Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Nina D’Arcangela @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Shattered Youth
by Nina D’Arcangela

Fresh as the glistening snow, she shivered within her ill-fitting rags. Fallen to the ground on legs that would no longer carry her, she huffed the frigid air as she stared at the vibrant flame. Somewhat ironic, she thought, the candle matched the color of the blood steaming down her face to pool before her. As her eyes began to drift shut and her lips drained of color, she wondered how many others had escaped. Did they fare as well as she?  She’d believed him a myth, a story told to keep young ones like herself from disobedience.  Surrounded by the glow of the beautiful lantern, the repeated stripping of skin and gouging of flesh seemed nothing more than an ill conceived dream. As the candle flared, her body relented to its struggle. She sank to eternal rest cocooned by a bed of luminous crystals as the wind whispered her thoughts away.
Fiction © Copyright Nina D’Arcangela
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

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More from Nina D’Arcangela:


Monster Brawl!

It’s time to let the monsters loose!

For this book, we collected stories of monsters doing epic battle with other monsters! The beasts could be classical by design with a unique twist, or they could be spawned straight from the author’s imagination. The only rule: there must be a clear-cut winner at the end of each story; one of the creatures had to die!

Some of the stories in this collection pit a single monster against another, while others are all-out gang warfare. Some are campy, some serious, but all a fight for the ages!

It’s time to get your game face on for twelve tales worthy of the title Monster Brawl!

**No monsters were hurt in the writing of these stories**

Available on Amazon!

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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

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

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Elizabeth H. Smith @bethsmithwrites @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Risen
by Elizabeth H. Smith

Risen from the deep unknown, a mass of earth and stone—something she’d never witnessed. Beneath her feet had always been life, death, of that which is eternal—the living earth, flesh of the world’s ruler. This new plateau driven up from the sea beckoned her. It spoke her name with whispers carried on a cool breeze.
But the rumbling of her current world spoke against it, told her not to go, not to abandon her God. The tone of its intent, what was considered good, now seemed wrong, evil…
A betrayal to walk this new ground, her feet moved unsteady. But desire to touch something foreign drove her toward it. She needed this arrival on her skin. Her heart begged it.
As she stepped onto the newborn God her legs failed her. Knees to the rocky soil, she questioned why. The thoughts returned showed her true darkness, things born of sinister nature. As she pleaded to be allowed back to the God she betrayed, the earthy demon returned to the depths, pulling her below the inky water, where her screams would go unheard, forever.
Fiction © Copyright Elizabeth H. Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

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More from Elizabeth H. Smith:

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View: a collection of twelve stories told from the Zombie’s perspective.

They’re shambling toward you, feet dragging on the broken roadway. Arms outstretched, faces slack, they move as if they’re tracking your scent on the wind. You want to run, but you know there’s nowhere to hide.

Aware of their insatiable hunger, fear paralyzes you. These things were once human, people someone loved. Is there anything left inside them – some sliver of humanity that may save you from this nightmare? Your mind doesn’t want to accept the inevitable, a single thought consumes you: what are they thinking?

With your chance of escape dwindling, you snap out of it and run like hell knowing there is little to no hope; fate is coming for you. Soon you will see what they see Through Clouded Eyes…

Featuring stories from Maynard Blackoak, Calvin Demmer, Paul M. Feeney, Stacy Fileccia, Trevor Firetog, DH Hanni, Shannon Lawrence, Josh MacLeod, Zachary O’Shea, Neal Privett, Mark Steinwachs, and Alex Woolf

Available on Amazon!

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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

Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


Grandpa’s Old Clock
by Terrie Leigh Relf

“I’ll be back by midnight. I promise,” Grandpa whispered to me.
Since Grandpa had always kept his promises, I believed him. He’d been teaching me how to tell time on his old wind-up clock, and I remember how the long hand needed to be at the number twelve. The short one did, too.
Midnight had come and passed several times and still no Grandpa. At first, after Gramma tucked me in, tears still in her eyes as she kissed my cheeks and pulled the covers up, I’d sleep for a bit before clambering out of bed as soon as I heard her snoring. It was hard to stay awake while watching the clock’s hands move slowly into position. Sometimes, I wondered if I wound the knob too loose or too tight or if the clock was on its last legs, as Gramma used to say about things when they didn’t work as well. Grandpa had been on his last legs, too, until they just gave out.
In the morning, Gramma would always find me asleep at the table, my head resting on my arms. She’d wake and then tuck me back into bed, “tsk-tsking” that children needed their sleep.  I’d shrug when she asked why I kept ending up there, and she chalked it off to being a sleepwalker like my daddy.
It had been Grandpa’s and my secret, too. That’s why I didn’t tell her about the promise. She wouldn’t have believed me anyway. The one time I asked her about ghosts and spirits and stuff like that, she’d said, “Mimi, the dead have better things to do than visit the living after they’ve gone.”
Now I wondered if Gramma was right after all. Grandpa was just too busy to visit. But a promise was a promise, and Grandpa had never broken one to me. Even though I sopped watching the clock at the kitchen table, I still hoped.
There was a night towards the end of summer when I startled awake. At first, I thought it was because Gramma was snoring up a storm louder than usual. When I sat up and looked around my room, there was Grandpa’s old clock on my nightstand! Had Gramma crept in and put it there?
As I reached out for the clock, someone grabbed my hand
 “Grandpa? Grandpa? Are you finally here?” I whispered. Who else could it be? Neither of my parents had ever come to visit me. Then again, they’d died in an accident up at the creek not too long after I was born. The only way I knew what they looked like was because their wedding photo was on the buffet in the living room.
When I heard his voice whisper in my mind, I nearly squealed with delight. There was a finger pressed against his lips as he took form, then sat next to me on the bed. After holding me for the longest time, his lips pressed against my forehead, his white whiskers tickling my cheek, Grandpa reached for the clock.
“Your Gramma’s going to have to teach you more about telling time,” he paused for a moment, “and other things, too. Just remember to be a good girl and keep our secret. I’ll come visit again as soon as I can.”
“Okay, Grandpa. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mimi.”
And then he was gone.
As the years went by, Grandpa came to visit now and again. After Gramma passed, he brought her along. I remember giving her one of my “I told you so” looks, and all she did was laugh.
When I was on my own last legs, they were there. My parents, too. I wasn’t sure which one of my children or grandchildren I’d visit first. But visit them I did.
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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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

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

The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Naching T. Kassa @NachingKassa @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction #poetry #poem

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Heart Fades
by Naching T. Kassa

The light permeates,
It infuses the forest,
Chasing darkness into deep corners,
Enhancing scarlet leaves and emerald moss,
I walk in whispers,
Pausing to breathe in beauty,
Footsteps linger softly,
In my wake,
I turn, my eyes adjusting to the dim,
Is he there? The one who loves?
Or, is it the one who once loved,
Who now craves my blood?
The demon’s words once professed passion,
They flowed sweet from honeyed lip,
My heart was never his,
This he could not forgive,
I fled from murderous rage,
From death’s cold, unfeeling grip,
Ink and paper transformed who I was,
A tombstone supplied my name,
I lived in another town, another world,
Vanished from the demon’s thrall,
My lover’s touch remained,
When I took the stroll toward doom,
My death found me in a glen,
Bursting from shadows,
He professes amorous,
I flee,
Like winter grape, his desire withers on the vine,
Honey hardens into steel and he pursues,
His blade finds flesh,
It is tipped with my blood,
My fall ends in crimson,
It stains the leaves beneath,
While he towers above,
And, turns destruction on himself,
Hoping to die at my side,
He drives the dagger deep,
The thrum of his heart fades,
Mine, though weak, beats on.
Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

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More from Naching T. Kassa:


Final Masquerade

It’s the Final Masquerade and it’s your turn to dance.

The evening is ending and the guests are ready to leave, but the final event of the evening is just beginning — the unmasking.

Welcome to Final Masquerade where no one is who they seem.

Stories written by Daniel I. Russell * Ken MacGregor * J.C. Delisle * Joshua Chaplinsky * Lori Safranek * D.S. Ullery * Samantha Lienhard * Thomas Kleaton * Josh Strnad * Naching T. Kassa * Roy C. Booth & Axel Kohagen * Sheldon Woodbury * Craig Steven * Gregory L. Norris * Jay Eales * Dale W. Glaser * R.K. Kombrinck * Jonathan Cromack * Brian C. Baer * Adrian Chamberlin

Available on Amazon!

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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

Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Lori R. Lopez @LoriRLopez @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction #poem #poetry

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


Blizzard
by Lori R. Lopez

A blitzkrieg of doom, they coated everything.
Like descending shards
of the purest Evil. A beautiful disaster.
Glittering, sinister, artistically sculpted flakes.
White crystalline knives
with clean edges that sliced to bone.
Glazing bodies of water. Dusting the land,
powdering cities in ghostly mantles of death.
Not the Black Death remembered
from old. This was modern, more lethal.
Engineered, perhaps. Developed in a lab and
meant to be targeted.
Or of alien composition and origin.
It mattered not. All who dwelled beneath their reign
must perish in a seemingly soft
yet acute snowfall of organized agonized pain,
suffering horribly, razored and diced by
a soundless maniac horde with bladelike precision.
Else lie in smothered graves, concrete basements —
in bunkers sealed against a silent onslaught . . .
wilting for lack of sunlight, oxygen;
food and water depleting.
The crystals fed off the corpses of the damned
on the surface — then filtered inside steel and glass,
wood and brick structures. Wending, spreading
like voracious drifts through crevices
to hunt fugitives who lacked cellars.
Absorbing, drinking, feasting without teeth.
A blizzardous dominion. A conquering legion
quietly laying claim. Only fire and heat could
thwart the chilling massacre; the cruel and frosty stain.
A courageous band of rescuers ventured from
the Desert, stealing in at night armed by
old-school high-intensity lanterns.
A single flame-thrower to blaze a path.
We monitored radio reports until
their fuel ran out. Heard boots crunch
a dense carpet of ice and bone: the only remains
of a civilization that disappeared overnight.
Then the signals reduced to panic, bursts of static.
A fresh snowfall! A second wave. Solar batteries
went dim. The lamps, burning low,
proved inadequate. The search party
never returned. We cannot risk another. We are few.
One base. A self-sufficient experimental outpost.
Men and women of Science . . .
tasked with studying uninhabitable terrain.
Fiction © Copyright Lori R. Lopez
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

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More from Lori R. Lopez:

Darkverse: The Shadow Hours

A rich gathering of poetry with a dismal twilight atmosphere, a brooding nature, an eerie tone . . .  DARKVERSE:  THE SHADOW HOURS encompasses such pieces written by Lori R. Lopez between 2009 and 2017, collected in three of her Poetic Reflections volumes along with humorous and serious verse.  This ample compendium allows a more focused reading experience and mood — presenting poems that share speculative themes, flashes of horror, glimpses of madness.

Lori is the author of THE DARK MISTER SNARK, LEERY LANE, MONSTROSITIES, AN ILL WIND BLOWS, THE FAIRY FLY, CHOCOLATE-COVERED EYES, JAR BABY, SAMHAIN, 3-Z, and SPIDER SOUP, among other tales.  She has been called a storyteller, whether composing verse or prose.

The aim of her DARKVERSE series is to offer a chilling trek through unlit stretches where all manner of creeps and kooks may lurk; where graveyards and bogs and full-moons abound.  The pages of THE SHADOW HOURS illuminate those morbid uncanny perils and dreads that inhabit drab corners, the known and unknown terrors of the night.  Vivid and distinct, her voice echoes our worst fears then delves beyond, exposing hitherto unimaginable frights.

Prepare to confront a motley array of ghouls and menaces that might just move under your bed.

Look for an Illustrated Print Edition with quirky art by the author.

Available on Amazon!

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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

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

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Ela Lourenco @ElaLourenco @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Mother’s Song
by Ela Lourenco

I birthed them out of my molten womb
Watched over them as they grew and changed.
Sprung trees to shade them, fruits for them to eat
Dimmed by lights so that at night
The moon could sing them a lullaby.
I beamed my sun to warm them
With my mother’s love
And watched them as they first crawled then stood.
My children grew and blossomed over the years
‘Til something changed and joy turned to horror and fear.
Machines were built, and wars were waged.
They scorched my skin, and raped my lands
They took what I gave and used it to hate
As all they did was decimate.
Ungrateful, wretched offspring of mine,
I can no longer stand by passively, it is now time
To rise up my armies of earth, water and stone
And silently weep until you are all gone…
Fiction © Copyright Ela Lourenco
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Ela Lourenco:

Essence

Katra is a Fae Hunter in a world once ravaged by a terrible war. Having lost all memory of her childhood and rightful identity, her duty is now to protect the tentative peace brokered by the varying races of the supernatural world. When an evil darkness begins to spread, draining young witches of their power, Katra must find a way back to her true past in order to save the future.

Enduring many trials as ever-increasing powers awaken within her, Katra must also struggle with the mixed emotions her new partner, Blade – a Black Dragon – is rousing within her. Together they must battle the shadows that plan to devour the world they know and prevent its decent into another thousand-year war.

Can Katra hold onto her strength as the truth of her very being begins to unravel? Can she bear the weight that ancient prophecy has placed on her young shoulders? Or is her destiny to regain her true self, only to lose the world she is sworn to protect?

Available on Amazon!

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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

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

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Kim Richards @Kim_Richards @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


Time to Kill
by Kim Richards

11:17 p.m. That’s when it happened…the killing. They took the children right away because, from past experience, they cried the loudest. Springing the surprise on them first shortened their horror and their lives. The adults…well, their choices are what brought everyone to this place. They deserved what they got. The only reason the little ones died too was so they couldn’t grow into adults seeking revenge. It was a sad business but one which must be done to preserve the rest of humanity.
Kendall snorted at that. We are throwing away our humanity to save humanity. What a crock of shit! Maybe we deserve extinction.
The dying room was painted a sickly yellow, the color of pus. Once everyone was herded inside, one of Kendall’s companions shoved a table in front of the door in case any of them tried to run. The locks broke years ago and no one cared about replacing them.
Two more of his men lined the children up against the far wall. Immediately the adults commenced to shouting and weeping. Their pleas were ignored as usual. A young scruffy lad snarled and bit his captor hard on the forearm, instantly drawing blood. The man yelped and backhanded the kid.
Kendall did his best to hide his disgust. He nervously fingered the trigger of his SRC semi-automatic pistol. This has to stop. The more he thought about what was to come, the more his gut twisted and sent bile climbing up his throat.
In an instant decision, he turned his weapon on his men. The first two went down, sending the children into screaming fits and the adults in to shouts urging him on. The third died but not before he sent his own bullet flying through the air. It hit Kendall in the chest.
He fell to his knees, taking aim at the last of his companions. The man was unable to fire his own weapon because the nearest captive took advantage of the chaos to launch himself, knocking the gun away. Kendall squeezed the trigger and then fell face down on the cement floor. His lips parted, fingers released the weapon, and his eyes closed for the last time. Maybe we deserve extinction.
Fiction © Copyright Kim Richards
Image courtesy of Pixabay.

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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

Posted in Authors, Dark Fiction, flash fiction, FREE, Horror, Ladies of Horror, Writing Project | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Just in Time
by Angela Yuriko Smith

They left the shelter too soon.
For a full week they had huddled together in the dark of the cave, hungry and licking moisture off the rough stone walls. A few stopped speaking. A few wouldn’t stop speaking. They all listened to the constant boom of the bombs echo through the cavern and tried to not think about those still outside.
The silence was sudden and alien. The cave had no light where they were, and sound—even as horrifying as the constant explosions—was better than nothing. Now that it was silent the group of survivors turned their thoughts to what was next.
“I reckon the bombing is stopped,” Sam said. His voice was startling in the black nothing. Someone cleared their throat. Another voice broke the quiet, softer and feminine despite the hoarse edge that snagged the shadows.
“S-sounds like it. Should we try and get out? Would it be safe?”
Sam stood up. In the dark he could no longer tell which direction they had come in from. None of them were familiar with the cave. None of them had known each other before. They were just a bunch of panicked campers that made it into the caves just in time.
“I reckon it would. We should find each other and link hands.” He didn’t even know how many people were with him. As a former scout leader, he felt it was his duty to take charge.
“Everyone crawl towards the sound of my voice.” There was the sound of slow rustling as invisible people started groping toward him. A panic rose up inside of him as he thought of zombie nightmares from childhood, but he stuffed it into the back of his mind. He had to be strong. He had to lead. They may very well be the only people left.
“I’m right here. Keep coming…”
When the first hand touched him, he squeaked. There had been no contact between any of them other than voices. More hands reached out to touch him but he was better prepared.
“That’s it. Good job everyone. Are we all touching someone else?” They were murmurs of assent, and then someone kissed his hand. Their face was wet from tears. He hoped it was a woman.
“Is anyone left in the dark alone?” He called out loud in case someone had wandered farther away. They all listened again, still and waiting. There was no answer.
“Okay, everyone link up and keep your hand on the person in front of you. We’re going to crawl out.” He offered a silent prayer to the universe to send him in the right direction and started crawling.
The first light was a trick on their eyes. The black cleared from their vision like evaporating fog. They cried out when they realized they could see again and scrambled for the entrance. There were six of them. Two women and four men. One male was just a teen.
They spilled out of the cave and stumbled into the light. The world looked untouched. The sun was low in the sky and shone through the trees, turning the leaves to gold. The forest opened before the small group like a celestial path. They embraced as a group, falling to their knees and wept. They had survived. Whatever trials lay ahead, they would face it together.
The leaves rustled as a wind picked up, shaking them free to drift to the ground. Sam looked back up to the sun on the horizon, and then up to the sky where another sun shone down upon the group. The wind became vicious, a gale that tore the remaining leaves free. He looked back to the sun that hovered above the earth’s edge and saw it was distorting, flattening into a disk of molten light. He struggled to his feet. Like a moth to the flame, he stumbled a few steps toward it.
“Guys…” His voice trailed off. The rest of the group looked up and followed his gaze. The wind was howling now and sounded like a train rushing through the woods. Trees snapped before it as if an invisible hand was sweeping the world clean of forest and creature alike.
“Guys…” His voice trembled. “We need to go back in the cave.”
Mesmerized, none of them moved. The wave of heat overtook them. Sam fell back to his knees as he felt his face blister. He held up one hand in a feeble attempt to ward off the rushing doom, and then it was on them. None of them screamed, their eyes transfixed on the brilliance even as they sizzled in their skulls.
The last thing Sam heard was the solid, resounding rumble and boom of the final explosion. They had emerged just in time for the end of everything. As a group, they receded back to ashen darkness.
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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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

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

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Lydia Prime @LydiaPrime @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Warning
by Lydia Prime

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth…”

I was lucky enough to be chosen for this – a once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyone who’d come before me seemed to fail, but I would be the exception. My parents protested at first but eventually they agreed. With tears in their eyes they said goodbye, and as I assured them I would be back they sobbed harder. The elder of our village met with me before I left. He provided six red candles in glass lanterns and a map accompanied with instructions. I smiled and thanked him as I turned away to begin my trek to the cabin.
The first snowfall always seemed so beautiful; such purity with an immaculate glow. Stories passed down to me often held the idea that the snow attracted wicked beings. I still remember waking to bright red trails leading from our village to the woods – my parents called it ‘The Dark Times’. I sighed as I peered through a frosted window at the village below, I will come home. Through the trees off in the distance I saw movement. Is that one of the creatures!? My chest was pounding and I knew what I needed to do.
I stepped outside with the lanterns lit and set them evenly around the perimeter of the cabin. As I placed the last one in front of my door I had an urge to look up. The funny thing about snow is the silence it brings. The absolute absence of sound was deafening. I slowly looked around and noticed tracks leading from the forest toward the back of my cabin. I’d never seen tracks like those before, no animal nor man could have made them. I felt tears welling in my eyes and spun on my heel to get back inside.
Night fell and I could hear scratching on the roof and door. When the scratching periodically stopped there came a thunderous knocking on the walls. I sat in front of the fire and rocked back and forth, HE said the candles would keep them from us, I thought. I covered my face with my hands as the door burst open, the cold wind blew out my fire and all I could see were glowing green eyes moving closer to me.
***
“My daughter sacrificed herself for us. We should all be grateful. A moment of silence for Kenzie.” The woman bowed her head and the villagers followed suit. It was but tradition to have a willing participant for the slaughter; the only way to keep the monsters from everyone.
“Kenzie did her part for our Lord!” called the village leader. “She has nullified the beast for another year!”
“…a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
Fiction © Copyright Lydia Prime
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More about Lydia Prime:

Lydia grew up in a small, ‘Mayberry,’ sort of town, in New Jersey. She thoroughly enjoys gummy bears and laughing through the darkest depths of life. More often than not, she writes about demons and monsters, however, being a recovering addict tends to turn inner demons into fearsome foes to be fought beyond the constraints of the mind. ‘Sometimes,’ she states, ‘what’s inside, is scarier than anything reality throws at you.’

Please visit Lydia on Facebook for more info. 

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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

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

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

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


The Beast
by Kathleen McCluskey

The oceans were calm and serene. The small white caps melted into each other as the sun shone in the clear blue sky. There were no sounds floating in the air except for the hypnotizing sound of the delicate wind and the cushiony water.
The apathetic day was disrupted when the beautiful dark water began to split. Bubbling and pulsing the water began to glow with a crimson aura. The sound of the soft waves was replaced with crashing liquid and ripping earth. Rising out of the frigid blackness came forth a mesa of earth from the darkest depths. The cool water rushed over the top and back into its home.
The earth began to throb and quake. A large gash formed as archaic, scaled hands gripped the edges. The claws of the beast made large gouges in the surface. Up and up the creature came, lifting itself out of the mire. The ancient being looked around, perplexed by its surroundings. It looked to the sky, opened it massive jaws and bellowed. The enormous sharp canines dripped with saliva. It took a colossal breath in through its nose, both nostrils flared. The scent of prey was strong and it was famished. The brute threw itself into the water, the hunt had begun.
Peeking only its eyes out of the water it spotted land. Upon the land were beings it had never seen before, delicate long legs and ineffective looking arms. The creature was disappointed at the shallow victory such a meal would represent. It wanted to feed but it also wanted a challenge. It began to turn away and look elsewhere when it noticed a large quantity of these beings beginning to gather. This is just the type of quarry it was yearning for. It stealthily swam to the shore. Katie’s beach birthday party would have an uninvited guest.
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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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

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