by D Kershaw
Blog: rauhala.org
Podcast: infinitemetropolis.com
Creature as Red as Blood
by Matthew M. Montelione
Uncle Jim insisted that we take his boat out off the Long Island coast. I’m prone to becoming sea-sick, so I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the venture. But Uncle Jim was excited and promised not to go far out.
After ten minutes of cruising, he stopped the boat. “Here’s a nice spot for a swim, Zack!”
It was really hot out; I dived right into the cool, refreshing ocean.
Suddenly my uncle yelled something.
The head of a human-like creature as red as blood appeared above the dark water. Quickly it submerged, then slimy claws gripped my ankles and tugged.
MATTHEW M. MONTELIONE is a horror writer born and raised on Long Island in New York. His work has been published in many titles, including MONSTERS: A Horror Microfiction Anthology, Mother Ghost’s Grimm, and Quoth the Raven: A Contemporary Reimagining of the Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Matthew lives with his wife in New York.
Website: maybeevils.com
Facebook: maybeevils
Strawkling
by Kelly Matsuura
“Okay, Strawklers. Who’s gonna collect the most trash today?!” The peppy guide blew his whistle.
“Isn’t this awesome?” Holly asked, wading in.
I feigned excitement. “Sure is!”
We dived down, collected plastic, filled the floating buckets. Repeated.
I reached for something shiny on the ocean floor. A gold medallion! Jackpot!
As I pulled my treasure free, a coral-and-algae covered corpse rose from the seabed with it—an old woman with tangled hair and pointed teeth. She grabbed my face and exhaled her dark soul into my mouth....
“IT’S SO REWARDING TO help the ocean,” Holly said.
“Yes. Very rewarding.”
KELLY MATSUURA writes diverse YA, fantasy, and literary fiction.
She is the Creator of The Insignia Series’ anthologies (Asian fantasy themed) and has had stories published with Ink & Locket Press, A Murder of Storytellers, Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly, and many more. Kelly lives in Nagoya, Japan with her geeky husband. She loves traveling, knitting, cooking, and of course, reading.
Website: www.blackwingsandwhitepaper.com
One Missed Catch
by Nerisha Kemraj
Her scales shimmered under the pale moonlight as Coral swam through the vast expanse of blue.
She stopped, noticing the boat.
Humans.
They were animatedly trying to pull their net onto their vessel. A big catch.
Coral’s heart sank, seeing Ian’s magnificent, greyish-blue tail bleeding as it surfaced, the net wound tightly around him.
In a matter of minutes, they’d see he was a merman, and she couldn’t allow their discovery.
A signal from Coral, and her friend—the blue whale—jumped up, capsizing the boat as the startled men fell overboard.
Coral grabbed a lifeless Ian and disappeared underwater.
NERISHA KEMRAJ resides in Durban, South Africa with her husband and two mischievous daughters. Writing since 2017, she has had over 100 short stories and poems published in various publications, both print and online. She has also received an Honourable Mention Award for her tanka in the Fujisan Taisho 2019 Tanka Contest. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Science, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from University of South Africa.
Amazon: amazon.com/author/nerisha_kemraj
Facebook: Nerishakemrajwriter
Deep Sea Dying
by N.M. Brown
My girlfriend’s chain broke when we were boating one day, slipping into the ocean. She was devastated.
I decided to attempt the impossible and take my boat out to try to find it myself. Deep sea diving wasn’t a new experience for me, and I had all the proper equipment.
As I made my descent into the depths of the waters, the ocean floor started to materialise. Almost a dozen cinder blocks lay abandoned against the sand. The chain glinted underneath the aquiferous sun, snagged under a block.
The blocks were chained to bloated bodies in various stages of decay.
SINCE N.M. Brown made her first post to a popular Internet forum, she’s taken the horror community by storm. Her ability to create, terrify, and drive home her stories is insurmountable. N.M. Brown’s published works can be found in multiple anthologies for all to read, but be forewarned, if you do... you may want to call your therapist after, her stories are terrifying, disturbing and devilishly unsettling. She is not only a fright visually, but also has a creepy tentacle in horror podcasting as well. Sinister Sweetheart writes, voice acts and is the media director of the Scarecrow Tales podcast.
Website: Sinistersweetheart.wixsite.com/sinistersweetheart
Facebook: NMBrownStories
My Ancestor’s Tears
by J.M. Meyer
Swept up in the comforting rhythm of the azure waves, I sat on the beach where David and I met. I believed I could make this sad man’s dreams come true. Learning that David dreamed of money and power, not love, left me lost. I am going home to follow my own desire. I disrobe. Savouring the feel of the sand beneath my feet, I wade into the sea. I will not drown in this divine liquid left from my ancestor’s tears. My sisters are there to greet me. We rejoice as my legs transform back to my silvery fin.
J.M. MEYER is a writer, artist and small business owner living in New York, where she received her master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. Jacqueline enjoys writing speculative fiction and mysteries. Her favorite author is Alice Munro and her favorite film...is...anything horror related. Jacqueline also enjoys hiking with her dog Molly and the company of her husband Bruce and daughters; Julia, Emma and Lauren. Jacqueline’s Mantra lately; there’s no such thing as failing, it’s called learning.
Website: jmoranmeyer.net
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquelinemoranmeyer
Maritime Nightmare
by K.C. Clarke
In the still of the night, a torpedo hit our starboard bow, igniting a pillar of fire soaring several hundred feet into the moonlit sky. It took twelve eternal minutes for the ship’s corpse to rest peacefully on the ocean floor.
Their white fins were invisible among the white swells and murky depths. We never saw them coming, but they found us with little effort. Devoured us with even less. Blood stained the ocean’s verdant waters crimson as bodies disappeared, one by one.
Nine hundred men made it into the water alive.
Only one hundred and fifty survived the night.
K.C. CLARKE is a new author working on her debut novel, Little Black Dress, due out early 2020. She’s been published in a handful of anthologies under various pen names. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband and two girls in Toronto, watching movies and playing the piano. She’s also a fur mama to two rescue dogs. She loves to write romance, but her true love is fantasy, stemming from her love of JRR Tolkien and Neil Gaiman. She’s a self-diagnosed caffeine and pickle addict, an ailment for which she does not wish to seek treatment.
The Siren’s Call
by A.R. Dean
Since the creation of the seas, I have been into being. Man is a horrid blight to my world; they only know destruction. I drag as many as I can to the watery doom. My ocean floor is covered in their bones.
I hear the men on their harbinger of death. I will sing them to the rocks. Any that wish to cling to small boats; I will yank down with my own talons. I enjoy taking them to the final darkness. My smile grows wicked as the human sounds grow quieter in the creaking ship. It is my time.
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. Tur
n 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
Ophelia
by Stacey Jaine McIntosh
I had never put much thought into how I would die, but the breeze off the ocean ruffled my skirt. It had been a long time since I had smelled the salt air. Just a few more steps and I would be home.
It was different than I remembered. The waves crashed louder. The roar was deafening to my ears, and as the waves lapped at my ankles, I waded further into the water embracing the cold. Sinking until the water rose over my head, until all I could see was blue. Even the fish disappeared with each passing moment.
STACEY JAINE MCINTOSH was born in Perth, Western Australia where she still resides with her husband and their four children.
Although her first love has always been writing, she once toyed with being a Cartographer and subsequently holds a Diploma in Spatial Information Services. Since 2011, she has had a vast number of stories and a few poems published online as well as in various anthologies. Stacey is also the author of Solstice, Morrighan, Lost and Le Fay and she is currently working on several other projects simultaneously. When not with her family or writing she enjoys reading, photography, genealogy, history, Arthurian myths and witchcraft.
Website: www.staceyjainemcintosh.com
The Sea Witch
by Paula R.C. Readman
On many other occasions, Maggie had watched the boats come in, but this was the first time she’d caught Callum’s eye.
She took pleasure in seeing the strength of his back, the curve of his lips, and the arch of his brow as he winked at her.
She knew from the numerous tales the fisherfolk told that he was a dangerous catch.
Maggie baited her hook with a flash of her ankle and a glint in her eye,
Days later, Callum’s boat was a no-show.
The tearful fisherwomen gathered at the harbour to lament another loss to the sea witch.
PAULA R.C. READMAN learnt ‘How to Write’ from books which her husband purchased from eBay. After 250 purchases, he finally told her ‘just to get on with the writing’. Since 2010, she’s had 34 stories published.
Blog: paulareadman1.wordpress.com
The Ocean’s Thief
by Patricia Elliott
Dead...alive...what does it matter? Twenty days at sea with salt-caked hair. No hope left. Wet and alone. Swollen sores across my skin. Giant swells rock the orange raft. Dark clouds thicken. Another storm is rising. I know what’s waiting for me. I see the shadows beneath the surface. They already took my sweet husband, Jeff. I can hear him calling me.
“Ashley, come home.”
Waves reach out for me, like a hand. I hold tightly to the yellow rope, my lifeline. My god of safety, but tis not meant to be. The water god steals my beating heart.
PATRICIA ELLIOTT lives in beautiful British Columbia with her family. Now that her lovely kids are all teenagers, she has decided to actively pursue her passion for the written word.
When she was a youngster, she spent the majority of her time writing fan-fiction and poetry to avoid the harsh reality of bullying. Writing allowed her to escape into another world, even if temporarily; a world in which she could be anyone or anything, even a mermaid. Dreams really can come true. If you believe it, you can achieve it!
Website: patriciaelliottromance.com
Murky Waters
by Destiny Eve Pifer
Deep into the darkness it dragged her. An invisible force that had gripped her ankles and was now pulling her into the dark murky ocean waters. She wanted to scream but had foolishly chosen to swim alone. Now here she was, being attacked by something she knew nothing about. She tried to wiggle free, but it was no use. Whatever had her wasn’t about to let go until it reached the bottom. She could feel her lungs starting to ache, she could taste the salt water as it ran down the back of her throat. This was her final day.
DESTINY EVE PIFER is a published author whose work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her stories have been featured in FATE Magazine, True Confessions, Spotlight on Recovery and Country Magazine. A lover of all things supernatural and spooky she resides in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania with her son Dartanyan.
Shortcut
by A.S. Charly
The cracking of the hull was audible even through the music filling the Manta. Water accumulated and dropped into Ian’s cockpit. With a sigh, he geared down, left the current and opted for one of the submarine canyon shortcuts to head back for a repair.
Steering through a narrow passage, he didn’t notice the hungry eyes following him.
The unexpected blow sent his ship spinning against the wall, and everything turned black.
Soaked, he regained consciousness. With awe he watched the battle of two enormous beasts, illuminated by his green, flickering emergency lights, as the Manta sank deeper and deeper.
A.S. CHARLY loves to lose herself in fantastical worlds far away between the stars, filled with magic and wonder. She also writes and draws when her head is not stuck in the clouds. Her writing has been published in various anthologies and online publications.
Facebook: A.S.Charlydreams
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/a.s.charly
Beneath the Surface
by Paul Eric Carberry
He descended into the black, frigid water, blackness greater than the vacuum of space threatening to pull him under, asphyxiating. Regret degenerated into terror. Trapped for eternity. Unknown terrors awaited in the depths. Monsters with rows of razor-sharp teeth like a torrent of razor blades prowled in the shadows. Pain radiated from his chest, his heart thumping so rapidly he couldn’t distinguish when one beat ended and the next began. Fear assaulted his rational mind, giving the ice-cold waters entry to his lungs. Unable to tell if his eyes were open or shut, entombed in darkness. Filled with dreadful thoughts.
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
Wolves of the Sea
by Evan Baughfman
The group of swimsuit models appeared out of nowhere to join the bachelor party’s afternoon yacht excursion. The women had brought their own booze, too.
Guys got sufficiently wasted. Lost track of time.
Eventually, the models insisted on skinny-dipping under the full moon’s light. Men didn’t need much convincing.
Once in the water, however, the partygoers lost sight of their companions.
Where had the beauties gone?
The men screamed as they soon discovered themselves surrounded by a group of killer whales.
Too late they realised: they’d been duped by a pack of hungry orcanthropes, the legendary wolves of the sea.
EVAN BAUGHFMAN works in a very scary place: a middle school! He writes all genres, but horror is where he’s most comfortable. Much of his writing success has been as a playwright. He’s had many different plays produced across the globe. Heuer Publishing has published his Poe adaptation, “A Taste of Amontillado”. Additionally, Evan has adapted a number of his short stories into screenplays, of which “The Emaciated Man” and “The Creaky Door” have won awards in various film festival competitions. Evan’s “Just Plants” was recently published in Soteira Press’s horror anthology, The Monsters We Forgot - Volume 1.
The Fury Within
by J.W.
Garrett
Wind whipped, churning the ocean, its surface normally a smooth pulse, now angry as it slammed against the shore.
The last islanders evacuated, those remaining were isolated, facing the storm’s wrath.
The house shuddered, groaning under the water and wind. The walls collapsed, with it the roof and windows.
Swept away by the crushing wind, the man clung to a piece of debris. Remnants of his life floated by: a chair, cracked frame, yesterday’s newspaper...
He held tight.
Squinting, surrounded by sea, he drifted as the sun bit his skin and his muscles turned to mush.
The water inched higher.
J.W. GARRETT has been writing in one form or another since she was a teenager. She currently lives in Florida with her family but loves the mountains of Virginia where she was born. Her writings include YA fantasy as well as short stories. Since completing Remeon’s Quest-Earth Year 1930, the prequel in her YA fantasy series, Realms of Chaos, she has been hard at work on the next in the series, scheduled to release August 2020. When she’s not hanging out with her characters, her favourite activities are reading, running and spending time with family.
