fiction
Horror fiction that delivers on its promise to scare, startle, frighten and unsettle. These stories are fake, but the shivers down your spine won't be.
Johnny, Don't Go!
"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window…,” Lynn whispered as I sipped on a sloshy, half-melted margarita. It was a balmy, September night at Lake Santee, illuminated by the glow of the full moon. I held tight to my tiger’s eye necklace, like any good witch would do when there’s blood on the moon. As a kid growing up in the 90s, Practical Magic taught me so much.
By Alexandra Sedlak4 years ago in Horror
Last Stop
The last thing that Jimmy David remembered was trying to lose the cops in the Impala he'd jacked an hour earlier, with a loose wad of equally dirty cash thrown carelessly across the passenger's seat. With three cars gaining on him, he'd cut the wheel hard to the left by the railroad crossing and mashed the accelerator into the floor, betting that the local heat wouldn't even try to beat the oncoming train. A glance in the rearview mirror proved him right, as all three cars braked hard and slid to a stop at awkward angles. Jimmy took his only chance and pushed on, gritting his teeth against the approaching thunderous roar and gripping the wheel until his hands ached. He knew that the difference between success and failure was about to be measured in fractions of a second.
By Robert Gibson4 years ago in Horror
Celestial Bodies
“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.” He always began it the same way. We would get a delicious shiver down our backs, warm our palms up to the fire, and settle a little deeper into the hard ground. The work trips began in early spring, and lasted to late fall, frost limning the tents in the slanting light. Between was an endless high summer, full of heat and long, lazy days spent swatting mosquitoes and trudging up and down hills. My father’s job was identifying the tiny invasive insects that burrow deep beneath the tree’s flesh, withering them bit by bit, until what was once lush forest hung skeletal hands up to the sky. It was a bittersweet one, bitter in its mission and unfolding story, sweet in the long cool draughts of clearest air, the vistas of frothing green, the simplicity of days kept not by clocks, but by the basic celestial forces that have ruled us far longer than any watch hand. father’s job was identifying the tiny invasive insects that burrowed deep beneath the tree’s flesh, withering them bit by bit, until what was once lush forest hung skeletal hands up to the sky. It was a bittersweet one, bitter in its mission and unfolding story, sweet in the long cool draughts of clearest air, the vistas of frothing green, the simplicity of days kept not by clocks, but by the basic celestial forces that have ruled us far longer than any watch hand.
By Nyssa Lyon4 years ago in Horror
October 4th
Keith never cared about his appearance. Rarely showered, smelled all the time, and could barely fit at his desk because of how big he let himself get. His co-workers would make fun of him for it, but he didn't care. One day at work, a client came in inquiring about a loan he applied for. Keith had reviewed the application, but it didn't meet policy standards. Now Keith never really paid much attention when he got the job, and accepted the loan. The client was excited to finally start his own business. Later in the day, Keith's boss found out about the accepted loan, and was furious with Keith, and informed him that the loan didn't meet the standards. With a straight look on Keith's face, he was quickly fired. Unfazed by this action, he walked out from the front doors of the bank and headed home.
By Rachel Dailey4 years ago in Horror
No where tracks
A cold breeze dances across my face, I open my eyes and adjust myself to the dim lighting above me occasionally flickering on and off. I push off the cool metal floor, using the pole to steady myself. I have a slight pain in my head niggling away at me enough to rub my hand across the back. The train is moving at full speed, I just see blank walls outside. I glance down the carriage noticing its empty, quiet and clean, no other sign of life or movement or sound. I turn to try the operators door and it opens but no one is inside, no driver, no other staff just the controls. The room was dark apart from the lights on the control panels buttons, there was no window though. It was a window but it was all black, I couldn't see a thing so where is every one and how is this train driving itself?
By Sophie larissa4 years ago in Horror
Beautiful Dreamer, Part Three
Day 8 Nelson-Casseus Suite ALL POWERFUL, Atlantic Ocean We didn’t talk about what happened after we got back to the room. We didn’t talk about it last night, either. We need to talk about it, though. Even if we don’t talk about how Jayden killed a man, we need to talk about what we do now. We can’t try the Captain’s radio. If there are still announcements going like this, someone is obviously still there, and we can’t take anyone on, not in our condition, and I severely doubt whoever’s there would be letting all this happen if they were serious about the passengers’ safety. A distress signal is just out of the question. Jayden is avoiding confronting the problem now, avoiding me, but if we’re going to get off this ship, we can’t go on like this.
By Stephanie Hoogstad4 years ago in Horror
The Hospital Doppleganger
In late 2016 a woman named Mary was working as an emergency room technician. She was in charge of helping patients breathe as a respiratory therapist. She would go through the hospital and assist patients that needed help breathing on their own. She would attach a machine to them that assisted in breathing as they were wheeled to another floor. One seemingly normal day she was doing just that. She was with a few other doctors and nurses as they wheeled a patient towards the large freight elevator. She hit the button and waited for the doors to open. One second, two seconds, the door stayed still. Finally it opened and she began to wheel the patient inside. A slight chill caught her attention but she rubbed it off. She pushed the patient into the freight elevator and squished in with everyone else.
By Stories From The Dark4 years ago in Horror
Hade's Express
“Ticket check, ticket check, please have your tickets ready!” Startled, I woke up from a deep sleep. Where am I, and how did I get here? Frantic, I feel around my jacket and look in my pocket for any sign of a ticket. Nothing. The last thing I remember, is that I fell asleep, in my bed. I don’t even remember dreaming. Is this a dream? I pinch myself, which I could feel, “no,” I think to myself, “it’s not a dream.” The conductor is a few isles behind me, now, “ticket check, ticket check, please have your tickets ready, the conductor repeated again, walking down the aisles. Getting more nervous by the second, I keep fumbling around my clothes, looking for anything resembling a ticket. He’s getting closer and closer, until he is right next to me. The conductor stops at my seat, “ticket please,” he said. Still fumbling around my jacket I look up at him and say, “sir, I’m sorry, I don’t have,” what’s this? In my pocket, out of nowhere, there is what appears to be a paper-like object. I pull it out, it’s a black ticket, with red writing on it. A chill went up and down my spine. There were goosebumps on my arms and legs.
By Virginia Stackhouse4 years ago in Horror
