psychological

Mind games taken way too far; explore the disturbing genre of psychological thrillers that make us question our perception of sanity and reality.

My Heir
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. A candle I had set with meticulous purpose. The incipient marker of what was to become my legacy.
By Justin Andrews4 years ago in Horror
The Scattered Pedals of the Lake
September, 1994 The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It didn't take long for a fire to erupt from it and for the first responders to tackle it.
By Guije's Pen4 years ago in Horror
A Human Finger
“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night a candle burned in the window.” (“Ahhh - ahhh -”) “But when we got close, real close, we could see that it wasn’t a candle at all that was burning.”
By Eric Dovigi4 years ago in Horror
I met God today
1. Rock Bottom I needed to get away. From stress; the stress at work, the stress at home, it all condensed and surrounded me so heavily I felt like I couldnt take a breath. I have always been positive, outgoing, supportive of friends and family, the first to give a dollar, or meal to the homeless. Now my life felt suffocating. A few years ago, tired of building my boss's dreams, i went into business for myself, and we did well. Even during the 2020 pandemic, we made a bit of profit, and were able to keep the doors open. The year before that had been hell, my son had died in the worst possible way, and mentally i broke. But then my wife and i crawled ourselves out of hell, and built a life for ourselves. We struggled a bit, like everyone does, but everything was going well, and now everything was collapsing in on itself. We cant find help, so I've been overworking, taking on all the work I can, and I've burned myself out. The money is drying up, my energy is spent, and everything we have built has fallen apart. So here I sit, parked with the front tires of my truck an inch from the cliff edge, along an old abandoned trail that overlooks lake Travis 300' below me, and I lift my foot from the brake pedal, plunging myself and the truck into the great weightless void of oblivion.
By Zack Amos4 years ago in Horror
The Cabin
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. A sheer slip of white curtain that had been pushed to one side was flowing as though dancing in a breeze. It took a minute for my mind to register why that felt so wrong. As the clammy night air filled my lungs, I could feel the rhythm of my heart quicken. There was no breeze that night. The strong scent of pinesap was beginning to upset my empty stomach, and the strange stillness of the forest had my senses pressing to hear past the silence. “You don’t believe in ghosts,” I told myself.
By AJ Cannizzaro4 years ago in Horror
Cryonightmare
Sitting in the cramped jumpseat he was too familiar with, First Officer Ron Hammond engaged the USS Jordanova's thrusters and the massive generation ship took flight from the Goddard Launch Facility.
By Dakota Rice4 years ago in Horror
The Beckoner
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. She froze. It had finally happened.
By Alex Casey4 years ago in Horror
Light in the Dark
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It was such a small thing, insignificant to the darkness surrounding it. What could one candle hope to accomplish, awash in the black seas of infinity? What could it illuminate here, in this dank, decrepit dump? Dust? Decay?
By Christian Oxford4 years ago in Horror
The Candle
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. I hope I don't have to commit to this... but my partner is always fascinated by abandoned buildings and the stories that surround them. As he stood up to explore further I exclaimed, "I really don't want to do this!". He looked at our friend, who couldn't help herself but to tag along, she stated, "i think your girlfriend is right... wouldn't it be trespassing?", I had to interject here and inform her, "technically speaking there aren't any trespassing laws in England." as I finish I realize he's already gone to the door and then opens it. I rush over to take position behind him whispering, "what if someone is in there?", he calmly replies, "your research hasn't been wrong before."
By Jon Joe4 years ago in Horror
The Candle's Heartbeat
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. She slid herself across the floor to her nightly perch against the wall, dragging his soul behind her. She took the rusty nail and notched a mark into the wall beside her. 14 notches, two weeks she had been there.
By Canuck Scriber Lisa Lachapelle4 years ago in Horror
Somewhere Between Reality and Death. Top Story - June 2022.
The world seemed to shake around me as I crawled my way through the mud and filth of the trench. Each inch a stark reminder would ring throughout the walls of my head: Don’t stand up, don’t stand up, don’t stand up. The dirt walls that surrounded me were my prison and my salvation. It was if my drill sergeant had seared the words into the side of my brain. The words that would come to define my existence seemed so simple, yet so complex. With each inch I crawled the pain would sear in my knees and elbows. Days of rubbing my body against the dirt had resulted in my skin being rubbed raw over and over. It didn’t matter. I had to reach my post.
By A.M Cooper4 years ago in Horror
Like Moths
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. An old man paused his nightly stargazing to watch the flame dance through his telescope from a few miles away.
By The Rogue Scribe4 years ago in Horror