by D Kershaw
CRYSTAL L. KIRKHAM resides in a small hamlet west of Red Deer, Alberta. She’s an avid outdoors person, unrepentant coffee addict, part-time foodie, servant to a wonderful feline, and companion to two delightfully hilarious canines. She will neither confirm nor deny the rumours regarding the heart in a jar on her desk and the bottle of reader’s tears right next to it. Her paranormal urban fantasy series, Saints and Sinners, is available on Amazon and her YA Fantasy, Feathers and Fae will be released October 11, 2019, from Kyanite Publishing.
Website: www.crystallkirkham.com
Zealot
by Umair Mirxa
Zacharias Williams, Commissioner of Police, took off his shoes and cap, and stepped reverently into the mosque. Men, women, and children lay dead all around him. It was carnage as he had never seen before.
“I am truly sorry for how you and your people have suffered,” he said. “Please know, we will do everything in our power to apprehend those responsible.”
“Your people,” repeated the imam solemnly. “It is what the zealot said before he began shooting. He wanted to rid this country of my people. You will never catch those responsible, Commissioner. Not until you change those words.”
UMAIR MIRXA lives in Karachi, Pakistan. His first published story, ‘Awareness’, appeared on Spillwords Press. He has also had stories accepted for anthologies from Zombie Pirate Publishing, Blood Song Books, Fantasia Divinity Magazine and Publishing, and Iron Faerie Publishing. He is a massive J.R.R. Tolkien fan, and loves everything to do with fantasy and mythology. He enjoys football, history, music, movies, TV shows, and comic books, and wishes with all his heart that dragons were real.
Website: www.umairmirxa.com
Facebook: UMirxa12
Blood Stained Hands
by Cindar Harrell
Blood stained my hands as I stumbled down the street.
“What did I do?”
Images flashed in my mind, one after another, each more grotesque than the last. My heart beat thundered in my head. Confusion reigned. I had no memory of how the blood got on my hands, just the blurry images of my family’s faces staring out in horror.
The sounds in my head grew louder, sharper. Putting my hands over my ears, I tried to block it out.
I looked up to see lights flashing before me.
“Jessica, you’re under arrest for the murder of your family.”
CINDAR HARRELL loves fairy tales, especially ones with a dark twist. Her stories are often fairy tale inspired, but she is also working on a mystery series. Her stories can be found on Amazon and in various anthologies. You can follow her on Facebook and visit her blog, which she promises to try and update more often,
Website: cindarharrell.wordpress.com
Facebook: CindarHarrell
Gunshots in the Woods
by E.L. Giles
“Run!” he shrieked, a moment before the gunshot echoed in the woods.
Panicked, she ran across the dark twigs and thick brush toward the spot she knew her husband had left their car.
“Run, sweetie!” the deep voice jested maniacally. Two more gunshots pierced through the night. She pushed herself to go faster. “I see you.”
Deep inside, she knew she had no chance of escape. And her strength was quickly dying, along with her will to survive. Her husband was dead. Why should she still live?
She abruptly stopped and turned around, facing the killer.
“Go ahead. Kill me.”
E.L. GILES is a dreamer, passionate about art, a restless worker and a bit of a weird human. He started his artistic journey as a music composer until the need to put his thoughts and stories down on paper grew too strong for him to resist it any longer. He lives in the French Province of Quebec, Canada, with his girlfriend and two boys.
Facebook: elgilesauthor
Website: www.elgilesauthor.com
Death Visits Mexico
by James Pyles
“Algimantas Dailide, you’re out of time.”
L.A. Detective Moshe Katz stared down the Lithuanian fugitive in a seaside shanty, pointing the barrel of his .38 at his quarry’s chest.
“You police?”
“Heard about the sub sinking off the coast. My Playa Linda contacts pointed me right at you.”
“What of it?”
“Six years ago, you were a policeman and arrested twelve Jews. Nazis executed them. One was a harmless old Rabbi.”
Delivering final justice, Katz pulled the trigger three times and watched the escapee drop.
“That’s for you, Zayde.”
Katz replaced the Colt in his shoulder holster and walked away.
JAMES PYLES is a published science fiction and fantasy writer as well as an IT textbook author and editor. A growing number of his short stories are appearing in anthologies and periodicals in 2019. He also has a passion for reading the genres he writes and is currently working on his first full-length novel.
Website: poweredbyrobots.com
Facebook: jamespylesauthor
Stabbed in the Back
by Gregg Cunningham
I’ll watch your back bro’, while you’re robbing the bank. I’ll even make sure the coast is clear while you’re grabbing the money.
You can count on me.
I’ll have the engine running while you scare them off. I’ll even get us away while you keep your head down in the back seat.
I’ll get rid of the car while you stash the money. I’ll even call the cops while you wait by the meet point.
I’ll burn the car, while you take the fall. I’ll even spend the cash while you do the time.
I’ll watch your back bro’.
GREGG CUNNINGHAM 48, short story writer who has had to pick up his game since stumbling into facebook writer’s groups. He has stories published by 559 Publishing in in 13 Bites volume 3,4,5, Plan 9 from Outer space, Other Realms, Heard It on The Radio, 559 Ways to Die, short stories publishing by Zombie Pirate Publishing in Relationship add Vice, Full Metal Horror, Phuket Tattoo, World War four and Flash Fiction Addiction (flash) with Zombie Pirate Publishing, and also in Daastan Magazine Chapter 11 and Brian,Rich and the Wardrobe.
Amazon: www.amazon.com/-/e/B016OTHX0K
Website: cortlandsdogs.wordpress.com
Long Ride to the Gray Bar Hotel
by Alexander Pyles
“You know they are going to find nothing,” my passenger taunted. His face sneered into my rearview.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Save the bravado. You have no idea what they will miss.” His teeth, unnaturally white, flashed splitting his dirty face.
The rain pattered on the windshield, ensuring no silence would settle. I wanted to consider his words, but how could I know he was lying? Why would he be so candid with me? Red herrings, false leads.
“Lost your voice? Don’t think I won’t find you too, when I get out.”
Prickles raced up the back of my neck.
ALEXANDER PYLES resides in IL with his wife and children. He holds an MA in Philosophy and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. His short story chapbook titled, “Milo (01001101 01101001 01101100 01101111),” from Radix Media, is due out fall 2019. His other short fiction has appeared on 101fiction.org, River and South Review, and other venues.
Website: www.pylesofbooks.com
Twitter: @Pylesofbooks
Delusions of Grandeur
by A.S. Charly
Daniel peeked over his notes while listening to the forensics team’s dispiriting report. The dead girl was beautiful, or at least he imagined she had been. It was hard to judge by only her head.
The murderer had left no traces. There was not a single piece of evidence to secure. No wonder they had called for his partner, mastermind Detective Donovan, but Daniel doubted even he could solve a case like this.
“Not one clue, Dov. What you gonna do about that?”
“Something always comes up...”
Donovan grinned as he remembered the girl’s screams wh
ile cutting off her limbs.
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 she is not roaming through the park with her children. Her stories have been published in various anthologies and online publications.
Facebook: A.S.Charlydreams
Freedom
by Annie Percik
Blood on the floor. On my shirt. In my hair. It’s everywhere. My eyes skip away from the dark shape in the middle of it all. I can’t look at him. I don’t think what I’ve done has really sunk in. I’m breathing hard. I’m shaking. But I’m finally safe. He can’t touch me. Not now. Not ever again. They’ll understand, won’t they? When I show them the scars. When I explain what happened. I was fighting for my life. I’ve been fighting for my life for nearly twenty years. Even if they lock me up, I’m free at last.
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. She also publishes a photo-story blog, recording the adventures of her teddy bear. 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
Website: aloysius-bear.dreamwidth.org
Missing
by Dawn DeBraal
Newspapers carried the story of the missing girl.
Andrea helped in the search.
She stepped on the earring in the creek, slipping off a stone. The diamond earring glinted in the sun. Reaching the other side, Andrea sat down to put her shoes back on. It was then she noticed the upright tennis shoe peeking out from under bushes. Taking a deep breath, Andrea inched closer, stopping suddenly. The smell was undeniable. She couldn’t bring herself to go any further. The police responded after she shouted,
“I found her!” Giving the officer the earring, she pointed at the red shoe.
DAWN DEBRAAL lives in rural Wisconsin with her husband, two rat terriers, and a cat. She successfully raised two children (meaning they didn’t return to the nest!) After many years serving the government at the Federal and County level, she recently retired. Having extra time on her hands she started to write after a paralyzed vocal cord took her ability to speak for two months. Not finding her voice, she discovered that her love of telling a good story could be written. Her works have been published in Palm-Sized Press, Spillwords, Mercurial Stories, Potato Soup Journal, and Blood Song Books.
The Witch’s Sacrifice
by Abi Linhardt
I was left to finish the ceremony on my own. My initiation. The others had left me in the dark, embers smouldering in the cold air.
Our sacrifice was just eighteen, a football star. Good arm, Daddy would say. We had picked him as some kind of symbolic atonement. But he was innocent; I was the guilty.
I had to leave a clue. I was the only one I could trust. I took the altar knife and carved my name into his back. They’d find me, ask me why.
“So, you could find who did it, of course,” I’d say.
ABI LINHARDT has been a gamer all her life but is a teacher at heart. When she is not writing, you can find her slaying enemies online or teaching in a college classroom. She has published works of fiction, poetry, college essays, and even won two literary awards for her short stories in science fiction and horror. Abi lives and writes in the grey world of northern Ohio.
A Hairpin in Southwark
by Kelli Pizarro
The October night air amplifies the crunch of a shovel cutting through unconsecrated dirt. A gate creaks and John tosses a cautious glance over his shoulder.
He pulls a body from the grave. If there had been a headstone, it would have read Winchester Goose.
He slips a rusted hairpin into his pocket. He smiles, knowing this was the only law he would be breaking tonight.
He smooths the dirt and slinks away, body in tote.
An hour later, a Southwark anatomist grins, handing John his due.
Walking home, John’s cold fingers sift through two guineas and a rusted hairpin.
KELLI PIZARRO is a lover of clean fiction, with two novels being released this year by Dragon Soul Press. Shanty by the Sea, releasing in August, is a Young Adult romcom novella set in New England. Roma Road: A Gypsy Tale, set to release in December, is a historical fiction novel highlighting the plight of the Romani people during Queen Elizabeth I’s rule. She has three previously self-published titles awaiting submission for publication. Kelli loves traveling, is currently planning a coffee shop-themed anthology, and enjoys writing drabbles. She lives in East Texas with her husband, three children, and five pets.
Facebook: authorkellipizarro
Twitter: kellipizarro
My Sweet Emma
by Amber M. Simpson
My sweet Emma jumps in her bouncy, strong chubby legs pushing off from the floor. Only six months, and her head’s full of red curls. My heart aches with love as she gives me those baby blues and smiles.
Poor thing’s been teething. Slobber runs down her face, over the port wine stain on her chin. I give her a teething ring and flick on the TV.
“...taken from the park. She has red hair, blue eyes and a distinctive birthmark on her lower face. Investigators believe—”
Click!
I change the channel and sigh.
It’s time for us to move.
AMBER M. SIMPSON is a chronic nighttime writer with a penchant for dark fiction and fantasy. When she’s not editing for Fantasia Divinity Magazine, she divides her creative time (when she’s not procrastinating) between writing a mystery/horror novel, working on a medieval fantasy series, and coming up with new ideas for short stories. Above all, she enjoys being a mom to her two greatest creations, Max and Liam, who keep her feet on the ground even while her head is in the clouds.
Website: ambermsimpson.com
My Mom’s Face
by Alanna Robertson-Webb
Yesterday my mother was murdered. I came home from school to police tape, a body bag, and my weeping aunt.
They wouldn’t let us see Mom, because they said her face was cut off.
Now I’m with Auntie Ming, and I’ve tried to be good. I want to scream, to cry and to break things, but I just sit on my new bed.
What I didn’t understand was why she was laughing late last night, so I went to check in on her. I peeked through the crack in her door, and she was wearing my mother’s bloody, stitched face.
ALANNA ROBERTSON-WEBB is a sales support member by day, and a writer and editor by night. She loves VT, and live in PA. She has been writing since she was five years old, and writing well since she was seventeen years old. She lives with a fiance and a cat, both of whom take up most of her bed space. She loves to L.A.R.P., and one day she aspired to write a horrifyingly fantastic novel. Her short horror stories have been published before, but she still enjoys remaining mysterious.
Reddit: MythologyLovesHorror
Statute of Limitations
by Sinister Sweetheart
A bloodied man stumbled into the local police station, demanding to see Captain Reardon. He carried a manila folder containing photographs of dead bodies.
Captain asked his name and why he had those pictures. As he started to sort through them, Reardon noticed that some were very old; dating back to the 1960’s and 70’s.
“My name is Allen Halder, and I’m here to confess to the murders of every one of the victim’s you see in these photos.”
Allen’s fingerprints were processed; they came back as matches to homicides spanning the last fifty years.
Mr. Halder was only twenty-seven.
SINCE Sinister Sweetheart 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. Sinister Sweetheart’s published works can be found in multiple anthologies for all to read, but be forew
arned, 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
Undone
by Umair Mirxa
Ursula opened the front door to her home, and graciously stepped aside for the police officers.
“You will find them in the basement,” she said, her voice laced with resignation.
“Have you no remorse for your crimes?” asked the detective, staring at her incredulously.
“Only for being caught,” she replied with a wicked, insolent smile. “What gave it away?”
“You were seen carrying a girl inside. If your neighbours were less nosy, I fear you might never have been undone.”
