$500 Halloween 50 Horror Word Story Contest 2019

4,463 thoughts on “$500 Halloween 50 Horror Word Story Contest 2019”

1. Sleep Tight.

   Laying in darkness, blackout blinds drawn, when she suddenly thought;

   “Did you lock the front door honey?”

   Grumbling, he got up and went to check.

   A few minutes later she felt him return to bed. Expecting a gentle kiss, she screamed at the touch of a cold dead hand instead.

2. Alone.

   The rubbing paper and charcoal laid scattered on the ancient grave. So quiet and peaceful here, no-one to hear her scream. If only she could scream. But her throat had closed, her eyes now swelling shut. One little sting, and now she will die here, panicking and alone, forever more.

   1. The Payback

      BOOM! CLASH! CRASH!
      The noise filled the house and spilled out the windows.
      Neighbors scrambled to see the aftermath.
      CRASH!
      Through the window a laptop flew. Then a mouse. Then a printer. What could have driven the doctor to this extreme madness?
      “TO HELL WITH YOU STUDENT LOANS!” she yelled.

3. Losing it All,

   He was on his knees, tears streaming down his face. Fear had given way to sorrow. People rushed around him; shouting but he did not hear. The roar of the flames was too loud, all he could do was watch, as his home and family burned before his eyes.

4. Dog With a Bone

   “It’s time for dinner,” he told his family as he set the plates on the table.
   The youngest, Polly, her head drooped at an unnatural angle. He was greeted by blank lifeless stares from the others.
   “Time for dinner,” he repeated, The dog lapping up blood from the floor.

5. UPON FURTHER DIGESTION

   The werewolf pack lounged after their nightly kill.

   “Maybe we should go vegan,” the Alpha offhandedly said with a belch.

   The group grew silent.

   “The Board considers your leadership way past its prime,” asserted the whelp.

   The underlings howled.

   After the fray, scraps were evenly distributed from the hostile takeover.

6. The Tomb Treasure
   Hoots and cackles came from the open tomb.
   I huddled against the dusty corner as creatures with flaming-coppery eyes, corkscrew-horns and lizard skin climbed out.
   Six years, six months, and six days of carefully planned dreams evaporated when sharp claws dragged me inside the tomb.
   Silently, the lid slid shut.

7. NOW YOU SEE ME…

   “A volunteer please…”

   The crowd demurred and a noble man approached the stage.

   A mallet was produced from thin air,
   instantly the magician drove his wooden wand into The Count’s heart.

   The vampire audience gasped as dust trickled.

   “And for my last routine, a vanishing act,” said Master Magician Dr.V.H.Sing.

8. TRUE HORROR

   Donald Trump became President. Lies overwhelmed truth. Everybody hated everybody else. The atmosphere overheated. Antarctica’s icecaps melted. Consequently, Bangladesh flooded. Hindu Nationalists massacred its fleeing citizens. Dark people fleeing the overheated tropics were massacred by whites everywhere. Siberia became balmy. Putin told Trump, “Your debt to me is now paid.”

9. Fifteen Bucks… Little Man.

   “Sure, fifteen bucks is perfect,” I replied. “Let’s meet at the gas station on Riverside?”
   Thirty minutes passed and I met the burly stranger. “Let me just grab that end table out of the trunk for you,” I said, while reaching through the array of body parts littering my trunk.

10. Regret

    Blackest night EVER. Silence. Smells. Thoughts. Nothingness. Mind racing between horrific images and blankness. A sound. Another. Tensed, flexed, on the cold ground. Hands grabbing knees. Tucked chin holds everything in place. You know it’s about to end. Why didn’t you say, “Yes!”? Swoosh. Too late now! The head falls.

11. It wanted tea. So I carefully skirted it, made my way to the kitchen. Got the chamomile from the cupboard, looking over my shoulder. It hasn’t moved, only dripped. Can’t bring myself to call it ‘her’, or ‘Catherine’. The water is boiling now. It’s been 6 months since the funeral.

12. A BRILLIANT SHADE OF RED

    She was behind me again, strange words flowing smoothly from her lips.
    Hush my darling
    Don’t you weep
    Take a leap with me
    Bring a little madness inside
    And make the world go bleak
    And down we went right onto the pavement which was begging for a splash of color.

13. Immortal Love

    Decapitated women strewn about floor, she said
    “You’ll never find her amongst these…children.
    She wasn’t immortal, she died 300 years ago.
    You have me…forever.”

    Suddenly he flashed his fangs, and with a
    stake impaled her heart.

    He was then a bat, soaring above.
    He knew tonight he would find her.

14. CAGEY UNDERPINNINGS

    The exterminator crawled deep into the building’s conduits after the emergency call.

    Sweaty progress was halted and Arnold’s body was lodged in tight.

    Then, terror struck, violent screams raged.

    After a frantic effort, a flea-ridden rodent stretched its haunches and slept in the warm safety of a freshly hollowed burrow.

15. THE LOTTERY (PART II)

    The villagers had their stones. Someone even
    gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.

    “It isn’t fair,” protested the ‘winner.’

    Two high school students observed.
    “Hey, is that Shirley Jackson.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Man give me a stone, I hated that fuckin’ story.”
    “Stupidest story ever.”
    And then they were upon her.

    1. We have a winnnahhh! Your check is in the mail… that was PRICELESS!

       1. lol

16. Failed Anesthesia

    What? I wake up to nurses chatting and cannot move my mouth or anything to ask how the surgery went, though I feel the needle in my arm. “Scalpel,” orders the doctor. No! A cold swab of cotton over my belly – DO NOT CUT ME! I silently scream.

17. YOU SWEET TALKER MR.CROCKER

    The woman came home to a husband muttering on the steps.

    “Baking flour,” he mumbled blankly.

    “Jack?” she said.

    “Baking flour..”

    “Are you okay?”

    “Baking flour…” he whispered.

    “Where’s Violet?”

    Smoke filled the windows as the fire alarm squelched.

    Betty’s eyes widened, and she raced inside to save her daughter.

18. Who’s There?

    Every night she passes the same creepy old house. She’s never seen anything odd or unusual, that is… until tonight. It wasn’t just the sound of wind rustling the shutters, or rotted wood creaking and echoing through the halls. Tonight she saw smoke puffing through the chimney. The house was abandoned.

19. Hair Got Your Tongue

    Scratching started in the back of my throat. I coughed to clear it. Leaning over the bathroom sink, I reached down my throat and pulled out a long strand of hair. Following that hair – was another and then another. I realized with horror, a head was emerging from my esophagus.

20. Good morning,
    The spoopy orange pumpkin wakes up. The spoopy orange pumpkin eats breakfast. The spoopy orange pumpkin goes outside to play with his friend the spoopy spicy scarlet squash. The spoopy orange pumpkin gets squashed by spoopy spicy scarlet squash. The spoopy orange pumpkin goes to bed.
    Good night.

21. VANITY

    Highlight, contour, fake lashes, and colored lenses. Every day I draw this mask. With it I am someone else: confident, sexy, bold. Every night I wash it off. I find myself scrubbing harder and harder until one day I look up and my reflection isn’t mine. I scream. She winks.

22. Drive or Dare

    “You have beautiful eyes Ms. Uber Driver,” he flirted.
    I smiled, “the better to see you with,” jokingly.
    Very sternly he replied, “I didn’t say they were big. Your next comment will determine if you keep them.”
    Fourty five minutes of awkward silence. “Have a good night.” I’m blind now.

23. Her Crimson Voice

    Rodger stumbled down the alley, whimpering as he slumped against the brick wall.
    “Come back,” he pleaded, “please come back.”
    Silence.
    He grabbed the side of his own head, bashing it against the brick.
    Once.
    Crimson gushed forth.
    Twice.
    Again.
    She sang to him.
    “Beautiful!” He cried. “Thank you!”
    Again.

24. The Unseen

    2AM she heads to the kitchen for a drink. Moonlight streams in from the window. She doesn’t look. She knows it’s watching. The sane voice in her mind tells her to face the irrational. That it’s not real. But if she looks and she’s wrong it will come for her.

25. WHAT’S THAT SOUND

    A rustle of wings, like an eruption. As if a thousand pigeons have taken flight. Moments later, the sound of just one pair of gigantic wings.

    A shadow on the cobblestones, a little ahead of where he walks. Soon, he is in the shadow. There’s a head. A wing. Claws.

26. Widow

    She pulls the covers over her head and pretends to be asleep as her late husband crawls into bed beside her. He wraps his frigid too thin arms tight around her waist pulling her close. Not even a knife and six feet of dirt would keep him from her bed.

27. Uh-Oh

    Going to get some tonight! He rang the bell.
    She opened the door smiling, long legs and red hair. “Glad you made it.”
    As he stepped inside she asked, “You’re definitely a virgin?”
    “You bet.” Then something hit him.
    He awoke hanging upside down surrounded by robed figures with knives.

28. The Hotel
    He watched through his hotel window, expecting something to happen. Stories said people died in the hotel. His legs were tired from standing, so he crawled out on the 14th floor balcony and sat on the rail, waiting for something to happen. That’s when it pushed him, and he fell.

29. Darkling

    “Oh, this kitty’s the cute one!” she squealed like a real girl, hoisting it too hard; hind legs pinched between greedy grubby fingers. Snap! Like a wet towel. For days it dragged itself mewling on shaky forelegs until caught by a merciful owl– limp cargo.

30. Jackie
    Jackie was happy on the farm, until one morning strangers ripped her from her bed.
    They sliced her face, ripped off her flesh, and threw her body outside.
    As she laid there dying, many other evil strangers examined her mutilated body.
    The last words she heard were, “Cool, jack-o-lantern, mister!”

31. Ravenous Raven

    There was blood splattered everywhere. The greedy raven had plucked the guts from his kill. Still, he was not content. Then, a noise caught his attention. He glanced up to see a young girl walking briskly in his direction. It was time to wish the girl a happy, happy Halloween.

32. Midnight Eyes

    She laid asleep as the midnight hour approached. A tapping woke her from her slumber. Tap, tap, tap. She sat up. Looking around only for her eyes to meet dark red eyes glowing from outside her window. She screamed, and that’s the last thing she saw before darkness took her.

33. The Walls

    Exploring the abandoned house, he felt something watching him. Shadows moved across the faded white walls. They were not from him. A figure formed and motioned him closer. He backed away, bumping into an already broken stand. He ran for the door, so close to freedom the shadows grabbed him.

34. Is He Dead?

    He stared at me. His eyes were slits. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

    “Fine,” I said. I grabbed the doorknob. “I’ll just let myself out.”

    But this didn’t satisfy him. His awful smell permeated the dank room and closed in around me.

    “You’re not going anywhere,” he said.

35. He Made Me Do It

    The little girl entered the house, dragging a man with his eyes gouged out by his hair. Her bloody hands released the dead man, the body hitting the floor with a thump.
    “What have you done?!” Her mother cried.
    “He made me do it,” the girl pointed to a mirror.

36. Just the Wind

    A powerful gust of wind batters the small house causing it to shudder and groan. It sounds as if its haunted by hundreds of tortured souls. But its not ghosts Tracy is afraid of it’s the breeze she feels caress her tearstained face. The poison has found its way inside.

37. Now Go to Sleep, You Little Monster

    “That’s right dear, put your foot in. That’s good. Let me pull it snug.
    Do you like the new socks mother has gotten you? Now the other foot, please.
    Oh, they look darling on you! OK, the next one, dear.
    That’s right. Good. Now your last foot, sweetie … Good night.”

38. John nearly died defending his family from the virus that fueled Martin’s bloodlust. The drill narrowly missed his heart. John was always more adept with the tools; it was in his blood.

    Turning to his wife, drill dripping red, he would succeed where Martin failed.

    It was in his blood.

    1. Title: “In the Blood”

39. Pocketful of Coins

    Midnight. As he set foot on cremation ground, childhood ghost-stories thumped in his heart. A cold shiver down his spine. Panicked, he strode. Jingling sound behind. Blinded, he dashed; jingling intense and closer. He galloped, jingling louder, at heels. He collapsed; jingling stopped. He came to, touched – pocketful of coins!

40. Cover Your Eyes

    “Geesh, dear, I’m only an hour late,” replied Alfred.
    “You know dinner is at 7:00. The kids have to eat on time.” said Janice. “Eyes are only good when freshly plucked. You’ll have to eat them cold, now.”
    “All of them?” asked Alfred, eyeing the bowl that was eyeing back.

41. A shadow figure in my room,
    this can’t be real, I won’t believe.
    Fear grips my soul and drowns my scream
    when I realize I can’t leave.
    The pain he causes, I’ve not met,
    but his mask, I did remove.
    How surprised was I
    to see someone that I knew?

42. “The Hunt”

    “Run!” Luke shouted as he chambered a round. The shaggy beast was tiring and would soon be his. The chase had been exciting and even spooky when he lost the trail, but he spied the den. A heavy, hairy fist sent the rifle flying. Then a monstrous voice growled, “RUN!”

43. The sandman only comes, once you are asleep. He tiptoes to your bedside, a funnel in his hand. One end goes in your mouth and the sand comes pouring in. You wake up gasping, thrashing, as the sand runs out of your hourglass. The sandman puts you to sleep, forever.

44. The Sandman

    The sandman only comes, once you are asleep. He tiptoes to your bedside, a funnel in his hand. One end goes in your mouth and the sand comes pouring in. You wake up gasping, thrashing, as the sand runs out of your hourglass. The sandman puts you to sleep, forever.

45. Shadows of Death

    A shadow figure in my room,
    this can’t be real, I won’t believe.
    Fear grips my soul and drowns my scream
    when I realize I can’t leave.
    The pain he causes, I’ve not met,
    but his mask, I did remove.
    How surprised was I
    to see someone that I knew?

46. PROMISES TO KEEP

    His sorceress lover promised she’d come back, no matter how much time passed. As the years became decades, he despaired of ever seeing her again.
    But at last, she returned. And shouted the ancient incantations by moonlight.
    To no avail.
    His body had decayed far too long to rise again.

47. DEJA VU

    DING!
    “This is your captain speaking. We’re about to hit turbulence. Please make sure your seatbelts are fastened.”
    An impact.
    A wing rips off.
    A roar.
    We plummet.
    Everyone screams.
    OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD!

    I am going to die.

    DING!
    I startled awake.
    “This is your captain speaking…”

48. STORMY WEATHER

    Rain beats against the glass, like a fist knocking on a door. “It will go away, won’t it?” I say.
    “It always has before,” Austin says. My stomach continues to churn.
    I pull back the curtain and scream. Crimson streaks across the window, a single handprint on the other side.

49. TRICK? OR TREAT?

    With an evil eye,
    and a
    ghoulish limp,
    the ancient one
    led me like a wimp.
    He had me by the nape
    as he flourished with his cape.
    With a terrible eerie laugh
    he threw out his staff,
    and cut into my skin,
    and turned me into
    a scary pumpkin.

50. REFLECTION

    Clay dries on my hands as I stare at my work. It’s supposed to be my reflection. My cheekbones are off, my lips fuller, but I can’t help but wish it was more lifelike… Not a second later, my creation grins, its features twisting. “Be careful what you wish for.”

51. THE BACK OF A COP CAR

    “Don’t let him take me!” My pulse skyrockets, fighting against the hands pushing me in the car.
    “We’re taking you to the station.”
    I pull against my handcuffs, sticky with blood. “Please!” No one answers; the door shuts.
    The cop smiles at me, still bleeding. “Let’s finish what we started.”

52. SCANDAL COVERED IN SNOW

    A dusting of snow covered her house but outlined the handprint on the side. She thought the nightmare was over. She thought he was dead. Snow crunched under her boots as she turned the corner. There, amongst the falling snow, stood the sign she had feared for all her life.

53. RUNNERS HIGH

    Clothed only in a sports bra and running shorts, I push myself faster down the dark trail.

    I feel so alive.

    But I’m not alone.

    Suddenly, he is on me, knocking me savagely to the ground.

    Perfect, I think, as I sink my fangs into his throat. I was thirsty.

54. HOW’D ALL THAT COLLEGE WORK OUT FOR YA?

    The piranha’s tank sign reads “$5000 – FOR LASTING A MINUTE”.

    “Tell it again,” said the crony.

    “Wiseguy waiter comes outta the kitchen, his hand thick in Crisco.

    Forty-five seconds in… I shove his head in the tank ‘til his FACE…GONE!”

    Lou laughed through tears, “Best Five-G’s I ever spent.”

55. HalloWiz

    Ding-dong. Dorothy Gale cracked the door.

    “Trick-or-treat!” chorused green-faced witches. Again.

    She grabbed the bowl and sloshed it over their heads. Hissing, screams, the usual.

    Dorothy collected their shoes from the steaming heap and crammed them in the ebay bin. Someday she’d have enough for a ticket out of Kansas.

    1. Stranger Danger

       She didn’t recognize the sounds but she knew they meant trouble. Reaching for the gun in the nightstand, she was jolted into awareness. Not her room, not her nightstand, no gun. In what universe was this possible? In the darkness, she became aware of her nakedness. Tears fell, she froze.

56. AWAKE
    by: Carmen Wilkinson

    “Don’t fall asleep. Remember that’s how they got Jesus. Stay awake. I am awake. Wait a minute. How can you be awake, I mean how am I awake? Why am I talking to myself? Who are you talking to? You, you big dummy, duh? Oh my God, am I dead? “

57. EVIDENCE

    The skeleton under the porch knew us all. Its secret harmed no one. Then knuckles rapped at the door. Questions surged. Our answers blocked—No, sir. Yes, sir. Never, sir.

    We double-locked the door, loaded the shotgun, knew how to deal with threats. The skeleton need not be lonely.

58. SIREN’S SONG

    Man, what a party! I’m wasted. I spy a scantily clad girl in the pool. God, she’s hot. I’m staring.

    My buddy throws me in. She swims away, then coyly beckons. I catch her and pull her in for a kiss. Water fills my lungs as she pulls me down.

59. It’s crowded in here, shoulder to shoulder
    Cold shadows whispering your past trauma
    The only light comes from the windows
    to a boarded up soul
    it’s dark here, please let go of me
    Your screams are only empty fear
    Fear consuming you, why
    Right now, none of it is real

60. BAD DREAM

    The metallic buzzing became loud whining. Moving closer she thought, as she struggled awake. Clicking, grunting sounds, a rhythmic back and forth. What a nightmare! Clare tried rolling but couldn’t. Huh? The whining came closer and excruciating pain began. Eyes flying wide, Clare screamed as the aliens held her down.

61. “The Mushy Mass”
    As bad as my stomach is wrenching, and the burning acid is creeping into my throat, I force myself to touch it. My hand shakes as it approaches the oozing mass. I feel the moist, lukewarm, mushy creature. As I touch it, it explodes with a moaning, wheezing sound.

62. Will O Wisp

    Walking the back road, dusk on your heels. Lost and lonely save the shiver of autumn breeze in the trees. Light looms down the earthen lane, sallow and bright, twinkling against black. Faith in salvation gives chase even when led off the path. Darker and deeper until hope is swallowed.

63. POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION

    “That’s the man- blond hair, blue blazer- who raped me.”
    “You sure?”
    “Positive.”
    “I’ll kill him.” And he did.

    Back home they watched a repeat of a mystery show his wife was obsessed with. The TV victim declared, ‘That’s the man- blond hair, blue blazer- who raped me.’

64. Garden of Earthly Delights

    Deep within the empty belly of a cavernous white beast, resides the board of inquisition. Consisting of naked, bearded old men with animal tails, wearing pointy, brimmed hats, the board is discussing matters of morality and great importance concerning the fate of your soul.

    And the prognosis doesn’t look good.

65. Title: Winter Vacation

    Richard awoke and could not see. The texture of brick walls ran across both shoulders as he squirmed to a stand through bound hands.
    “Hello? Hello?!”
    Only whistling responded. Chris stared at his immaculate grout, just finished. He smiled and knocked the brick.
    “Enjoy your winter vacation.”
    Chris strolled out.

66. Milk

    On his 84th birthday, he left his sleeping wife to brush his teeth, forgetting toothpaste, dresses, shirt buttoned, and makes himself cereal, forgetting the cereal. At 2AM, he finally keels over. Not from the effects of the serrated knife through his eye, but from loss of blood, reddening his milk.

67. Howling so anguished, echoed through the darkness. This was the end of reality. Running across the graves to escape the cemetery I fell. That’s when the vacuuming force pulled me through the earth. Vines appeared and roped me deep down as the ground closed over me. Buried alive like my dream.

68. RECYCLE
    “Brains, brains, brains.” The disfigured face “person” chanted after shooting the red head. It danced over her body while holding the brain matter in its hand.

    As a furious, tall, muscular man approached the person, he used a bat to bash its head. “Now you’re out of brains, brains, brains.”

69. Drifting to sleep I feel an evil presence hold me down. Without breath I start to lose consciousness. Awakening after what seems an eternity. My husband stirs and reaches lovingly for my hand. With super human strength I pull his arm clean off his body. First meal of human flesh.

70. Frozen Horror

    The new frozen foods became the talk of the town. Everyone who purchased it admired its juicy and unique taste. On the other hand, the children of that area mysteriously started missing. After a month, the breaking news of inroad on an underground “Human” frozen foods making factory left people astonished.

71. HIM

    “He’s escaped.”

    It takes a moment to register. The Red Wings are on the power play.

    “Huh?” I mumble, my eyes still glued to the TV.

    “Carl.”

    I turn. Linda’s wearing that look, the one I haven’t seen in years, and the gravity of the situation settles in. He’s escaped.

    1. The Baby Rattle

       My guttural screams abruptly woke me. What is this foul taste in
       my mouth? Why is there blood and skin in my bed?

       My God! The baby!

       As I rushed to my baby’s room, I began choking and threw up a
       baby’s toe!

       Death’s rattle came from my baby’s room.

72. A Visit to Mom’s House in November

    After dad’s funeral I returned to mom’s house. The day was intense, and sleep was the only thing I needed. Under blankets my eyes now combing through chills and all blackness. Suddenly, footsteps began from the doorway, making heavy, slow steps towards my bed. “Dad!” I screamed. The footsteps stopped.

    1. No More Feeling

       Splash! The sound I made after jumping into the rectangle shaped abyss. Farther and farther I sink, approaching the bottomless pit of despair. Gasping for the oxygen that’s been replaced by H2O, filling my lungs to the brink. No more sun, no more pain, and guilt, just the feeling of…

73. CATOPTROMANCY CRISIS

    On a dare, the little girl chanted in front of the mirror and a bloodied female face appeared.
    “ Bloody Mary, I’m scared. Are you…going to hurt me?”
    “No, I’m here to help you.”
    The medicine cabinet opened slowly revealing a single bottle. The girl spelled the label aloud: F-E-N-T-A-N-Y-L.

74. TRAPPED

    Hands tied behind her back made it impossible to scratch her scalp as the lice crawled through her strands of hair by the thousands burrowing into her welted flesh with blood sucking intensity. She closed her eyes, praying for death, instant relief from the burning itch that consumed her soul.

75. Earthquake 6.9

    The only thing she feared was being bored. Her marriage and career were becoming dull. Despair embraced her. Now, dressing for bed, the sound of crumbling wood attracts her attention. Walls quiver, furniture crawls across the room, and ceiling liberates downward. Notice how this heavy board falls, crushing her head.

    1. Bloody Face

       The door slowly creek open and five bloody heads shoved inside. “Mama!” I yelled but I got no response.
       I close my eyes and the heads went away. I sigh then laid back down to see my mother’s head stapled to the my roof dripping crimson all over my face.

76. GOOD OL’ BUCKTOOTH

    The battle’s result; an overwhelming stockpile of dead soldiers.

    Muddy boots worked hard kicking dog tags between corpse teeth.

    SHUNNNK,

    “How long do we gotta do this?…” the private grumbled.

    SHUNNNK,

    SHUNNNK,

    “YAARGGH!” one foamed, springing violently to life.

    “Hey, dumb ass!” yelled the Sergeant, “Why’d you ruin Buckley’s nap?”

77. THE ROOM

    Screams echo over
    The stench of
    Stomach curdling
    Rotting corpses and
    Wounded flesh in
    Bug infested
    Slumber while
    Rats crawl over
    Blood stained walls
    Try to run but your
    Frozen to the bed
    In feces splattered
    Stained sheets with
    Guts wrenching in
    Spine chilling terror
    Eyes searching
    For eternal solace.

    1. NICE! So descriptive!

78. The Birth of a Monster

    The child screeched, sucking out of the air the joy of birth. It screamed a voice of decay. Its piercing cries stabbed like wounds. The father felt faint, his breath coming shallow, a puddle now. As his son devoured the air, the father’s life faded into a desperate, choking death.

79. I love you.

    I’ve always been with you, even when you thought you were alone.

    One day we’ll be together. Old age or maybe an accident will make it so.

    My fingers on you, down your throat, pressing to reach every part of you. Finally, I will have you.

80. The Death of a Star
    The world stared upward, numb, detached, paralyzed. The sun was on fire. The atmosphere sizzled and popped. The clouds became stars. The mountains toppled. Oceans became vapor. The heat feasted upon cities, lovers, strangers, children. Skin melted from bone as all is consumed by the death of the sun

81. Goosebumps

    It was 12 am, the light went off. The gate started banging. He went to see who it could be. “Let me in.” She pleaded. He opened the gate for help. Suddenly, there was a huge crash of thunder, gazing down, the first thing he noticed was her hind foot!!!

82. Nancy Has a Cold

    It was a thick, phlegmy cough that racked her chest and left her desperate for breath. She felt a slimy glob, propelled by the hacking, land on the back of her tongue. With a grimace, she spit it into a tissue – there landed a wriggling slug, yellow-green and quite alive.

83. There’s a Monster Under the Bed

    It would be too easy to bite into your naked heel. I watch you place one foot then the other on the chilly floor. Bare toes curl at the cold. You slide a foot into your slipper. I cradle its match in the darkness and wait for you to reach.

84. The Old Maestro’s Birds

    When he snaps his fingers, Edgar’s parakeets push air through their beaks. Their squawks and screeches sound more like wind gusting through a rainspout than synchronized melodies. Edgar, a retired composer and conductor, admits he had to train ruthlessly, snapping the necks of any bird refusing to sing on cue.

85. A Haunted Home

    The stairs creaked under Casey as she climbed towards her childhood bedroom. She hadn’t wanted to come back home, but her mother had insisted. She opened the door, recognizing the noises before the sights. She sat in bed, eyes closed, and spoke timidly “hello?” The room answered, hungrily, “Welcome Home.”

86. DON’T LOOK

    “Mommy.”

    She must not look; can’t look. They are the last two. He clings desperately. Her eyes shut tight.

    “Mommy, please.”

    She knows what awaits. It took everyone bestowing black eyes rimmed yellow. His hand grips harder.

    “Mommy, I love you.”

    She shudders as the tiny hands lift her eyelids.

87. ETERNAL LOVE

    After her boyfriend died, she stared long at the mirror and cried.

    Looking at her reflection she said, “I wish I was also a dead.”

    “I wish that too,” replied the mirror. Suddenly she tried retreating her hand in terror. But the reflection had it already clutched; now that’s horror.

88. A BLOODLESS SCREAM

    In the chill of a moonless night
    two figures squeal with delight
    as they hover over the bods
    looking like gourds,
    satisfying their hunger
    as they plunder those poor souls.
    Returning from
    their graves in the earth
    to learn of their new birth,
    again and again.
    Infinity.
    Carrion. Carry on.

89. BABY RUTH

    “Take the candy, dammit!”

    Her fingers crept forward, grabbed the Baby Ruth, and retreated to her pocket.

    “You little witch! Now, eat it!”

    She slowly pulled the bar from her coat.

    “Now! So I can watch!”

    She unwrapped it to find a tiny human newborn. Sweet, Baby Ruth. Her favorite.

90. The Follower

    The woman had followed him for years. Never speaking. Never leaving. Nights were the most difficult to get used to, but he had become accustomed to her standing over him; with eyes fully black. However, last year he discovered something that nearly broke him: She was standing one step closer.

    1. The Basement

       “Dad, can you come down for a second?!”

       “Give me a minute! What do you need?!”

       “Someone’s screaming in the basement! It’s really loud but I’m too scared to go down there!”

       “What are you talking about?! We don’t have a basement!”

       “Dad, it’s getting closer! Come down here right—“

    2. Excellent, self-contained little story!

91. TRICK OR TREAT

    “Trick or treat!”

    The door creaked open. She ushered inside a Halo, a panda, and a mermaid.

    “Trick or treat!” they muttered, hesitant and afraid.

    The door slammed shut.

    “Tricked you, you brats. You’re my treat!”

    Wide-eyed, they saw the mammoth steaming cauldron, and the discarded costumes scattered in front.

92. The Inn at the Crossroads

    The fire prevents the ghost from rising. The hearth where his bones are buried can never be left untended. I was there when he was murdered, when the fire was made, and I will be there when it consumes the whole house, and myself with it. When he avenges himself.

    1. I like that! Good use of the 50 word-limit.

93. Namaste

    “Breathe out, shhh…”

    She was finally so relaxed, so calm. Her hair was in a perfect bun; buttery soft clothing tailored just so.

    She closed her eyes and laid perfectly still on the sticky, well worn mat.

    “Savasana. You’re doing great.”

    She kissed her and wiped her mouth clean, leaving with her scrunchie.

94. THE DEAD

    So tired…out of breath…panting…

    Stop and hide behind a tree.

    A ragged horde of dead slowly meander past.

    Safe.

    Suddenly a sharp pain on my arm!

    One bite, then another!

    A group of stragglers are here for a taste of my flesh.

95. Missing Piece
    He gazed around trying to find it. Didn’t she understand? He needed it back. “Stop laughing and give it back!” He yelled at her grotesque form.

    “You cannot have back what you never had,” she replied with a cackle that chilled him to the bones.

    “But I need my heart.”

96. Silence
    She couldn’t place where the sound was coming from. It was an odd mixture of a creak and a groan. She sat upon her bed, eyes closed, focused on the sound. The sounds grew louder with a new one intermingling. She tried to place it; then she heard nothing.

97. The Forest
    Tripping on an exposed root she fell onto her knees, biting her lip to keep herself from crying out. “Get up, keep moving,” she whispered as she used her bound hands to pull herself to her feet. “Just a little further to go,” she murmured continuing through the dense forest.

98. ECO-CONSCIOUS

    Contrary traveling backpackers stop trail-side and have a lunch break together.

    “Pack it in and pack it out,” said the one struggling with his overstuffed Kelty rucksack.

    “Travel light and leave a dusty trail,” said the other while removing an empty urn from a threadbare satchel to get more snacks

99. AN APPRENTICESHIP

    The monster under your bed spares you for the names of your bullies.

    A fair trade.

    After years of peaceful school days and nights lulled into slumber by the sound of familiar, deserving whimpers? You think: The night must be so lovely, living under a roof thick as a mattress.

100. PARALYSIS

     The hooded being is back.

     He’s standing in the corner of my room, staring at me with his bright red eyes.

     His long fingers extend like shadows of tree branches in the moonlight.

     He floats toward me. I cannot move, I cannot scream.

     I close my eyes. Then it’s morning.

     1. CLONE

        Hands and feet roped together; unmoving. Mouth taped shut, suppressing my shrieks for help. My desperate eyes can do nothing more than gaze at the figure. Brown eyes, crisp curls, freckled cheeks; identical to me in all things but one…intentions.Dagger in hand, she exited the closet. Click-locked.

        1. HANDPRINTS

           I stepped into my car one freezing, dark night. I put the key into the ignition; it didn’t start. I heard a rumble in the back seats, The hands suddenly gripped my neck, hard. Then I was gone; my existence erased from memory. My handprints were the only thing left.

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