Skip to content

EveryWriter

Empowering Writers Since 1999

Menu
  • Home
  • Reading
    • On Writing
    • Interviews
    • Famous Authors
    • Stories
    • Poetry
  • Writing
    • Writing Lab 101
      • Writing Tips
      • Writing Tropes
      • Grammar Help
    • Contests & More
      • Contests for writers
      • Games for Writers
      • Quizzes for Writers
    • Writing Inspiration
    • Writing Prompts
      • Writing Prompts
      • Creative Writing Prompts
      • Student Writing Prompts
      • Journal Writing Prompts
      • Poetry Writing Prompts
      • Daily Writing Prompts
      • Holiday Writing Prompts
    • Writer’s Questions
  • Publishing
    • Publishing Tips
    • Literary Magazines
    • Book Publishers
  • Promotions
    • Book Promotions
    • Promoting Tips
    • News and Announcements
    • Classifieds
    • Newsletter
  • Teaching Writing
  • Submit
    • About Us
    • Submit
    • Privacy Policy
  • Community
Menu

2018 50 Word $500 Horror Story Halloween Contest

Posted on August 14, 2018January 28, 2023 by Richard

Welcome to our 2018 50 Word Horror Story Halloween Contest! Here is our BIGGEST contest this year. You know how much we love Halloween, and instead of giving you promotional money, we are giving out hard cash. We’ve decided to change the monetary prize to the 50 word contest. In the past our 500 word contest would carry a promotion prize, and publication, but honestly we didn’t get the amount of submissions we wanted. This year, we want it right here on this page. We are giving out 500$ to the winner of this contest! The deadline is October 28, 2018. We will announce the winners on Halloween Night in our movie and chat. There will be a 2nd and 3rd place winner, but there is no money given for those positions.

Here are the rules of our contest

Stories:

  • Must be high quality horror stories
  • Must be 50 words or under
  • Must be a complete story
  • Have to be in before our deadline.
  • Deadline is October 28, 2018
  • Enter as many stories as you like!
  • Post your story in the comments below.
  • Scariest Story Wins

We will announce the winners in a movie chat night, like every Halloween.

What you win:

  • Your story will be placed on a tile and shared on our social networks
  • You will get a winning announcement post with links to your books and/or website
  • You will win $500 cash.

We hope to also do a print issue this year, but no promises, we’ve had a lot of trouble with this in the past. We want your best 50 word horror story! POST THEM BELOW DO NOT SEND EMAILS.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Richard
Richard
Richard Everywriter (pen name) is the founder of EveryWriter and a 25-year veteran of the publishing industry. With degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology, and Education, Richard has dedicated two decades to teaching writing and literature while championing emerging voices through EveryWriter's platform. His work focuses on making literary analysis accessible to readers at all levels while preserving the rich heritage of American literature. Connect with Richard on Twitter  Bluesky Facebook or explore opportunities to share your own work on ourSubmissions page. For monthly insights on writing and publishing, subscribe to our Newsletter.
Richard
Latest posts by Richard (see all)
  • How to Build Unstoppable Story Tension: 5 Proven Techniques (+ Free Worksheet) - July 3, 2025
  • The Kindness and Quiet Desire of Strawberries - July 2, 2025
  • Science Fiction Quiz #1 - May 21, 2025
Category: Expired

762 thoughts on “2018 50 Word $500 Horror Story Halloween Contest”

Comments navigation

Older comments
Newer comments
  1. WordiGirl says:
    October 5, 2018 at 6:38 am

    Exiting her cubicle at the end of her first day back from maternity leave, Lisa rushes home to see her loves. Entering the dark, her husband is slumped over on the couch, and a ghastly figure is holding her six-week-old. She screams in horror. “Shhhh. He’s sleeping.” he smiles dementedly.

    Reply
    1. WordiGirl says:
      October 5, 2018 at 10:13 pm

      Sorry. It’s called: Parting’s Sweet Sorrows

      Reply
  2. Hennessy Mercedes says:
    October 5, 2018 at 6:53 am

    My wife woke me up last night to tell me there was an intruder in our house. She was murdered by an intruder 2 years ago. I’m staring in the mirror when my reflection suddenly smiles, turns, and walks out of the reflected door of my bedroom. I turn and am confronted by my dead wife and endless darkness.

    Reply
  3. Tayler Urban says:
    October 5, 2018 at 7:57 am

    You’re driving in the car you bought last week from that old guy down the street. He’s a strange one, but the price was right. Before long, you start to itch. You look down and hundreds of tiny spiders are making their way up your legs. You scream, swerve, then…

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 6, 2018 at 11:39 pm

      cool

      Reply
  4. Aidan W. says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:01 am

    The night is dark, you awake in a forest, how did you get there? You hear gunshots to your left you run away for miles until you reach a city, an extremely unusual city. A voice cries out to you cheerfully, “Welcome to New New York, in the year 2345.”

    Reply
  5. Ryan H says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    There were three boys walking in an abandoned mine. They were having fun until one of them got attacked by a man. When the two boys got out, the boy was gone. To this day the boys don’t know who did it, but they never told anyone about it again.

    Reply
  6. Riley G says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    The wind was howling with the wolves, I was standing in a dark forest. Then I saw a black figure walk slowly towards me, so I ran. I ran right into a tree, the figure was hovering over me, the mask came off and there stood my brother laughing.

    Reply
  7. Kristen says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    I peered outside and he had returned. The masked gentleman. I ran to my phone to call Dad but he stopped me in my tracks. He had a menacing grin on his face and muttered the words “not all endings are happy”. I saw a knife and everything went black.

    Reply
  8. Kaitlyn H says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    As I sit down to eat a late night bowl of cereal, I hear my dog barking at the shade covered window. Curiously I get up to see what the deal is. I pull back the shades to discover a masked man looking back. I live on the eighth floor. 

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 6, 2018 at 11:41 pm

      creepy

      Reply
  9. Hailey says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    One day I was walking alone to my car. The building I work for is next to the woods. I hear a noise, thinking it’s an animal I walk closer. Then I see a guy wearing a black mask run towards me and all I can do is scream.

    Reply
  10. Kaitlyn says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:02 am

    As I sit down to eat a late night bowl of cereal, I hear my dog barking at the shade covered window. Curiously I get up to see what the deal is. I pull back the shades to discover a masked man looking back. I live on the eighth floor. 

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 6, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      repeat

      Reply
  11. Madison S says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:03 am

    It was a dark and foggy night when I was walking home and I had dropped something. I went to pick it up and something grabbed my hand. I looked up and it was a clown with blood running from his mouth and then I decided to…

    Reply
  12. Elijah Jakovitz says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:03 am

    I was walking through the woods at midnight. Suddenly the tree next to me shook. I looked up and saw a humanoid figure with red eyes and wings. It swooped down at me and I made a sprint for my car but the moth man beat me to my vehicle.

    Reply
  13. Robert Runte says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:45 am

    Marvelous, simply marvelous. Story arch, character development, imagery, and underlying metaphor. . . all flawless. I can well believe it took you forty-five years to finish this masterpiece. Polished to perfection! Unfortunately, the demographic has changed over the years, and there’s just no market for a book like yours anymore.

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 6, 2018 at 11:46 pm

      that is scary

      Reply
  14. Diop Malvi/Melvin M. Carter says:
    October 5, 2018 at 9:42 am

    The Overlord
    Throughout the walk to the cat talon shaped ship, the sounds of rending and snapping could be heard, I saw a line of both domesticated and feral cats walking toward the ship. Most were on all fours. Others were walking, either with straightened backs or hunched over. One, with a reddened muzzle, grinned at me.

    Reply
  15. Drew Martyn says:
    October 5, 2018 at 10:05 am

    “Mum, he IS real. He creeps into my bedroom smelling of dirt and sweat.”
    He’d yell at me. But no sound came from his rotting lips, only stench.
    “Go away!”
    I’d annoyed Mum.
    Then, for the first time, I saw him somewhere other than my bedroom. Behind my Mum.
    Laughing.

    Reply
  16. Morgan Chalfant says:
    October 5, 2018 at 10:26 am

    Professor Helena Yelton bled over Ashley Pierce’s composition paper with her red pen. The paper had so many errors, Helena’s pen went dry. She spun around. A hogtied Ashley Pierce struggled on the floor. That was okay, Helena thought. She had plenty of red ink to refill her pen.

    Reply
  17. Jaden Purvis says:
    October 5, 2018 at 11:13 am

    I went to a family reunion and realized my phone is missing. I call it and someone picks up with heavy breathing and hysterical laughing. I go home to find my phone on the kitchen table, right where i left it.i live alone.

    Reply
  18. Atahan Elbeyli says:
    October 5, 2018 at 11:16 am

    A house was burning in the village and the Mayor was speaking to the villager next to it. The Villager said that a witch burned the house. The next day the villagers put the witch in a cage and the witch became a flying demon and escaped. The End!

    Reply
  19. Elizabeth E King says:
    October 5, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Late October is the time when this world and the other are so close their fingertips touch – though why ghosts and spirits should pay any attention to dates is a mystery. The dead have all the time in the world. And this is the year you will join them.

    Reply
  20. Elizabeth E King says:
    October 5, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    I am dead. It is peaceful but lonely. That is why on Halloween nights I poison the candy that is waiting beside the door for trick or treaters. Only a spirit has fingers intangible enough to reach between the hermetically sealed packets. Next year I’ll have the company of children.

    Reply
  21. Leslee Kahler says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    It was dark and raining when the car died before the lonely house. My phone was as dead as my car. I had no choice but to knock and ask for help. The old woman who answered the door didn’t look that threatening, I was wrong, now I’ll never leave.

    Reply
    1. Leslee Kahler says:
      October 8, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      It’s called Car trouble.

      Reply
  22. Graeme Davis says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    It was still dark when I woke, but I had not slept so well in years. The fever was gone; feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world, I began to sit up – and my forehead encountered a satin-covered, padded lid.

    Reply
  23. Robert Runte says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    “It’s a crack in the space-time continuum.”
    “And the blob things pouring through it?”
    “Probably have more definition in their own dimension, yes. My guess is they aren’t eating people so much as using the bodies as a crutch.”
    “And to stop them we . . . ?”
    “Prayer, perhaps?”

    Reply
  24. Robert Runte says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    “Vampirism is a virus affecting T-cells?”
    “Absolutely. Turns off aging.”
    “And the cure . . .?”
    “Unacceptable! Repair T-cells, and body recognizes cells past their best-before-date, killing the patient; whereas, transfusions of new cells. . .”
    “So how much of my—”
    “All seven litres, I’m afraid . . .”

    Reply
  25. Robert Runte says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    “So, the neural network—”
    “Was exposed to 240 hours of Netflix’s ‘The Witches of Wellbottom’, yes.”
    “And on that basis, worked through eight quadrillion different variants of so-called ‘spells’—”
    “Yes.”
    “Which explains why there’s now a sixty-foot demon devouring City Hall?”
    “Precisely.”

    Reply
    1. Tracey Brown says:
      November 3, 2018 at 9:09 am

      Good fun! Very clever.

      Reply
  26. Leslee Kahler says:
    October 5, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    The night job at the morgue seemed like a good idea, easy money, quiet work, just tag the bodies and store them. That was before the zombie plague, before the deaths, before the chaos, before the undead. Now I’m trapped between those outside and in, powers gone and my escape

    Reply
    1. Leslee Kahler says:
      October 8, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      It’s called a little night work.

      Reply
  27. Leslee Kahler says:
    October 5, 2018 at 2:09 pm

    It fell from the sky, I should have called the authorities, I shouldn’t have touched it, but it called to me in the night, bright and glowing. Now it’s growing, its green blue thorny tendrils taking over the yard, the road, the house, me. I’m trapped, but I don’t care.

    Reply
    1. Leslee Kahler says:
      October 8, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      It’s called a rose by any other name.

      Reply
  28. Diane de Anda says:
    October 5, 2018 at 2:43 pm

    It was strange, sitting in a dentist’s chair in a costume shop. He lit incense and left to get the most realistic masks she had ever seen. She was unconscious when he administered the fatal dose. Carefully, he made an incision and began to lift her face off the bone.

    Reply
  29. Tom Bentley says:
    October 5, 2018 at 4:10 pm

    The big cat lapped at the flowing liquid. Distant city sounds pushed into the narrow alley’s thick air. A slanted, strangled light fell on the scene from a room far above, reflecting four bloodied bodies. The animal licked bits of flesh from its paws and stepped out to hunt again.

    Reply
  30. Michelle says:
    October 5, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    Frantically slamming together wards, the apprentice warlock fought like mad to cobble together some protection. The spell had gone horribly wrong. He had only wanted to see people’s true nature. He heard talons scratching in the hallway. It was too late; the demon threw open the door. Mother crawled in.

    Reply
  31. Cyntia King says:
    October 5, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    Halloween!
    We pounded beers before TP’ing the neighborhood.
    Stumbling and laughing, we tossed Charmin til old Peterson’s shotgun blast sent me diving under his tree. Grabbing a low branch, I see them. Spiders! Spiny legs and glittering eyes. A moving shadow. Crawling in my mouth, on hair and skin. (Scream!)

    Reply
  32. Paul Madonia says:
    October 5, 2018 at 7:08 pm

    “Little Spider on the Wall”.

    After the rain, a drunkard leaves a Halloween party taking a shortcut through the woods.
    He slips and falls into a pit. When he flicks his lighter, he shrieks at the figure above in the hockey mask reaching into a large sack and showers the drunk with brown recluse spiders.

    Reply
  33. Paul Madonia says:
    October 5, 2018 at 8:10 pm

    “Light My Fire”

    It’s a Halloween hayride, trick or treaters riding on bales of hay don’t
    realize that the farmer, turned down a dirt road. He stops and gets down. A leprechaun
    comes out from the shadows and ignites the hay. The farmer smacks the horse and says,
    “good job son.”

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 7, 2018 at 12:01 am

      gem of a cool idea, more of a spriggan or redcap though

      Reply
  34. WordiGirl says:
    October 5, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    Could we post more than one? I don’t want to be disqualified!

    Reply
    1. Avatar photo Every Writer says:
      October 6, 2018 at 10:53 am

      Yes, you can post as many as you like. Please leave a title, and if you want to be in our 50 word anthology, say so in a line or 2 at the end of your story.

      Reply
  35. andrew brown says:
    October 6, 2018 at 12:39 am

    He came out of sleep slowly… breasts pressed against him, hair draped over his chest, a hungry mouth sucking and kissing…….he was totally lost….. then slowly his erection faded drifting off to a peaceful death … the reason that vampires live amongst us? …THAT really IS something to die for!

    Reply
  36. Laurel Kamada says:
    October 6, 2018 at 12:41 am

    True Halloween Story: Hattori Shot Dead

    Hattori, a gentle Japanese exchange student visiting US, went with his American brother to a Halloween party, accidentally approaching the wrong house. The owners panicked, brandishing a gun, yelled “Freeze!” Hattori, hearing “Please,” stepped forward. Appearing as an aggressor, he was shot dead. Every Halloween Hattori retells this true story.

    Reply
  37. Paul Madonia says:
    October 6, 2018 at 6:23 am

    “It’s 1888 All Over Again”

    It’s a dark, foggy, drizzly, night in Whitechapel. The woman had been paid. Now walking home she hears footsteps. He pulls out his scalpel, he’s done this before. She tries to scream, he slits her throat and disembowels her. He admires his handiwork and smiles. Like father, like grandson.

    Reply
  38. Eric Smith says:
    October 6, 2018 at 6:30 am

    “FACING MOTHER”

    Her son came in from the cold dead night.
    “Where’ve you been Dru”?
    “I’ve been looking for my mother”
    “Son!, I am your mother! What are you talking about!? Are you okay?!”
    It glanced towards the door. She ran outside and saw her lifeless, faceless son lying on the porch.

    Reply
  39. Jozzie Velesig says:
    October 6, 2018 at 6:50 am

    Tonight insticts rule.
    Tomorrow he will return to his office.
    Tonight he hunts.
    He slips into her window,
    Prowls in the darkness of the room.
    Her soft breath excites him.
    He pounces.
    Blood oozes as teeth pierce her soft neck
    She screams
    Human teeth tear human flesh
    He feasts.

    Reply
  40. Paul Madonia says:
    October 6, 2018 at 8:54 am

    We Will be in Hell Together

    The smell of kerosene emanates from the darkened house, Halloween is over.
    She had fixed her boyfriend a mickey tied him to a chair and doused him with kerosene.
    A few slaps to arouse him. As he kicks the can of kerosene into the electric space heater,
    yells, “flame on!”

    Reply
  41. Liz Hufford says:
    October 6, 2018 at 9:23 am

    A miracle doctors agreed, her husband back from the dead. But his eyes were flat, his touch reptilian. He smelled of smoke, sweat, and sulfur. She prodded. “Did you see a light?”
    He just smiled.
    From dead to released in days. Tonight she’d sleep with an animated corpse. Or something worse.

    Reply
  42. Natalia Corres says:
    October 6, 2018 at 10:09 am

    I could’ve sworn I left my keys right here. But they’re gone. So I have to walk to work. In the beautiful sunny morning light, I glance at the store windows, but I do not see my reflection. Then I see the tow truck and my totaled car go by.

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 7, 2018 at 12:06 am

      cool

      Reply
  43. Avatar photo Every Writer says:
    October 6, 2018 at 10:57 am

    I know we didn’t say so in the rules, and you will not be disqualified….but please leave a title. It’s helps a bunch and DOES NOT COUNT in the word count.

    Also, you can enter as many times as you like.

    If you want to be in our 50 word anthology, please say so in a line or 2.

    Lastly, I’m having so much fun reading these. Honestly you are making my Halloween season so fun! Happy Halloween.

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 7, 2018 at 12:09 am

      this was listed in several posts of yours though – aren’t people reading all of them?

      Reply
  44. Paul Madonia says:
    October 6, 2018 at 11:22 am

    Mirror, Mirror

    The breeze off Lake Erie makes it colder. Another ice fisherman wants to fish, I just say, “okay.” Later, he tases, cuffs, and with a noose around my neck pushes me into the icy water. I bob to the surface to see my evil twin pulling off a fake beard.

    Reply
  45. Tiffany says:
    October 6, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    Human Chandeliers

    Do you know how it feels to see your left eyeball dangling before your face? That is what I see, hanging limp from the ceiling. There are others. Countless. Maimed. Petrified puppets barely breathing. The butcher slices my stomach. Gravity does the rest. We are his masterpiece. His human chandeliers.

    Reply
    1. Cherese R Cobb says:
      October 19, 2018 at 2:55 pm

      I love it!

      Reply
  46. Tiffany says:
    October 6, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    That’s Not Me

    “Is that me?”
    She stared into the kitchen, bewildered. The body was hers, but what lived within was otherworldly. Its soulless eyes found her. She reached for the knife but could not grab it. She was like mist. A venomous smile appeared. She stared helplessly at her stolen body.

    Reply
  47. Cathy Smith says:
    October 6, 2018 at 2:54 pm

    “The skin tones in your portraits are so lifelike. What’s your secret?”

    “It’s all thanks to Egyptian Brown.”

    “Who’s ‘Egyptian Brown?’ Your muse?”

    “Egyptian Brown is my own paint blend based on a discontinued classical recipe. I turn my subjects into mummies then grind them into dust for the paint.”

    Reply
  48. Beth Lynn Clegg says:
    October 6, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Absolution

    “Don’t tell anyone, it’s our secret,” her father would say before tiptoeing away. Fervent prayers for scalding water to cleanse her defiled body went unanswered. Damp footprints recorded the undetected journey to her parents’ bedside. Indecision resolved. Motionless, revolver against her moist body. the gunshot shattered their existence.

    entry for 50 words or less Halloween horror contest

    Reply
  49. Gregory C says:
    October 6, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    She woke up, hands bloodied, arms scratched. She thought it was only a dream. Laney tried to scream but choked. She reached into her mouth and removed it. It tumbled onto her lap, blood and tears on the bird’s matted feathers, its lifeless eye laughing at her. It had won.

    Reply
  50. MJ says:
    October 6, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    The eyes
    I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t play hide and seek. I couldn’t pray. I couldn’t make a wish and blow out my candles. No one believed me. After all children make up stuff all the time. I couldn’t run. There was nowhere to run to. Because every time I closed my eyes I found it there, watching me.

    Reply
  51. Mary G says:
    October 6, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    The Visitor

    “Jason, Lisa’s here.”
    Linda studied her son’s girlfriend, as she stumbled into the foyer, noting her paler than normal complexion. :”Are you okay?”
    Before Lisa could answer, Jason burst into the room, tears running down his cheeks. “I just got a text from Lisa’s dad. Mom, she’s dead.”

    Entry for anthology

    Reply
    1. cybersavant says:
      October 7, 2018 at 12:13 am

      creepy

      Reply
  52. Sharmyn McGraw says:
    October 6, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    The Divorce

    Forty-one, no? Forty-two…stop counting the shovels of dirt. No one’s coming to stop him. Now he’s tapping the dirt? He’s done? That was quick; he’s probably already laying sod over the grave. My air will be gone soon. If there’s a heaven Father, I beg you to take me now.

    Reply
  53. Dennis Mombauer says:
    October 6, 2018 at 9:49 pm

    She went running after dark. The park emptied and fell quiet except for distant traffic. Her headlight swayed, and she panted with every step. She stopped at a crossroad. All paths led into tunnels of trees, canopies blocking the sky. No dog-walkers or couples. Just forest, endless in all directions.

    Reply
  54. Kathrine M. Rivera says:
    October 6, 2018 at 11:12 pm

    For months, my sister kept looking at me through the mirror. She even talked to me that way when no one’s home. One day, I tattled on her to Papa.
    “Why the hell do you keep looking into that blasted mirror?” Papa shouted.
    “Miya.”
    “She’s dead, Mira.”
    Oh.

    Reply
  55. Robert B. Robeson says:
    October 6, 2018 at 11:44 pm

    Hopeless

    “I own you,” a terrifying voice rasped in the darkness of a blind alley I’d been chased into. A monstrous dark presence slithered toward me…taunting me. “You are mine. No one will hear your screams as I inflict my will on your body. And I’ll be in no hurry!”

    Reply
  56. Scott Smart says:
    October 7, 2018 at 12:39 am

    He sat and felt comfortable, as a fat man, in a restaurant for the first time ever.
    As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realised everybody was looking at him.
    He figured it was his paranoia.
    He didn’t comprehend he was dinner until he felt the first bite.

    Reply
  57. Joshua Evans says:
    October 7, 2018 at 1:35 am

    “But I love you.”

    Twisting, naked, shaking; heart splatters through own chest. Down stomache.

    Disgust glistens his fearful eyes.

    “Stop running. I love you.”

    My hands on his neck, nails in his veins, blood on my kiss. Taking… taking… gone.

    I turn to now fleeing son.

    “But I love you.”

    Reply
  58. Bhasha says:
    October 7, 2018 at 3:25 am

    I hated dreams.
    They would always take me to that old creepy room with a woman standing with her back to me.
    I hated waking up even more.
    I knew she was there standing by my bedside…. staring at me.

    Reply
  59. Bhasha says:
    October 7, 2018 at 4:14 am

    It’s cold… and dark.
    I hate cold and dark.
    That’s the worst thing about dying in the mountains you know…
    You have to stay there for an eternity..
    Forever cold and in the dark.
    Alone.

    Reply
  60. Mel Goldberg says:
    October 7, 2018 at 6:00 am

    My wife Susan had an affair with the minister of our church. So I invited him to go deep sea fishing on my boat and drove my fishing knife into his gut. I felt satisfied each time I removed a body part. The sharks always enjoy an easy meal.

    Reply
  61. DAVID A JONES says:
    October 7, 2018 at 6:29 am

    WHEN DEATH CALLS

    You wake up in the dark not knowing where you are. Only a cold, melancholy silence fills the void and then death turns away and drifts back into the shadows…

    I am happy for you to include this item in your anthology.

    Reply
  62. Angela K. Rouse says:
    October 7, 2018 at 7:09 am

    “You are my forty-second attempt,” he said, peering over me with maniacally wide eyes, as I lay strapped to the gurney. I frantically surveyed the room, searching for clues, anything that would give away my location. “The others just couldn’t survive the transformation,” he stated flatly, holding the syringe aloft.

    Reply
  63. Mary Ann Slavcheff says:
    October 7, 2018 at 7:48 am

    I wake in darkness and yawn. I don’t remember buying a satin pillow. The dream was deep and long. Organ music. Mumbled voices. A sadness so deep, I wanted to remain in the dream. I start to rise. but bang my head. I am enclosed in a box. A coffin.

    Reply
  64. janet garber says:
    October 7, 2018 at 8:23 am

    I rip her eyeball right out of her skull. I go after the other one. Like a half-done egg, it bursts, mud-red, veiny, yellow and thick.
    “Here’s looking at you, Mom!”
    She’s in shock. I’m late for my archery lesson. But with four eyes I’m sure to hit the target!

    Reply
  65. janet garber says:
    October 7, 2018 at 8:25 am

    Ygor asked for a raise. A raise from the dead? I severed his carotid, drank his fluids, flung him onto the highest rafter in the basement. Happy with your raise, ungrateful pup? My cape’s smoking hot! Ygor, Ygor, get me to my coffin bed! All is forgiven.

    Reply
  66. Paul Madonia says:
    October 7, 2018 at 8:57 am

    “BFF? You are a YoYo!”

    “I’ve had enough! You make plans, then cancel, say, call back later, never happens.”
    She ties and gags Duncan to a chair,sets laptop and speakers for an old time phone ringing and her non-stop alarm clock. She slams the closet door, puts in earbuds, smiles wickedly, takes a nap.

    Reply
  67. Gabriel Sison says:
    October 7, 2018 at 9:35 am

    I can see his, sick, twisted smile as he pushes the latter out from under my feet. I can hear his maniacal laughter as he cackles with glee. I can feel the crack of my spine as my body collapses onto the floor. That is the last thing I remember.

    Reply
  68. Jack Aughtmon says:
    October 7, 2018 at 11:24 am

    He smiles. No. Smile isn’t the right word. He bares every incisor that tore my parents limb from limb, ecstacy dripping from his pores. He laps up their blood greedily, bathes in it, gnawing bones and slurping bile. He faces me. He smashes the mirror. We continue devouring our feast.

    Reply
  69. Beth Lynn Clegg says:
    October 7, 2018 at 11:26 am

    Newborn
    It had been a difficult pregnancy and an exhausting labor, but when a healthy baby boy was placed on his mother’s chest the delivery room attendants’ bust into jubilant cheers. Moments later, in a deep voice that vibrated against the walls, the newborn screamed, “Let me out of here!”

    for 50 words or less horror stories

    Reply
  70. Jack Aughtmon says:
    October 7, 2018 at 11:40 am

    I enter the hospital.

    I see the cradle.

    My destiny is before me. I will save millions.

    I fire my handgun, and newborn’s cries cease. Brains cover the other infants.

    I reread the name on the cradle.

    Artur Hitler?!?!?

    I killed the wrong child. I reload. I am the monster.

    Reply
  71. Jack Aughtmon says:
    October 7, 2018 at 11:54 am

    The little lamb prances by
    The heartless hunter strikes
    The little lamb starts to cry
    The hunter sharpens spikes.

    The hunter shishkabobs the lamb
    The lamb has breathed his last
    The hunter covers him with jam
    The lamb, a flavor blast.

    My brother was suspicious.
    But man, was he delicious.

    Reply
  72. Liz Hufford says:
    October 7, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    The Quality Of

    Crickets fall apart before they die. She’d find one fluttering, one bent leg severed. What was the right thing–leave it alone or stomp out its misery? Then her diagnosis came–assuredly finite yet painfully prolonged. Each morning she felt for her legs and waited for the shoe to drop.

    My work may be anthologized.

    Reply
  73. Timothy Scholtz says:
    October 8, 2018 at 4:24 am

    “I loved you…” ; “I loved you…”
    “Death by kitchen knife? Of all things.”
    “But she told you here name was…”
    “Who are you?”
    “About the tenth boyfriend she killed.”
    “Again, her name is…”
    “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
    I think he said her name was…

    Reply
  74. David Ross says:
    October 8, 2018 at 7:34 am

    They dared me but I’m no scaredy-cat. I rang the bell, held out my bag. She said trick-or-treat before I could open my mouth. Snip. Right in the bag. I screamed and ran, my robot suit tearing apart. I must’ve been her fourth caller – she still had six fingers left.

    Reply
  75. Sherry Calvert says:
    October 8, 2018 at 8:14 am

    Hide. But, let us play hide and seek my way. I am coming for you. You can hide, but I will find you. I do not play games, and lose. Your luck ran out. At the end of this game someone will find your body. Your soul I shall seek.

    Reply
  76. Sheryl Rider says:
    October 8, 2018 at 10:37 am

    I woke afraid, knowing it would be there, lingering just inside the bedroom door. A small thing, just a child really, but not a child. It darted down the hall and disappeared, leaving behind a single patent leather shoe and a tattered doll whose fingers curled and beckoned me follow.

    Reply
  77. Maddie says:
    October 8, 2018 at 10:52 am

    The crows have been pecking at the window for fifteen minutes. Virginia hurriedly glances up from Shirley’s body to see how many more have come – at least a dozen. Something’s entrails dangling from its beak, one of the birds pecks hard enough to shatter glass. The others caw and wait.

    Reply
    1. Maddi says:
      October 8, 2018 at 10:56 am

      “A Murder Of”

      Reply
  78. Dan Naden says:
    October 8, 2018 at 11:37 am

    ‘Are you alone?’ A text from Unknown Number. Dismissing it, I went back to TV. I was alone on Halloween night, so I flicked on every light I could find. Seconds later, all light was gone. “Still alone?” My heart jumped as a window shattered by the front door.

    Reply
  79. M.L.Feser says:
    October 8, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    Lost, lost they are, to that gruesome hill of decay. Those pitiful little children with legs too short, and feet too slow. We watched as they died. Days it took for the final moans to subside. But this is how we survive. This is our town’s yearly sacrifice.

    Reply
  80. M.L.Feser says:
    October 8, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    They warned me, told me tales to scare me away. But the well-adjusted never listen. We don’t understand the brokenness of the world. So, I hear her song, I wander near, and kiss her sweet. And now I know, for I have seen. Heaven’s a lie. Only emptiness here resides.

    Reply
  81. M.L.Feser says:
    October 8, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    Parents Be Warned: Do Not Fall Asleep. Do not be lured into dreams by music’s sweet chords, lest your windows be locked, and your doors be barred. For fear, a Pied Piper wanders here. Tie up your children, plug up your ears, his melody makes young ones disappear.

    Reply
  82. ZC says:
    October 8, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    Scrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee. You may have been hearing things, but your imagination needs no invitation to show you the hiding places in your lonely, dark, creaky apartment. Your hair stands on end. You hold your breath, listening. Silence, but the moist warmth on your neck turns you to a statue.

    Reply
  83. K brooks says:
    October 8, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    First the edges, a little pinch! Just treat it like a bandage, this luxurious face mask. A treatment from the dark jungles of Panama. But after a hard yank of the rubber, I screamed. The flash of muscle and bone were the last I saw before the darkness took over.

    Reply
  84. Robert B. Robeson says:
    October 8, 2018 at 4:29 pm

    IT

    It began stalking me in dreams as a child; long slimy arms, a mouth filled with rotten teeth and blazing red eyes sunk deep into skull sockets. Terrified, I’d awaken sweating and shaking uncontrollably.
    “Not yet,” it had wheezed. “Others must be consumed first. I’m saving you for later feasts.”

    Reply
  85. Lisa says:
    October 8, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    “DingDong, your new mattress is here! Expecting old Freddy?”
    “You know the old one is full of holes.”
    “You got yourself a replacement?”
    Over there I pointed.
    Her foot caused him to trip straight in one of those holes.
    News report – Man falls to his death. Nothing else to report.

    Reply
  86. Helen Kreeger says:
    October 8, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    The Headache

    “Oh, you found my shoes.” She hugged the plastic bag.
    “Look at them” he said.
    She did. Her shoes – filled with congealed blood. She touched her forehead where the pain was at its worst. The crispness of something dried and the sharpness of jutting bone made her cry.

    Reply
  87. Amanda Alix says:
    October 9, 2018 at 6:41 am

    “I won’t kill you, son, but you’ll sure as hell wish I had.”

    As Frank tried to remember why O’Leary had said that, his hand moved toward his aching head, and stopped. He felt around the enclosure, trying to identify what he was touching.

    Satin.

    He began to scream.

    Reply
  88. Nicoli Carr says:
    October 9, 2018 at 7:03 am

    Shelly wakes smelling wet fur. The stars swim into focus high above. There was an animal, swerving, the tree. Then?
    She senses movement and there is a strange painful pressure on her foot. Then a jerking pull and grit bites into her back as she starts sliding across the asphalt.

    Reply
    1. Nicoli Carr says:
      October 9, 2018 at 7:41 am

      Sorry…
      Title is “Beast”

      Reply
  89. Andrea Johnson says:
    October 9, 2018 at 7:53 am

    Red means hot. I remember Mommy’s words as she cooks. Her sleeve hangs near the red. She doesn’t see it take her sleeve. She screams—waves her arm to shake free—but the red jumps to her hair. She falls to the ground.

    I sit alone in my high chair.

    Reply
  90. Patrick Reidy says:
    October 9, 2018 at 8:21 am

    He’s head of a criminal gang,driving home alone, he thinks. Eyrie feelingcreeps over him, his hair tingles.A tap on his shoulder. The voice of a dead man”You destroyed my family”.Twists round.A splash of petrol, glue is spreading over his seat belt clasp. A match strikes.

    Reply
  91. Kelsey Hontz says:
    October 9, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Coffin Mom

    I know it’s not cool for your mom to visit you without knocking, but sometimes I’ve got to check on my baby boy. You’ve been so closed off to me lately. It’s hard for me to even get your door open, but a crowbar and a shovel will help.

    Reply
  92. Robert B. Robeson says:
    October 9, 2018 at 9:28 am

    THE WARNING

    Don’t dare laugh when a hearse drives by
    or I’ll make sure you’re next to die!
    I’ll cut your throat with a carving knife
    or strangle you to end your life.
    You won’t see me ’til it’s too late
    and I have struck to seal your fate.
    So be warned.

    Reply
  93. Kelsey Hontz says:
    October 9, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Celebrity Dead

    You dance to Elvis all night long, picking up moves from Michael Jackson. Prince beams at you from the background as you waltz towards Marilyn Monroe. Somewhere, our first cat wails. At least I know you’re happier there than you were down here.

    Reply
  94. Robert B. Robeson says:
    October 9, 2018 at 9:37 am

    THE CONTRACT

    The letter arrived with its chilling message and no return address.

    FYI only: I’ve been hired to kill you in as grotesque a manner as is conceivable. Since I’ve never met you, consider this notice a matter of professional courtesy for pay…and I’ve never failed to fulfill my contracts.

    Reply
  95. Lillian Nader says:
    October 9, 2018 at 9:44 am

    Most zombies are recruited, but Dick chose to become a disembodied flesh-eating creature of the Dark. As an apprentice zombie, Dick must find children under the age of seven to victimize. Jane, dressed as Snow White, was his first delectable delight. Run, Jane, run. Slash, Dick, slash!

    Reply
  96. Lori Caviglia says:
    October 9, 2018 at 10:39 am

    I was propped up in bed, writing. Leaning to reach for a glass of water, I suddenly froze in horrific fear. In a split second, a brilliant, fiery mass appeared, lunging towards my face. A horned Devil’s face formed, only inches from me. Gasping, I turned away, it disappeared.

    Reply
  97. Sheryl Rider says:
    October 9, 2018 at 11:38 am

    Last Look

    He died in a fiery wreck. They say flames and twisted metal took half his face. No open casket here, no lingering last look. I turn to leave, longing to see him one more time. And I do. In the corner. Grinning. Winking at me with his one good eye.

    Reply
  98. Mary Noon says:
    October 9, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    Hooves thundered past. Men with rope. Hunting her. She clutched shadows, dug wood, bled.

    Truth didn’t matter. Missus seen Parris using her. Woods fifty yards away.

    She fled:
    fifty
    forty
    twenty
    Trees reaching with sharp claws.

    Safety.

    A warm trickle down her neck. Breath.

    “Gotcha, Tituba.”

    She spun and vanished.

    Reply
  99. Mary Noon says:
    October 9, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    “Hush, Love. Just a storm. Mommy’s here. Go back to sleep.

    Calmer already. Listen: pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Isn’t that soothing?

    Hear that? Daddy’s home!

    Hello?

    Guess not. Soon, Love.

    You wet? Hungry? Here, Love. Why won’t you latch?

    Sweetie, it’s okay, we’re okay. Daddy’s coming home.”

    “No.

    He ain’t.”

    Reply
  100. Rick Meehan says:
    October 9, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    Water caresses my lower lip. Raindrops splatter my upturned face. No one hears my screams; I can only croak now anyway. Hunger. Cold. Pain. It’s been hours, maybe days. If only my legs weren’t broken. The water has reached my nose. If only I hadn’t fallen in the old well.

    Reply

Comments navigation

Older comments
Newer comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Call for Submissions

Open Submissions for fiction and poetry. See our submission guidelines.

Search

Get the magazine and free books

When you sign up you get 2 free horror ebooks and digital copies of our magazine for free!



Latest

  • Nichole Howell on Writing Challenge: Exquisite Corpse November 2020: “Echoing loudly, the sound of her screams traveled farther and faster than I could have imagined” Jul 2, 05:57
  • Angelyn Gumbs on 2025 “Boost Your Happiness” Monthly Haiku Challenge: “To see that smile , on my first granddaughter’s face. It’s a grandma joy.” Jul 1, 19:21
  • Jennifer on Awakening All Five Senses: How to Write Descriptions That Come Alive: “I really like this article! I’ve been trying to add more sensory details in my manuscript, and this has helped…” Jun 23, 15:59
  • Capi Irato on HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN: 50 Words of Horror Contest: “The real horror was in her avid determination. “Mom, if you pass those out my life is over.” “Don’t be…” Jun 15, 07:16
  • David Reeg on HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN: 50 Words of Horror Contest: “I withered beneath the violent stare of my enemy. Icy diamond daggers dripped within his bloodshot eyes. He whispered that…” Jun 11, 18:56

Around our site

  • Writing Prompts
  • Writing Tips
  • Contests for writers
  • Submissions
  • Stories
  • Poetry
  • Literary Magazines
  • Book Publishers
  • Newsletter

New Poetry

Blindsight by Julie Dexter a poem

J.M Summers’ New Poem Crocuses

New Short Stories

1979, Hungary By Zary Fekete

Read 1979, Hungary By Zary Fekete

Damn if You Do…by R.S. Nelson

Damn if You Do…by R.S. Nelson

 

Featured Classic Work

The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

© 2025 EveryWriter | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT