The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Shadows and Light
by A.F. Stewart

Dark dreams and sunlight orbs, buried deep within the Brackmore Woods.

Every child in the village knew those words, every bedtime story contained their echo. Don’t stray off the path, don’t wander too far into the forest. Something wicked lives deep within the woodland.

I learned that and I obeyed. Until today. After the rules changed. After… well, things got desperate. I went past the boundaries, past the whispers, into the shadowed forest. Where the only light came from the wicked. There, in the dirt, I sketched a rune and said a dark, sacred name.

For a moment, I waited. Afraid they wouldn’t come, and afraid they would. Then came a growl, then two, and three, then a thousand. And the eyes, so many pairs of yellow eyes. I trembled, but I found my voice and prayed they would not kill me before I finished my tale.

“The Dark Brethren have returned. They have taken my village, they have—” There my voice broke. I could not speak of the atrocities I saw. I simply looked at those shining eyes and said, “We need you.”

They looked back, with such a terrible gaze, but replied, “We will come.”

I sighed in relief. You see, sometimes you just needed the help of the wicked.

To fight something worse.

Fiction © Copyright A.F. Stewart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from A.F. Stewart:

Abandoned: 13 Tales of Impulse, Betrayal, Surrender, & Withdrawal

To act with abandon, in any sense of the word, is human. Whether it’s the sudden, strong urge to do something, either good or bad, or the act of betraying someone you love, we make choices that forever change our lives. Do you give into something or someone completely, or withdraw wholly into yourself? These thirteen stories run the gamut of emotions and express horror as you’ve never imagined it.

The story of a woman alone at the end of the world and the small lifeline she hopes will prove humanity still exists challenges the search for anything left behind after the death of a child. What if you hid a secret you’d thought no one else knew? Would its revelation spark the monster hiding within? A downward spiral into madness juxtaposes the ultimate, but impossible, (re)birth. Would you choose the frigid winds of winter over the warmth and safety of your lover’s arms?

Abandon hope, all who enter here…

Available on Amazon!

WRITERS WANTED!

Issue #40 of The Sirens Call – As Summer Leaves, Autumn Falls
Stories of disaster influenced by horrific intent.

Whether it be Mother Nature’s wrath or a devilish ghoul, a sprite most wicked or a stumbling fool, tell us a tale of disaster that happens as summer ends and autumn begins.

We are looking for stories, flash fiction and poetry of horrific happenings that take place in the summer months that lead into fall. As long as the piece is primarily horror/dark fiction, we’d love to see it!

Your piece can be creepy, sullen, emotive, freaky, elegant, bizarre, have a dark-humor edge to it, or simply be flat out scary as hell!

REPRINTS ARE WELCOME
Submission Deadline: August 10, 2018
Circulation: Approximately 35,000

Full page/single book cover ads for individual authors are available at $10 per ad. Please contact Nina@SirensCallPublications.com for advertising information.

All short story, flash, and poem submissions MUST be submitted to: Submissions@SirensCallPublications.com for consideration.

Visit our web site for more details: SirensCallPub.com