A secret revealed. A legacy undone. A horror immortalised. For generations, the Berdeaux family name had been synonymous with hospitality and distinction. But that all changed in the summer of 1979, when Dewey Berdeaux’s “hobby” came to light. It was a revelation that stunned the town of Barrville, and ever since then, the Berdeaux family mansion has stood as a grim reminder—with its fair share of ghosts, if rumour is to be believed.
Unable to wipe away the sweat or tears, hampered by restraints, the woman suppressed the urge to push, instead taking quick breaths.
“It’s time,” the doctor snapped.
White coats hovered in her limited field of vision.
She felt the tug, the vibration, as her belly was opened up; heard the cry of the baby as it was removed efficiently from her gaping womb.
“Good job 212. A healthy boy!”
She choked back a futile scream.
“Clean the mess,” he ordered the nurse. “And for Christ’s sake, don’t forget to zip her back up again. Can’t have another one bleeding out.”
Nicole Little lives in Newfoundland, Canada. Her short stories have appeared in seventeen anthologies. Her first novella, The Lotus Fountain: A Slipstreamers Adventure launched November 2020. In her spare time, Nicole has either a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. She is married with two daughters.
This is an industry of rejection and to be successful, an author needs to be able to never throw in the towel, no matter the hard road ahead of them.
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 worth it.”
Tears stung my eyes. “Please. It will kill me.”
He edged closer, lightly caressed my stomach.
It rippled in response.
I screamed.
“You should be honoured, dear Emily.” All four insectoid eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “It’s the dawn of a new world. And you will be Mother.”
Nicole Little
Nicole Little lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Her short stories have appeared in thirteen anthologies, with her first novella set for release in November 2020. In her spare time, Nicole has either a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. She is married with two daughters.
Facebook: @NLitNon
Holing up in this ramshackle cabin was our first mistake, but we’d run out of options.
Now we’re surrounded.
They pound on the door seeking entrance. And though they mumble amongst themselves, no words are discernible to us through the splintered wood. The children—our poor children; they cower, clutching at their mothers ragged shirttails. The stench of fear in the room is tangible.
We know this is the end.
With a thunderous crash the door gives and the mob breaks inside.
“Aim for their heads boys!” I hear them shout as they open fire.
The humans. The unturned.
Nicole Little
Nicole Little is an award winning short story writer living in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Her work has appeared in nine anthologies in the past year. In her spare time, Nicole has either a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. She is married with two daughters.
www.facebook.com/NLitNon
My new job has phenomenal perks: travel, luxury accommodations; no expense spared. So the booking at this creaky old London hotel surprises me, I’ll admit.
Late for a meeting, I hop on the empty elevator; impatiently check my watch as the slow descent halts several floors down. The group waiting there shuffle their feet, glance at me awkwardly, but no one makes a move to get on. As the doors whisper shut, I hear a woman mutter something that chills me to my core:
“Why are there so many people on that bloody lift?”
But…I’m alone.
Aren’t I?
Nicole Little
Nicole Little is an award winning short story writer living in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Her work has appeared in eight anthologies in the past year. In her spare time, Nicole has either a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. She is married with two daughters.
Nicole Little is a short story writer living in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Thus far, her work has been published in nine different anthologies