“Daddy!” Owen’s voice blasted through the night and jarred his father awake. Charlie Pinder rolled over and read the time on his bedside alarm clock. Too damn early. “Aww,” Charlie muttered, “the kid always wakes me up — she can… Continue Reading
It’s always there, stalking, somewhere near. Hot moist breath on the back of my neck. Skittery footsteps crunching parchment autumn leaves. A harsh, whispered laugh inches from my ear. But I never see it. The most I ever get is… Continue Reading
“Mummy! Don’t come near me!” shrieked Greta. The whites around her bloodshot eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Her hair was a tangle of golden knots. She faced me, fists clenched. Her neck was lowered like a bull ready to charge.… Continue Reading
“Easy, girl,” Merle murmured, tightening her grip on the mare’s reins. The sand beneath her feet was soft and clotted with large tangles of seaweed washed up by yesterday’s storm. By the light of the lantern tied to the reins,… Continue Reading
Tommy stepped through puddles of polluted rain, each one reflecting an artificial orange glow. Fleets of cigarette butts sailed the puddles in search of a new world. Under a hedge, a discarded burger box boasted life that had been resident… Continue Reading
I stumbled through the cabin door and shot the bolt behind me, for all the good it would do. A step-hop over to the lone cot and I was finally able to spare time to tend my leg. My trouser… Continue Reading
The chair, again. I can feel its chilly metal before I open my eyes. I can smell the antiseptic she cleans the floor with. Panic. No, don’t panic, try to calm down. Breathe slowly: in through the nose, out through… Continue Reading
‘Tick Tock.’ Simon had been a clock maker for forty-three years, and had worked on thousands of them, but this was his favourite, the old skeleton-style church clock. ‘Tick Tock.’ This was definitely one of the largest, and had been… Continue Reading
There’s a monster under my bed. I know. I saw it once when I peeked. And two green eyes looked back at me and blinked. I don’t know what it looks like; it’s never there when the lights are on.… Continue Reading
Hal was a strait-laced guy, except for one odd habit: whenever he went into a bathroom, if the shower curtain was closed he’d draw it back. He just had to satisfy some irrational part of his brain that someone —… Continue Reading