#horrorshortstories

[dwellerofthedark]

HALLOWEEN SLASHER HORROR: 🔪Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper🔪 by Robert Blo...

[joandelahaye]

Sliced and Diced 3 is on its way. #thisauthorslife #amwriting #comingsoon #horror #horrorfiction #darkandtwistedfiction #horrorcommunity #horrorshortstories #kindle #kindlebooks #kobo #koboreads #ibooks #googleplay #googleplaybooks #nookbooks #igreads #kindlereads #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm8-8-dornz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[calebvanponeisen]

STARGAZE

Looking up at the night sky, I spot an unfamiliar bright star. It rapidly grows larger, and the moment I realize what it is, nothing matters anymore.

[harmonyhealinghub]

Old Stone House October 31, 2024 Shaina Tranquilino

The night was colder than any Halloween Jonah could remember. A damp chill clung to the air, and a thick fog crept through the empty streets, swallowing the sounds of laughing children and the cheerful glow of jack-o'-lanterns.

Jonah had never been one for Halloween. At seventeen, he thought he was too old for it, but his younger sister, Maddy, insisted he walk with her while she trick-or-treated with her friends. He obliged, but only because he knew she’d been spooked by rumors of the "Old Stone House" on Maplewood Avenue. Just a few blocks away, the house sat abandoned, forgotten and blackened by years of dust and neglect. Kids whispered that it was haunted by the spirit of a woman who vanished on Halloween night, decades ago.

At the end of the night, Jonah and Maddy were on their way home when she halted suddenly in the middle of the foggy road.

“What is it?” Jonah asked.

Maddy pointed, wide-eyed, across the street. The Old Stone House loomed, its shadowed form barely visible through the mist. For a brief moment, Jonah thought he saw movement in one of the windows—a flash of white, like a figure in a long dress.

“Did you see that?” Maddy whispered.

Jonah squinted. There was nothing. Just a dark window in an empty house. “It’s just your imagination. C’mon, let’s go home.”

But Maddy wouldn’t budge. She seemed mesmerized, as if something called to her from within the house. “Please, Jonah,” she said softly, her voice a strange, vacant whisper. “I just want to see inside…just a little closer.”

Jonah sighed, knowing it would be faster to humor her than to argue. Together, they crossed the street and approached the Old Stone House. Up close, it felt even colder, and the air carried a musty, damp smell, like rotten wood and something metallic.

The door was cracked open. Jonah stepped forward to pull Maddy back, but she had already pushed the door wider, slipping into the shadows within.

“Maddy!” he hissed, following her inside.

Inside, it was pitch black, and the quiet was oppressive, thick enough to press against his ears. The faint light from the street cast weak, flickering shadows across the walls, revealing tattered wallpaper, broken furniture, and dust swirling in the air. Jonah felt the weight of the silence bearing down, as if the house were watching him.

“Maddy!” he whispered again, louder this time.

A soft giggle drifted from upstairs. It was Maddy’s voice, yet it sounded wrong—too slow, too drawn-out, like a recording played at the wrong speed. Jonah’s stomach twisted, but he forced himself to climb the creaking staircase, calling her name as he went.

At the top of the stairs, he found himself in a long, narrow hallway. Faded portraits lined the walls, their subjects’ faces blurred, indistinct. One by one, the shadows seemed to turn toward him, eyes following his every step.

“Jonah…” Maddy’s voice came again, muffled and distant, calling from the last door at the end of the hall. As he approached, he felt something cold brush against his neck. He spun, but there was no one there—only the shadows, growing darker.

He hesitated before the door, then pushed it open.

Inside was a small room with a single bed, a cracked mirror, and dust-covered shelves. Maddy was standing by the window, her back to him, gazing out into the fog.

“Thank god,” he sighed in relief, stepping closer. “Maddy, let’s go.”

She didn’t move. Her shoulders were trembling, her head slightly tilted to one side.

“Maddy?” he repeated, reaching out.

When she finally turned around, his blood ran cold. Her face was blank, her eyes wide and staring, and there was something terribly wrong about her mouth—her lips were stretched into an unnatural smile, as though forced there, like a mask painted on her skin.

“Hello, Jonah,” she whispered, though her lips didn’t move.

His breath caught. That voice wasn’t Maddy’s. It was rough, cold, and seemed to scratch its way up from somewhere deep in her throat.

“Maddy…stop it. This isn’t funny,” he stammered, backing away.

She took a step forward, then another, her head tilting unnaturally with each step. Her eyes never blinked. Her arms hung limp at her sides, swaying with each shuffling step.

“Come closer, Jonah,” she whispered. “Don’t you want to stay with me? Forever?”

Suddenly, her hand shot out, fingers clawing at his arm with an iron grip. Jonah gasped, trying to pull free, but her strength was unnatural, as though something else was fueling her from within.

With a burst of adrenaline, he broke away, stumbling out of the room and down the hall. Behind him, he heard her following, her footsteps slow but steady, that hideous smile burned into his mind. He threw himself down the stairs, nearly tripping in his panic, and burst through the front door, out into the foggy night.

When he turned around, the Old Stone House was quiet, dark, and empty.

Maddy was gone.

He called her name, but the house was silent, its windows staring back like empty eyes. He searched for her, yelling her name until his throat was raw, but there was no trace of her—no footsteps, no voice, only the faintest echo of that cold, ghostly whisper.

“Forever…” it murmured, drifting through the fog as the house stood, still and waiting.

By morning, the Old Stone House was empty once more, but those who passed by swore they saw a new face in the window—a young girl, her eyes vacant, her smile unnaturally wide, watching.

[brookeem101]

GHOST (SHORT HORROR) (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/331819185-ghost-short-horror?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_myworks A young woman named Amelia; suffers schizophrenia; seeing a ghost ever night she sleeps. The schizophrenia becomes worse; and her mother struggles to get a good sleep every night. But what if Amelia's vision of the ghost is more than what she seems...

[saffronhedgehog]

Short HORROR Stories to HAUNT your DREAMS! Short Scary Horror Stories! 😱 In this horror short story, the darkness hides more than just shadows... Will you dare to face the unknown? Watch if you’re brave enough! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more terrifying tales. 👻🖤 #horrorshortstory #creepytales #thriller #spookystories #HorrorLovers #suspense #chilling #shorts

[lunaarcgate]

Nosfuratu: A Haunting in Remington By Amir H.

"A house that wasn’t there before. A man with hollow eyes. The boys thought they knew the way home. They were wrong." #Nosfuratu #VampireHorror #HorrorShortStory

Remington, Georgia – It was just after sunset when Marcus and his younger brother, Darnell, took their usual shortcut through the alley behind EJ Knights Garden Apartments. Practice had run longer than expected—Coach wanted the team sharp; they were just one game away from the state championship. As the last remnants of daylight clung to the horizon, casting long shadows across the neighborhood,…

[tinadonahue]

Michael Botur is here to tell us about his horror short story collection Bloodalcohol Ten Tales. He's also hosting a great giveaway. __...

[onlythedarkestreads]

review - the strange thing we become

5/5 Stars Pub Date: Sep 1, 2021 2021 Goodreads Goal: 83/150

What a voice to spend time with!

This was my second foray into the writing of Eric LaRocca and he has definitely become a new favourite author.

The Strange Things We Become is one of the strongest short story collections I've had the pleasure of reading. I tried to read on story a day so I could savor the experience.

Through these stories LaRocca creates a hallucinatory nightmare world. Full of monsters, stranger danger, painful games, impossible decisions, obsessions, penetrations and violent extractions. Deals with demons external and internal. Fodder for and from the nastiest recesses of your brain.

These stories are extremely brutal and beautiful and I already can't wait to read them again.

Thank you so much for providing me with an advanced copy Eric, and I cannot wait to read whatever perversion you write next. I will be buying a physical copy.

[lonelyleliel]

Feeling mentally exhausted again and it’s finals week. I feel too drained to study, but reading horror shorts reminded me why I’m pursuing my psych degree and dedicating my life to being a writer/artist who creates for the sake of understanding the darker aspects of being human. “The Dying Art” by Glen Damien Campbell was a good one. I love stories showing the power of guilt and how much effort it takes to drown it out and feel more justified in our choices. 📖 💀 📖 #shortstories #horrorshort #writerscommunity #horrorshortstories #psychstudentproblems #psychstudent #horrorstories #writer #writingmotivation #gothicwriting https://www.instagram.com/p/COvvboVHJdz/?igshid=1jk41rk0x14o0

[dwellerofthedark]

HALLOWEEN SLASHER HORROR: 🔪Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper🔪 by Robert Bloch 🩸🩸🩸🩸

💀👉MUSIC ALBUMS (LATEST RELEASE: 'Where the Shadows Dwell' on September 14, 2024!!!Halloween All the Time (ALBUM) will be released on September 30th! Calling this one a Halloween album is like calling Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' a Halloween album!!

#slasher #mystery #Halloween #horrorstories #horror #horrorstory #HorrorCommunity #booksbooksbooks #horrorgram #horrormovies #books #JacktheRipper #Chicago #Satan #booktube #horrorstory #youtube #RobertBloch #horrorstories #death #cold #novel #horrorshortstory #Samhain #bookstagram 💀👉MUSIC ALBUMS (LATEST RELEASE: ‘Where the Shadows Dwell’ on September 14, 2024!!!!!!!!!) Halloween All the Time…

[joandelahaye]

Work on a new short story has begun! #amwriting #thisauthorlife #indieauthor #writingcommunity #writing #horror #horrorfiction #horrorshortstories #horrorstories #horrorcommunity #thisauthorslife https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvBmJmgYd0/?igshid=14uazuyagzepy

[calebvanponeisen]

CUTE

Before bedtime, my daughter hugs her doll, which mechanically replies, "I love you." After tucking her in, I return to the living room, only to find it devoid of the doll as I remember that I didn’t replace its batteries this morning.

[harmonyhealinghub]

The Haunting Lullaby Shaina Tranquilino October 26, 2024

Brianna stood at the door of her baby’s nursery, bathed in the soft, silvery glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains. The house was still—too still. All she could hear was the faint, rhythmic creak of the rocking chair as it swayed back and forth, seemingly of its own accord. The air inside the room felt thick, the shadows stretched long, as though something unseen was pressing against her, waiting.

She swore she had just heard it. A lullaby, but not from her own lips. Her son, Noah, lay peacefully in his crib, his tiny chest rising and falling in sleep, unaware of the growing tension that gripped his mother.

Brianna swallowed, her throat dry. She hadn’t sung to him tonight, and yet, she knew she had heard the tune—a soft, lilting melody that crawled under her skin.

Humming. Soft. Distant.

It had begun a week ago, just a whisper at first. She had dismissed it as exhaustion, the product of sleepless nights and endless baby care. But now, it was different. Louder. Clearer. Too close. Too real.

With slow, hesitant steps, Brianna moved into the nursery. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, a cold sweat prickling her skin. The melody shifted, changing key, the notes lower, more menacing. And then the words came, sung by a voice that was not her own—a woman’s voice, sweet and soft, but laced with a warning that chilled Brianna to the bone.

"Hush now, little one, don’t make a sound, The shadows are waiting, they’re all around. Close your eyes, and sleep will take you away, But beware the stranger, who hides in the day."

Brianna froze, her breath catching in her throat. The words—it wasn’t just a lullaby anymore. They were different, darker, as though they were speaking directly to her. She glanced at Noah, still peacefully unaware of the horror unravelling in the room.

Her eyes darted to the windows. The curtains swayed, though there was no breeze. The creak of the rocking chair seemed to grow louder, a slow, deliberate rhythm matching her pulse. She backed away, instinctively clutching the edge of the crib. The voice whispered again, its tone soft but urgent, pleading almost.

"Hush now, little one, close your eyes tight, But someone is watching, someone tonight. The door is unlocked, the danger is near, Protect your sweet child, for darkness is here." Brianna’s blood ran cold. Her heart raced as her eyes shot to the nursery door. The hair on the back of her neck prickled with an undeniable sense of dread. The door—had she locked it?

A faint, almost imperceptible sound reached her ears. The soft, deliberate turn of a doorknob downstairs.

Someone was inside.

Panic surged through her. She scooped Noah into her arms, holding him close, his warmth grounding her, as if the weight of his tiny body was the only thing keeping her tethered to sanity. She turned toward the hallway, her breath shallow, ears straining for any sound beyond the eerie melody still floating through the air.

Suddenly, the lullaby shifted once more, the voice now colder, sharper, almost impatient.

"Run now, mother, it’s time to flee, The danger is here, and it's come for thee."

Brianna bolted down the hallway, clutching her son tightly. She didn’t look back. She didn’t dare. The voice had warned her, and now, she could hear heavy footsteps ascending the stairs. She could feel the presence closing in, like a shadow growing, swallowing the light.

She slammed the bedroom door behind her, locking it, her hands trembling violently. The lullaby stopped, plunging the house into silence. For a heartbeat, everything was still.

And then— bang.

The door shuddered under the force of a blow, the doorknob rattling violently. Brianna backed away, tears streaming down her face, clutching Noah so tightly he stirred, whimpering softly against her chest.

The door creaked, splintering as the wood began to give.

"Hush now, little one, it’s almost too late, The darkness is here, sealing your fate."

The voice hummed, the words curling in her ear like a curse.

And with a final, thunderous crash, the door burst open. Brianna backed against the wall, her pulse hammering in her throat. She could barely see through the tears blurring her vision, but she knew—whatever stood there in the doorway wasn’t human.

The figure was tall and cloaked in shadows, its face obscured by darkness. Only its eyes were visible, gleaming like shards of glass in the dim light. It paused in the doorway, as though savouring the terror in the room.

Then, as if responding to her silent plea, the lullaby began again. But this time, it was her own voice singing back to her, twisted and haunting.

"Hush now, little one, don’t make a sound, The shadows have come, and darkness surrounds."

The figure took a step forward, then another, each one sending an electric jolt of fear through her body. Noah whimpered in her arms, and instinctively, she clutched him tighter. A surge of protectiveness drowned out her fear. She wouldn’t let this thing take her son.

“Leave us!” she choked out, her voice trembling. But the figure only tilted its head, seeming amused by her defiance.

Suddenly, a faint glow illuminated the nursery. The rocking chair creaked once more, and in the corner of the room, she saw a familiar outline—another figure, gentle, warm, shimmering in the shadows. It was her mother, the same soft smile she remembered from childhood gracing her face.

Brianna felt a wave of relief and grief all at once. Her mother, gone for years, stood now between her and the advancing darkness. The lullaby resumed, now sung in her mother’s gentle voice, soothing and calm.

"Rest now, my child, in dreams take flight, You’re safe from the shadows that lurk in the night."

The dark figure recoiled, its shape flickering as though weakened. Her mother raised a hand, and with a final, protective look, motioned toward the door.

Brianna didn’t hesitate. Clutching Noah, she darted past the shadow, her feet barely touching the ground as she flew down the stairs and out of the house. Behind her, she heard a single, piercing scream as the shadow figure let out a final, angry wail, then silence.

Outside, she collapsed onto the grass, Noah still cradled tightly in her arms. The house loomed dark and silent behind her, but she felt the presence lift, the air clear.

And then, just as quickly as it began, the lullaby faded. A faint whisper echoed on the wind, her mother’s voice lingering in the cool night air.

"Hush now, little one, you’re safe, you’re free. The shadows are gone, and always will be."

Tears streaming down her face, Brianna looked down at Noah, who blinked up at her, calm and unafraid. With a deep, shuddering breath, she held him close, whispering a promise she’d carry with her always:

"You’re safe now. I’ll protect you. Always."

[bahhumpug]

As part of my recent horror kick, I picked up this huge anthology by Ellen Datlow. I have to say that this is my second time reading something by Paul Tremblay & I just don't get the hype. But some of the other stories have been excellent. * #funaekreads #funaekbooks #instabooks #instareads #pugsandbooks #horrorbooks #horrorstories #ellendatlow #horroranthology #horrorshortstories https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6Ve2ZgLTx/?igshid=agaom9cm4nu5

[fredhandbag]

A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of horror short stories from C.J. Tudor. She introduces each story and gives some background on the source. It's interesting to hear an author's experience and journey during the pandemic - all of the things that affected their ability to craft a story. There are several excellent stories here. My favorites are End of the Liner and Gloria. Gloria includes characters from two of Tudor's previous books. Great choice if you're looking for some scary season reads. #asliverofdarkness #cjtudor #randomhouse #ballantinebooks #horrorshortstories #shortstories #netgalley #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #readinglife #bookphotography #bookcommunity #bookblogger #sodacityreads #suspensebook #bookhaul #literarycrimefiction #homelibrary #thrillerbooks #domesticthriller #crimefiction #thriller #characterdrivenbooks #mysterythriller #bookrecs https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckx_lyMr6Es/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=