where he had been crouching. Turning around, he saw a small mouth in the wall he[…]
Read moreCourt of the Sunflower King
The Sunflower King sat on his cold throne of petals brooding. The shadows in his Court were growing long and the Sun was nearly set. Everyone was gone. They were always gone. He thought he could smell the kitchens firing and hear the clink of glasses being set out in[…]
Read moreWhen Death Wore Lipstick
She watched the streetlights go by. One by one, they flashed by the bus’s window. At the next stop, after shooting the other passenger and the bus driver, she got out. It late at night. No one was around. The bus just sat there idling as the bus driver and the[…]
Read moreElysium Field
When Kenneth died–or was unwillingly murdered in a lonely field outside of town, as he would be quick to tell anyone that would listen–he found that he could not move on. It is true what they say about unfinished business, and so Kenneth stayed behind long after his body had[…]
Read moreThe Beast
Lucifer had no real plan. He was curious, and a bit arrogant. But, mostly, he was bored. God had created the world. It was beautiful and harmonious. The fish swam, the birds flew, the animals ran through the green lands with rivers flowing and oceans full of life. All things[…]
Read moreThe Mad Moors of Calum
There are the numerous locals stories of wee people and spirits, talk about the curse of a dying witch, and then there is my story. I will not indulge the former stories, but the latter I will explain as best as I can. I was shuffled off to Scotland for[…]
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