Hate

by D Kershaw

  J.M. AMES is an award-winning multi-genre speculative fiction author native to Southern California. He has multiple short story publications dating back to 2016. One thing holds true throughout all of his stories - you can Expect the Unexpected.

  When not working his day job or enjoying his fatherly adventures, he writes short stories and novels, including an upcoming series. You can follow him on a variety of platforms, details on his website.

  Website: jm-ames.com/contact-jm/

  Hell Hath No Fury Like a Psychopath Scorned

  by Frances Tate

  Your mouth crinkles into that devastating smile. Origami in petals. Lips blossom like a rose. The sight steals moisture from my mouth to sustain it. Raises heartbeat, temperature and the need to take you in this crowded bar.

  Don’t think your date would approve. Prim prude. She hasn’t responded to music or the effect of your oh-so-talented mouth. I looked her up. She’s minted, Daddy’s sole heir. Has a decade and a dowry over me.

  Let’s see if she can outdo me in life lessons.

  You see me, eyes open wide. Face pales. Panics.

  I watch fear devastate your smile.

  FRANCES TATE is a British self-published writer of vampires and drabbles who lives in the north west of England. She enjoys gardening, exploring historical sites, cinema, reading and travelling. She’s taken pleasure in flight-planning a cabbage white butterfly approach to careers, preferring to generalise rather than specialise. She trained as an Economics high school teacher and has a private pilot’s licence amongst other things. Currently she writes (very restrained) overhaul instructions for an engineering company.

  Liar

  by Catherine Kenwell

  “You told me you could never sleep with anyone you didn’t love.”

  “Well, yeah, but...”

  “So you slept with me. In my bed. Imagine me, thinking you loved me. What a fool!”

  “That was different—”

  “And now you say, ‘you never loved me like I thought you did’. Go figure.”

  “Well, no, that’s—”

  “That’s what you SAID!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re not sorry.”

  “Listen, I like you...”

  “Tell me. Say it: I. LOVE. YOU.”

  “OK, I love you.”

  “Liar.”

  I reach into my purse. Pull out a Smith & Wesson.

  “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a liar.”

  CATHERINE KENWELL is a Barrie, Ontario, mediator and author. After 30 successful years in corporate communications, she sustained a brain injury, lost her job, and joined the circus. She writes both horror/dark fiction and inspirational non-fiction. Her works have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Trembling with Fear, Siren’s Call, and HellBound Books.

  Website: www.catherinekenwell.com

  A Growing Alarm

  by Maxine Churchman

  I didn’t hate him at first. He was pathetic; strutting in front of the class, exalting in the power he held over us. Then he became annoying; using the most tenuous of reasons to detain me.

  I ignored him when he hailed me in the High Street; that was just creepy.

  His habit of rubbing his thighs when he talked to me was repellent, but I only began to dislike him after realising his eyes followed me everywhere.

  Then he trapped me; pressed himself against me. I did hate him then; why else would I have stabbed him—twenty times?

  MAXINE CHURCHMAN lives in Essex UK and has recently started writing poetry and short stories to share. Her interests include learning to improve her writing, reading, knitting, walking and teaching yoga. She is also planning a novel.

  In Time

  by Brianna Witte

  Thief. Liar. Traitor.

  The words clung to the tip of my tongue ready to explode out of my mouth. She spoke, giving me that fake, sarcastic smile that she always did. Her words were inaudible against my fierce heartbeat.

  Hatred oozed out of my pores. Hatred for what she had done; hatred for the arrogance and ruthless isolation she had given me over the past few months.

  I bit my lip, stopping myself from blurting out my true feelings towards her. The time would come when I would finally be free of her. Revenge was waiting just around the corner.

  AS AN UP AND COMING writer from Ontario, Canada, Brianna Witte has a passion for spinning tales of adventure and fantasy. She enjoys taking readers on a ride through the realm of fiction by weaving magical and mystical stories that materialise from her wildly creative dreams and vivid imagination. To date she has had a number of short stories and drabbles published, as well as her short story, ‘The Hunt’ commended for the 2019 Author of Tomorrow award. She also had a novel, Witches and Vampires, published in December 2019.

  Facebook: BriannaWitteAuthor

  Instagram: briannawitteauthor

  A Lesson in Trust

  by Paula R.C. Readman

  The light shone bright in her eyes as she laid them on the table.

  The count wasn’t sure he could compete with her, but love drives you to do many crazy things. He removed his teeth—a sign of trust—and gave a gummy smile.

  She brushed her cold lips against his, and with a sigh, she whispered, “What the eyes don’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve.”

  “But my dear...” he said, puzzled until the stake entered his heart.

  As the dust swirled around her, she popped her eyes back saying, “I hope that teaches you, never trust a scorned woman.”

  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

  Smile For Me

  by J.W. Garrett

  The shiny instruments lay on the table, the chair reclined. A drowsy man waited, uncertain of his fate. While I wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed, years of experience at this man’s hand with hideous results gave me insight to the painful first steps.

  Patience was my friend.

  I flashed the long needle before him, pressed down slightly on the plunger, before slowly injecting the placebo medication into the roof of his mouth. Writhing in his seat, he was unable to scream.

  “Four more of those, then I’ll attempt to extract your gum tissue and see which teeth remain. Smile.”

  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.

  Website: www.jwgarrett.com

  BHC Press: www.bhcpress.com/Author_JW_Garrett.html

  Murder She Wrote

  by Umair Mirxa

  Mahesh screamed and shed tears of blood, writhing in agony as Claire pulled the blunt, rusted knife out. Both his eyeballs had been punctured.

  “There,” she said with grim satisfaction, kneeling to better inspect her handiwork. “You can’t steal what you cannot see. I trusted you bastards, you know!”

  She stood and kicked him in the groin before taking a seat on the sofa. The beta-reading, good-for-nothing scumbags had plagiarised her entire novel, down to the last word.

  “I will kill your wife when she returns, and write a brand new novel based upon your murders here tonight,” said Claire.

  UMAIR MIRXA LIVES and writes in Karachi, Pakistan. His first published story, ‘Awareness’, appeared on Spillwords Press. He has since had stories accepted for publication in anthologies from Zombie Pirate Publishing, Blood Song Books, Black Hare Press, Iron Faerie
Publishing, Clarendon House Publications, Fantasia Divinity Magazine & Publishing, and The ReAnimated Writers Press. He is a massive J.R.R. Tolkien fan, loves everything to do with mythology, fantasy, and history, and wishes with all his heart that dragons were real. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading novels and comic books, playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies, TV shows, and football as an Arsenal FC fan.

  Website: umairmirxa.com

  Turned Up to Eleven

  by Clint Foster

  “Don’t turn it up past eight, you know the speakers are sensitive.”

  As if I haven’t heard him say it a thousand times. Except this time, I won’t stop at eight. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. The dial goes up to twenty-five, and I crank it higher and higher while he protests, lunging across the living room with a raised hand aimed not for the dial, but my cheek. It isn’t the first time, but it will be the last. He couldn’t have seen the knife in my hand. The speakers blow out just in time for his screaming to start.

  CLINT FOSTER lives with his herd of four cats, beloved Basset, Zero, and wonderful wife, Nik. He loves to tell stories just as much as he loves to read them, and is excited to share his work. A longtime consumer of media of all kinds, he enjoys giving back what he hopes everyone else thinks are good stories.

  Facebook: ClintFosterAuthor

  Burning in the Night

  by Destiny Eve Pifer

  In the darkness, she flicks the lighter and watches the flame dance against the cool night air. Beside her, a muffled cry can be heard, but she knows it is a pain they must endure.

  She glares to her side, at the man fighting against the masking tape, but it’s too late to turn back time. Too late to erase the pain he has caused her.

  The smell of lighter fluid fills her nostrils, and she closes her eyes and sighs. She reaches over and gently runs the flame across his arm until his whole body erupts into a blaze.

  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.

  Infamous Last Words

  by John H. Dromey

  “Sylvia was the victim of a vicious hate crime,” the lead detective announced. “Jealousy was the motive.”

  “Based on what?” someone asked.

  “This bloodstained printout pinned to her breast with a stiletto. The e-mail she sent in reply to a mushy message from a new lover. It says, ‘I love you, two.’ Spelled t-w-o. The obvious conclusion is Sylvia wanted a ménage à trois and the new man was unhappy with the arrangement. He wanted exclusivity.”

  “Sylvia wasn’t cheating. No Cc was sent, and her other e-mails are all filled with typos.”

  “The killer didn’t know that...misprints are murder.”

  JOHN H. DROMEY was born in northeast Missouri, USA. He enjoys reading—mysteries in particular—and writing in a variety of genres. In addition to contributing to the Black Hare Press series of Dark Drabbles anthologies, he’s had short fiction published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Martian Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Stupefying Stories Showcase, Thriller Magazine, Unfit Magazine, and elsewhere, as well as in numerous anthologies, including Chilling Horror Short Stories (Flame Tree Publishing, 2015).

  Left at the Altar

  by Evelyn Benvie

  Shendae lay her infant daughter on the slab. The child went quietly. She was such a good girl.

  Nothing like her father.

  No, nothing like him. He was all fuss and noise, angry words and broken promises. But he would learn; how to be silent, how to be still.

  A slip of jezebel root tucked in the swaddle. A boneset candle, already lit. A black iron dagger forged only in moonlight.

  Everything Shendae needed to curse that good-for-nothing ex of hers.

  Almost everything.

  The only thing she was missing was something of his.

  The blood of his child would do.

  EVELYN BENVIE is the wooly jumper in a family of black sheep. Both a cynic and a romantic at heart, she writes diverse, queer-positive fiction and poetry that have been published online and in print. Her first novella, Something to Celebrate, was recently published by Mischief Corner Books and is available on Amazon.

  Website: evelynbenvie.com

  Twitter: EvelynBenvie

  The Last Straw

  by Jodi Jensen

  Helen followed her husband’s mistress all day as the woman picked up his prescriptions, mailed his packages, and stopped at the store for his favourite bottle of wine.

  All things Helen used to do for him.

  The last straw was when the woman pulled up in front of the laundromat.

  Through the window, Helen saw her husband inside, folding his lover’s panties.

  In thirty-nine years of marriage, he’d never once done that for her.

  She slammed the pedal to the floor, ramming into the other car and sending his mistress through the windshield.

  First time Helen had smiled in years.

  JODI JENSEN, author of time travel romances and speculative fiction short stories, grew up moving from California, to Massachusetts, and a few other places in between, before finally settling in Utah at the ripe old age of nine. The nomadic life fed her sense of adventure as a child and the wanderlust continues to this day. With a passion for old cemeteries, historical buildings and sweeping sagas of days gone by, it was only natural she’d dream of time traveling to all the places that sparked her imagination.

  Twitter: @WritesJodi

  Facebook: jodijensenwrites

  The Weave

  by Maura Yzmore

  At first, we rejoiced at the newcomers’ arrival.

  We had always been alone, interwoven, a gentle silent web within the sea. Beneath us, the laminae of our ancestors, never truly gone or forgotten. The sea, pulsating with our thoughts, past and present as one.

  But the newcomers sought something; what, we did not know. Their machines, hard and loud, drilling, piercing our weave, disrespectful.

  Our ancestors yielded, just enough.

  Enough to trap.

  Enough to let the sea make all hard things soft and all loud things quiet.

  We are alone once again, interwoven, a gentle silent web within the sea.

  MAURA YZMORE is a writer and science professor based in the American Midwest. Some of her darker fare can be found in The Molotov Cocktail, Aphotic Realm, Coffin Bell, and elsewhere.

  Website: maurayzmore.com

  Twitter: @MauraYzmore

  Trapped

  by Annie Percik

  He left me. He left me here to take the blame. He left me here to take the blame for his crime. But I’ll get out. One day, I’ll get out of here. One day, I’ll get out of here and I’ll track him down. Then he’ll be sorry. He’ll be sorry he ever laid eyes on me. He’ll be sorry he ever laid eyes on me, and he’ll learn that he underestimated me. Everything he has ever loved will be destroyed. He’ll be left to suffer his losses. Just like he left me to suffer here in his place.

  ANNIE PERCIK lives in London with her husband, Dave, where she is revising her first novel whilst working as a University Complaints Officer. She writes a blog about writing and posts short fiction on her website, which is also where all her current publications are listed. She also publishes a photo-story blog, recording the adventures of her teddy—he is much more popular online than she is. She likes to run away from zombies in her spare time.

  Website: www.alobear.co.uk

  Blog: aloysius-bear.dreamwidth.org/

  Calista

  by Vonnie Winslow Crist

  When Calista needed a chihuahua for a costume party, she bought one. Then, she sashayed in her pink ensemble to the event carrying the pup in her purse. Next day, she dropped the dog off at the animal shelter.

  “Does
she have her shots?” asked Jess when Calista handed her the chihuahua.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  Jess comforted the shivering dog and watched Calista depart.

  That night, Jess dumped some fleas she’d gathered from shelter strays through an open window into Calista’s house.

  Revenge is easier when you live nearby, Jess mused as she thought of a flea-bitten Calista.

  VONNIE WINSLOW CRIST is author of The Enchanted Dagger, Owl Light, The Greener Forest, Murder on Marawa Prime, and other award-winning books. Her fiction is included in “Amazing Stories,” “Cast of Wonders,” “Outposts of Beyond,” Killing It Softly 2, Defending the Future - Dogs of War, Midnight Masquerade, Chaos of Hard Clay, and elsewhere. A cloverhand who has found so many four-leafed clovers she keeps them in jars, Vonnie strives to celebrate the power of myth in her writing.