Oceans

by D Kershaw

  The Gift

  by Anika Claire

  Nadine swims down, down to the deepest trenches—the only place the colonies can hide from the no-tails.

  Once upon a time, they could go to the warm, bright waters, where the fish were plenty. “Once,” the Eldest whispered, “I saw the sky.”

  “Nonsense,” said the hunters. “The sky contains the no-tails and certain death, and the reefs are just a myth.”

  Now, Nadine has seen the bone-white rocks where the reefs were. She’s met the no-tails—they’re not so bad. She clutches the gift they gave her—a pretty necklace with a pulsing luminescence. The warriors will be jealous.

  ANIKA CLAIRE lives in Brisbane, Australia with her young family, where she alternates between making maps and escaping to other worlds, through either reading or creating them. You can find her reviewing and podcasting about books at;

  Website: teainthetreetops.com

  Instagram: @anni.treetops

  Sinking Ship

  by A.R. Dean

  I escaped. Clinging to the lifeboat, I watched as the others went down. The sun beats on me, and I am parched. Days this wooden vessel has travelled with no end in sight of the blue. I give a glance to my companion. She is a girl no more than twelve. A fellow passenger that has lost as much as me.

  When I can no longer fight the hunger, I try to strangle her. She stabs me with a small knife.

  “Sorry.” She shrugs with a small smile. “I’m very hungry.”

  I die as nourishment. Hope it makes her sick.

  A.R. DEAN is a dark and twisted soul. Dean has spent their whole life spreading fear with the tales from their head. Best known for stories that terrify and show the evilest side of human nature. So, look for Dean haunting your local cemetery or under your bed, because they’re here to spread the fear. Turn off your lights and enjoy a scare. Dean is being published in Black Hare Press’s Beyond and Unravel Anthologies. Keep a lookout for more stories.

  Facebook: A.R. Dean Author & Ghoul

  The Self-Sustaining Outpost

  by Stuart Conover

  Jameson had been alone on the outpost for nearly three years.

  He’d long ago lost track of the days.

  They all blended without being able to see the sun and moon.

  The equipment that kept the environment running was working fine.

  However, all the computers had gone out.

  The idea had been to build a self-sustaining ecosystem for humanity to explore under water.

  Now, he might very well be all that was left.

  The systems had gone out on D-Day.

  Nuclear winter.

  The last reports said nearly everyone was gone.

  So, who was in the ship that was currently docking?

  STUART CONOVER is a father, husband, rescue dog owner, published author, blogger, journalist, horror enthusiast, comic book geek, science fiction junkie, and IT professional. With all of that to cram in daily, we have no idea if or when he sleeps or how he gets writing done! (We suspect it has to do with having evil clones.) Stuart is a Chicago native and runs the author resource Horror Tree.

  Sunken Treasure

  by Jasmine Jarvis

  The creature circles, taunting me by bumping against my raft. In desperation, I throw the cursed treasure overboard, thinking that that is what it wants.

  Suddenly all goes quiet and still.

  I collapse in relief, for the creature is gone.

  The raft is struck so violently I am thrown overboard. The saltwater stings my blistered skin, burns my parched mouth and throat as it rushes into my lungs.

  Only then do I realise the creature doesn’t want the treasure; it wants me.

  I go limp and let myself sink down into the dark depths of its great big open maw.

  JASMINE JARVIS is a teller of tales and scribbler of scribbles. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband Michael, their two children, Tilly and Mish; Ripley, their German Shepherd, and indoor fat cat, Dwight K. Shrute.

  Blue Runner Bait

  by Rich Rurshell

  Jack planted his feet and reeled in his catch. The fish surfaced near the boat for a second, and to the fisherman’s delight, it was a blue runner. Catching one would give him bragging rights down the Pier Tavern later.

  Jack lifted it out of the water and onto the deck, then set the timer on his camera. He picked up the fish and felt a sharp pain in his hand. A thin, barbed tentacle was hooked through his palm. As the shutter clicked on his camera, Jack was hauled over the side of his boat into the ocean below.

  RICH RURSHELL is a short story writer from Suffolk, England. Rich writes Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy, and his stories can be found in various short story anthologies and magazines. Most recently, his story “Subject: Galilee” was published in World War Four from Zombie Pirate Publishing, and “Life Choices” was published in Salty Tales from Stormy Island Publishing. When Rich is not writing stories, he likes to write and perform music.

  Facebook: richrurshellauthor

  The Shelled Menace

  by P.C. Darkcliff

  Sheila picked the shell, pressed it against her ear—and screamed and collapsed into the sand as something inside the shell bit her.

  Although she emerged from the coma, her limbs and lungs were useless, her skin scaly.

  When I brought her back home, she kept staring through the window at the beach. Her eyes shone wildly above the oxygen mask as I wheeled her there.

  The sea roared. A giant wave rushed at us and swept us away. When I scrambled back on shore, I found her wheelchair, but Sheila had disappeared.

  Oh, God! Do you think she drowned?

  P.C. DARKCLIFF is the author of two novels, Deception of the Damned and The Priest of Orpagus. In September 2020, he’s going to launch Celts and the Mad Goddess, the first installment of The Deathless Chronicle.

  Social Media: plu.us/p.c.darkcliff

  Reader List: mailchi.mp/c5550d315607/pcdarkcliff

  The Shark Fin

  by Jim Bates

  The middle aged couple skimmed their paddle boards across the idyllic Caribbean bay, but all he thought about was pushing her into the sea and watching her drown. She deserved it. Messing around with his best friend! He approached her fast and raised his paddle to strike when she turned and swung hers, hitting him hard in the face. Blood gushed as he fell. A school of sharks approached immediately in a feeding frenzy. She paddled away gleefully until a huge dorsal fin caught her board and she tumbled off. In seconds she joined what was left of her husband.

  JIM BATES lives in a small town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His stories have appeared online in CafeLit, The Writers’ Cafe Magazine, Cabinet of Heed, Paragraph Planet, Nailpolish Stories, Ariel Chart, Potato Soup Journal, Literary Yard, Spillwords (Dec, 2019, Author of the Month), The Drabble, The Academy of the Heart and Mind and World of Myth Magazine. In print publications: A Million Ways, Mused Literary Journal, Gleam Flash Fiction Anthology #2, the Portal Anthology and the Glamour Anthology by Clarendon House Publishing, The Best of CafeLit 8 by Chapeltown Publishing, the Nativity Anthology by Bridge House Publishing and Gold Dust Magazine.

  Website: www.theviewfromlonglake.wordpress.com

  Suckers

  by Rich Rurshell

  Tony tried to reach his knife, but his arms were pinned to his sides. Through the murky ocean water, he saw more tentacles pulling the other members of his diving trip down to the seabed from the remnants of the yacht. He watched Patricia’s head and torso disappear into the octopus’ great maw. The beak snapped shut, severing her legs.

  Already wearing his breathing apparatus had at first seemed like a blessing, but now as Tony watched the lifeless bodies of his companions being torn apart one by one as they were eaten, he realised what a curse it was.

  RICH RURSHELL is a short story writer from Suffolk, England. Rich writes Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy, and his stories can be found in various short story anthologies and magazines.
Most recently, his story “Subject: Galilee” was published in World War Four from Zombie Pirate Publishing, and “Life Choices” was published in Salty Tales from Stormy Island Publishing. When Rich is not writing stories, he likes to write and perform music.

  Facebook: richrurshellauthor

  Charybdis Smiles

  by Kim Jackways

  I’ve lived down here a long time, the restraints of their stories twining around me like seaweed. I hold my breath, though that’s a game for the living, like mercy or hope.

  Up above, the waffled waves. They came with their boats—floating unaware past jagged rocks and jade reflecting rips. Seducer, they styled me. Now crustaceans grow crunchy through my eye sockets.

  I swallowed them whole in the dark of the storm. When the chill whirled them around, sucked them into obsolescence, they realised their mistake. Their legs paddled furiously.

  And the world forgot.

  A monster, I wait. Smiling.

  KIM JACKWAYS is a freelance writer and blogger from New Zealand. She has had fiction published in Flash Frontier and The Best Small Fictions and uses her background in Psychology and Linguistics to inspire her work.

  Facebook: facebook.com/kimwriter

  Website: www.writersideoflife.com

  First Time at the Beach

  by Derek Dunn

  Joey splashed his feet in the cool ocean water. Sitting on the edge of the pier, he looked out at the gently rolling waves. It was his first time at the beach. The setting sun glowed more majestically than ever before. The song of the gulls rang through the air.

  Something pricked at his feet. It must be fish, he thought. He couldn’t see below the surface of the murky water. The little nibbles tickled his toes. But tickling turned to pain. He pulled his legs out and screamed for help—but where feet once were, only bloody stumps remained.

  DEREK DUNN is a film enthusiast and musician who writes primarily horror and mystery stories. After obtaining a degree in Media Arts Studies and dabbling in film production, he’s turned his efforts to writing fiction. Several of his works have appeared in recent anthologies. He lives in the American northwest with his family, dog, and fish.

  Twitter: DerekTDunn

  Fin

  by Paul Eric Carberry

  Just out for a swim. Carefree, the cool waves soothe her sunburned skin. One arm over the other, each stroke accompanied by several swift kicks. Now out of sight from the shore, she is alone in a paradise. Out of the corner of her eye, a caudal fin is cutting its way through the waves with graceful ease. She is not alone, her paradise shattered. Panic floods her system, legs kicking wildly as she makes a desperate attempt towards shore. The fin changes direction, rushing towards her. Her heart beats so fast as the fin disappears below the calm surface.

  PAUL ERIC CARBERRY is the author of the Zombies on the Rock series. His tales of the zombie apocalypse in Newfoundland are inspired by George A. Romero’s Living Dead series. He has also published several short stories over three “from the Rock” anthologies including “Halloween Mummers”, “The Light of Cabot Tower”, “Into the Forrest” and “Harmon Field”. His Zombies on the Rock series currently has three novels, “Outbreak”, “The Viking Trail” and “The Republic of Newfound” and is currently working on the fourth novel “Extinction”. Paul is from Newfoundland and is currently living in Shearwater, Nova Scotia.

  Website: engenbooks.com/zombies-on-the-rock

  Now We Know

  by Eddie D. Moore

  The research team applauded as the submersible reached record depths, but their celebrations faded as visibility approached zero.

  A research assistant stated the obvious, “Well, this sucks. Two million dollars for a robotic submersible, and now we can’t see more than six inches. Who knows what we’re missing?”

  Dr. Giordano sighed. “Give it a moment.”

  When the visibility cleared, a collective gasp filled the room.

  “That’s not humans living in that city,” the assistant whispered.

  The sonar display showed three small blips approaching the ship. Dr Giordano shook his head. “Now we know why so many ships have sunk here.”

  EDDIE D. MOORE travels hundreds of hours a year, and he fills that time by listening to audiobooks. When he isn’t playing with his grandchildren, he writes his own stories. You can find a list of his publications on his blog or by visiting his Amazon Author Page. While you’re there, be sure to pick up a copy of his mini-anthology Misfits & Oddities.

  Website: eddiedmoore.wordpress.com

  Amazon: amazon.com/author/eddiedmoore

  Afloat

  by L.P. Hernandez

  I am a survivor. The ship, fires now extinguished, rests on the ocean floor fathoms below. My raft is beginning to fester, the knotted limbs of my shipmates pulling apart as their stretched sinews thin.

  Drifting beneath a phosphorescent band of Milky Way, I hear predators emerge from the deep. A glimpse of dorsal fin. A quick bite and my raft quivers. Then silence once again. This is the longest night of my life.

  At dawn my raft is depleted, just two torsos left, waterlogged and sinking. I am surrounded, and I fear they developed a taste for human flesh.

  L.P. HERNANDEZ is an author of horror and speculative fiction. His stories are featured in many collections, including Tavistock Galleria, Black Rainbow, and Monstronomicon. His work has also been adapted as audio productions on the NoSleep Podcast. He is an NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge Finalist and was awarded second place in the 2019 Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition.

  Website: www.lphernandez.com

  Together-time

  by Gabriella Balcom

  “Again?” Delores complained. “All you do is scuba dive.”

  Tad shrugged.

  After his scuba tank emptied, she carefully injected dust into it before it was filled.

  He dived days later, admiring the coral and colourful fish and feeling energised by the ocean’s fascinating underground world. A twinge of discomfort hit, but he ignored it.

  Within moments, Tad’s breathing was laboured, his chest strangely tight. He surfaced, passing out.

  “Impaired respiratory function,” the hospital doctor explained before discharging him. “Your body needs to heal.”

  “Too bad you can’t dive,” Delores murmured. “But we’ll have plenty of together-time now.”

  GABRIELLA BALCOM lives in Texas with her family, loves reading and writing, and thinks she was born with a book in her hands. She works in a mental health field, and writes fantasy, horror/thriller, romance, children’s stories, and sci-fi. She likes travelling, music, good shows, photography, history, interesting tales, and animals. Gabriella says she’s a sucker for a great story and loves forests, mountains, and back roads which might lead who knows where. She has a weakness for lasagne, garlic bread, tacos, cheese, and chocolate, but not necessarily in that order.

  Facebook: GabriellaBalcom.lonestarauthor

  Fiona Raven

  by Luis Manuel Torres

  The sea is full of many different creatures, from the tiny seahorse, to the largest whale. There’re many wonderful animals at sea, but my favourites are the ones people don’t actually know about. The ones called myths.

  I’ve met an old kappa from the waters of Japan.

  The colossal Jormungandr from the Atlantic ocean.

  Let’s not forget the Shen dragon from Asia.

  My personal favourite would be the Kraken from the mysterious devil’s triangle.

  All these creatures are my friends and they do as I say.

  My name is Fiona Raven, and you may call me Witch of the sea.

  LUIS MANUEL TORRES was born in Puerto Rico, lived in Boston Massachusetts for thirteen years and currently lives in Springfield Mass. He has a love for stories in all forms they come in, from books to television and video games. His work can be found in multiple anthologies with Zimbell House Publishing and Black Hare Press. He is always working on multiple writing
projects. His debut short story collection Midnight Animals is now available on Amazon.

  Website: luisitowrites.wordpress.com

  Twitter: Luis1989Manuel

  Monster Lunch

  by Shelly Jarvis

  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing into the darkness.

  “I don’t see anything,” Rick says, reaching for his glasses.

  He wipes them off and moves to the ship’s devices. I don’t know what he’s checking. I don’t care. I’m only here to make sure everyone stays healthy.

  A ping against the glass in front of me sends a jolt through my body. It’s a diving helmet. With a face inside. Attached to half a body.

  Rick curses behind me, but it’s too late now. There’s a massive mouth going around the sub, cracking us in half, as we become monster lunch.

  SHELLY JARVIS is a speculative fiction author from West Virginia, US. She found a life-long love of sci-fi and fantasy in the 3rd grade when she found Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” Shelly is an avid reader, a Whovian, the ideal viewer of dog rescue videos, and undoubtedly Ravenclaw. She currently has three YA sci-fi books available for purchase on Amazon.