Tag Archive for: video game horror

Unplugged

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by Greg Schwartz

“Josh!” His mom stomped into his room. “I’ve been calling you.”

“Sorry, Mom. Trying to kill this monster.” Josh feverishly manoeuvred the controller, his face contorted in concentration.

“You’ve been playing all day,” she said. “Time to turn it off.”

“Two minutes,” Josh pleaded, eyes never leaving the screen.

She yanked the power cord. The screen went black.

“Mom!” Josh’s face paled. “You don’t understand—”

“Next time, listen when I…” Her voice trailed off. “What was that?”

Far away, there was a thud. Then another, closer.

Thud. THUD. The floor shook.

THUD. THUD. The windows rattled.

Josh whispered, “Run.”

Greg Schwartz

Greg Schwartz writes speculative fiction and poetry. He lives with his wife, children, and dog. No spiders.

Sucked In

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by Tracy Davidson

He starts his missing son’s latest game. Something to distract him from constant worry, to see what his son played that day.

Graphics have changed since his childhood. His avatar walks through a post-apocalyptic landscape. Bodies burning, animals scavenging.

Far ahead, a faint figure jumps up and down, screaming at him to run.

Something drives him forward. The figure sharpens. His son’s avatar, disconcertingly realistic, even wearing his brand-new trainers.

“Dad, you should have gone back,” it says, tears on claw-marked cheeks.

But there’s no going back in this game…

At home, a worried mother reports her husband missing too.

Tracy Davidson

Tracy Davidson lives in Warwickshire, England, and writes poetry and flash fiction. Her work has appeared in various publications and anthologies, including: Poet’s Market, Mslexia, Black Hare Press, Modern Haiku, Femku Mag, Shooter, Journey to Crone, The Great Gatsby Anthology, WAR, and In Protest: 150 Poems for Human Rights.

Nobody Puts Baby in the Deleted Items Folder

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by C. A. Fulwell

LifeLike: Kelly’s favourite game since age fourteen. So much joy in the virtual family. No pain. No “stupid fucking mistakes.” Just love.

After a mistake at twenty-two, she had Emily. Alone. No matter.

A little Emily joined LifeLike. Kelly didn’t remember making her, but loved them both.

Months passed. No money. No sleep. No help. Time to pull the plug on the LifeLike subscription.

Little Emily appeared next to the delete button. She stared at Kelly.

At Kelly.

“No, Mama.”

Sleep deprivation. Kelly readied the mouse.

“Mama?”

Emily!

Pain peeled across her ankles. Emily raised the knife again.

“No, Mama.”

C. A. Fulwell

C. A. Fulwell is an author from Oxfordshire, England, where he lives with his wife and two young children. His work can be found at 101 Words, Black Hare Press and in the inaugural Black Spring Press CrimeBits. When not writing, he can be found avoiding most temptations, or thinking about writing.

Instagram: @caf.writer


Immersive Gameplay

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by Jonathan Tolstedt

Teri wasn’t prepared for what she found in the apartment the biohazard company sent her to clean.

The corpse was still sitting on the edge of his couch, mummified, clutching the controller in rotting hands. There was a horrific grin frozen on his face; empty eye sockets locked on the still active display. She had to break his fingers to take the controller. She turned to set it down when she noticed the game responding to her movements.

“Huh,” she said. She pushed the hood of her hazmat suit back, sat down next to the corpse. “Maybe a quick game.”

Jonathan Tolstedt

Jonathan Tolstedt is a patent agent by day and evolving writer by night. He has previously published a short horror story (2018) and had three of his 100-word horror stories accepted for publication in recent Dark Moments calls for Black Hare Press (2024).

Educational Games

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by Randall Andrews

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Chester hooted softly and toggled the windows on his laptop. A moment later, the doctor stepped into the room, accompanied by a stranger.

“Hey, buddy,” the doctor said. “How’s Tetris?”

Chester hooted again and signed a response. Level 5.

“That’s great.” Then, turning to the stranger, the doctor said, “The neural-enhancers are working. He’s learning so fast—faster than any other chimp could.”

Casually, Chester returned his hand to the laptop, hiding the tab for his paused game of Mortal Kombat. He was learning a lot. Soon enough, they’d find out just how much!

Randall Andrews

Randall Andrews is the author of two books, Finding Hour Way and The Last Guardian of Magic, which won the National Indie Excellence Award. His shorter works have appeared in places like Abyss & Apex, Space & Time, Mystery Tribune, and Sci-Fi Lampoon. Check out the books at:

Website: thelastguardianofm.wix.com/author