psychological
Mind games taken way too far; explore the disturbing genre of psychological thrillers that make us question our perception of sanity and reality.
I wish for death
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window; into the room where they kept her. Two curious campers wandered through the woods. It was eerily silent, they didn’t hear a single animal, neither the wind nor the leaves rustling together. You could almost hear the blood pumping in their veins. Clouds formed a dark canvas above them, but there was no rain. They continued on, their breathing becoming weak as they stumbled upon the cabin. The only sign of life was the burning candle, and their curiosity gripped tightly and guided them into the cabin. But, when they entered, it did not look abandoned at all. The old cabin was fresh, and warm, as if someone has been living here all this time. They admired the vintage beauty held in the walls, furniture and the art; eventually being drawn into the room with the candle. A girl named Lanira once lived in the cabin with her family, however, Lanira’s family always found her to be quite odd. The family was always very weary around her, and they always seemed to get a twisted, gross feeling around her. Lanira would look out her window and stare for hours upon end. Everyday her family found her stiff, frozen, blankly staring out that window. One night a candle mysteriously appeared at the sill of Lanira’s window, and it was already burning. The candle enchanted the cabin and burned for days and days, yet the wax never shed a tear, no liquid melting residue; it stood strong, just as it had when it first appeared. Then, one night as the candle was burning, the earth stood still. There was no wind, no sound, and no breath filled the air. The next day, the earth resumed its lively rotation, but the family was gone, all but Lanira. Who still watched through the window, only now the flame was dead and the candle sat cold. Years past and eventually Lanira died in that room, watching as her reflection closed its eyes for the last time. The campers stepped into the Lanira’s room and stared at the candle burning in the window. They began trembling, feeling a disturbing presence that made them ill. They dragged themselves toward the candle still haunted by its enchanting flame, and as the neared it, it began to flicker, and the room became cold. One of the campers reached out and tried to touch the candle before the other stopped him. All of a sudden voices crowded their minds, screams of terror, cries for help, and they couldn’t move. They were paralyzed with this force consuming them from the inside. They began to go insane and in that moment they wanted nothing more than death to come and end their suffering minds. But they had a fate coming, far worse than death. The camper who tried to touch the candle before had had enough of this psychotic reign, wondering what he could do to end this horror he had never endured; he thought if there was no candle then there would be no scare. He slowly and painfully turned his head, with all hope and strength, blew out the candle, and they were gone. Just like that, the earth had resumed life, the wind blew, the sun shone, but not a single trace of the campers found. The end. You may be wondering, what happened? Where did the campers go? What is this candle? Who exactly is Lanira? Well, my friends, you shall get your answers soon. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Lanira. Goodbye.
By Makenna Bolton4 years ago in Horror
Filth
Carolyn sat with a flat affect and stared out the window. She was so tired. She was tired of the never-ending anxiousness over everything around her. It was the mental equivalent of wearing a hot, scratchy sweater and never being able to scratch or take it off. She sighed deeply as if to breathe out a miniscule amount of her misery. It wasn’t always this way. Her world was perfect – like Mary Poppins perfect – “practically perfect in every way”. Her lips tightened to express her contempt for the world. Now everything was retched; her days stretched out in their banality, slowly chocking the very soul from her. She closed her eyes to transport herself to those blissful days of the past, back when Sam was still alive. Back before the house fell into disrepair and filth. Back when Tracie was still a small child and not a selfish, vapid adult. Carolyn properly cleaned the house every day back then. She’d wash her hands in the best way possible and then, using her red cloth, wipe each doorknob seven times in a clockwise direction. Her eyelids fluttered; just the memory gave her satisfaction and, for a few seconds, assuaged her discomfort. She continued her daydream. After doorknobs always came baseboards. If baseboards weren’t kept pristine, bugs might get into the house. Everyone knew those were access points. She shuddered in revulsion but quickly recovered. She’d had a specific cloth she only used for one task and her special tools, as she called them. She had a calming blue sponge that was her baseboard tool. She didn’t think anything could be as fulfilling as completing one’s comprehensive cleaning regimen. After Sam passed, Carolyn threw herself into various cleaning projects to help her cope with the loss. For a time, she was – well, not happy – content. She was content, neither happy nor unhappy. Then that fateful night out changed everything and plunged her into purgatory. It was the dog days of summer, and bugs were particularly bad that year. Carolyn had stayed out unusually late as she perused the isle of cleaning goods at Walmart. The barrage of insects splatting on the windshield drove her to distraction. She tried to use the wipers and fluid to clear the nasty goo from the windshield. When that didn’t work to her liking, she decided to pull over and use some of the many cleaning items she’d just purchased. She’d not cleared the lane completely in her haste to pull over. The eighteen-wheeler that crested the hill didn’t have time to avoid the back quarter of her vehicle where it blocked the road. If she would have been unbuckled already, there’s no doubt it would have killed her. The truck hit her car, and it was catapulted in an arc and into a nearby tree. She suffered numerous cuts and bruises, broke her leg in two places, fractured three ribs, and had burst fractures in her C7, L1, and L2 vertebrae. The fracture in C7 had compressed her spinal cord. The fractures in L1 and L2 were utterly devastating, shearing her spinal cord, and rendering her paralyzed. It took multiple surgeries and countless therapies over two years to get to her current functionality. Wholly dependent on her useless daughter. Her doctors had often stressed how imperative it was to have in-home care: a sitter, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc. She adamantly refused against all medical advice. She damned sure didn’t want anyone to come in and mess up her house! The sound of the front door wrenched her back to the present as she heard Tracie return from the grocery store. She wanted to call out but realized Tracie wouldn’t hear her as she always had those blasted things in her ears. As she’d done millions of times, Carolyn looked down at her immobile legs. She angrily sneered at them. Carolyn continued waiting for her daughter to come to receive instructions that she undoubtedly would fail to follow, causing Carolyn more misery.
By JD Gallegly4 years ago in Horror
The Hideout
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Rowland crouched by the un-lit fireplace, ice-cold and shaking from shock after her midnight dash through Bungonia Forrest, she fumbled the matches again and again.
By Mel Ziarno4 years ago in Horror
The End of Mary
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. In all the years my family had been coming here, we’d never known anyone to occupy the Old Worthy Place, not even for a summer. Ours and theirs were the only two cabins situated in this tiny North-Easterly part of New England, and that was one of the reasons we made a point to come out here whenever we needed a break from the city. On occasions when there had been more of us, we would walk in the woods or swim in the lake together (keeping close to the shoreline, after Nana warned us about wading in too deep), but since mother had died and Em had gone away to college, we found ourselves spending more and more time apart.
By Chris Mitchell4 years ago in Horror
Black and White Fire
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It was a night very much like this one, a quiet summer night with a light breeze. I had been to the cabin as a kid, but through the years, wild shrubbery had overtaken any semblance of a path; I would now need a machete to get there.
By Levin Wundy4 years ago in Horror
