by Lisa Edwards Ellie glanced away from the huge spiral covered wall. It made her feel sick and giddy. Crunch! She froze for a moment, then gently lifted her foot. Oops! Sorry, little snail. A wet pop sounded beside her. But… she’d have noticed that stuck to the side of the wall, right? Snails […]
by Tracy Davidson They dare come here with chainsaws and guns? Chop down my children, frighten fauna, shoot for some sick sport, killing innocent creatures that would have done them no harm. I, however, can do plenty of harm. I send whispers through the trees. Warnings of what’s to come. Some flee. Some watch. […]
by Liam Hogan The goddess turned, restless in her slumber as warm blood soaked the cold, dark soil. The affairs of men, best left to the crows. Something sharp, insistent. A sacrifice, the battle hanging in the balance. A child. Children grew into adults no less unworthy than their parents. But a sacrifice in […]
by Sophie Wagner “Trash, trash, trash,” Garret grumbled as he sifted through the remains of the abandoned campsite. Marcus grunted in response, pausing once to grimace as he pulled a bloody rag free from his pile. “Everything’s broken, man. Let’s go, this place is a dump,” he groaned. He waited for Garret’s response, but […]
by Jean Martin My family left before the Russians came. They paid me respect before they went away. They knew I would keep the house safe. Then they took the dog and the cat and the silver plates and drove west. Russian soldiers walked into the house like it was theirs. One fell and […]
by Victoria Brun He was carved into the wall, but he also was the walls—or so they said. He was the walls, the ceiling, the floors, the chilling draft you felt in the narrow back room on the eastern side. He was the shrine and its protector. He was worshiped—once, long ago. As time […]
by James Rumpel “I have a good feeling,” said Dr Morris. “The landslide exposed most of the cliff wall. I’m certain the Shaman’s cave has been opened.” “Do we want to find it?” asked his assistant, Richard. “You don’t believe those stories…” Morris stopped, smiled, and pointed to a crevice in the mountainside. Inside, […]
by C. L. Sidell We summoned the thing without knowing what we’d done. A simple campfire—roasting marshmallows for nostalgia’s sake. “Grab the sticks,” you said. I did. They burned, smoked green. The earth rumbled, shook without moving. The thing rose behind you—a menacing, monolithic shadow amongst forest shadows. Its innumerable yellow eyes fixed on […]
by Shaun Bibo Drip… Drip The dripping would drive another person mad. Drip… Drip Not me. I’ve been here for three days. Hanging. Drip… Drip It came from the painting. The ocean. The waves. A lighthouse. Peace. Drip… Drip It emerged from the water. Slowly. Over days. Weeks. It consumed the lighthouse. Drip… Drip […]
by R. Wayne Gray Strobing lights blinked red to green on the Arctic SuperDeep Tunnel: incoming. The gathered scientists cheered in relief. The train had set a record two days earlier—15 miles deep—when communications with it had suddenly ceased. “Just a glitch!” cried one, as champagne popped. Cold air crept from the tunnel at […]