#horrorwriter

[daniel-profeta]

The Knife

You are so fucking tired of the potholes. Lately it’s been raining more and more and now it’s pouring down from the heavens with a vengeance, filling the pesky holes in the road and making it impossible to navigate properly. You could kill someone right now with the amount of rage you feel, but you somehow manage to hold yourself together as you barrel down the street. You make a left turn and head into the woods just outside of what used to be your home.

The city is in shambles. The world is going to heal without you, but it has changed so drastically since the return of the demons. You drive haphazardly through the trees as the truck nearly spins out of control multiple times. The radio plays some poppy 80s songs as you wonder how any stations are still active. So much doesn’t make sense, but none of it matters anymore because you’ve lost the only thing you ever actually cared about. They ruined your life. This planet was already dying, you had known for a long time and had been preparing for years. You had always considered yourself to be more cultured and intelligent than the hicks that used to live out here, but you committed fully to your bunker and prep work. What you hadn’t counted on was the weirdness of it all. The impossibility of how events had actually played out. Now your family was dead, and it was entirely your fault. The trees sway in the wind and the leaves darken the sky above you as lighting flashes become your main source of illumination. Though it was supposed to be midday, you could never take vision for granted any longer. Not after how many illusions you have fallen victim to already. You change the station and park the car. Deep in the woods you contemplate your family’s terrible fate as you pull out a pack of cigarettes. Vaping has not really been an option since the beginning of the end. The radio is now playing some pretentious hipster shit. You roll down a window and let the engine run. Some rain gets in and eats away at the mat on the floor, but you couldn’t care less. Your fingers move to your lips as you take a long slow drag, letting the ashes fall to the floor of the truck. Your mind clears and you look around at the filthy vehicle. You’ve got a large pistol lying on the seat next to you and you reach out to cradle it in your filthy hands. This is what became of you. You built a good stable life for yourself, and you were anything but content with it! The gun fits snugly into your palm, as it had just hours before when you tried to defend yourself. The reason you came out here was to go down in a fight against them, but unfortunately you see nothing but blurry trees as it keeps raining. You could have sworn they retreated into the woods, but now you find you’re questioning your own memory. That’s been happening more and more lately. Lightning flashes again. You breathe in another lungful, wishing the smoke would just choke you and be done with it.

Some idiot on the radio starts to introduce the next song. It’s called Lightning in a Bottle. You are just about to change the station, but the irony of the title stops you. It starts playing, and of course it’s some gimmicky indie folk garbage, but it gets you thinking. Your whole life you’ve been trying to make things work. Trying to control the situation despite bad circumstances or being dealt a shitty hand. Many years ago, before you lost touch with the larger world around you, mom had said something that had stayed with you your whole life. She said you were destined for greatness. She could simply feel it and there was no question about it, you were going to do something incredibly special and important with your life. You were supposed to be someone worth being. But here it feels like you have lost the only people you ever helped. No one has ever benefited from your presence in any meaningful way, and it looks like no one ever would. A single tear falls onto the steering wheel as the song continues in the background. It is followed by a river rivalling the downpour outside. You’ve been holding back for an exceptionally long time, and since your loss you have been unable to grieve. You just had to take it in stride, the same way the uncaring universe has taken everything from you for as long as you can remember. Mom died only 6 years ago. Good thing she passed while she still had faith in her dreams for you. You had taken everything from her, you stole her youth, her financial stability, and you drove her apart from your father. Despite her claims to the contrary, you had always known the truth. You blink rapidly but it does nothing to stop your cries. Your body spasms. The song starts to shift and change.

Buzzzing. A persistent and grating buzzing cuts through the sound of acid rain splattering and sizzling on the roof and hood. You attempt to compose yourself but find it impossible. They finally decided to show up. This is where they will kill you. This is where everything will fall apart for good. Their formless bodies will smother you and their mouths and hands will tear flesh from bone and atom from atom.

The world around you starts to spin, slowly at first but picking up speed. The stupid song on the radio seems to distort and the lyrics get weirdly specific. Then the wind outside calms and the spinning stops as you focus and inhale again. Toss the cigarette out the window. Watch its light go out. Feel the world slow down as you steel yourself for a fight. Hands tighten on your weapon, finger on the trigger. These are your hands. This is your last moment, your final stand. Most people aren’t given notice before they die. You’re one of the lucky few who can pinpoint the exact moment. Your perspective changes so much when you’re facing the unknown. The ultimate change. You realize they aren’t going to get you. You realize you always knew it. You realize you won’t let them have the satisfaction. You realize this is what you wanted anyway. You open the door and step out as the music fades into the background, turning robotic and alien. When will that damn song end? Was the world just an illusion? Why are you still stalling? What are you waiting for?

You look around as an incredible wave of peace washes over you. It’s difficult to believe just how calm you are as you squint at the tree line searching for signs of movement. You see nothing as you raise your hands. A flash of light blinds you and the song is finally gone, replaced by nothing. You fall to the ground, leaves and dirt scattering from your impact. Your ears are ringing. Your eyes open and you realize you are lying on your side. Blood is pouring like thoughts out from you. The gun you dropped is too far to reach now and wave after wave of pain starts to radiate from your head, buzzzing out throughout your entire body. You feel something sharp in the small of your back. Why are you still alive? What is this torture they devised for you? Why didn’t your weapon strike true, the way it had struck your only child when you thought she was one of them. Why did it now fail you and leave you unable to move or think as the world fades in and out with each halting breath you take? The pain in your back has gone numb. Not that it matters… Your bullet wound in your skull is enough to give you more screaming nerves than you had ever encountered in your life. You scream and try to get up, only to move a couple inches and fall to your back, looking up at the sky as the rain pours down. You scream again as the acid rain stabs your eyes and blinds you. Colors mix and change and distort like a watercolor painting as you try to scream again. But this time nothing comes out. You close your eyes. The rain eats through your eyelids and gets in anyway. Not even the tears are keeping the rain out. Your skin burns. This is how you will die, alone and unwanted, unable to even take your own life. Then you reach behind yourself and claw at the numbness in your back, pulling a small knife out. Where the hell did this come from? This blessed rusty knife with a red hilt is the kindest thing you have. You hold it above your heaving chest and plunge it downwards. You feel resistance give way and you feel a mild foreign presence enter your skin. But it doesn’t really hurt as all your pain is falling away. You almost feel like you’re watching yourself as you lift the knife out, slide it to a new point in your chest, and bring it up and down again. Again. Again. Now your hands move to your belly and you try again, but this time your arms are too weak. You have a sense of strange tunnel vision, and you see pale glowing eyes surround you. But you don’t care. You got to yourself before they did. A sudden burst of flame and light strikes down, burns away the eyes, and sets you free.

At least, that’s what you saw at the end. Who knows how real any of it was? You’re floating now. Watching it all play out. Alone. You used to fear dying alone, but now you realize you only ever feared the not knowing. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad. This was never all that bad.

song i wrote based on this story. thx for reading!!

#horror #shortstory #creepy #scary #spooky #horrorfiction #thriller #chilling #horrorstory #dark #supernatural #nightmare #suspense #haunting #fear #macabre #terrifying #gothic #horrorwriter #postapocalyptic #weirdcore #dystopia #apocalypticfiction #strange #bizarre #unsettling #weirdfiction #desolate #twisted #surreal

[abigailmthomasauthor]

#gothic #author #writer #writerscommunity #writersofinstagram #authorsofinstagram #poet #poetry #poetsofinstagram #poetscommunity #art purple beautiful #gothic lit art #artistsoninstagram #digital artist #artists on tumblr #artwork #art #autistic spectrum #autistic things #autistic experiences #actually autistic #autistic adult #autism #autistic artist #autistic community #being autistic #horrornovelist #mystery #horrorwriter #gothic horror

[culturecultpress]

CultureCult Press invites fiction submissions for publication in its anthology of stories about rivers “THE RIVER IN US ALL” (Expected release: July 2023). The final date for submission is May 12, 2023 Link to submission guidelines: http://culturecult.co.in/anthology-submissions/ Feel free to use any of the following writing prompts or use one of your own! – Two things have kept her away from her hometown. Her abusive father, and the river she loved which had turned monstrous one stormy monsoon and claimed her best friend. After all these years, she decides to return. – A group of friends are lost on their way to the cabin in the woods. It’s night, and they camp out by a river, which holds a dark secret that is set to end all of their lives by dawn! – An interstellar scientist working on the mythical cure to ageing, stumbles upon a river in a distant planet, whose water seems to flow backwards. He begins to believe that the river is the key to his success. – In a magical world, a river flows through the center of the land, connecting different kingdoms and providing life-giving water to all. An evil sorcerer animates a mountain and compels it to block the river. Everyone is scared, but a young heroine decides to fight back. – A small town by a river is plagued by a series of strange disappearances. The curious church organist must navigate the murky waters of the river and the murkier secrets of the townspeople to solve the mystery. – The river was dying. The reasons were too many – natural, economic, political.. Even as his fishing business got decimated bit by bit, he began to discover the presence of a strange river full of fishes, inside his own body.. PLEASE NOTE that this is an anthology with a THEME. ONLY those fictions that feature a river in a prominent capacity, shall be considered for publication. Stories of all genres are invited. . . . . #CallforSubmissions #SubmissionCalls #anthologysubmissions #authorsupportingauthors #authorscommunity #authorssupportingauthors #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writersnetwork #writingcommunity #writingprompts #writinginspiration #writingtip #writenow #culturecult #horrorwriter #horrorstory #myster https://www.instagram.com/p/CrgSoDMJPHk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#callforsubmissions #submissioncalls #anthologysubmissions #authorsupportingauthors #authorscommunity #authorssupportingauthors #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writersnetwork #writingcommunity #writingprompts #writinginspiration #writingtip #writenow #culturecult #horrorwriter #horrorstory #myster

[inventingreality]

#horrorwriter #amwriting #writingcommunity #indieauthor #indieauthors

[ralynnfrost]

Here's a snippet of what's to come! Enjoy the introduction to "Workaholic," which can be ordered from Something Or Other Publishing @ https://soopllc.com/product/Workaholic/

My father was a workaholic. The old man had slaved his days away in the coal mines—proud to be doing his part to fuel Appalachia, but a stranger at the dinner table where my mother always kept a plate ready. They taught me as a child that hard, dedicated work was the path of righteousness, something to aspire to. Be devoted to your employers, and they’ll be loyal to you. Earn your keep and they will reward you. In the end, all I earned was an empty pill bottle and this lousy pickaxe.

The blade was dull when I pulled it from the dark closet, stained with years of rust from neglect. A physical symbol of my labor’s burden, the tool dragged after me, scraping against the rough tile floor of the office where I used to work. Admittedly, I was no longer sure whether the wake of red flakes left behind was corrosion or blood. Despite the bright, shining lights and the bitter silence, I could no longer distinguish between what was real and what wasn’t. My former coworkers cowered under their desks while I shuffled. Quiet, as they had been when they all saw me drowning, and praying to the God that forsook us when I passed. One of the faceless screamed when the tip of the ax crashed through the wall of her cubicle. Removing it decapitated the kitschy kitten poster that bolstered everyone to “hang in there.”

I did hang in there. I had gripped the edge of sanity with my fingernails.

#horrorauthor #thriller #horrorpaperbacks #horroraddict #horrorwriter #b #kindle #bookreview #shorror #paperback #horrorreads #paperbacksfromhell #horrorgeek #horrorlife #booklove #horrorstory #constantreader #horrorliterature #horrorfamily #reader #horrorreader #thrillerbooks #horrorjunkie

[ianmactire]

The only brand I'll ever tattoo on me: Mine! Thanks to Brianna @ Brianna's Inkbox for doing a wonderful job! #emptypages #EmptyPages #Apple #applepodcasts #spotify #spotifypodcasts #Google #googlepodcasts #podcast #podcasts #Podcaster #podcasters #podcastersofinstagram #write #writer #writers #writersofinstagram #horror #horrorwriter #horrorwriters #horrorwritersofinstagram #authortube #authortuber #authortubersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CoOC8kMPr78/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#emptypages #apple #applepodcasts #spotify #spotifypodcasts #google #googlepodcasts #podcast #podcasts #podcaster #podcasters #podcastersofinstagram #write #writer #writers #writersofinstagram #horror #horrorwriter #horrorwriters #horrorwritersofinstagram #authortube #authortuber #authortubersofinstagram

[wordnerd27]

Horror Addicts anthology

Happy Friday the 13th!! I’m soo happy to announce my blog, ‘Fierce. Fearless. Female.’ has been featured in an anthology titled ‘Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2!! I’m honored to be a part of this anthology alongside some amazing people like Sumiko Saulson, Emerian Rich, and Valjeanne Jeffers. Grab a copy to support your fellow horror addict! 🤪 Calling All Horror Fans!HorrorAddicts.net Press…

View On WordPress

#Amazon #anthology #Blogging #Horror #horrorwriter #Published #Writing

[a-a-achibane]

Subscribe today for updates and exclusives! For free!!!!

Head to my webpage for more of my short stories. Subscribe as a member and receive email notifications when I post. Scroll to the bottom of any page and sign up for my newsletter which will go out monthly. Either one you chose, signing up requires an email and no spam! I’ve spoken to current members and (although hesitant at first) they haven’t received anything scary. Just emails on me! So join with no fear!

#original #amwriting #romancewriter #fantasywriter #sci-fiwriter #horrorwriter #indie writer #looking to be a hybrid writer #support writers

[theoneandonlynightmaresinneon]

Still in production!

#art #comic #graphicnovel #artist #originalart #upcoming art #horrorwriter #comic writer

[adornesibley]

Big Things Coming™

I have big plans, not evil plans just big ones, so I went and got myself a Patreon. I hope to build a community, a collection of like-minded people, for discourse and art appreciation. I hope to share my art with the world. I have to. The art inside me itches to get out. I can't not make it and share it.

#feels #makeart #writblr #writer #horrorwriter #morkborg #mini zines #punk zine #patreon #ttrpg osr #indie ttrpg

[danbfierce]

My interview with Travis from Horror Realm is live! Thank you so much for having me!

#amwriting #horror #horrorcommunity #horrorwriter #short story #writers on tumblr #fiction #Youtube

[letzoespoilyou]

Writhing Mind is a Queer Cosmic Horror short story!

#horror #queer #queerhorror #lovecraftian #shortstory #cosmichorror #maddness #horrorstory #horrorfiction #horrorwriter #HorrorCommunity

[curiosityboughtthebook]

Now available on DriveThruFiction! Including my story "Moon Fever" 🌙 #moonfever #moon #anthology #drivethrufiction #rjamesgavreau #writerscommunity #amwriting #horrorwriter #spooky #bookish #moonhorror #wmbsaltworks https://www.instagram.com/p/CpfYAa6ISrt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#moonfever #moon #anthology #drivethrufiction #rjamesgavreau #writerscommunity #amwriting #horrorwriter #spooky #bookish #moonhorror #wmbsaltworks

[jameseiji]

Everything's Eventual (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1290631314-everything%27s-eventual?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=Eiji692&wp_originator=kXACvzxhmOGB4VQ6z%2BRoVVUCHKVLY2Ffun4rb7LpPgLlHHxN%2BOYJ3XPaEwvCxkug5fsIkGewEb4fh3OMv3C1dErDaaTEb52Yvs00F59uPM7WMNSLTmIW%2Ff1yK9IM7gGT The book is actually a compilation of short stories, all of horror and suspense, that are based on the author's own experiences of real life events. There is also a tale from the book called "Room 1408", where it tells the story of a haunted room, where a man decides to take it for one night, so he does and strats seeing visions of all kinds, until the man ends up having an accidnet and is taken to the hospital. Either way, he knows what he saw and happened is true. There are other stories that are also pretty good, too.

#compelling #horrorwriter #interesting #paranormal #shortstories #stephenking #books #wattpad #amreading

[ianmactire]

Today's #vss365 word is #prompt. Here's my contribution. Enjoy! After a long hiatus, I will be retooling and relaunching my podcast, Empty Pages, sometime this year. I'll provide more information as I have it. #emptypages #EmptyPages #Apple #applepodcasts #spotify #spotifypodcasts #Google #googlepodcasts #podcast #podcasts #Podcaster #podcasters #podcastersofinstagram #write #writer #writers #writersofinstagram #horror #horrorwriter #horrorwriters #horrorwritersofinstagram #authortube #authortuber #authortubersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CnfPKo0yaeL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#vss365 #prompt #emptypages #apple #applepodcasts #spotify #spotifypodcasts #google #googlepodcasts #podcast #podcasts #podcaster #podcasters #podcastersofinstagram #write #writer #writers #writersofinstagram #horror #horrorwriter #horrorwriters #horrorwritersofinstagram #authortube #authortuber #authortubersofinstagram

[bookshelvesandbiketanks]

#bookpost day! My contributor copies of Best Horror of the Year 14 arrived today, containing two of my short stories (Dancing Sober in the Dust, and Chit Chit) as well as a lovely write up about my debut collection from @undertow_books #bookstagram #bookstagramgermany #frankenwald #oberfranken #hochfranken #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writingcommunity #writing #horrorwriter #bayern #bavaria #booksofinstagram #book #writers #germany #horror #horrorstories #fiction #horrorfiction #shortstories (at Frankenwald) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnj_dnnIfgF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#bookpost #bookstagram #bookstagramgermany #frankenwald #oberfranken #hochfranken #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writingcommunity #writing #horrorwriter #bayern #bavaria #booksofinstagram #book #writers #germany #horror #horrorstories #fiction #horrorfiction #shortstories