Melanie approached the unfamiliar door and nervously lifted the key from her pocket. She drew a deep breath, unlocked it, paused, then pushed it open. She was horrified to see a coffin in the room. Uncle Jack always was a practical joker, she thought to herself. The lawyer, who handled the reading of his will, ...

Seeing my unaged brother at Mr. Keith’s house sends me into denial. I know it’s impossible, but my eyes tell me otherwise. My brother stands in the window, staring at me, or is he? I don’t know, but somehow the house is involved. I’m sure of that, and, starting today, I’ll ferret out every secret ...

Content Warning: Drug Use “Alright, so we agree that there’s more shit goin’ on than meets the eye on this plane of existence,” Tim said before he took another drag of the joint and passed it over to Declan. The two friends sprawled comfortably on the floor of the old farmhouse shack they’d laid claim ...

Sayrin dashed over the worn dirt paths faster than Hana expected. Hana followed, her arm aching by how hard Sayrin gripped it. Every few minutes another horn sounded, wailing through the trees. “These paths aren’t used very often,” huffed Sayrin, “I know them in and out. As long as we can keep them off our ...

Turkeytown, a small turkey community in California, was home to several thousand toms, hens, jakes, and jennies. These weren’t just any turkeys. Rather, they were talking turkeys, communicating like humans. Although, it wasn’t acceptable to reference them as being human-like since Turkeytown turkeys feared humans. Such comparisons weren’t well-received. The rafter of turkeys all lived in perfect harmony. Well, ...

I used my fangs, success! I could feel the leathery shell ripping. Beams of warm yellow light peaked through cracks in the shell that had been my warm, cozy home.  I made my way out of the opening that I had carved out of the shell.  The light hurt my eyes. I heard a noise. ...

My favorite thing to do to get in the Halloween spirit is reading Stephen King’s bone-chilling horror stories and watching the film versions. He has always done an incredible job of creating intriguing masterpieces about the psychic battle between good and evil that we all endure. I finished reading his novella “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” in ...

Jason read his book in the graveyard near the school, as he often did, delaying his walk home to the inevitable fighting that ensued. The clouds covered the sun as a fall breeze whisked crisp leaves around the tombstones. The Vikings are now believed to have arrived in North America as early as 1021, Predating ...

Hana first saw the Ghost on Tuesday, after the rain slowed. The weak morning sun broke through the silver and lilac streaks of clouds, turning the sky and earth soft oranges and vibrant yellows. The grass sparkled, the river flowing past nearly white as Hana pressed her nose against the chill glass and peered outside. ...

Trigger Warning: This story includes gore, violence, and death. Joe stood in his dilapidated cottage, gazing at the elaborate Halloween party invite. He hated going out after dark—especially when temperatures were unseasonably frigid. Fierce winds sent the old oak tree’s naked branches scratching at his living room window. Visions of bony elongated fingers taunted Joe’s ...