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

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Against the Clock
by Melissa R. Mendelson

The corridor was longer than they had said, and every door was crooked.  The floor was slippery, and the ceiling was too low, threatening to crush me.  I slid with every step.  My breath caught in my chest.  My hands grabbed at the pale walls, melting into its white.  My body was tired, but I pushed forward, bent on the ticking.  I couldn’t let the alarm sound because if it did, then it was over.  The world would end, taking us with it, and I could finally see the open door at the end of the corridor.  It wasn’t that far, but it felt like miles away.  And I quickened in pace as the ticking counted down, and I was almost there.  But almost does not count.  I pushed forward.  My hands reached in front of me.  I could peer into that room now, that room that would determine all our fates.  That room looked like nothing, but there was the damn clock.  One more step.  One more mile.  I was going to make it.  I was going to save us, but then I slipped.  My body crashed to the floor, nearly knocking me unconscious, but I fought to stay awake.  And I crawled, staring into that room, begging for more time.  Please, just give me one more minute.  The alarm went off.    
Fiction © Copyright Melissa R. Mendelson
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Melissa R. Mendelson:
In Jellyfish We Trust
(Audio Horror/Sci-Fi Story) 

In a not too distant future, parasitic beings control the minds of mankind in an effort to take back the planet from our destructive nature.

Available Here!

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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 , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Suzanne Madron @suzannemadron @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Gathering Gloom
by Suzanne Madron

It had been hours since they had entered the Forbidden Forest. Within twenty minutes of beginning their adventure, every turn and every trail, every bit of familiarity seemed to double back on itself until they found they were moving in circles. The scraps of fabric and small pebbles they had left to mark their path through the trees disappeared almost as quickly as they were placed, and no one in the small party could explain it. The compasses they had brought as backup to their zero signal phones hadn’t pointed proper north in hours, and the sun was behind clouds. They were lost.
“We shouldn’t have come here. This was a bad idea.”
Laurence sighed and ground his teeth. It was the tenth time John had voiced his concerns, and Amanda was losing her patience, which meant Laurence would be stuck in the middle playing referee again.
“Shut it. We’re here, and there’s not much we can do about it now. Keep moving, night will be here soon.”
As the two men began to move once more, Amanda stood still, frozen. She stared off into the trees with a look of desperation.
“What’s wrong, ‘Mandy?”
“I heard something,” she whispered.
They all paused, and then the sound came again. It was in the distance, but it was a welcome sound. Without a word, they all began to run toward it, and one by one they all fell to the forest floor as they got near.
“What the hell?” John rubbed his ankle and stared in confusion at the undergrowth.
Rusted metal rails poked out of the layers of fallen leaves, and rotting ties littered the forest floor. Laurence let out a groan and got to his feet and brushed himself off.
“Dead tracks.”
“But, we can follow them out of here,” Amanda said.
As the trio moved down the tracks the sky grew darker. They quickened their pace until they were practically jogging, letting out a cry of relief when they caught sight of the outskirts of a small town.
The main street was quiet except for the sounds of their footfalls over asphalt. They hurried along, searching for a light in any of the dusty windows. When they reached the town hall, the darkness they had feared began.
It started at the lopsided doorway, then poured down the steps like ink, tendrils of blackness reaching for them as they stared in horror. They ran back to the woods and the darkness followed, swallowing everything behind and around them until all that was left was a pale shimmer of light that illuminated a path through the trees.
The trio ran towards the light and passed the bones of those who had gone missing before them. The darkness played with them, nipping at their heels and tugging at their backpacks as they ran.
When they reached a clearing, they saw themselves. Their bodies lay sprawled on the earth at odd angles and the mushrooms they had eaten out of desperation frothed from their open mouths. The darkness swallowed the empty forms, howling as the light engulfed them.
Fiction © Copyright Suzanne Madron
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

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More from Suzanne Madron:

For Sale or Rent

The house across the street seems to go on the market every few months, but this time nothing about the sale is normal, including the new owners. No sooner has the for sale sign come down and the neighborhood is thrown into a Lovecraftian nightmare and the only way to find out is to attend the house warming party.

 

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 C.A. Verstraete @caverstraete @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Midnight in the Oak Grove Cemetery
by C.A. Verstraete

“Lizzie?”
“Shh, lower your voice. What?”
“Why are we doing this?”
Lizzie Borden sighed. “You know why. I won’t rest until I know they’re at rest. Would you rather wait in the carriage?”
Her question was met with silence. “Emma? It’s all right. I can go on alone.”
“Oh, no, no. I’ll come along. I don’t want to be by myself.”
“Very well then. Quit dawdling. Follow me and watch your step.”
Lizzie held the lantern high, the kerosene casting a feeble yellow glow. The purplish half-moon bathed the tombstones in a strange and eerie light. She moved the lantern side to side, hoping no newly raised undead crawled into their path.
Despite the assurances from the Fall River Police and members of the St. Alphonsus Society that everything was under control, she’d had to see for herself what was happening. She had to know if any of the previously deceased in her family had been affected by this unexplained and most ghastly disease.
Her first shocking encounter with these horrors had been via her father and stepmother, who had turned into… zombies. The awful memory still made her shiver. The reasons why seemed unfathomable. If it stopped this horrific scourge she would gladly stand trial a second time and endure being accused again of brutally hatcheting them to death. Instead, she was here. The axe in her hand would at least guarantee that no other Borden made an ungodly shamble from the grave.
Emma had agreed to come along, to keep her company if nothing else, though Lizzie still wished her sister had stayed home. But this wasn’t something to do alone, even if her sister seemed like she’d faint any moment.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?”
Emma tightened her grip on the metal stake, fingers shaking. She nodded, her eyes wide. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“All right, then.”
Lizzie approached the squat gray mausoleum building. She eyed the carved Romanesque façade and the name BORDEN eternally etched into the granite before inserting the old metal skeleton key into the rusted padlock. It opened with a loud click. She glanced at Emma before pulling the heavy iron gate toward her. The worn, wooden door unlocked much easier and creaked open. The hinges squeaked in protest.
The stench of death invaded her nostrils. She choked and shined the lantern at the rows of crypts on each side. All seemed undisturbed except… Wait! One of the bottom panels was partially open. Why? How could that be since the door had been locked tight?
The silence was broken by a rustling sound and Emma’s scream. “Lizzie, look out!”
Lizzie jumped back as an arm reached for her, the skin shriveled like leather. Blackened bones peeked out from where the flesh had rotted away. A low eerie moan filled the air. The creature shambled into view, the skeletal face pocked and blackened with rot. Its teeth clacked together in an ugly grimace. The ghoul stumbled toward them, shreds of its once black suit flapping around it like demon wings.
The tattered remains of a tag on the front of the fabric showed but a few remaining letters, F, Alm, und. As Lizzie lifted the axe high, she realized just who the wearer was—or had been. Not a Borden, but Mr. Frank Almy, her father’s former partner in the undertaking and casket business who had mysteriously disappeared around the time of her father’s death. She had heard whispers about him, but hadn’t paid much attention.
As she swung the axe, Lizzie realized that sending this poor soul to his second, and final, death was a blessing. How he had ended up locked in her family’s mausoleum was not. It sounded instead like murder.
Fiction © Copyright Ashley Davis
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Author C.A. Verstraete:
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter
Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Available Here!

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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 , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Julianne Snow @CdnZmbiRytr @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Beneath…
by Julianne Snow

It watches from beneath the flowing water, waiting for its moment to attack, tentacles tensed on the ready, coiled rage and frustration burning, blood boiling as it courses through hardened veins. It can see the bodies playing on the idyllic sand, their screams of pleasure knocking loudly at the vestigial auricles, inciting more anger, more hatred. Waiting for that moment when one chances close enough to grab with a strong, suction-cupped arm, it constricts inside with each high pitched squeal. A little white leg dances close enough and in the breadth of a moment, they disappear.
Beneath…
Fiction © Copyright Julianne Snow
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from Julianne Snow:

JulianneSnow_TheDeadOfPenderghastManorThe Dead of Penderghast Manor

What would you do if you knew the Dead could talk?

For Chester Penderghast, it’s not the easiest of questions to answer…

Ensconced in the basement of his family’s mortuary business is the last place he wants to be, but when the conversation starts flowing, Chester’s the only living person who can hear it. What do the Dead want, and why is he the only one who can hear them?

This is not your average zombie tale—the Dead don’t want to eat your brains, but they will chew your ear off!

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

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

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


The Time Lord’s Error
by Marge Simon

Nearing the end of a task,
while ordering certain
transcendental truths
associated with
the vital achievements
of the human mind,
the Time Lords
made a minor mistake,
and the old alarm clock
beside Uncle Ben’s bed,
reliable as sin throughout
his impressively long years,
came to a halt, signaling
the end of an epoch.
Rusty and crusty
as its former owner,
a modest remnant
of the technological age,
it resides by his bed.
No mortal left on earth,
but the Time Lords have
corrected their error,
and that clock is still ticking.
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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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 , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

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

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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!

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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 , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Ashley Davis @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Searching
by Ashley Davis

Old maps, curling at the edges. I’m frantic, full of fear. Somehow I don’t retain the reading skills of my other self. My brain recognizes this and struggles with an obstacle it has never known. I’m trying to find something, but coming up empty. The shadow birds know, but they wouldn’t dare tell. Besides, if you were close enough to hear them speak, you’d know what they really were. You don’t want to know what they are. I know, but their true form isn’t supposed to be revealed here, in this place, in this timeline. Dust motes in an empty back room at an old, forgotten library. Stone walls, wooden tables, dirty windows filled with slanting sunlight, ever darkening. My blue eyes aren’t as fast as my green ones, and the gold ones are something else entirely. How can I know which ones to trust? So much about this doesn’t make sense. Why do I carry a lantern and not a flashlight, but wear modern clothes? Why does my grandfather’s voice soothe me, yet I don’t even question who my parents are? When the waves touch the trees, all will be revealed. What does that mean? Why do I know that? But I know I’ve known it all my life, as well as I know the freckles on my own face. At least in this identity my blindness is gone and people are real instead of colorful impressions. My eyes are clear and wide. A straight nose, but distinct. Full lips. Long lashes brush the freckles that dot my skin. I would never wear makeup, because it masks the truth of our beauty; why do I feel like my mother told me that? I don’t have a mother. I don’t know what I am, and yet I’m comfortable with the ambiguity as long as I exist. She isn’t. My other. She must know what she is, which is everything. I don’t think there’s enough room in my body for that. She says my brain isn’t yet mature; I don’t know myself yet. Her voice is clear and strong while I am barely standing. But if I don’t know myself, how do I know that the dark clouds mean my hair is blonde and I can smell salt? How do the toughness of the gritty sand and cold, choppy waves feel like home? How do I know fear and true acceptance rather than just complacency? After all, her sight is limited by synesthesia while mine is not. Though she holds many secrets in her creased white hands. Secrets inaccessible to me. Sometimes I think I must be real, dreaming of her, but I always change my mind. She says she knows the truth. And if I do not know even what I am, who am I to argue? We both know the storm is coming. Before the last candle darkens.
Fiction © Copyright Ashley Davis
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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Poetry by Ashley Davis can be found featured in the fall 2017 issue of
The Horror Zine

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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 Rie Sheridan Rose @RieSheridanRose @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


I Never Learned to Swim
by Rie Sheridan Rose

I knew cross-country skiing. I could run on snowshoes—and that isn’t an easy feat. The sun rose and set differently in our little corner of the world. And that world was always white. So I never learned to swim.
Still, we loved our little kingdom. Food was plentiful. We hunted and fished. We quarreled like any family—because that is what we were.
And then the edges began to melt away. One day we realized that the borders of our hunt were shrinking. What had taken three days travel now took two. Fishing was better for awhile, so we hardly cared.
But Alornerk disappeared in the night. We never found a sign.
The rest of the children went next. Almost all of them. One by one, too curious about the rising waters.
We drew the edges of our camp closer and closer, until we huddled atop the highest mountain in our land, looking out on an endless sea. The dried meats ran out. The fish…gods, we hated fish.
And still the waters rose.
The elders got too close to the edge of the camp. I saw them slipping away, but could not get to them in time.
Even the strongest are gone now. I am alone. The camp has shrunk to fifteen steps each way. Water laps my ankles. All I see is water, wherever I look. I am exhausted.
And I never learned to swim.
Fiction © Copyright Rie Sheridan Rose
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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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 , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Asena Lourenco @ElaLourenco @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction #poem #poet

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!


The Immortal Boy
by Asena Lourenco

Frozen as can be in the statue of dark
But his evil soul still trapped within tree bark
Begging and begging to be set free
Begging and begging on his hands and knees
Cursed for taking the life of many
And not leaving one tiny, little penny
Robbing the city of lives and money
Somehow thinking that it was very funny
For the rest of eternity there will be a noise
From the tree which contains the immortal boy
Fiction © Copyright Asena Lourenco
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More about Asena Lourenco:

Asena Lourenco is 11 years old. She loves reading, playing Scottish traditional fiddle music on her violin, dancing, and martial arts as well as writing her own stories.

She would like to be a teacher and writer when she grows up. She also loves cats and babies!

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

The Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Stacey Turner @Spot_Speaks @Sotet_Angyal #LoH #fiction

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Nina D'Arcangela

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Foot of Fate
by Stacey Turner

“Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” Raelynn could hear the frantic prayers uttered by so many as they crowded the streets, eyes cast skyward at the large, looming presence blotting out the sun. She would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so serious. Only she among them knew what was to come; for she had called it down upon this world.
She had grown steadily wearier as the news’ headlines continued to be full of hate, violence, and the greed of men. And women, the whole silly species—the morass of maliciousness and vanity created as a diversion—left discarded for eons. She’d questioned the old Gods when they’d allowed them to propagate and flourish on the surface of the Earth. That had been wrong of her; one didn’t question the choices of the Gods. Not the true Gods, for mercy was not in their nature. Her punishment had been to walk among mankind, the constant cacophony of their lies and atrocities committed against their brothers growing ever louder until her ears rang with their spite and venom. Until her soul broke with the burden of carrying their foul injustices within. Tears of blood rolled down her face, eyes swollen from weeping, as she begged the Gods to end this exile and either bring her home, or let her perish.
The Gods had heard her plea and answered. They turned their attention back to this tiny corner of the universe, examining what their playthings had become. Seeing firsthand how the many tribes had developed new religions— worshipping false deities and committing brutalities in their name. Mankind killed themselves and each other with no regard to the sanctity of life. They attached no value to the gift the Gods had given them. Raelynn could feel the anger of the Gods and knew punishment would be swift. She relished the destruction of the heathens, even if it meant the end of her own existence.
Now, she watched them cowering as the large, dark shape hovered over them; noticed the resemblance to a giant limb. She found it ironic they were using that specific shape to stamp out humanity’s existence. Gazing into the crowd, she saw their tear-stained, desperate faces and couldn’t stop herself. This absurd fate was no more than they deserved. Her laughter rang out as the foot of the Gods descended.
Fiction © Copyright Stacey Turner
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

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More from author Stacey Turner:

Morbid Metamorphosis: Terrifying Tales of Transformation

Metamorphosis occurs every day as caterpillars become sweet fluttering butterflies, tadpoles become gorgeous frog princes and chameleons become one with the beauty of nature – but you won’t find any of that here.

The transformations you’re about to witness are unnatural, sometimes gruesome and deeply psychological. They will make you question reality and take your mind places it was never meant to go.

Terrifying Tales of Transformation from Greg Chapman * Roy C. Booth & R. Thomas Riley * Terri DelCampo * Dave Gammon * Nancy Kilpatrick * Rod Marsden * Jo-Anne Russell * M.J. Preston * Stacey Turner * Tina Piney * Suzanne Robb * Franklin E. Wales * Donna Marie West * Suzie Lockhart * Cameron Trost * Daniel I. Russell * Simon Dewar * Amanda J. Spedding * Ken MacGregor * Erin Shaw * Gregory L. Norris * Nickolas Furr

Available on Amazon!

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