365 Short Horrors

P eople do strange things when they're in love with someone. They might write them love letters or poems to express how they feel. They might think about them day and night, like a magnet that refuses to let go of your mind once attracted. You might even try to hide your feelings all together. No matter which way you shake it, everyone reacts different to falling in love. Standing before the bathroom mirror, I scrubbed away at my face and around my eyes to get rid of the makeup I had on earlier. As I scrubbed, I couldn't help but think back to the horrifying scene taking place at the mall earlier. There was this guy in some kind of grey mask.  I was walking with my friends to grab a bite to eat over by the food court. We heard someone screaming so we looked at what was happening. This guy in a grey mask hand his arm outstretched toward this guy. The guy was floating above the ground. As he raised his arm higher, higher up the man went. As we got closer to see where the gu...

L et's play a little game of I spy. I spy something dark, something in the corner of your eye that you're too afraid to look at. I spy something white, just nearing the corner of your room. I spy a closet, the door just barely hanging open. I spy a dark shape slithering toward you in the dark room you lay in. I spy someone reading these words, just don't look up. I found you. Sitting before the television set I had in my RV, I watched over the footage captured a few months ago. There was a gas station, a normal Wednesday afternoon. There were your average customers walking around, looking for drinks and snacks before making their way to the register. Out of nowhere, this guy in a grey, stone carving mask comes in. He grabs a bag of chips with his grey, gloved hand, and gets in line. The people around him don't stop staring. He looks around as someone off camera starts talking to him. The man in the mask lifts his hand and a guy starts to float up, his back coverin...

B eing approached by someone emotionless makes our minds wander. Seeing their lack of reaction to anything we have to saw, one might believe they are depressed or are anti-social. Basically, expressionless people are like cans of soda, you can't see what it looks like inside, so you can only assume based on what the outside has to show. The men came to the grocery store a few moments ago, all eyes glued to them. They appeared to be wearing some kind of grey Halloween masks of some ancient stone carvings. They looked almost like Easter Island heads but with a slightly, more grim expression. As they made their way down each aisle, we would back away from them as they grunted to each other in some form of communication. We weren't too sure what they were doing there, nor who they were. My initial thought was that these were some high school kids pulling some joke on us. Perhaps they were recording our reactions to laugh at later. When they got in line to check out, a few c...

F ire, it starts by a cause unknown. It's carried through for far longer than we ever wanted to. Several different parties believing they know what it takes to put it out but, while it seems to be working to them, to everyone else it's just getting worse. This carrying on for so long that we've passed through each individual solution. Instead coming together and developing a solution rather than fighting over who's right, the fire eases until there's nothing left but a smoke trail. I put the book I had in my hands, on the desk. I had just finished a novel about a person that ventured into a cave and found talking bears that lead him to a treasure. Further and further into the cave they lead him until they can go no further. They then stop and begin to eat him. A dark story, but an easy escape from the horrors of reality. There's a building in town that my family refuses to stop fighting about. I find it funny and a little ridiculous that they still bicker ...

H ow would you react if you woke up with an incredible ability, such as being able to fly or read minds? What would you do with your new found abilities, use them for good or evil? Or perhaps keep it a secret and use it for your own personal gain. But what if the ability was suddenly out of your control and others would use it to manipulate you? How would you fight back? Stepping into the kitchen, my stomach growled. I craved a snack but was unsure as to what to make myself. Should I opt for a simple bag of chips or should I go out of my way and cook something? After pondering over it a while, I came to my decision, celery. I reached into my fridge and grabbed a package of celery. I opened the plastic packaging and grabbed a knife. Unfortunately, the celery had come together in on solid stock, requiring me to slice it. Oh well, I thought, I'd need to cut it anyways to put peanut butter on it.  I began chopping when the knife went through my finger. I jumped back, dropping t...

I magine a world where nothing makes sense. You could be writing a story in your mind and it appears on the page before you. Or perhaps your dog beside you is barking, its mouth doesn't move, you press your ear to it and the sound is coming from its stomach. Out of anything that could happen beyond your wildest imagination, turn it a shade darker and you have what this entire series is about. Walking through the woods and carrying my sleeping bag with my other belongings over my shoulder in my backpack, I hiked with my family through the woods until we could find the best place to set up camp. Certainly, it had felt like years since the last time we camped, but now that it was happening, I dreaded it greatly. Being outside in the sweltering heat and covered in sweat and bugs, it no longer seemed any fun. I could hear my parents saying something to each other and laughing. I wish I felt that same joy inside they were sharing. Instead, I was feeling nothing short of ignored. Af...

S leep, something we need to function, whether we want to do it or not. It's the perfect few hours of rest that rejuvenates our bodies and makes us more alert the longer we keep it up. However, without sleep, your body will slowly decay your mind and your motor function until all there is left is rest. Waking up, I glanced over to the window to see that the sun was just barely making its rise in the sky. The darkness was beginning to melt away, leaving a hint of light that would only grow brighter with time. I rose from my bed and hopped in the shower. I needed something to wake me up and wipe the sleep from my eyes. I cleaned my hair and washed over my body. I dried myself and was ready to take on the day. I dressed myself and stepped out the door. I hopped into my car, the radio popping on just a little too loud. I pressed in the volume button and turned the music off completely. I would rather be alone and sulk in the last remaining time being alone before clocking in fo...

C onfusion is probably the largest cloud that hangs over the mind. You have so many mixed signals and so many different emotions going toward one subject that you feel your mind is being pulled every which way without any hope for a release. Sometimes, the best way to tackle the confusion plaguing you is to talk it out and hope an answer shines through. I stared out the window, the trees and grass zooming by and making everything blur together into lines of green and yellow. Sitting in the car may be where I was but I existed in my imagination, thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong. Why must brains seduce you into intense anxiety? My thoughts were interrupted by my nosey mother. "What's on your mind?" I glanced over at her and back to the window. "I know," she started, turning down the curving back roads. "You want to go back to Appleton, but my job won't allow it. Besides, you'll love this place. There's so much to do h...

T raveling deep into the jungle, we come across food. It is a bush of berries. Finally, after what feels like an eternity without food, your hunger can be quenched. You can almost smell the sweet essence radiating off of these luscious fruits. You reach your hand out to pick one to pop into your mouth. You stop short as you are reminded there are some berries laced with poison that lurk in woods like your own. Do you dare eat it and risk death?           Many years ago, a strange phenomenon swept the nation, wiping out vegans. It was something in the plants that changed, made them poisonous to humans. Other animals, the plants treated with kindness. Only humans, did they decide to lash out at. People began turning on one another, pointing fingers at the living and calling people out for not being real vegans, else they would be dead. Life since has been far different than we expected. We knew we'd have to be living off of food that was heavily processed...

H aving trust in technology is something that, over the past decade or so, we've grown more reliant on. To the generation growing up with it, learning the smart phone ways has become second nature. The older generations are less fortunate, falling victim to misunderstandings and simple mistakes. But what happens when the worst thing happens to an elder with a smart phone, without any sort of assistance to guide them through to being okay once again? I watched, and tried my best to help, as my granddaughter packed her things to leave for college. She lived with me ever since she first started high school, and she's been helping me out by doing things around the house for me when I was unable to. Her living with me has truly been a blessing. I tried my best not to cry as I gave her a hug. She had the last of her things packed in a bag that was draped over her shoulder. It was difficult for me to see her go, but at the same time, I was glad to see her doing things with her l...

R espect is a coin toss. Some respect until a reason is given to take it back. Others see respect as something that should be earned before it is given in small amounts. No matter how you look at it, one question remain. A single question that may have never before passed your mind, would you have respect for the dead? The night crept onward as my best friend and I staked out the town graveyard. Nightfall was nearing its peak as some people lurked around the graves, paying their respects and dropping flowers off. How sentimental. I turned to my friend, Brandon, as he sat at the wheel, playing a game on his phone. Clearly he was getting into it, the way he leaned slightly from side to side as if he was actually in the game itself. I cracked a smile. I'm glad he was able to find some enjoyment before going out to get done what we needed to do. He and I had the job of robbing a grave. One grave in particular. There was a man that paid us anonymously that asked us to find the g...

T attoos, a work of art displayed on the skin that helps represent the person wearing it. The designs may be interesting, the images fascinating. Pain brought about to ensure success from the artist. But not all tattoos are kind, some bite back at the wearer. Some leave an unwanted scar wrapped in torment. What is one to do when the tattoo fights back? Getting a tattoo for my nineteenth birthday was supposed to be a gift from my best friend. She overheard me say I wanted one and insisted on paying. I was terrified of the needle they'd use on me, making me even more hesitant to going. She continued pushing me toward it, her main excuse being that she already paid for it. Why must she surprise me with such torment? After arriving at the tattoo shop, the man behind the desk asked for our names. Upon seeing we already paid, he asked me what I wanted. Of course, I was nervous as all hell. I looked over to my friend, Jen, for she knew exactly what I wanted. She took out her phone a...

L earning new things can be considered a blessing by some. Not the lessons that can be taught in a crowded classroom, but ones that are learned in life. Take this story for instance, our main character is about to learn that things can turn sour far faster than the blink of an eye. And once things go sour, it takes far more effort to make it sweet again. "I know you wanted to teach me to be a better werewolf, but do we have to use living creatures for me to attack?" I asked of my grandfather as we made it out even further into the woods, a jar in my hands that contained fairies. "Why can't we use something dead, or a doll?" "Because, Jonathan," he stopped walking and turned to me, his face brought closer to mine. "You are training for something real, something that can fight back. You won't get much of a fight out of a doll." He turned back around and I followed him deeper into the woods. I looked down at the glowing fairies as th...

T hroughout the ages, fantasy was something that helped shape where fiction sits today, creating fascinating creatures and intriguing worlds. The ideas later twisted the minds of writers into something dark and unforgiving. However, while they may be works of fiction, what is stopping them from being real? Stocking shelves at a supermarket wasn't exactly how I had planned to spend my afternoon. I was forced into covering a shift this woman had before she went crazy and killed herself in one of the aisles. I was glad I didn't work that day, for seeing the dead body might have scarred me for life. I tried shaking the thought from my mind and continue working. I looked over at the clock on the far wall. It was approaching nine o'clock. Almost time for me to go home. I tossed another can of carrots on the shelf before grabbing the empty box they came from and making my way to the back of the store. Shortly after going to the back, my boss called to me and told me to clo...

D reams are truly an interesting phenomenon we all encounter nearly every time we rest our heads. Sometimes the dreams are pleasant, you meet someone you'd always wanted to, or experience something that fills you with excitement. Other times, the dreams are not so kind. They might torture your mind and make you wish so desperately you could wake up, but it doesn't come to light. Of course you might get lucky and not dream at all. The day dragged on longer as my eyelids grew heavier. It was another day of doing construction on a building in the center of town. I was in charge of installing the tiles on the roof. It was a slanted roof, but I was thankful my shoes were tough and slip resistant. I was lost in sorting the tiles and making sure they were aligned correctly before putting them on and moving on to the next. It was somewhat of a painless process, since I had been doing this sort of thing for over a year now. Standing on high places used to bother be, but at this po...

O vercoming trauma in life can result in your brain doing a multitude of weird things, from certain pictures or words giving you flashbacks, to an entire separate personality being developed, or your brain blocking out anything associated with it all together. No matter what kind of trickery your brain pulls on you, there's never anything good that can come from a trigger. Struggling to get customers out of the check out and out the door, I was unfortunately the only person in the store at the time that could check anyone out. The line for the register felt as though it was a mile long. After checking the first person out completely, I grabbed the phone on the side of the register and asked if my manager could come help me with the line. He said to just deal with it, that he'd be right over. I continued checking more and more people out, some of them looking annoyed if I attempted making small talk as I scanned their seemingly endless stream of items. I was thankful there...

T here are theories that exist, things that wee don't have all the facts about yet but we think we have a feel for how they work. Some things we theorize about are how the universe came into existence, how there might be life outside of our own planet, or different explanations of what happens to us after we die. But what if one of these theories are right, but not in the way we want them to be? Surgery wasn't something I was really looking forward to, but when I heard that I can't go back to work without it, I figured I might as well follow through with it. It was better than limping around and hoping for a miracle. I know I'm a rather religious person, but I feel like having the money for the surgery was the Lord's way of telling me to go get it done. What had happened to me was, when I was riding my bike the other day around the park, as I normally did every morning, the chain on my bike had caught up on something and caused the pedals to spin backward and ...

N othing enrages the soul more than when things created do not function the way they were intended. Nothing internally wrong with the machinery, it just chooses no to work the way you want it to. Some may see it as something faulty, while others see it as the machine itself acting out against its creator. But what happens when the machine's bad behavior becomes a matter of life and death? Business trips are something I dread more than anything. I'm what you might call an introvert, and finding myself in a new city, crowded with far more people than I'm used to, causes my anxiety to spike like it's nobody's business. It doesn't help that I don't have any means for transport besides the city bus. I was on a basic business trip to speak to some publishers about getting my next novel on shelves before the end of the year. It was a long time coming, but now that I've got one book that's been accepted and another that will soon be on the way, I knew ...

A female voice could be heard, humming what could only be described as a lullaby in the distance. You find yourself being drawn nearer and nearer to it as it beckons you. You grow closer in distance until you meet the melodic singer face to face, only to realize you've made a grave mistake. Walking further into the darkness, Brenda followed close behind her sisters. They'd known each other for hundreds of years and had no plans of separating, no matter how dire the situations became. The Arkain sisters were a clan of witches that had been together and caused havoc since the medieval days. They met during the Salem witch trials and their souls have been, since, intertwined. As they ventured further down the hallway, Brenda asked her sisters what they were all planning to do, as it had become somewhat lost on her with them planning when she wasn't around. Heather and Sarah stopped, and with their torches in hand, explained to her that they were becoming older and it ...

H orror is a thing that can be debated, is it something that's created or is it something that only exists for the sake of a scare? The answer to this, as most horror stories go, is that horror is something that can easily exist but causes nothing but harm to the people associated with it. But what if it were created out of nothing? Who would do it? And why? It was Halloween night and my friend, Charles and I, were awaiting the arrival of two other guests, Kara and Michelle. Of course, they were supposed to be our dates for tonight. Well, Kara was supposed to be mine, whereas Michelle was Charles' girlfriend. I was planning on making my move on Kara tonight. We heard the doorbell ring just as our scary movie had finished. It felt almost as though they'd planned it to try to get out of watching the movie with us. We all sat down on the couch, next to our dates. Charles put his arm around his girlfriend while Kara and I just sat next to each other, awkwardly chuckling...

P ossibly one of the most interesting things about the many human languages is that one word can have multiple meanings. It can often used to form puns, to get a cheap laugh out of, "Was this what you meant?". Sometimes the misuse of the word can become a dangerous mix that can cause only calamity to ensue. Returning home from the feed store, my farm looked about as cheerful as it could. The sun was hanging high in the sky, flooding the world with its sweltering heat. I could see the the bugs flying around and the birds gliding and collecting the blooming seeds from the ground. I got out of my truck and headed inside to see my wife once again. Her name was Jenny. I was the luckiest guy in the world to have married such a gorgeous woman with an attitude and outlook on life incredibly similar to my own. She was short with brown hair, golden brown eyes to match. I walked through the door and was greeted by her warm and welcoming smile. "Did you get the 'Chicken Sc...