by Lee Patton “Annalise! Dinner’s getting cold!” her mother’s voice shot upstairs, breaking through the faint, droning hum of the lamp nearby. Unresponsive, Annalise sat motionless, comatose, in front of the easel, her blank stare rivaled only by the canvas languishing in front of her. Her dark green eyes glazed…
by Michele L Tremblay They often did this and they were here again: falling on to the remnants of some long-forgotten road that led into dark and dense woods. As always, they didn’t know how they got there and they weren’t sure how they would get back. She imagined how…
By Crystal Jordan The moon loomed big and bright over the old Victorian mansion on Beeker Street. The light from the full moon bounced off the sharp angles of the building, throwing long, eerie shadows over the freshly manicured lawn. Ezra Ward gazed up at his new house through the…
by V. J. Hamilton After I left Shari’s place, the first person I encountered jumped to one side and gave an embarrassed chuckle, as if to say, “Now look what you made me do.” I patted my hair and looked back at the ramshackle house, where Shari’s kids tussled amid…
by Jordan Loveland (This story contains mentions of murder and suicide.) “What the hell,” Aria demands, “this is my sister?” She falters, face flush with anger and bottom lip trembling. “How do you know her?” Crumpled where her hand holds tightly to the page, the drawing isn’t one of my…
by Mike Neis A do-it-yourself homeowner can hear running water and know something is broken. The pipes were carrying the wrong tune, a slack, subdued song backed by full, unhurried harmonies. The notes lacked the usual shrill urgency of the morning lawn watering. Roger’s troubleshooting instincts called through the dawn’s…
by Quiarah Butler Coll bolted straight up, sweat-drenched and shivering. She was sitting naked on her bedroom floor, thick vines wrapping her like ribbon. Her feet were caked to the ankles in mud and silt. “Damn it! Not again,” she groaned. She’d been sleepwalking again. Fifth night in a row….
by Dan Richardson I first saw the Body in the doorway. I stopped when I saw it, my hands holding tight to my backpack, the straps cutting into my shoulders. The other people walked by without looking at it. Cars glided by, hissing through the puddles and sending icy jets…
by Dakota Jackson The Office of Eternal Collections—better referred to as purgatory, both literally and figuratively, especially to Luci—is becoming quite hectic these days. As the head of the Decisions Department, Luci, (known in his past first as Lucian and later as Lucifer), is in charge of the recently deceased….
by Parker Fendler They lay intertwined in the crib, Spencer gnawing on his Binky and Fred flicking his tongue. I’ve no idea how the seven-footer got out again, but ain’t this the cutest thing? I’d snap a shot for Roy, but he’d throw another hissy-fit. A dozen times he’s said…