Kindness Altered

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by C.L. Steele

 

“Not a flat!”

Molly worried about getting home, getting the kids in their costumes. Freezing rain pelted as she flagged a trucker.

“Thanks for stopping. Nice werewolf costume.”

He smirked. Eyes flashed. Screams howled.

Later, his semi exited the road’s shoulder. An SUV stopped, letting the truck in. Dad turned, dialling his wife to say they’d be late, as the backseat of kids screamed and pointed at a woman draped across the bonnet of a car. Her flesh-torn face dangled above a flat tire.

“Settle. It’s a Halloween stunt,” Dad cried. Then, he heard his wife’s wedding song ring-tone—outside.

 

C.L. Steele

C.L. Steele creates new worlds and mystical places filled with complex characters on exciting journeys. Her typical genre is Sci-Fi/Fantasy, where she concentrates on writing in the sub-genres of Magical Realism, Near Future, and Futuristic worlds. Published in numerous anthologies, she looks forward to the release of her debut novel. In the interim, she works on other novels and continues to write short stories, novellas, and poetry. Voted one of five winning international authors in ICWG Magazine Contest through Clarendon Publishing House, Steele is also a featured author in Genre: Urban Arts Literary Journal. Follow her growing career at tinyurl.com/CL-Steele.

 

The Root of All Evil

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by Andrew Anderson

 

All the village kids knew which houses were safe to approach.

Except for Cody—new to the area, he had not made friends yet, so did not know that there were some differences between his American and the village’s traditions on Hallowe’en.

They would have told him never to trick-or-treat the house with the turnip—instead of a pumpkin—on the doorstep; to beware of anyone with wrists strong enough and a knife sharp enough to carve a face into one.

And to accept the soul-cake in lieu of candy, instead of throwing it away.

Cody was never seen again.

 

Andrew Anderson

Andrew Anderson is a full-time civil servant from Bathgate, Scotland, writing fiction in his limited spare time. His work can be found on FlashFlood and Re:Written, and published in six Black Hare Press anthologies.

Twitter: @soorploom

 

Facelift

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by Jasmine Arch

 

The pumpkin’s toothy grin had grown a bit ragged. Anna lifted his lid and replaced the burnt-out candle with a new one.

“Let’s get you a facelift, buddy.” Chuckling at her own joke, she patted the Jack-o-lantern’s lid.

“Your turn next.” The hollow, reedy voice came from the pumpkin. The carved mouth moved, carefully forming each word. “It won’t hurt. Much.”

Anna yelped and stormed inside. Pulse pounding, she slammed the door.

“Damnit, Dave! When I said ‘Bring it to life,’ I meant using your carving skills, not a damn spell.”

She needed a new roommate.  No sorcerers this time.

 

Jasmine Arch

Jasmine Arch lives in a rural corner of Belgium with two horses, four dogs, and a husband who knows better than to distract her when she’s writing. Her love of the written word in all its forms and incarnations is only superceded by her deep abiding passion for caffein.

Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Apocalypse, Illumen Magazine, ParABnnormal Magazine, and Scifaikuest. Connect with her at www.jasminearch.com or via Twitter @jaye_arch.

 

Graveyard

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by G. Allen Wilbanks

 

Morty loved decorating for Halloween. He was especially proud of the graveyard display he erected on his front lawn every year.

Marble headstones, skeletons, body parts and decomposing corpses covered his yard every October 31st. Kids and adults came from miles around to admire his handywork and ask him how he made his props appear so realistic. Morty would smile and accept the praise, but he never answered their questions. It was best to keep them guessing.

He didn’t want anyone else to make a display that might rival his own.

He also did not want to go to prison.

 

G. Allen Wilbanks

G. Allen Wilbanks is a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and has published over 80 short stories in various magazines and anthologies, including publications with Black Hare Press. He is the author of two, story collections, and the novel, When Darkness Comes. For more information, please visit www.gallenwilbanks.com.

 

Riddle of the Sphinx

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by Shawn M. Klimek

 

“Domesticated dogs came into being after generations of cavemen cross-bred wolves willing to be petted,” Keller lectured. “Two millennia later, wolves are a separate species. Evolution takes practice.”

“But why a chimera?” Larkin challenged hotly. “A lion’s head, goat’s body and a serpent tail? That’s not just playing God, that’s a lunatic Zeus!”

“The chimera was just an extreme proof of concept” Keller defended. “A necessary step before proceeding to human trials.

Larkin strained against his restraints and wept.

“Fortunately, we made the reproductive system human compatible,” said Keller, uncapping a syringe.

 “Ready to solve the riddle of the Sphinx?”

 

Shawn M. Klimek

Shawn M. Klimek is the middle child of seven creative siblings, a globetrotting, U.S. military spouse, award-winning author and poet, and butler to a Maltese.  More than one hundred of his works have been published since 2018, including stories in BHP anthologies, Deep Space, Eerie Christmas, and a full five stories in each of the first six books in the internationally best-selling, Dark Drabbles series.

Find his books on Amazon: Shawn Klimek; a complete index of his publications (plus bonus reads) at A Jot In The Dark; and follow his ongoing writing adventures at https://facebook.com/shawnmklimekauthor/. 

 

Here Comes the Knock

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by Paula R. C. Readman

 

Streetlights darken.

Laughter fills the air.

Eager fresh faces dart everywhere.

“Trick or Treat,” echoes in porches.

I drop the grubby net curtain. Anticipation races through me. Ghosts from my past gather.

I wait in the shadows. The razor in my hand gleams.

Here comes the knock.

Laughter bubbles in my throat. Haven’t their parents warned them about stranger danger?

“Trick or Treat, Mister?”

The blade bites as it finds its mark.

How sweet and warm is the spray of blood as it runs down my face. Young flesh is far sweeter than their sugary sweets.

“My treat, I think!”

 

Paula R. C. Readman

Paula R. C. Readman taught herself ‘How to Write’ from books which her husband purchased from eBay.  After 250 purchases, he finally told her ‘just to get on with the writing’.  Since 2010, she’s had 29 stories published and is now busy editing her novel again.

Blog: paulareadman1.wordpress.com

 

The Wackiest Star Ship in the Space Force

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by John H. Dromey

 

A doorbell rang. A door creaked open. A cloaked figure stood on the porch.

“Who’re you?”

The apparition answered, “A ghost from your childhood past. When you pushed me into the deep end, you knew I couldn’t swim.”

“Larry?”

“Yep. Trick or treat.”

“Scram! You’re not real.”

“Are you sure, Spaceman? I have lots of tricks up my sleeve.” The hand and wrist bones of a skeleton emerged. “See? Lots of room.”

The astronaut clutched his chest.

The hologram figure faded.

The pranksters on Earth had turned off the switch. “Curses! Our Holo-ween trick backfired. We scared him to death.”

 

John H. Dromey

John H. Dromey was born in northeast Missouri, USA. In addition to contributing to the Dark Drabbles series of anthologies from Black Hare Press, he’s had short fiction published in 50-Word Stories (Tim Sevenhuysen’s website), Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Stupefying Stories Showcase, Thriller Magazine, Unfit Magazine, and elsewhere.

 

Anniversary of the Mask Murders

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by Joshua D. Taylor

 

Chris and Sara stared at the abandoned and dilapidated monster mask factory.  The windows were shattered and forgotten police tape flapped in the chilly October breeze.

“I can’t believe twenty-three people were stabbed to death here last Halloween,” Chris said.

“I know, and that masked maniac is still out there somewhere.  Just waiting.”

“The police think it’s someone from town.  It could be someone we know.”

“Maybe.  You should have seen this place, all over covered in blood.”

“What do you mean?  You weren’t there.”

“Wasn’t I?” Sara asked, plunging a knife into Chris’s throat then pulling on her mask.

 

Joshua D. Taylor

Joshua D. Taylor is an author from Southeastern Pennsylvania who never stopped playing make-believe.  He lives with his wife and a one-eared cat. He loves to mix-n-match things from different genres and story elements to achieve a madcap hodgepodge of the truly unexpected.

www.facebook.com/authorjoshuadtaylor  

 

A Family Hallowe’en

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by Connie R. Watson

 

With a final slice, Jace completed his carving. He wiped the blood off his knife and stepped back.

Dad looked really cool. The lit candle inside his hollow head cast an eerie light through his vacant eye sockets and gaping mouth.

Jace smiled, turning to the pumpkin they got at the patch that morning. “How’s it look, Timmy?”

“Great job,” Timmy said. “One more to go.”

Jace nodded. He gave the rag he’d used on Dad a quick sniff. There was still enough bleach and acetone mixture to take care of Mom, too.

This would be the best Hallowe’en ever.

 

Connie R. Watson

Since she was a teenager, Connie R. Watson has enjoyed writing fantasy stories, but recently discovered a new love for sci-fi, folktales, and poetry. You can find out more about Connie and her work by visiting her website connierwatson.com.

 

Party Favours

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by J.S. Carnes

 

Cindy manoeuvred through fake cobwebs lining the maze. As much as she loved creating haunted houses, tearing it down became tedious in the holiday’s afterglow.

“Of course, no one stays to help.” She combed through the twists and turns dropping decorations in boxes, the loose trash would have to wait for tomorrow.

Stacked boxes marked 10/31 gradually replaced haunted gimmicks.

She reached the final room.

Fake cobwebs covered a crucified clown above bowls of candy corn. Smeared makeup and blood dripped down coating the treats and filling the bowl.

Cindy sighed, “I told them not to kill the neighbours.”

 

J.S. Carnes

J.S. Carnes is an emerging author. He uses his love of imagination, conversation, and exploration to inspire his creative exploits. Keep up-to-date via Facebook: www.facebook.com/JSCarnes