Calm smoothed over the landscape as quickly as the turbulent weather erupted. I perched on my grandmother’s bedroom window and watched the sun’s rays battle the clouds for dominance. As it strained to break through, I struggled against the feeling of my lungs closing up. The fresh, earthy smell of Gran’s backyard after the recent ...

Midnight tolled from a distant clock tower, its echoes drifting across the English countryside. In the shadowed hush of St. Carlisle’s churchyard, tombstones loomed like silent sentries. Nothing stirred here but a lone figure cloaked in burgundy, dragging a stolen shovel that glinted with the promise of mischief, pilfered earlier from sexton Charlie Jacobson’s shed. ...

The house sat tucked away in the depths of the woods. Its once white, pristine boards had turned a nasty shade of brown from years of wear. The windows were covered in dirt. The roof sagged, holding its breath so it wouldn’t cave in. These were the thoughts that crossed Maggie Harrington’s mind when she ...

“Of course. This shit would happen to me,” Emilee murmured as she searched through the sand by the burnt debris. “I just wanted a simple life, but here I am.” She found nothing but seashells and a broken beach shovel. Her patience was disappearing faster than daylight. “I don’t even know what color the journal ...

“Ah, do you just love the sound of bones crushing?” “I was finally enjoying this town,” Mr. Irwin fussed as he dug his hand saw into Sally’s right leg. “Why do you have to keep ruining my life?!” “Don’t blame me,” the voice screamed. “You have chosen this path before I ever came along! You ...