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.

The Keeper of Good Souls. Runner-Up in Campfire Ghost Story Challenge.
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. As its warm light spilled out onto the black canvas of the night, Silas Northam opened his eyes.
By James Farrell4 years ago in Horror
The Wash
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. At least, they had assumed it had been empty, but the soft glow suggested otherwise. When Sorsha and Olivia had received the letter, crested with the emblem of the notary in Glasgow, the images of the plot of land showed an aerial view of the shabby roof surrounded with an unkempt garden. Their inheritance, they assumed, was unoccupied. Pulling into the crescent shaped parking lot, Shorsha hit the breaks on the rental car as Olivia stopped the Fugazi tape just before it flipped to the B -side.
By Rowan4 years ago in Horror
Take Me Back, Jack!
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. I stopped and stared, listening to the incessant hum of buzzing insects. The air was thick with mosquitos and flies, swarming around my face, biting at the exposed flesh of my arms and legs. “Hello?” I croaked, “Hello, is anyone out there?” My mind struggled to produce an explanation for the candles presence but stalled in confusion. There was no pane left in the window. If the candle toppled in the breeze, it would drop into the overgrown brush that surrounded the cabin. The woods were dangerously dry that summer, and I began to envision an inferno blooming from the seed of that flickering flame. In good conscious, I could not leave the candle burning.
By Austin Spring4 years ago in Horror
The Witches Tongue
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Five young children sought out fortune and fame by sneaking out toward the forbidden cabin of Woven to record their experiences of what they found. They lit the Witches’ candle to perform the ceremony that would lift the curse from the town.
By Justin Contreras4 years ago in Horror
The Kangalaree
"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. - M." The text message blurred and flickered as Kal's phone ran out of battery. The moonlight sprinkled through the canopy of eucalyptus trees. The frosty wind sent a whispering howl through the forest as leaves rustled amongst the Kooraringa forest floor.
By Leucius Verda'ant4 years ago in Horror
Grandmother
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The darkness of the night was thick, the flame only illuminating the dirt covered square in the center of the frame. The forest had become completely silent. Crickets froze in limbo and the creatures of the shadows had stilled themselves. The only sound present was that of a young girl shuffling about the inside of the small structure that time had preserved in its decay. She placed her backpack on the dusty floor. Gently, she removed the old book she had found in her grandmother’s attic, an old leather strap between the marked pages. Her grandmother had passed away a week ago and the family had trekked into the backwoods of Tennessee to sift through her belongings. She had never really known her grandmother. It had always been a sore subject in her family. Occasionally, her father would mention growing up here, but his childhood had always been somewhat of a mystery, one he kept behind locked doors.
By MLCash4 years ago in Horror
A Father's Final Tale
“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.” I looked up and glanced at the abandoned cabin that was near our campsite.
By Danielle Dahl4 years ago in Horror
Fright
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Deanne and her best friend Shea walked up to the abandoned cabin. It had been a long day. Deanne’s car broke down two miles down the road and they desperately needed help. What made matters worse is that both their phones died as soon as the car broke down. It was the strangest thing because Deanne knew for a fact her phone was charged. They were going on their first camping trip and was excited to get the experience. Their boyfriends would always talk about how much fun they had whenever they went, so the girls decided to get in on the fun!
By Debora Dumaine4 years ago in Horror
Lost and Found
“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.” “Oooo, that sounds so scary. A cabin in the woods. That’s a story that has never been told before,” Dylan said sarcastically to the man who had come over from the next campsite.
By Justine Emerson4 years ago in Horror
The Hungry Whistle
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The cabin was small, and dilapidated from years of neglect. It was positioned just beyond the tree line, on the edge of the property, where the yard gave way to a thickness of forest that stretched for miles. From the house, it was barely visible. In fact, on this particular night, the sky was a blanket of clouds that created a darkness so thick, that it was near impossible to make out any shapes; everything ran together and blended into one black abyss. This very darkness, however, amplified the flickering light from that candle in the window, and a seemingly innocuous detail, that otherwise might have gone unnoticed by Harper, was as apparent as rain is wet. It caught her eye immediately through her bedroom window. At first, she squeezed her eyes tight , sure that it was nothing more than her imagination, but upon opening them again, the candlelight still danced against the darkness. A shudder washed over her body.
By Brandon Boyer4 years ago in Horror
Safe by Candlelight
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Henry saw it like a beacon in the dark and ran to it.
By Dana L. Nelson4 years ago in Horror
The Vanishing
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. In my field of work, I attempt to document and study the causes of the world’s strangest phenomena. There is a case in particular that has caught my attention, known to locals as the Vanish of Woodstock. The press has reported that in broad daylight on an otherwise normal, yet brutally cold, January day, the people of Woodstock, Illinois walked out of their cars, their homes, their jobs, and simply walked as far as their legs could take them. There were no lights, no warnings, no announcement, not a single plan was put in place for this kind of mass exodus. I feel I have no choice but to learn the cause, as the police seem to have given up and ruled it as nothing of importance, but there is something off about this case, I can feel it.
By Skylar Sturtevant4 years ago in Horror