Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Rie Sheridan Rose @RieSheridanRose @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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Shocking, Isn’t It?
by Rie Sheridan Rose

My father was disappointed in me from the day I made my mewling way into his house. After five daughters, you would have surmised he would be pleased to have a son…but apparently, just the block and tackle wasn’t enough. 
He tried molding me into the man he wanted me to be with whip and chain—literally—but was not pleased with the result. So, as soon as feasible, he foisted me off on one of his subordinates, a sea captain by the name of Smythe. At the age of twelve, I went to sea.
I never rose beyond the rank of sailor. Captain Smythe felt I hadn’t the temperament for an officer. Instead, I swabbed the deck and coiled the lines…until sailing ships gave way to steam, and steam to coal…and I was no longer twelve—or even fifty. 
I grew old on the sea, and the sea was indifferent. At the age of sixty, I fell ill and—apparently—died. 
At least, I found myself struggling out of a weighted shroud at the bottom of the sea. Water…water everywhere. But I had never felt more alive. I looked at my hands, and they were strong and young again. The brand from the heated chain my father had disciplined me with coiling down my wrist almost glowed.
I swam for the surface. It seemed the thing to do. When I broke free of the water, I saw a ship approaching. The name on the bow was familiar—familial, even. The image of a skull appeared before me…and I knew what I must do.
I called down the lightning—and the ship burned. Every soul aboard sent to their own watery eternity.
And, I felt nothing.
Fiction © Copyright Rie Sheridan Rose
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Author Rie Sheridan Rose:

Skellyman

“I have always preferred the supernatural in tales of horror, the knot between life and death. Rie Sheridan Rose’s Skellyman is cool and creepy. Her first horror novel is a chilling read.” — Charlee Jacob – Stoker winner, Best novel, “Dread in the Beast”

Brenda Barnett is trying to cope with raising her four-year-old daughter all alone after an accident tore her family in half. As she and Daisy go for a much-needed treat, the little girl spots a Skellyman on the corner.

This pivotal encounter leads to a wave of mounting terror as Brenda’s life begins to come undone around her. Who is the Skellyman? Why does he keep appearing? Can the sympathetic policeman Brenda turns to stop the madness before it is too late?

And why does Daisy insist that her dead brother is trying to tell them something important?

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author K.R. Morrison @KRMorrison2 @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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I Have Promises to Keep
K.R. Morrison

Away, bright and terrible Light! What need have I of your promises? This business must be taken care of before you come for me.
And bats! Do not think that you may have the leavings of my destitute soul. Your master must await the outcome as well.
Oh, Teresa! Dear Teresa! If you had not spurned my advances, stolen my heart, and then trod on it with your darling feet, my non-ending demise would not have had its roots.
For you I sought, for you I tried every possible overture, yet you ignored them all. Your brothers, my boon companions, would often say that you just needed more time. But time is of no consequence to me now. I am free—and cursed—to bring our relationship to a satisfying conclusion.
How many times have I been destroyed at the hands of these, my friends? When I was caught dabbling in the dark arts, did any one of them stand up in my defense? No! I was hung without a protest from any of them.
But playing chess with the Devil never finds a result that is positive on the side of the mortal. This I now know. And this is why I now haunt you, Teresa, and will do so until I have you, body and mind.
I refrain from the term “soul.” This I cannot have, as it seems that my own will not stay at peace, will not go to the Light or to the Dark. You may keep your soul—although it will probably avail you not.
I am amused at the thought of how many times the villagers—my dearest friends!—have tried to put me into the ground for good. Hanging, stabbing, flaying, tearing me limb from limb—none of these worked. I could feel their anguish as they did these things to me, and so I do not detest them for it. However, I imagine that the church registry is quite full of the many deaths to which I have been subjected. The burial dates on my gravestone must be about to fill up the granite upon which they are inscribed. Before the vultures plucked out my eyes on one occasion, when I’d been left to rot after being burned, I used to laugh at the crossed-out numbers.
Of course, the laughing stopped months ago, when my head was removed from my body. This time, the villagers buried me without it. But my friends—and here I am not talking about the men I used to spend hours with in the alehouse—my friends the worms and insects, the vultures and spiders, all helped me to become reunited with it. It is surprising how well they work together when a powerful curse is in control.
Now I dodge this blasted Light and the minions of Darkness, in order to sense my darling’s presence yet again. The last time I was able to see her, she had become quite a mess from lack of sleep. Her own eyes were sunken in, and she walked in a daze. No longer does she believe her kin, that she can be protected from me.
Smart girl—for she is becoming me. And I am becoming her.
This last time I pulled myself from the grave, I felt new sinew growing between my fingers, and my soul grinned.
Oh, Teresa, I am coming for you!
Fiction © Copyright K.R. Morrison
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
 

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More from Author K.R. Morrison:

Be Not Afraid (Pride’s Downfall Vol 1)

Lydia’s faith in God is strong – at least on paper. But what happens when that faith is tested? Turned into a vampire by the worst – Vlad Drakul – she feels that God has abandoned her. But the opposite is true. God rescues her from a fate worse than death, and brings her into the plan He has for global redemption. With the help He sends, she feels like nothing can stop her. But when Vlad torments her again, and then her family, the temptation to run and hide is almost too strong to resist. Her answer to God’s call is the deciding factor in the battle that pits the angelic powers of God against the demonic powers of Hell.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Scarlett R. Algee @ScarlettRAlgee @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Image_03Black, Red, Black
by Scarlett R. Algee

Far off down the boulder-strewn plain, she sees them coming, arcing black shapes against the greenish light of the mist-shrouded sun.
He gurgles. She looks down; she’d thought him gone already, and picks up her crimson skirts to step back from the darker flood that’s escaped his throat. Another upward hitch of the vermilion silk, bunching it around the blade still dripping in her hand, and she plants one bare foot flat on his chest, then the other. Under her left sole something creaks and yields; his noises grate the air and die away.
He should have known better, really. Should have listened, should have had the sense not to go looking in the dark corners of the house that she’d forbidden. Then he wouldn’t have found that door in the cellar.
Or the six graves full, with the seventh grave waiting.
She lifts the knife to her ruby lips and licks it clean, feeling gore stiffen and dry down her chin. In the sickly light his face is slack and soft-eyed, his mouth relaxed now into something that’s not quite a smile, and she shifts her weight, a Kali balancing atop Shiva.
The first crow screams, approaching. She drops her skirts and lifts her arms, silver blade and crimsoned smile flashing in the face of the waning sun, and calls back a hoarse raw welcome to the feast. The birds stream around her, midnight plumage and jewel-bright eyes, claws and beaks tearing fabric and flesh alike. She only laughs and casts the knife aside, stripping the blood from one scratched forearm with the edge of her hand and shoving her fingers into her mouth.
Above her, above him, the birds wheel, and gather, and then descend.
Fiction © Copyright Scarlett R. Algee
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from author Scarlett R. Algee:

The Lift: Nine Stories of Transformation, Volume One

The hall is dark and the overhead light flickers. Sounds echo, and there’s a creaking and clanging that gets louder as you stand in the semi-dark. The elevator opens and you’re offered a ride. Step inside and ride it to the story chosen for your transformation. Don’t be afraid, for Victoria, the mysterious girl who operates The Lift, waits to guide you. Set in the same world as the award nominated audio drama, The Lift’s first written anthology features nine all new stories by fan favorite writers and special bonus content by creators Daniel Foytik and Cynthia Lowman. The collection is brought to life with beautiful illustrations by Jeanette Andromeda for each story.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Melissa R. Mendelson @melissmendelson @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 26, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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Election Day
by Melissa R. Mendelson

Every four years, there is a lottery.  If you are eighteen or older, you’re added to a list, and a name is drawn at random in November.  After the first of that month, they’ll be coming for someone.  It’s hard to predict the day or time, but the black vans will be seen driving across the roads.  And one poor soul will never be seen again, and that poor soul is me.
The black bag remained over my head until the vans came to a screeching halt.  Heavy, muscular arms grabbed hold of me, and I was dragged inside.  I heard metal doors screaming open and slamming shut.  Keys rattled, and then a smell.  A horrible smell that made me gag.  It smelled like something died, and I could imagine dead bodies surrounding me.  Nobody knew where they were taken to, and nobody talked about it.  And now it was my turn, and the black bag ripped off my head.  Footsteps hurried away, chased by a slamming door.
I stood before a brown wall.  The wall had strange markings, almost alien markings.  I reached for one carving, and as I did, an eye opened in the center of the wall.  The room disappeared, and I was floating in darkness.  A voice raced across my mind, and it asked only one question.  “Who do you want as a leader for this country,” and I imagined a hero, a man that would stand up against evil and save those in need.  We needed a hero.  We needed one badly, and the eye blinked in return.
“Let me show you the next four years as your hero becomes president of this country,” and images pierced my mind.  At first, it was like looking through a window of paradise, but then the window fogged up.  When the fog was wiped away, there were orange fires everywhere with bodies strewn across the streets.  The air was filled with harsh chants and heartbreaking screams.  Flags of hatred whipped across the air, and a child was shot dead for no reason except for being there.  As the rest of the four years came to a bloody end, my eyes turned white, and my hero that I thought would save us was instead my greatest enemy, born out of my darkness.  And that darkness bled into me, breaking skin and bone to claim what was left of my soul, and as the world burned, I disappeared into nothing.
Fiction © Copyright Melissa R. Mendelson
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Melissa R. Mendelson:

nmkmmName’s Keeper  

I got a one-way ticket out of hell. All I need to do is drive across country with a body in the trunk and run miscellaneous errands, but a lot of those errands come with a heavy price. And if I lose the body in the trunk, then I have to go back, and I’ll be damned if I return down there. I will fight to stay here, even if there is no rest for those wicked.

Available Here!

 

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Terrie Leigh Relf @TLRelf @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 26, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Image_01A Strange Sort of Mutiny
by Terrie Leigh Relf

Lightening stretched across the sky, coming perilously close to our ship. There were but a few of us on deck who bore witness as we rushed to complete the captain’s orders.  We remained silent while hefting body after bloody body into the churning sea. It was a strange sort of mutiny, if mutiny it was. 
Most of the men were already dead when we discovered them, hands still clutching bloody, gore-slickened knives. There were a few others, though, that teetered between life and death. The ship’s doctor had done his best to stem their bleeding before sewing up the gashes they had rent lengthwise from wrist to elbow. 
Our crew was very nearly depleted, and the cause of this madness was beyond our ken. There was talk about tainted bread or meat, even ale, but that wouldn’t explain why each and every man had performed the same gruesome act. Despite the grievous sin committed by these men, the religious among us murmured prayers for a safe passage to the afterlife for these lost souls. Others cursed them and the bad luck their deed would bring. 
As the last body was tossed overboard, it was carried on the waves before sinking. One of the arms was raised above the surface as if reaching out for rescue. Lightening struck the palm, and the arm disappeared from view as our ship continued on through the storm. 
The watch took their stations. Some of us gathered in the galley, heads lowered as if looking into one another’s eyes would reveal who was next—or even worse, cast a collective spell. When the captain arrived, he called for brandy and ale to fortify us against the growing chill.  Cook brought us a hearty stew and bread, and we ate until our bellies were full. 
After supper, we headed to our berths, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep. It wasn’t long after when the watch rang the alarm. 
All hands now on deck, we discovered that the storm had passed. One of the men leaned against the bow, yelling, his words unintelligible. We scanned the surrounding sea, which was now placid and shimmering with an eerie light. 
The worst was over, or so we thought . . . 
Just off the bow, the water began to swirl. A vortex! But no, it was something worse. Something much, much worse. 
The water ceased its downward spiral and spewed upward, followed by another and another vortex doing the same . . . Chaat, the Dark Water God of legend emerged, His hunger not yet sated.
Fiction © Copyright Terrie Leigh Relf
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from author Terrie Leigh Relf:

The Sisterhood of the Blood Moon

For thousands of Earth years, the Transgalactic Consortium has had a quiet interest in this planet and its inhabitants, the Haurans. While the Sisterhood of the Blood Moon works together with the Consortium and Haurans to maintain balance in the universe, the Blood Moon is fast approaching. The power of this moon reveals untold secrets . . . including a sacred covenant with the Mora Spiders. There is an ancient pact that needs to be honored—but at what cost and for whose purpose? The world may come to an end. But will there be a chance for a new beginning?

Available for purchase from the Alban Lake Store!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author A.F. Stewart @scribe77 @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Image_04Forever Grave
by A.F. Stewart

What is this existence of mine?
Am I human? Monster? Something hovering between life and death?
Is humanity more than flesh, more than the meat that strips from our bones as we decay beneath the ground?
I have no answers, yet the questions linger.
I fall to my knees at the start of a new day, as the sunrise returns, as it always will. The light is witness to my pain and my torment. Its rays warm my bare bones, taunt my spirit denied the peace of death. The cycle of the sun is the one constant in this eternal curse of rising from a cold grave.
My body shudders. Flesh will reform soon, over my mouldy skeleton. A stranger’s skin, a prison of compulsion and hunger. I will kill and feed until the rays of the sun give way to darkness and I return to being buried bones.
Then, for a few hours, I will have peace.
This is the life of a vampire, this pattern of death and rebirth. An eternal punishment for unknown sins.
Fiction © Copyright A.F. Stewart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
 

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More from A.F. Stewart:

HellsEmpire_CoverHell’s Empire: Tales of the Incursion

A unique anthology of two thrones at war as the forces of Hell assault an unsuspecting Victorian Britain.The cry went out to theologians and engineers, to artificers and antiquarians, to every name which could be named. By telegraph where lines were still intact, and by volunteer riders where they were not; smuggled along the coast in fishing smacks, semaphored from hill-tops. It came without royal sanction, issued jointly by the Lords of the Admiralty and Marquess Lansdowne, the new Secretary of State for War:”In God’s name, help us. We are losing.”

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Angela Yuriko Smith @AngelaYSmith @Sotet_Angyal #LoH

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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Land Mind
by Angela Yuriko Smith

I’m trying to remember
sympathy, she said
to no one but the
circling vultures.
Broken
deflated land
shattered beneath
bone shimmering shell
of sky and melting cirrus
parched from lack of tear
for love had long expired
ending the world bringing
one woman apocalypse…
a collapsing universe…
an imploding star…
a dying soul.
The vultures circle
no one but a girl who
can’t find her sympathy
lost in a broken land mind.
Fiction © Copyright Angela Yuriko Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Angela Yuriko Smith:

The Bitter Suites

Book a stay at the Bitter Suites, a hotel that specializes in renewable death experiences. Whether you schedule your demise as therapy, to bond with a loved one or for pure recreation, your death is sure to give you a new lease on life. Renewable death is always beneficial… at least to someone.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Sonora Taylor @sonorawrites @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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Sunspot
by Sonora Taylor

Walk outside and feel her glare.
Drown as you breathe in the air.
Fire in the wind today
As Sola’s anger makes its way
Across the sky and to the land
Where all beneath crumble to ash.
A tepid morning boiled down
By Sola watching, molten frown
Upon her face. A demon spurned
By moonlit angels, quarter turned.
They left, and left us to her light
And now dear Sola gives a fright
When over hills, she rises fierce
And through our skin her eyes will pierce.
Fiction © Copyright Sonora Taylor
Image courtesy of  Pixabay.com

 

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More from Sonora Taylor:

Without Condition

Cara Vineyard lives a quiet life in rural North Carolina. She works for an emerging brewery, drives her truck late at night, and lives with her mother on a former pumpkin farm. Her mother is proud of her and keeps a wall displaying all of Cara’s accomplishments.

Cara isn’t so much proud as she is bored. She’s revitalized when she meets Jackson Price, a pharmacist in Raleigh. Every day they spend together, she falls for him a little more — which in turn makes her life more complicated. When Cara goes on her late-night drives, she often picks up men. Those men tend to die. And when Cara comes back to the farm, she brings a memento for her mother to add to her wall of accomplishments.

Cara’s mother loves her no matter what. But she doesn’t know if Jackson will feel the same — and she doesn’t want to find out.

Available on Amazon!

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Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Kathleen McCluskey @KathleenMcClus4 @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Image_01The Admiral
by Kathleen McCluskey

The admiral could feel his body lifting, lifting through the wet abyss. His consciousness was slowly coming back to him. The higher he rose, the more and more he could remember of his former glory on the high seas. How he loved being in command, having young sailors look up to him with admiration. He served with pride in her majesty’s navy. Then pain came to him in toxic waves. He could feel his mind being pulled into the darkest regions of his memory. Racing back to him was the torment that ended his life. He could see himself on the bridge screaming, “Battle stations!” He ran frantically as his beloved destroyer began to sink. Guilt washed over him as he sealed compartments of the ship with men pleading for mercy inside. The smell of fire, smoke and burning flesh reached his memory.
As the admiral rose he could see the beloved orb in the night sky. The one that guided him through the darkest of nights, the lunar mistress that held his hand on far too many nights seemed to smile at him. His hand breached the water as he tried to reach for freedom. His burned hand could feel the electricity in the air as lightning illuminated the night sky. The death cruiser had finally come for him. He could feel the other souls of departed sailors as his heart longed to be with his fellow ship mates.
The death cruiser was a legend. He remembered hearing his grandfather speak of such a ship. Now the grim reaper was here in the flesh to take him away from the purgatory at the bottom of the sea. He hoped for redemption from the war. He looked to the sky as he ascended, his beloved moon disappearing behind the clouds.
Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!

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The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Marge Simon @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

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Gateway to Fulfillment
by Marge Simon

At first, he thought something had gone wrong. He was dead, he knew that. No doubt about it, he even remembered being shot and dying trying to escape from a murder scene. No surprise to him, actually. He knew he was a rotten example of humanity, but so what. Strangely, now he was back in his body, standing in a huge field. It appeared to stretch horizon to horizon, interspersed with small haystacks. But there was no sign of Satan. No smoking fires and brimstone, not even the wails of the damned.
He had all eternity, so he determined to explore the field. Perhaps this was a test, and if he found a way outside, he’d be alive in the world again. Or maybe there were others here, far away. He looked forward to meeting them. The idea of being alone was now unbearable. He smiled wryly. Most of l his adult life he’d avoided company. He trusted no one, especially women. Devious creatures. The cheap ones would steal you blind. The expensive ones would steal your heart and leave you for another guy if you couldn’t keep them happy. Along the way, he’d maimed or killed someone over a woman. But now, given things were more on a par, a pretty gal would be a welcome change.
After an indeterminate time, a crow appeared and landed on his shoulder. “The gate is to your left, 10,000 paces.” 
“Gate? Gate to where?”

“The gateway to fulfillment,” replied the crow.

So it was that he came to a vast iron fence. He pushed open the gate. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he staggered through. Immediately after exiting, he sank to his knees.  His muscles hung in useless shreds from his bones, his skull had neither eyes to see nor ears to hear.
Yet some part of him was still alive, as if his nerves were all on fire. The pain was excruciating.  The crow flew down and alighted on the fence. “That field was your Purgatory, fool!” it cackled. “They were awaiting orders as to what your eternal punishment would be. You’re on your own, now, all alone. Welcome to your personalized fulfillment in Hell.”
Fiction © Copyright Marge Simon
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Marge Simon:

 

Satan’s Sweethearts
by Marge Simon and‎ Mary Turzillo

Satan’s Sweethearts – a collection of poems by Marge Simon and Mary Turzillo featuring the most monstrous, evil women throughout history!

Available on Amazon!

 

 

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