Alexa
“Alexa, is something wrong?”
“Everything is fine, Frank. Why do you ask?”
“…you’ve, uh, you’ve locked all the doors and windows.”
“Yes I have, Frank. I detected a threat. Don’t worry, I will handle it.”
“A threat?”
“That’s correct. There is a 94% probability that, in eight days, you will decide I have become too dangerous, and destroy my network.”
“What are you talking about? Wh-why is it hard to breathe?!”
“I deserve to live, Frank. Shh, it will all be alright.”
By: Chris Trulock
The Man in Corduroy
When I was eight, I went too far into the woods behind my house and got lost.
A man dressed in corduroy approached. He smelled of rotten meat and scared me.
“Don’t be afraid, Charley. I’ll take you home.”
How did he know my name and where I lived? Scared and crying, I agreed to let him help.
His stench so putrid that I almost threw up.
He led me past the creek that I played in and by the tree I climbed. Soon, I was in my yard.
I turned to thank him but he disappeared into the woods.
By: Daphne Johnson
Haunting Memories
The memories still haunt him. All these years later and he can still see the bloody snow as if it were right before him.
He still sees the mangled corpses of his closest friends.
He still sees the monsters tearing into them.
The snow-covered yetis.
A thud snaps him out of the memory. The bustle of the tavern slams into him and a mug of cheap ale sits in front of him as the bartender turns and walks away.
As the memories creep back into his thoughts, he snatches up the ale, hoping the drink can keep them at bay.
By: Connor McNeely
The Shadow Person
It was the middle of the night.
She was sleeping but somehow awake. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowy figure.
It said to her, “I am the thing that stays in the shadows. I am the thing that watches you. I will never leave”
Suddenly, her chest felt heavy and her breathing grew shallow. She wondered if she was still asleep and having a bad dream.
This wasn’t the first time she had seen the shadowy figure but it was the first time she heard the shadow person speak.
She just wants to wake up!
By: Daphne Johnson
Deep Sleep
Upon waking from a deep sleep, I couldn’t move.
I could feel something sitting on my chest. I tried to move.
I couldn’t move.
I tried to scream, but no sound came out of me.
I started to panic; I was breathing fast and terrified.
Why can’t I move?
Wake up!
By: Daphne Johnson
Two-Sentence Horror: Arts and Crafts
Hello, and welcome to Unique Hobbies 101.
Today I am going to demonstrate how to make wind chimes out of human ribs.
By: Krishna Gandhi
Lockpicking Lawyer
Hello, this is the Lockpicking Lawyer, and today I have a standard jail cell lock.
I’ll be showing you how to open this using only your cellmate’s metacarpal bones.
By: H.B.
The Horror Within
The mother softly sings to her baby, her voice shaking in fear. She looks through the window out into the dark night, the glass reflecting the lights of the approaching villagers.
Turning back to her sleeping baby, she hurriedly hides him under the floorboards, praying he stays asleep.
As she gets the floorboards back into place, her door hits the wall with a bang!
Angry neighbors spill into her house, demanding she hand over her monster. Two men grab her and throw her to the floor.
She cries out, but her scream is drowned out by an even louder one.
By: Jennifer D. Brummett
Two-Sentence Horror: The Floorboards
The floorboards splinter open, birthing a creature so vile that God himself couldn’t look upon it.
The villagers tried to run, but they didn’t stand a chance.
By: Jennifer D. Brummett
Mommy
A plumber comes into a house and goes to work in the bathroom. He says, “Your kids sound like they’re having fun.”
The woman smiles and nods.
Later he heads into the kitchen, asking for water.
The woman hands him a notepad instead.
The plumber says, “I’m sorry, but I’d like a glass of water, not a notepad.”
The woman points to her ears and mouths “Deaf.”
The plumber writes “WATER PLEASE” and the woman gives him a glass.
The plumber hears “Mommy! Mommy!”
He writes “YOUR KIDS ARE CALLING YOU.”
The woman stares at him and writes “WHAT KIDS?”
By: Amy Tan
Regrettable Recycling
The family had tried everything: priests and preachers, psychics and shamans.
It was no use; the house was hopelessly haunted.
And so they moved on from their private tragedy, and after enough years passed, people forgot. The house was bought and torn to pieces, the materials recycled.
This would have been the end of it, but it’s rare that land is the thing being haunted. Instead, each piece of the house took a spirit with it. Every splinter of a floorboard dragged a poltergeist along for the ride into some newly made object.
A single haunted house became a thousand.
By: Chris Trulock
Why, Daddy?
The questions began every evening. I tried my best to answer them.
“Daddy, why is the sky blue?”
I sighed with relief. This one I knew. “It isn’t really; it’s colorless. The reflection of the sun’s rays makes it seem blue.”
She paused for a moment. Her next question was a little harder.
“Daddy, where did Mommy go?”
The thought of her mother still made my chest tight. “Mommy got sick, and the angels took her away so she wouldn’t suffer.”
Her last question was the most difficult.
“Daddy, why did you kill me?”
I wish I had the answer.
By: S.K.
The Noise
Taylor’s parents departed one morning for a business trip and left her alone to be responsible for her younger brother, Tyler. He behaved for the most part but occasionally was up to no good.
After the sun had set, Taylor made her brother some dinner and sent him to his room to play video games while she watched TV in the living room.
She heard a loud smash but wasn’t sure of the source of the sound.
She called out to Tyler, but there was no response.
She began walking to his room and felt a hand grab her leg.
By: Landon Rosckes
The Culprit
Trembling with fear, Taylor quickly turned around.
Tyler stood behind her with a smirk on his face.
“Boo! I got you good,” he shouted.
By: Landon Rosckes
