Welcome to our 2019 $500 Halloween Horror 50 Word Story Contest. Yes, that’s right. It’s already here. Every year we run our contests, and those of you who have been frequent readers, this is what you’ve been waiting for.
First we will be doing a print issue! We will be doing 2 print issues, and we will pick entries from this contest to be in our issue. If you had a 50 word story designated to be in our print issue, from a past contest, please contact us.
Second, we will be giving out a $500 reward for the best 50 word horror story. This is not easy for us. Every Writer is not doing as well as it did in the past, but we want your stories. I believe writers should get paid for their work. I wish we could pay all of our writers, but it’s just impossible. So $500 for 50 words, I think is a unique and valuable statement to our readers. Ten dollars a word is what all writers really deserve.
So here are the rules:
• Story must be scary
• Story must be 50 words
• Story must be original and your own
• Story may not be published elsewhere
• Story must have a title (does NOT count in word count)
• Deadline is October 25, 2019
• Enter as many times as you want
• Story must be written in the comments below!
• Be nice or be disqualified
I love these stories. This is one of favorite traditions of Every Writer. I look forward to this every year, and this year I have extended the time we are going to spend with the contest.
The winners will:
• Be announced on October 31, 2019
• Will get $500
• Will be published in our digital and print issue.
• Will get an author page on our site
There is no entry fee for this contest. It would help us out greatly if you would donate 1$ or more, if you can, to help out the site. We would really appreciate it. A donation will not be considered in the deciding this contest.
If you want to keep up with me on Twitter, please follow me at @everywriter, I follow back all writers.
Good luck, and let the writing begin.
HERE IS THE WINNER
I have picked 4 stories. They all have times and days on them. If the winner does not respond by Friday 11/22/19 the money will go to the next story on the list. Here are the top 4 stories in order. ONLY OUR 1st PLACE WINNER gets the $500. Also, so this insanity never happens again, the winner will be invited back next year to be one of the judges.
WINNER 1st Place:
Kit Steward 10/13/19 5:20 pm
THE MIDNIGHT INCUBATOR
She heard mushy sounds for days and suffered from unbearable itchiness.
A doctor’s visit revealed earwig pupae nesting in her ear canal, it was flushed out.
Later, weary from stress, she crawled into bed.
That night while she slept, the creature returned.
And finding the eggs missing, it laid more.
2nd Place:
Elizabeth Lee 09/24/19 4:36 pm
Secondhand Doll
She didn’t want a secondhand doll so she flung it across the room. Porcelain cracked against the wall. Her mom made her glue the pieces back together. A thin shard sliced her hand, baptizing the doll in her hateful blood. The secondhand doll decided she didn’t want an ungrateful child.
3rd Place:
Alexander Daley Escobedo 10/25/19 3:38pm
Heirloom
We Buried my brother today. Suicide. He thought something evil was haunting him. He’d been medicated, institutionalized, shocked and secluded. He found his own way out. I wish I could tell him I’m sorry. Or had listened more closely. Because, when I got home, it was on my couch. Laughing.
4th place:
JB 10/25/19 8:12pm
TITLE: RESEVOIR
We should have known something was wrong when we first tasted the water. It was a little brown, but no more than usual in this apartment complex.
We kept drinking it until it turned black.
When they opened the water tank, they found the bloated, rotting corpse of my neighbor.
We usually always contact the winners first, but after all the trouble, we are opening up the process. I am again, very sorry for how late this is. I did not expect 4000 stories. Next year I will be ready.
After a family member’s phone number was posted in this thread, I have set comments to be held for moderation. If you post a comment, I will see it, but it will not appear until approved. Enough is enough. I will send the money to the winners. At this time, if you want to contact me, email. I have reported what I consider a threat to the authorities.
About Post Author
Dead or Alive?
Her fingers were bloodied from trying to dig her way out of the coffin she had been buried alive in. She knew her oxygen would soon run out but she closed her eyes to rest and when she awoke, she heard a familiar voice say,” Grandma has missed you, Sarah.”
THERE’S NOTHING GOOD ON
You ghost hunters are so cute. You stumble through the dark with your fancy tech, your night vision whatever, and you ask if anyone is here. You think it will bring you ratings. Superstardom.
Trust me, you mortal hacks, when I answer, you’ll wish you’d stayed on The Food Network.
Nice job. (I watch the Food Network)
“Not Just a Nightmare”
Tossing and turning in his sleep, Doc finally awoke from his recurring nightmare. Swinging his legs to the edge of the bed he breathed a sigh of relief until he saw a ghostly figure in the corner of the room. The twisted apparition whispered, “Why did you kill me Doc.”
“Melting”
The lava was inching closer above her waist. “I have got to pull that lever,” she hoarsely whispered. Screaming pleas of the children around her was the only thing keeping her lucid. Just when she was close enough to reach it, she watched in horror as her hand melted away.
Thalassophobia
The boat start swinging slowly, there was no wind.
Three days adrift.
Can’t sleep, the vastest of the ocean underneath means only one thing,
is coming for me and I can’t face it!
The swing increases, the swirl grow wider…
Then I saw the gargantuan teeth coming straight to me.
Rain
Water drips onto my face and I shriek with pain. I am writhing. The cuts of my face are burned by the salt in the water. A tear slips down and mixes with the water coming onto me.
The Killer
I scream. There is someone coming for me. He has killed thirteen before me. I run as fast as I can. But running is futile as he brings the blade down. Blood sprays. I lose consciousness.
The Depths
Shackled by chains at the bottom of this darkened well, I am unsure just how long I have been prisoner to my captor. The hunger pangs swell with intensity. As I wonder if my cries for help were heard, I realize the cold water around my feet is steadily rising.
please i am new shared can you help me to participate in this contest
Just post your story in a comment Kathwar
“My frail wife”
I wake up next to my beautiful, fragile wife.
She says someone is knocking at the door.
Probably our neighbor complaining about the stink again.
I unlock the door and immediately they storm in and start shouting.
With metal clasped around my wrists,
They ask who the decaying body lying in bed was.
Title: Vending Death
Carnivorous vending machines hunt by pulling prey in through the slot or door. Report any vending machines in a strange location, exhibiting unusual behavior, or having blood, flesh, or bone inside or around. Authorities will place an “Out of Order” sign on the machine until certified specialists can remove it.
I like how you told the story through a PSA (of sorts). I like a good tour de force.
The Unbiased Serial
The hatchet buried deep in a skull of no one in particular. Blood oozed. Brain matter pooled at his steel-toed shoe. His way. The others were freaks in profiler’s folders. He did not discriminate. It felt more to just kill instead of deciding. Too much thought in it otherwise.
Roller Coaster Safety
We went to the theme park every October. When Beth screamed, everyone assumed it was just because of the ride. By the time we realized her scream was out of terror and not roller coaster-induced joy, it was too late. Her body was still there, but her head was gone.
The Trance
People think she put me in a trance but I’m telling you, she didn’t. I knew what was happening the whole time. I did it willingly. And if you saw her, if you had the same chance as me, you too would do anything she asked. Even torture and murder.
Caged Experiments
I turned a blind eye to the work we were doing because the pay was too damn good. I pretended I didn’t know it was wrong. I didn’t realize until it was too late that the creatures crawling, screaming and writhing in the cages were not the experiments. We were.
“The Woods”
The trees behind her house moved with the wind. She was both frightened and curious this crisp fall day and heard what sounded like beckoning whispers. The leaves crunched with each step. “Hello” she called out. She felt goosebumps on her body when something or someone grabbed her ankle.
“Inherited”
As he stumbled down the rocky path, the cold night hair chilled his bones, but his heart was warmed knowing he soon would be rich. They’d find his uncle’s body tomorrow, and with no other family, Uncle Dave’s fortune would soon be his. The old man never saw his knife coming.
Mamma’s Precious Kitty
Jan.
“Kitty, mommy can’t afford expensive food now. Please, try this.”
Feb.
“One more bite?”
Mar.
“You’re mommy’s precious Kitty. Yes!”
Apr.
“Tomorrow, Doc’ll cremate Kitty. No evidence for prying police. ‘Mommy just left.'” Timmy smiled. “Then I’ll get a nicer mommy who’ll love me more than a damned cat.”
“The Operation”
My eyes snap open and I’m faced with a blinding light. The hairs on my arms stand on end and the clammy, sterile air around me is suffocating. I try to scream, to thrash, but I can’t move. And that’s when I hear it. “Doctor, we are ready to begin.”
Regretful End
They said it would eventually happen, but I didn’t listen. “Come on,” I said. “It’s only in the movies.” But now it’s here. They’re here. Surrounding my house. Clawing at my door. I have no bunker. No defense. No escape. It’s too late. I will soon be one of them.
Resting Place
My eyes are open but I see nothing. My body lies motionless and rigid. I feel the comfort of cushion beneath me. But it’s cold. And silent. I must be dreaming. Then I hear a faint, muffled voice saying “Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to honor our fallen friend.”
Last Memory
I awake to the sound of chanting, bound to a table by my wrists and ankles. I see candles. Pentagrams. Strangers in black cloaks. I recognize a face. The woman from the Halloween party. I remember inviting her home and taking the drink she offered. She approaches now, dagger raised…
The Cost of Stardom
Rose petals on the loveseat, candlelight flickering.
“Happy anniversary, sweetheart.”
His mouth was open, but words couldn’t escape the gag. Her knife playfully sheared the red-tinged cloth. He spat it out.
“Please. Who are you?”
She smiled, teeth bright as the sharpened steel.
“Who else, silly? I’m your biggest fan.”
Interview Day
I woke up determined today. One hour left until my big interview. I really need this one. The morning seems brighter than usual. I turn on the news and begin to brush my teeth, but stop silent as I hear the words “I hope everyone remembered to spring forward yesterday!”
“I’ve Only Just Begun!”
“Please God! I can’t die like this!” Would be my final plea, as my killer threw my bloody, beaten body in a ditch. He smiled at me as he sliced my throat. The last thing I heard was him, ” You make number 43!” then he sang “I’ve only just begun!”
The Highway Siren
Her face pales when she sees me before she crashes. Her baby will be the thirteenth life I take this week. It’s worth it when I hear the beautiful song of the emergency services approaching, comforting me and reminding me of the family I lost. Maybe you will be next.
“The Cellar”
Chloe looked at her friends, bled out on the oak floors of her father’s cabin. At the furniture piled against the front door. Latin symbols scrawled in chalk everywhere. The shutters banged in the night’s storm. She took a deep breath then entered the cellar once more, to finish it.
“The Presence”
It was the middle of night and she awoke with her heart racing. There was someone at the edge of the bed. She had felt it. A movement of the mattress being compressed. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could only see an antique dresser. Where did “it” go?
“The Basement Guest Room”
Cold, damp silence permeates and old cobwebs hang from the corners of the musty guest room. Heavy footsteps on the wooden steps are heard only at night and the thud, thud sound is disturbing to guests. Sleep is filled with nightmares. What is this invisible presence? A deceased resident?
Revenge Served Hot
“You made my wife cry.”
Barker said nothing.
“Hurt her bad, see?”
Barker didn’t see.
“She’s afraid of the dark. Afraid of being alone. Afraid of me. Won’t let me touch her. Thanks to you, she’ll never be the same.”
Neither would Barker. No eyes. No tongue. No fingers. No…
“Cantonment road area”
It was hard for me to believe that some strange and spooky things happen in this area,
Until one night i was passing by the said road,
A silent scream escape my lips when the woman runs towards me in an inhuman speed and disappears, there was darkness around me.
“Tortured souls 2”
There is a famous manshion near by my area.
One day i was admiring the manshion from afar when i see a shadowy figure near the window.
My spine stiffened “They are here, help me” The tortured voice screamed
Letting out a startled gasp i run for my dear life.
“Tortured souls”
There is a house near my street which is said to be haunted.
My breath coming in short pants as i pass by the house,
I feel my heart drop at the pit of my stomach hearing the helpless voice.
‘Help me please, Help’.
Her tortured voice still haunts me.
WATER-HORSE
My Scottish Granny used to fear the ‘Each Uisge’: a metamorphosing water-horse with staring eyes, webbed feet and a slimy coat. I laughed at her old wives’ tales. Fifteen years later, police found a pale man hiding in Granny’s attic, spying through a peephole. He had water-weed in his hair.
HIGHWAY PRISONER
It happened on a highway road trip in the summer of ’78. From the backseat, I watched dad overtake an old, dust-grimed truck. There were bars on the windows, and a hand print inside the glass that looked like dried blood. My parents claim they never saw it.
dark tales:
“They say if you cheat on your wife she’ll come for you.” Edna gazed up at him flirtatiously… She’ll take your heart just like that; she snapped her fingers.
He gawked at her frightened, after a second he recovered.
“You’re so full of crap!” Max sighed rolling his eyes.
Edna leaned her body into him kissing him passionately, without hesitation Max complied. Adrenaline blazed through his veins as he let himself fully engage in the kiss, then she quickly pulled away; he glared down at her blood trickled out from the corner of his mouth. With wide eyes he watched her lick his heart in her hand. Edna’s chuckle floated away with the wind.
“The Stairs”
Eyes are watching with an invisible body. The suffocating presence of evil hangs out by the wooden stairs. Little hairs on my neck rise and I am covered in goosebumps as I peer into the upstairs darkness. “Why do I feel so frightened in this one area of the house?”
The Real Monster
He was a creature of the shadows and a real monster, not some fabled beast that hid under your bed and grabbed your foot if it dangled off the bed; but a demented wretch that came through an open window and took your daughter’s virginity and your wife’s jewels.
“Reverse timing” part 3.
Both us were alarmed, glancing at each other with fear we run back home and close the door.
Our heart was beating and goose bumps on our hands,
My gaze suddenly goes near the wall clock and my spine chilled to find out it was 2.am in the
morning .
“Reverse timing” part 2.
We turned the corner of our street and find a women facing the other side and sweeping.
She was wearing a white saree and her hair was left open in the creepy night
We were alarmed and terrified to find that the women was moving near us slowly sweeping backwards.
“Reverse timing”
I wake from my sleep and find out that my brother is still not home as it is past 3. Am
Me and my sister both walk out of the house and hear a voice of someone sweeping.
Heart beating violently, the erily quiet night was making us more scared.
“The Piano Room” part 2
With my heart in my throat I involuntarily take a step back,
I was panic stricken when the piano keys moved,
A bone chilling scream escape past my lips when i was thrown out of the room and the door locked behind me.
Faint music could be heard from inside.
“The piano room”
With trembling hand I push the room door open,
Droplets of sweat covered my forehead,
My heart stilled feeling a presence behind me, I turn around
Only to find no one.
It was petrifying to find out the piano lid was open
Which I had closed before going to sleep.
“Whispers of night”
I am half sleep when i feel a whisper behind me
I try to turn back but was not able to
I could feel cold sweat on my forehead
He whispers my name, i don’t move or breath, afraid it might hear me.
I froze
‘I know you are awake’
“Deserted highway”
The wind picks up its speed as I drive my car past the young woman on a deserted highway,
She was asking for lift but i did not stop my car.
I feel my breath stuck as i saw her legs were backside front from the rear view mirror
The dark road
I let out a shaky breath as thunder boomed in dark night
I could feel a presence behind me while walking on deserted road.
Holding my breath as the footsteps came nearer
I froze as i feel warm breath prickled my neck
I try to scream but no voice came out.
“From Beneath”
Salty spray hits my faces, rousing me from a nap I didn’t mean to take. Realizing my raft has drifted far from shore I scream to get the attention of those on shore. The dark shadow moves beneath me, bumping the flimsy plastic. My screams ripped away by the wind.
“Cantonment road area”
It was hard for me to believe that some strange and spooky things happen in this area,
Until one night i was passing by the said road,
A silent scream escape my lips when the woman runs towards me in an inhuman speed and disappears, there was darkness around me.
Resting Place
My eyes are open but I see nothing. My body lies motionless and rigid. I feel the comfort of cushion beneath me. But it’s cold. And silent. This must be a dream. Then I hear a faint muffled voice saying “Dearly beloved, we are gathered to honor our fallen friend.”
“Laundry”
‘It’s just my laundry on the chair.’ I remind myself as I roll over and try to go back to sleep. I hear movement again and peer over my shoulder, squinting at the mound of clothing in the corner. Slowly, clothes fall to the floor as the mass moves forward.
“The Alley”
Pain pulses with my heartbeat as the thick, warm liquid runs down my face. The pavement scrapes against my bare heels as I am pulled into the darkness. Through the blood and tears I can smell the stink of cheap alcohol on him. Unable to move, I hear the zipper.
“Help is here”
Owens body lay in the road, neck bent at an unnatural angle, blood pooling beneath him. The deer we’d hit lay unmoving near the treeline. Stumbling down the road, praying for help to arrive, I see someone walking towards me. “Help! Please, he….” I stopped, peering into the darkness. “Owen?”