Deathly Hitchhiker

/by

by Maggie D. Brace

Blindly, my capitulum squirms, seeking the sweet spot as I splay my grasping palps upon this hairy creature. Sensing throbbing hot blood, I gnash my chelicerae, slicing a channel into moist flesh. Legs akimbo, I jut my torso at an angle, lower my hypostome, and begin to satiate myself. I eject the anticoagulants that suppress all defences. For days, I alternate between feeding and pulsing out my toxin filled spittle. Slavering onward, I trace the life-giving juices transverse my foregut, as my body slowly engorges. Satiated, I release. Dropping downward, I can only pity the paralysed hiker’s throes of death.

 

Maggie D. Brace

Maggie D Brace, a life-long denizen of Maryland, teacher, gardener, basketball player and author attended St. Mary’s College, where she met her soulmate, and Loyola University, Maryland.  She has written ‘Tis Himself: The Tale of Finn MacCool and Grammy’s Glasses, and has multiple short works and poems in various anthologies.  She remains a humble scrivener and avid reader. 

 

Beware the Thylarctos Plummetus Tour

/by

by Lisa H. Owens

Mr Smith had one unticked item on his bucket list: to capture an elusive Drop Bear, one last hurrah with which to punctuate his life story. He dusted off his passport; forty-eight hours later, was deep in the rainforest of the Great Dividing Range with a tour guide called Jiemba. He was provided protective gear: a helmet of welded forks and a slathering of vegemite repellent behind both ears, but was so intent on watching the dense canopy above, shouting, “Here bear-bear-bear,” he marched into the arms of a murderous gympie-gympie. His liquified remains shipped home in a ziplock baggie.

 

Lisa H. Owens

Lisa H. Owens, an author residing in North Texas with two motley rescue dogs, has been published in several anthologies and various media outlets, including a two-year stint as a monthly humorist columnist. She credits her success to the support and mentorship of the late, great Steven Lester Carr. Her stories are often inspired by true events, usually including private jokes and family nicknames.

Website: www.lisahowens.com.

 

Welcome to (Deadly) Australia

/by

by Geoff Hart

Welcome to Oz! Good on you for ignoring the slander that everything’s out to kill ya. Funnel-web spiders? Easily avoided. Keep feet and fingers out of dark, enclosed spaces, like bedsheets. (Kidding! They almost never infest bedsheets. Almost.) Don’t fret over copperheads either; taipan’s more likely to do for ya. Don’t step on anything long, thin, and brown and you’ll be right, mate. Blue-ringed octopus? They never come ashore to hunt humans; they’re too worried about the taipans and spiders. And the salties? They’re real. If you don’t see any Aussies swimming, don’t dip a toe. Nasty buggers, those crocs.

(With thanks to Matt Stevens for an Australian reality check.)

 

Geoff Hart

Geoff (he/him) works as a scientific editor, specialising in helping scientists who have English as their second language publish their research. He’s the author of the popular Effective Onscreen Editing and Write Faster with Your Word Processor, and has sold 58 stories thus far.
Website: www.geoff-hart.com

 

Three Lads in a Pub

/by

by Tim Law

“Mate, I call bullshit. We’ve got the deadliest spiders, snakes galore, even killer koalas and you’re telling us the thing you fear the most is a bird?”

“Yep, the cassowary, seen it firsthand.”

“So, what’s so scary?”

“Beady little eyes that you just can’t trust, horn on its head that can run you through.”

“Fair enough mate, sounds pretty deadly.”

“The worst thing is the claws, massive ones on its feet. It can jump a metre and a half, and then with a kick it rips you open from neck to navel.”

“Bloody hell.”

“And all for a banana.”

“Vicious.”

 

Tim Law

Tim loves drinking with mates. He hates cassowaries though, ya can’t trust the beady eyes.

 

Rosemary

/by

by Megan Larson

“It’s called a lobotomy,” the doctor explains. “Your father thinks this is for the best.”

Embarrassed by my outbursts, Father abandoned me in Bedlam with only my memories as solace.

I’m sorry, Daddy.

He tightens the leather straps confining me to the chair and grabs a knife. Warm blood oozes down my face. “Count backwards.”

“10, 9, 8…”

I remember the sun’s warmth kissing my skin and waves crashing. Taste the salty air and listen to my siblings’ laughter. Mother’s gentle, beautiful face.

“5, 4, 3…”

The ocean evaporates. It is silent and cold.

He stops cutting.

“Rosemary?”

Who’s Rosemary?

 

Megan Larson

Megan Larson lives in Indiana with her husband, adorable dog and treacherous parrot. She writes fantasy but wants to explore horror and sci-fi. 

 

Patient Update

/by

by Corinne Pollard

“Doctor, how fares my elder brother? He’s been locked inside for five years now. Is he cured? Will he take back his inheritance?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. Your brother continues to show odd behaviour and disturbing symptoms like scratching at walls, screaming, attacking himself and others.”

“Pity.”

“Rest assured, we will find the right treatment for him. In the meantime, sir, have you detected any disturbances of the mind?”

“Me?! None whatsoever. How dare you! You forget your place.”

“Apologies, sir, but we believe it can run in the family and it would explain why you’re here, talking to yourself.”

 

Corinne Pollard

Corinne is a UK disabled horror writer published in Sirens Call and Trembling with Fear. Follow her on Twitter: @CorinnePWriter

 

Doctor Knows Best

/by

by Mallory Needles

The straps dig into my wrists and ankles. The doctor hums as he sticks the electrodes on my head. His face is hidden under a grimy mask and greasy hat. Only his eyes, wild with glee, peer out from underneath.

“Shall we get started?” he sings. His voice seems familiar…

“Listen Doc,” I cry, wrestling against the straps. “There’s no need for this. I swear I feel better.”

The doctor leans over, pulling down his mask… and to my horror I see my own hideous face grinning back at me.

“Oh, but the doctor knows best…” I giggle to myself.

 

Mallory Needles

Mallory Needles currently lives in Munich, Germany. He likes reading, sleeping, and drinking cups of (far too sweet) tea.

 

Memories Don’t Lie by Pauline Yates – Launches 11th March 2023

/by

I was a compulsive daydreamer growing up, and I turned that into a writing career. What could be better than doing the thing you love most?

Read more

A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

/by

by Iseult Murphy

They took Sarah’s phone, money and driving license at intake.

“No need for these here. We’ll take care of everything.”

A nurse stripped Sarah before hosing her down in the shower.

“No need to be ashamed or hate yourself anymore. We’ll make you better.”

Sarah took the oval tablets from the nurse and put them in her mouth.

“No need to worry. We’ll fix you.”

The capsules burst on her tongue, and the slimy hatchlings crawled up the back of her throat into her nasal passageway.

“No need for humanity. Our parasites will do a better job at being you.”

 

Iseult Murphy

Iseult Murphy is a multi-genre Irish author who has won various awards for her short fiction, as well as her debut horror novel 7 Days in Hell, which was an IAN Book of the Year Awards Finalist. Find out more about her, her writing and read her blog at iseultmurphy.com