The Most Natural Thing on Earth

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by Gemma Paul

 

It burns her insides, itching to get out.

She clutches desperately at her throat and gags loudly—a deep, hoarse sound erupts from her lungs as she struggles to breathe. She throws her head over the toilet basin, but nothing comes out.

She can feel it inside. Squirming around. Twisting and turning. Its heart beats steady inside, a stark contrast to her erratic one.

It’s ready to come out. She can feel it.

No one ever told her it would be like this. It’s natural they say. To her though, growing a baby, inside her womb is her worst nightmare.

Gemma Paul

Award-winning filmmaker and scriptwriter turned author, Gemma Paul is a horror and fantasy writer who enjoys writing and illustrating stories for all ages. She lives in sunny Dorset, UK, near the sandy beaches with her two rescue dogs. When not writing and illustrating, she’s usually found walking the dogs, tending to her vegetable patch, or chilling in her garden hammock.
Instagram: @gemma_l_paul

Soul Fungus

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by Simon Clarke

 

Every day as darkness falls and the day’s echoes falter to silence, my existence slips further away.  Primordial spores now infect my mind, connecting to a past that isn’t mine.

Complex toxins cling to every moist membrane, burning my guts as my soul slowly rots.

Soon I will forget the afternoon I dozed too long amongst ancient trees, waking covered with a fine layer of pale filaments, brushing them off too late.

Unearthly enzymes dissolve and digest my being, fusing with my DNA. Before long I will be gone. It will become me completely, ready to join with you all.

 

Simon Clarke

Simon Clarke lives and writes in Norfolk, United Kingdom. He enjoys writing poetry and fiction and has been published by Hedgehog Press, Black Hare Press, Fifty Word Stories, and Breaking Rules Publishing. He regularly submits to UK and international publications and enjoys reading poetry at open mic events.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sclarkenp/

Crawl

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by Sophie Wagner

 

“Please!” the hysterical mother shrieked. “You have to help her, she’s going to die!”

“Mrs,” the doctor replied. “We are doing everything we can. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The girl who sat in front of them, once a healthy athlete, was now frail and almost transparent. Her hair was slicked with sweat from a fever that you could feel from halfway across the room. And worst of all, black lines traced up and down her veins.

Suddenly she began to convulse and fell to the floor. A dark shape appeared under her skin.

It began to crawl.

 

Sophie Wagner

Sophie Wagner is an up-and-coming student author from Ontario. She has been published by places such as Scary Snippets and Poets Choice! Besides writing and reading Sophie enjoys playing various sports such as soccer and karate.

The Return by Gabriella Balcom

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The world doesn’t know about the compound hidden underground, and the wealthy investors funding it want things to stay as they are. Although it’s 2027 with numerous scientific advances having been made, most of the research being conducted in the facility is illegal. If animal rights activists had an inkling of what went on, they’d clamour for justice. Human rights’ activists would scream from the rooftops.

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