by Constantine E. Kiousis The man stood at the edge of the precipice, staring solemnly at the angry tide below, a bottle of scotch dangling from his fingers. Even though it was asleep, he could still feel it, wrapped around his brain, squirming. All the shit it’d made him do as he’d watched helplessly, […]
by Gary Smith Jr. The world is a better place. Years ago, people abused her, taking resources that could never be replaced, giving back pollution, hate, and violence. The planet was the real winner in the war between the humans and parasites. She barely noticed the increase of death and destruction during the decades […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
by Chisto Healy Lara had first seen it on her shoulder. She had been outdoors that day and wearing a tank top. She figured it was a sunspot, a new freckle, some might say a mole. Lara preferred beauty mark. It was cute. Then it wasn’t. Lara’s little brown spot grew and stretched. It […]
by Lyndsey Ellis-Holloway It was the latest craze. All dancers were doing it. How else did one stay thin enough to be on top? Pills didn’t work, diets were useless—what was the harm in cheating a little? Lucy’s flexibility had got her noticed. The way her body moved and swayed with eerie grace. She […]
by Nicole Little I tried to stay calm. But I could feel it moving. My small cry of revulsion alerted him that I was awake. He approached from across the bunker and I cringed. “How are you feeling?” “Sick.” “It won’t last forever.” He sat on the bed, adjusted my restraints. “It will be […]
by Patrick Winters A blonde bombshell was walking Denny’s way. As she passed by with a flirtatious smile, his cheeks went red, and a lewd thought about her lips came crisp and clear to his mind. An instant later, a wild flare of pain racked his body. The worst of the agony ignited in […]
by Karen Bayly “Parasitic arachnoids,” declared the entomologist. “Deadly.” I’d laughed. “Pull the other one. I’ll be okay.” Famous last words. There must be hundreds of the little bastards nestling in my flesh. I feel them eating, scratching, spreading, pushing upwards from within. I can handle the legs growing out the edges of my […]