365 Short Horrors

Life is full of situations that are difficult for one to explain. Even if they are able to bring themselves to explain it, they themselves can't wrap their minds around it. At one point it might feel so unreal to them that they can't trust their own minds, believing that it must have all been some kind of vivid dream. But sometimes, reality can be stranger than fiction. Arguing with my wife is often the most troubling thing I face these days. She'll get upset with me over something small and drag it out into something much bigger than it truly is. Is it because that's how her brain is wired? Is it because she wants some kind of attention and that's the only way she can get it? Either way, I'm careful about the way I word things. I don't want the wrong thing to slip out and have her completely walk out of my life. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something like that happened. But here I sat, out on my porch. I looked up at the still, starry...

Life is something that every single person alive has taken for granted, whether they realized it or not. It's not until we are faced with something so dark and unforgiving that in our final moments, we reflect on what made our lives worth living. No matter what dark twisted things you have hidden on the path. I waited patiently on the couch, shaking my right leg nervously. This was something I'd been waiting on for ages, even spending a ton of money on. I'd say I was blowing my money, but I assure you it will be worth every penny. Finally, the door across from me was opened and a guy in a white coat came out to greet me, holding a clipboard. "Hi," he shook my hand before taking a seat. "I understand you're here to see your wife again, is that correct?" I nodded. "Yes, absolutely." "Good," he said, writing a few things on his clipboard before looking back to me. "Now, before we go through with this, you agree that no...

B elief is a powerful thing. Following something with such blind faith that the path before you might be shaky, but your guidance is your only light through the darkness of you existence. You may find it difficult to believe the light guiding you isn't a strong one, but a single light. And the bulb is about to burn out. Here it is, standing high before me is the one thing I've been waiting my entire life to do. I'm a vegan, so animal cruelty is something I'm so far against that anyone who stands for it disgusts me. I have a few online accounts where I post videos talking about my journey, as well as the do's and do not's of veganism. I like to think that what I'm doing is slowly and steadily making a difference in the world. Today was going to be a different day. Today I decided that sparking some controversy to spice things up might be the one push that veganism needed to make sure things were going in the right direction in the world. Today I planned...

H ave you ever had that dark shadow looming in the back of your mind. You know something around you is off but you can't quite place your finger on it. What if that off thing was staring you right in the face but the barrier being up kept you from opening your eyes to it?  It was another night I'd spent alone in my bedroom. I had my controller in my hands with a headset on that had an adjustable mic, pointed toward my mouth. I spoke to my friends online as we played one of our favorite game, The Goalie of Soccerville. I know, I hated the cheesiness of the name, but the game wasn't too bad to play against people online. One of my friends cut me off and scored the winning shot, prompting me to shout at them. Of course I wasn't exactly upset with them, they were new to the game they didn't know any better. We laughed it off and waited in the lobby before another game started. I told my friends I was starving, so I got up and headed to the kitchen to find a snack....

T he summer can be the perfect time to get away, to unwind while kicking your feet into the cool water while the hot sun is beaming down on you. But what if the bright summer sky was hiding behind it something even darker? I had been waiting for today all week. They'd finally opened the stream up for fishing. I was a little upset at the fact they'd decided to raise prices, but I didn't care, it was a nice day outside and I wasn't about to waste it sitting inside when I could be fishing. With my tacklebox in hand and my fishing pole in the other, I made my way to my truck. I threw everything in the back seat. I was about to head to the driver's seat but hesitated when I thought about bringing my cooler. I had one in the back ready for fish, as well as housing some canisters of worms. But what if I brought one along for some drinks? After a few moments I decided it might not be the greatest idea. It would be too much to carry and I didn't trust anyone that...

B elieving is often a difficult thing for our minds to comprehend. Often times we need the right push in order to fully commit ourselves into believing something that might sound ridiculous to the average person. However sometimes, the most out there event presents itself to just the right person to fall under its spell. I looked at my poster on the far wall, it belonged to a band I'd listened to for the last few years, their name was The Silver Pelicans. I so desperately wanted to listen to their latest record but couldn't afford it. I needed a job but had no idea what I should do to make money. Then something clicked with me, I could do the cheap thing and sell stuff online, surely that would make me enough money to buy what I wanted. I logged on a website that was known for selling things and created an account. Shortly after doing so, I looked around my room for something to sell. I knew my old laptop I never use would make me a decent amount. I was about to snap a ...

D o you ever walk into a room and forget why you came in there? It is so easy for a single thing to slip our minds. One moment we might be thinking about it, a clear vision in our heads, the next moment we have an incredible amount of difficulty recalling the simplest thing. But what if the thing you forgot about was one that you swore you never would? This was it, the last day I'd ever be standing in the house I grew up in. There were so many memories trapped within these walls that I wasn't ready to let go of. There were still pencil etchings on my bedroom doorframe that showed how tall I was at which age. It had been a few years since the last time we'd done it. I missed the days my parents were so cheerful around me, watching me grow up, a smile forming on their faces with every silly thing I did. I was an only child, so there was never another kid in the picture that would steal my place as the best kid they'd ever had.  I remember playing around with my da...

H ave you ever been in a situation where you are telling a story but the audience doesn't believe its existence and because you have no proof, questions your credibility? There are often times we are faced with the hardships of proving ourselves, but what are you to do when you're the only one to believe it? Swimming along the ocean floor was more peaceful than I'd previously believed it to have been. If it hadn't been for the research I had to do for my blog, I probably wouldn't even have been given an opportunity like this. As I made my way down, I uncovered the ruins of what once was a beautiful ship, carrying hundreds of thousands of people. It had been down here for so long that moss covered nearly everything the rust hadn't. I swam down further to take a look on the inside. How lucky must I have been to be one of the few people in history to view the Titanic this close up? I took a look on the inside and saw what I assumed were doors lining a long ha...

L ife is an interesting thing. We see nothing but good things happening and we assume nothing can go wrong. But more often than we realize, the sunshine in the partly cloudy afternoon sky can be quickly overtaken by dark storm clouds and thunder. Before you know it your beautiful morning can turn into a disaster struck night. Here I lay in my bed, a show playing on my phone of murder shrouded in mystery. It was a crime documentary. This episode featured a woman being trapped in a dog kennel beneath someone's house. This was one of the weirder episodes, one featured this girl believing she was abducted by aliens before winding up dead in a tree. I don't know why I get invested in such dark happenings, but I'm thankful that I've never found myself caught up in anything like that. The episode was nearing its end when my phone began to ring, it was my friend Ellise. She was my best friend since fifth grade. She was always there for me, everything from boy problems to he...

N ot all things in life are joyful and happy. Some things happen in life you want more than nothing to forget. Perhaps it's a failed relationship, or an incident that causes you great anxiety when you reflect on it. Other things you try so hard to forget they actually become a distant memory with time. Until you're reminded and the world crumbles around you. I'll never forget the day I met one of the greatest people of my life. I'd only been with him a few months, but he's my everything. He's my shining light when I'm sinking below the surface. He's the rock I climb onto when the waters of life are roaring, carrying me adrift. I have no idea where I'd be without him. We met in a grocery store not too long after I got off work. I bumped into him and he kept looking at me. After a while I got creeped out and approached him. I scalded him about it. He asked me if he looked familiar. I shook my head and he told me I looked like someone he went to hig...

M emories are an interesting venture. They are something you can reflect on, to relive the good as well as the bad things in your life. The memories can also be deceptive. You might remember a long ago event that happened completely different from how you remember it. My friend Michael and I were bored at home one day. He and I had been longing to make videos online for a while, we just never had a clear direction of what we wanted to write. Mike wanted to do something like playing video games while I wanted to do more daring things and catch them on camera for views. Either way we both had one thing in mind, becoming viral internet stars. He approached my fridge to grab a snack. He sniffed my gallon of milk and judging by the look on his face, it had gone sour. He then paused and turned to me. "David, I know what we should do for a video!" I shook my head. "Dude, please don't tell me it involves spoiled milk." He nodded in response. "Fine." I sa...

T here are some things we are all afraid of, whether or not we choose to admit it to ourselves. Perhaps you feel that the ocean is a safe place, yet when you arrive you find yourself fearing what may be swimming below you. What brushed up against your leg? Can they feel you trembling? Can they smell your fear? There I lay, in bed in an attempt to fall asleep. My television was sitting at a low volume as to not awaken me by surprise as I drift to sleep. I've had the unpleasant experience before. Tonight, I turned to my side, facing away from the harsh light of the television, yet still able to make out almost perfectly what they were saying. What was on right now was a couple arguing in a sitcom. I didn't care much for what they were saying, but the roar of the laugh track after every line or two was somewhat soothing to me. I was so close to drifting to sleep, when across the room there came a tapping on my window. I sat up and turned toward the window. It was pitch black...

F ear is something none of us take lightly. You may think you are fearless by watching a few horror films or reading many scary books, but I can assure you that fear is something all too real. It's something that can save your life. It can also be something you never want to be entangled in. The carnival was in town. Tents were set up side by side in almost a box shape, surrounding the entirety of the carnival. Hay was scattered across the ground to hide that this was a section of a street they had to section off, for this town was too small to house this carnival elsewhere. There were far too many people there for this to be enjoyable, but I followed my friend Tommy around anyway. "I can't believe nobody ever told you about Madame Echo," he said. "She's such a good fortune teller. She once predicted exactly how someone would die and when, and she was right down to the second." "So you expect me to believe some fortune teller is going to tell ...

D o you ever find yourself feeling distracted? Do you ever find yourself so focused on one thing so intensely that anything outside of that one thing, you pay no mind to? It's an unhealthy thing that the human mind has built into it. Sometimes it can be helpful in completing tasks, while other times it will only end in disaster. I finished typing my last few words on my newest novel. It had been my project for the last few months. I saved the story and sat back in my desk chair, satisfied with my work finally done. I breathed a sigh of relief. I stood from my chair and stretched my back, sore from being hunched over a keyboard for the last few hours. I felt my stomach rumble as it growled at me. I figured I might as well grab some food while I'm up. I stepped over several boxes and plastic wrappers as I stumbled my way into the kitchen. I looked around for my bread. Where had I put it last? I asked myself looking through the empty chip bags and old news papers. I knew my ...

T here are some things in live that are often overlooked. It's something you don't think about in the moment, but upon reflection you realize the affects of your actions and how they could have caused your future to turn out so much differently had you chosen another path. It's often these things we take for granted. Walking endlessly through the wastelands, my horse carried my upon its weary back. It had been nearly a full day since I gave the poor girl a rest. I almost gestured for the horse to stop so that she could have a rest, when I saw something in the distance. It was a windmill. There was a spark of hope once again in me, we were finally about to be reunited by civilization. My horse galloped toward the windmill until I saw a town coming into view, several buildings the sat on either side of a long dirt road. As we finally arrived into town I was beyond starved to the point I could barely walk straight. I stopped my horse in front of a store and tied her up on ...

L ove is the easiest thing to fall into. It's so easy for a smile to catch your heart and carry it for as long as you'll let it. But what happens when they grip your heart and crush it before even giving it a chance, judging the heart souly upon its weight rather than what lay within?  I'd been typing away at my laptop on a warm summers day. I was lucky enough to find a seat where the sun was just perfectly blocked by the blooming tree overhead. I sat back from my keyboard for a moment to take a deep breath of fresh air. I didn't make it outside much, so any chance I got I appreciated deeply. And the calming sounds of nature mixed in with the chattering of people in the distance made for a calming atmosphere. I was surprised when I was greeted by a gorgeous blonde woman sat down next to me. "What are you writing?" She asked, her voice as smooth and as light as silk. I took a glance at my screen as her piercing, ocean blue eyes followed my gaze. "I...

L ife is the most valuable thing in the foreseeable universe. It's so easy to get taken away by the things in life we all take for granted. It would be a simple thing to do, to waste our lives doing things within our comfort zone, yet it seeming a difficult task to take control of life and get the most out of it. And sometimes in life, we get far more than we bargain for. After my dad died in a car accident last month, it was one of the worst things to ever happen to me. I'd often find myself sobbing behind closed doors at the fact that I'd never get to play ball with him or have a father figure in my life to teach me things. The one thing he left me was his favorite hat, a black fedora. It was made of somewhat cheap materials, but it smelled like him. It was the one thing he'd never leave the house without. I cherished it. I cherished his hat so dearly that by the winter that followed, when it snowed heavy, my friends and I decided to build a snowman. It had a wi...

V acations are a beautiful time, allowing yourself to escape from the harshness of the world. Being stressed because of work and paying bills, you just want to get away from it all and relax. So that's exactly what I did. But a more sinister force may have taken my meaning of a vacation a little too seriously. My family and I had finally arrived at the hotel, which had taken nearly three hours to get to. It was the closest hotel we could find to the state fair grounds. My husband and I had decided that a vacation was in place after all the stress and hard times we'd been through this past year. That and playing at the state fair this year was one of my favorite bands, Velvet Rose. After arriving at the hotel, my husband and two fourteen year old kids grabbed some bags out of the car and carried them inside. I made my way to the man at the desk. I gave paid for the room and he presented me with a key card. We made our way to the elevator and toward our rooms to get settled i...

W hat would you do if you'd believed something your entire life so dearly that you don't know what you would do if reality changed your mind about it? How dramatically would it change the world? How would it change your perspective on life? Would this spell out the end for humanity? I'd been awoken by my alarm going off. It was ten in the morning, time to get ready for work. Before I got out of bed I checked my phone. I scrolled through social media for a few minutes when I found a news article shared by my aunt. The article said something about some religion figures vanishing in the middle of their shows. I clicked on the article, expecting it to be a hoax. I skimmed through it and it went on to list all of the religious figures that had disappeared. My friend texted me not five minutes later, asking me if I'd heard that the rapture had apparently happened earlier that day. Of course, I replied with that I had read something about it. She said her mom was freakin...

S ome say a song can carry the tune of the heart. If you can play the right song, the melody can carry you to a pleasant memory. Sometimes the songs can take you to a sad or very emotional place. And then other songs have the ability to do an immeasurable amount of damage to ones soul. Music can make you feel a variant of different ways. Even ways you wish you'd never felt. I made my way to the city bus stop, the hot summer sun beaming down on me. I was lucky I was wearing sunglasses, for if I hadn't I would be blinded for certain. I sat down on the lone open seat on the bench. When I sat it nearly burnt my rear, but with how hot it was out I needed a seat. Before the bench, sitting on the sidewalk beside the road was a man with long dark hair and a brown leather jacket on. He had his guitar in has lap strumming away with his case next to him that every once in a while, people would drop some money in. I was almost upset by this. I knew he was doing this to raise money to...