The bus jerks me awake. Or that is what I tell myself. I harbor a tendril of hope that I am still sleeping, that this is only a dream. Awake. Asleep. Is there a difference? Or some method for knowing which is which? This bus is a train. Or is this train a bus? The… Continue reading The Conductor
Category: Horror
Ezekiel’s Tea
My morning routine is to double-check all the equipment. The lantern is rotating, shooting its penetrating light through the morning fog. Most of my work takes place at night, but on overcast days, I like to be extra diligent. I stoop and exit through the tiny door and walk the balcony around, checking for breakages… Continue reading Ezekiel’s Tea
Ezekiel’s Stairs
I look down for brother’s blue and white ceramic teakettle, but it’s no longer in my hands. Then I think something that’s not quite a memory; it’s something more akin to an echo of a memory. I dropped the thing hours ago. Maybe it was only minutes past. Surely climbing the stairs to Ezekiel’s lofty… Continue reading Ezekiel’s Stairs
Penguins in the Penumbra
The heat from the parabolic space heater feels good on my bare legs. I’m wearing shorts while I meditate. The only problem is my mind is wandering. Are you surprised? Yeah, me neither. It happens. And what am I doing instead of following my breath? I’m thinking about the penguins on the far side of… Continue reading Penguins in the Penumbra
Under their Bed
It was Timmy’s cries, not Tommy’s screams, that woke Maddy. The three of them had anticipated a typical Saturday morning in the Balkman household: hugs, pancakes, chores, a little TV, some more hugs, and then a hike in the park near their house. No, no, no, no! Her heart was in her heels as she… Continue reading Under their Bed
The Figs of Fellsgrove
When they offered me the job, I thought it was a prank. It sounded like something Cynthia might cook up. I laughed at the caller and said something like, “Nice try. I’ve got a lot to do here, but you have a wonderful day wasting people’s time.” Luckily for me, they called back the next… Continue reading The Figs of Fellsgrove
My Last Pair of Shoes
I slid my feet into the new shoes. They were bright yellow, festive, and fun. Just looking at them made me happy. Something was not quite right with the fit. Also, the shoes felt vaguely squishy and wet. Like I’d shoved my foot into an animal carcass. It was cold and slimy. But then Hank… Continue reading My Last Pair of Shoes
Storage Unit
I’m stuck in a simulation. That’s what this must be. This can’t be real. My legs ache. And for good reason. I’ve been walking for hours. If the sun is in the sky, I can’t see it, but that might be somewhat due to the orientation of the storage unit buildings. They are continuous and… Continue reading Storage Unit
Basilisk
The question hung in the air, unanswered. I couldn’t tell if this was one of Pete’s pranks. With social media paranoia being what it was since 2031, I screened all my visitors for recording devices, of course. I mean, I loved Pete, but I was nobody’s fool. “Come on, Tim. Either you know, or you… Continue reading Basilisk
How to Haunt Your Loved Ones
Hello! Welcome to the afterlife! What’s that? This isn’t what you were expecting? Yeah, we get that a lot here. No pearly gates, no streets of gold, no many named Peter with a list checking to see if you’re supposed to even be here? We’re still scratching our heads on that last one. What a… Continue reading How to Haunt Your Loved Ones
Be Right Back
Oh, thank God. I remembered my inner atheist and cringed. But that was definitely a bus a few hundred yards away. I thought I might die out there, a slow, agonizing death of dehydration in a desert. Please don’t be a mirage. Please. My car had broken down several miles back. In Death Valley. That… Continue reading Be Right Back
Wormhole
The exterminator wipes his brow, pockets his grease-stained handkerchief, and checks his tablet again. “Yeah. We don’t see a lot of these. If I’m honest, they told us about these in class, but I swore the instructor was pulling our legs. Pranking us. You know? That it was a joke to see which of us… Continue reading Wormhole
Blythe
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 6 It is surprising how much misinformation the media and books have regarding monsters. The idea that the only way to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet? Laughable nonsense. Or that vampires can’t go out in the sunlight? Silly and baseless. Most of them don’t like being in… Continue reading Blythe
Papa
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 3 Uncle Kenny never rises before noon on the camping trips. So far now, it’s just me, Cheryl, Adam, and dad, finishing our breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. The cool air and the smokey smell usually make me feel giddy in the mornings. That isn’t the case this morning.… Continue reading Papa
Leaving the Cul-de-Sac
Escaping my sanctuary I glance out the window by my reading chair and my eye floats to the end of the street where the long flatbed truck lays on its side and to the ruined minivan that sits flush against it, gently touching bumpers and the sun sparkling on the dewy grass and… Continue reading Leaving the Cul-de-Sac
Descartes Conundrum
The limits of thinking I wave my hands in front of the Daniel-thing’s face again. Nothing. Its eyes are open, but it’s not seeing me, not seeing anything. I thought he’d had a seizure; when I checked for a pulse or breathing I found neither. And then there was the stuff with my… Continue reading Descartes Conundrum
Inflatable Santa
Horror Flash Fiction The neighborhood was quieter now. Folks felt guilty when they accidentally found themselves enjoying the calm. Eleven in three weeks. That’s how many children had disappeared. The inflatable Santa, magically moving from yard to yard, each morning in a different place. A prank. One that Larry or possibly Eileen had started years… Continue reading Inflatable Santa
Brian Finds a Journal
30-Day Flash Challenge, Day 24 June 1, 2021 It was a Tuesday, and I was running late. The subway broke, so it wasn’t really my fault, except that it was, and it had happened before. My manager and I agreed (more she than I) that I would allow for such happenings by showing… Continue reading Brian Finds a Journal
Buster’s Business
30-Day Flash Challenge, Day 23 At first, I had thought gravity stopped working. Slowly the details of what had happened come into focus. I was driving, and then my truck became airborne; I remember screams, pumping the brakes, then landing with a crash, and then? I must have blacked out. When I came to, I… Continue reading Buster’s Business
Mr. Bojangles
30-Day Flash Challenge, Day 21 “We got another two reports, like yesterday, Sheriff,” Suzy says. “Give me a second here, Suz. I’m not even in the door yet,” I say, shaking the snow off my coat. There go my dreams for a slow, uneventful day. This town is nothing once the college kids… Continue reading Mr. Bojangles
Stories by Shawn 