Tag Archive for: drabble

Cull

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by Liam Hogan

 

Yellow hazmats escort him to the farmhouse door to share the news. Inside, his wife strangles a dishcloth, and the sheepdog wanders over to sniff his boots.

“Is it…?”

He nods. “Five cases.”

She looks almost relieved. “Well, that’s not so—”

“You don’t understand,” he monotones. “The ministry is taking no chances. They’re culling every animal.”

She wraps him in a tight hug. “Oh, George! We’ll get through this—

“Every animal,” he repeats.

She looks shaken, grips the dog’s collar so tight it yelps. “You mean…?”

“You don’t understand,” he repeats, as the gas swirls around their feet. “Every animal.”

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction and in Best of British Fantasy (NewCon Press). He’s been published by Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Flame Tree Press, among others. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

Out of Bacon

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by Kimberly Rei

 

Wind ruffled across hay bales, carrying the earthy scent through open farmhouse windows. No snores drifted back, no sounds of sleeping residents. When the police inevitably arrived, they wouldn’t find bodies. They would find bloody pieces. Not enough to form a full human, though the house once held a family of five.

They wouldn’t find footprints, only odd gouges in the polished wooden floors, streaked with crimson.

They wouldn’t find fingerprints, nor fingers with prints.

The house itself smelled like the barn, ripe with musk and rage.

Freedom came on cloven hooves that night. And pigs eat every tasty bone.

Kimberly Rei

Kim has taught writing workshops and edited novels for Authors You May Recognize. She has three published short stories and has become a greedy beast, hungry for more. She currently lives in Tampa Bay, Florida with her beautiful, supportive wife and an abundance of gorgeous beaches to explore.

Website: studio-rei.mailchimpsites.com

 

 

Ravenous

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by Vijayaraj Mahendraraj

 

The shutters slammed repeatedly, winds howling amidst the desolate crop fields. Overbeck’s eyes gleamed, his bloodied grip on the pitchfork waning. The doors and windows were barred, nailed shut. A lone bulb flickered above.

They promised the substance would revitalise his land, beckoning bountiful fields of produce effortlessly. It worked. But the animals gorged themselves on mutated crops. The morphing was quick. Twisted monstrosities now roamed, intent on devouring all.

A chill crawled down his spine. All around, the howling winds were replaced with brays, clucks, squeals, and neighs. The shutters slammed repeatedly, for they had come for sweeter meats.

Vijayaraj Mahendraraj

Vijayaraj Mahendraraj is a Malaysian-born author currently working as a physician in Canada. Vijayaraj has always had a burning passion for writing and can usually be found in front of the computer or the piano, coaxing stories from keystrokes. His written work is currently available in the Dark Moments online publication. Upcoming print works: Grimdark in May 2022 and Year Four, coming January 2023, both from Black Hare Press.
Twitter: @vijayaraj613

 

 

Old Christmas Eve

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by Robyn Fraser

 

January 5th. According to folklore, at midnight the animals in the barn speak in human voices.

Anna is tucked behind the hay bales, shaking with excitement.

The barn is dimly lit and cold, and the cows’ breath fogs the air. The ropes and hooks hung on the wall cast terrible shadows. She tries to ignore the whimpering from the veal crates.

When the clock chimes, the cows turn to Anna, their eyes rolling white.

“He’s a monster,” one whispers.

“Help us,” sobs another.

Everything goes quiet.

“Anna! Run,” the cows shout in unison, as the farmer’s shadow falls across her.”

Robyn Fraser

Robyn Fraser is: a South African living in Switzerland; a writer of horror fiction; a devotee of dark books and films; a folklore enthusiast; the guardian of guinea pigs and feeder of rats; the cat’s mother. 

Instagram: @robynfraser66

 

 

The Last Victory

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by Chad Miller

 

The Sheep took centre stage on the chamber floor. As they displayed their prize, the Senators gasped.

“This is an outrage!” exclaimed the Cow.

The Pig shook his head. “This will close all negotiations. It’s a declaration of war!”

The Sheep retorted, “You cannot negotiate with tyrants.”

The Horse neighed, “Our brethren are worked to death or slaughtered, there is no compromise with the Farmers!”

“This is a war we cannot win.”

The Sheep assented, “True. So we take what is most precious.”

The Senate cheered as they gazed at the Farmer’s daughter’s head as it rested on the pike.

Chad Miller

Chad Miller is a pharmacist and lives in lifeless Delaware with his girlfriend, Natasha, and her daughter Sasha, and his three children. His novel, The Prisoner of Fear, will be out 10/2022. 

Check out other stories on his website, chadmiller-author.com.

 

 

Ovine Revenge

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by Maggie D. Brace

 

A chorus of sharp bleats rent the air as Tilly entered the barnyard. “What’s got them all fired up?” she queried, a wave of apprehension coursing through her innards. George had been at the shearing longer than usual. What could be keeping him? Heading toward the sheep enclosure, she immediately was struck by a horrific odour of blood and faeces. Observing a dozen newly shorn heads, she felt relief until her eyes lit upon George’s bedraggled carcass crumpled in the corner. The shears were still whirring away, jutting out of his chest cavity. Old Bessie had suffered her last shearing.

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.

 

 

Spoiled Milk

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by James Hall

 

Back in the eighties and all the way through until the late nineties, the images of missing children were a common sight on any paper milk carton: whether it be hand delivered by little Jonny on his bicycle, or picked up in the local store. It wasn’t until the introduction of plastic jugs that this practice declined.

Here at Amity Dairy Farms, we pride ourselves on being the only National milk distributor in the states that still print our paper cartons with missing children on. We feel it’s educational for the consumers to know what our dairy cows are fed.

James Hall

Writing has never been optional for James Hall. Like eating and breathing, it’s something integral to their existence. ​Working for a family-owned sausage company, he writes scary stories for a few hours a day before each shift whilst fuelling his caffeine addiction in a local independent coffee shop.

 

 

Behind Blue Eyes

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by LJ McLeod

 

Annabelle had never liked the old brown cow. It was the eyes. Those unblinking, ice-blue eyes.

When Annabelle checked the fences, it was there. When she put out the hay for the herd, it was already waiting.

“It’s just a cow,” she would remind herself. “Nothing to fear.” So why did its mere presence make her shiver?

Then the cow started lingering at her fence. One night she found it outside her bedroom window, though the gate remained locked.

It wasn’t until she woke up and found herself staring into those ice-blue eyes that she realised she was in trouble.

LJ McLeod

LJ McLeod lives in Queensland, Australia. She works in Pathology and writes in her spare time. She has been published in several anthologies and has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award.  In her spare time, she enjoys diving, reading and travelling.  

 

Revenge

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by Blaise Langlois

 

There was only one way to do it, and they had to be quick. Rats were always more intelligent than humans gave them credit for, and now they had become extra clever. Trying to avoid the farmer’s tricks wasn’t a game—it was a matter of survival, and one too many of their comrades had fallen.

Unable to lift the box from the shed, they had gingerly carried the pellets one by one to the edge of the well. As each rat dropped a pellet of warfarin into the water, they dreamed about the green death that awaited the farmer.

Blaise Langlois

Emerging author, Blaise Langlois, will never turn down the chance to tell a creepy story. You are sure to find her writing in between teaching and raising four beautiful children, or feverishly scratching out ideas (which to the chagrin of her supportive husband, usually occurs just after midnight).

Website: ravenfictionca.wordpress.com

 

Twice the Pleasure

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by Pauline Yates

 

I love how my lover slides his mouth down the woman’s neck. How he pauses near her jugular vein, warming his lips with heat from her racing heart. He nips her skin, teasing, her involuntary moan at the pleasure he inflicts sets fire to my cold heart. When he’s finished with her, his lips will tease me in places we share with nobody.

He glances at me, gaze sultry. “Would you like to share?”

“No need.” I sink my fangs into the neck of the man in my arms.

I’ll kiss the blood off my lover’s lips after we feed.

Pauline Yates

Pauline Yates is an Australian author of horror and speculative fiction. Her short stories appear with Midnight Echo, Metaphorosis, Redwood Press, plus others, as well as several anthologies including Mondi Incantanti, published by Riflessi di Luce Lunare (RiLL), Italy. Links to Pauline’s stories can be found at https://paulineyates.com/