365 Short Horrors

     The winter was rough as cold wind pushed aggressively against my kitchen window. Glancing over to the thermostat, it was a chilling 13 degrees outside. Though the darkness of the night, the snow floated through the rageful breeze, adding to its overgrown collection on the ground below.     The flames of the candles around my apartment danced as the dim light guided me over to my cabinet. The power had been out for a while, and I was stranded within my house for the foreseeable future. There wasn't much food for me to eat, as I had foolishly believed that the storm so many people were ranting about would not come to pass. I mean, through the past several years, we've had the threat of all kinds of terrible natural disasters. Last summer a tornado was supposed to roll through, tearing the town to shreds. Yet nothing even close happened. Then, the town was supposed to flood a few months ago, only to result in a few puddles of rain sprinkled about. So, the snow...

     This is it. Tonight is the date of a lifetime. I'd had a crush on her for months and finally, I convinced her to go out for dinner with me. She and I agreed to meet up at the local Mexican restaurant. I got there first and found the perfect table. It was off to the left of the building, close to the window but not too close.     Shortly after she arrived, we chatted a bit, chuckling nervously every once in a while. It didn't take long before the server came around to take our order. She wanted some taco salad, whereas I ordered a chimichanga.     We chatted away, me being lost in her emerald green eyes. The way she smiled with the moon twinkling in her eyes made my heart melt. I had to be the luckiest guy alive.     Then, I felt a buzzing on my wrist. I tore my eyes away from my date, Diane and gazed down at my watch. At first it was a quick glance, but then I did a double-take as I stared down in confusion. The time on my watch was runn...

     The day started just like any other. I was meeting up with some friends to grab some lunch. We all wanted tacos, so we met up there.     As we ate, we chatted about, having the usual conversations you'd expect. Jokes, whatever's going on in our lives, work, family drama. The works. Then, Greg brought up the TV show he'd been hooked on. It was called 'Connected'. He went on raving about it, drawing in details that I can't really think of at the moment. It was something like a cartoon where this guy travels around in a flying car and meets new people.     We all kind of chuckled, thinking this was just some silly kids' show. But he insisted it was more than that. He began pulling plots and quotes from the show like he'd seen each episode hundreds of times. We all joked about it. Everyone except for Greg.     "It finds you when you need it the most," he claimed. "Not a moment before and not a moment after. You probably would have found i...

     There's a local legend on this side of town that you seldom hear about. A tale of greatness. A late of a great tumble. And a tale more luxurious than you'd be lead to believe.     Once, several decades ago, live a rather famous philosopher named Samuel Longfellow. He had a rather inquisitive mind, one unlike the world had ever seen before. He'd developed theories about people, about countries, about history and math, unlike anything we'd ever heard before. And on many occasions, he'd won awards for his incredible mind.     Through all his brilliance, he'd become rather wealthy. Yet he rather spent his time alone. He claimed it helped his developing mind craft more brilliance. And perhaps he was right.     Within his insane ideals, he had a personal goal for himself. One that seemed far too odd to get behind. He wanted to have the world's longest beard. He'd claimed that he had never shaved a single whisker in his face since he was in ado...

     Somebody opened a door they weren't supposed to. Now, it won't shut.     Those words echoed through my mind as my friend, Jacob, and I were headed to the factory. This was an old, abandoned shoe factory from the 80's. Apparently there was this fire that broke out in one of the machines. The flames overtook one side of the factory before they even realized there was a fire to begin with. They say everyone made it out alive. But then again, they didn't exactly have a head count of the workers there. And they never found out why the fire started either.     As we arrived at the front doors, we noticed they were charred, the green paint peeling away to reveal a rusted silver just behind it. I grabbed the handle and, with a gentle tug, the door squeaked open. On the other side of the door was pitch darkness. It was surreal, like we were peering straight into the void.     Jacob turned on the flashlight on his phone and shone it inside. Everyt...

     The bedroom was cold as I lay bundled up in my blankets. I wasn't used to such a dreadful cold but the blankets protected me from the inescapable frost. The pale moonlight streamed in through my window, illuminating the room ever so much that I could make out what was hiding in the shadows.     My furnace roared to life, sending some much-needed heat throughout my apartment.     I tossed and turned, struggling to sleep. Something didn't feel right. There was something wrong with my bedroom, I thought. I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Maybe the walls were farther back than I'd initially thought. Maybe that pile of clothes in the corner had been shifted a different way before I'd turned the lights out for the night. Perhaps my bed felt like it was on the wrong side of the room. Either way, something felt very wrong.     I sat up in bed, looking around in acute paranoia. But as my eyes scanned the room, nothing seemed out of the ordi...

     I climbed off the city bus after a long an exhausting day at work. As I walked through the front door, I heard the familiar sound of my dog barking and yipping at me. He was excited to see me. But I was too exhausted to play with him. I gave him a few head pats before slipping my shoes off and walking over to slump down on my couch.     As soon as I sat down I felt something cold and wet beneath me. I jumped up and peered down at the couch cushion to find that I had just sat in a puke spot. He'd thrown up on the couch again.     I scolded the dog as I grabbed a paper towel wad and gathered up the mess. Then a few more to pat it all down for good measure. Of course, I had to change my pant out and wash my work pants.     I was irritated. All I wanted to do was sit down and take a few moments to relax but I couldn't even do that.     Sitting back down on the couch, a car zoomed by, prompting my dog to bark like the car was the sc...

     I had been looking forward to this camping trip for a while. My friends and I were finally on break from college classes, so we decided to meet up and go camping out in the middle of the woods before summer reached its end.     Night had fallen, drowning the world in darkness, save for the twinkling stars that were sparingly sprinkled throughout the night sky. We were sitting around the camp fire. I was roasting a marshmallow while the guy beside me was singing and playing a song on his guitar. He was once part of a band before they split up. We all sang along to his tune as the fire rose, illuminating our faces.     This is what I really needed after such a long and busy week with work and family drama and everything. It was good to finally get away and relax a bit.     But after the campfire faded and we all crawled into our tents for the night, I gazed up at the moon for a brief moment. It seemed larger than normal. You could see the ...

     There are some things in this world that I will never understand. Why can't animals speak? Why are some people taller than others? Why are tacos the best kind of food in the world? And the biggest question floating through my mind, why has that thing been staring at me through my window for the last half hour?     Ever since I noticed it, I've had my eyes locked on it. It's twisted face still frozen in that horrid smile, its eyes unblinking. Its face was white and smooth, like a plain white bowl with eyes that seemed to peer directly into your soul. Its mouth curved up into an impossibly tall smile, the edge of its lips nearly touching its forehead.     I think its waiting for me to move, to blink, to look away for a split second so it can swipe in for the kill or something. But I dared not look away.     Why did I leave that damn window open? I scolded myself. It wasn't even that hot or stuffy in here. Maybe it was habit? Maybe it was o...

     It was hard to breathe being in such an enclosed space. But I was doing this for love, so what else could I do?     As I recall, a few days ago, my girlfriend believed I was cheating on her because she saw someone that looked similar to me out on a date with another woman. I insisted that I was at work the entire time, but still she didn't believe me.     I begged and pleaded with her asking if there was anything I could do to make her love me again. Her final words before she left was "You know what, prove your love to me. Die for me."     Of course I wasn't actually intending on dying for her or anything like that, but I was willing to get as close as I possibly could to it by burying myself in a coffin. Our deal was that I would do this and she would come by and dig me out after a few hours. She hesitated for a while before accepting the proposal, but she obliged. She said that if I wasn't exactly where I said I was going to be buried...

     The sun beat down on me harshly as I wiped more sweat from my forehead. I gazed down at the ground to see how much progress I'd made in digging the hole in my backyard. It seemed pretty deep, probably 3 feet or so. I wanted to have the hole be at least 6 or 7 feet so I could see what was down there.     I had something I wanted to bury, a box of sorts, but I needed to dig the hole much deeper if I wanted the thing to be truly buried. But that would have to wait for now.     Looking down at my watch, it seemed to be a quarter after 4 in the afternoon. I noticed the hunger pains growing in my stomach as I realized it had been nearly 5 hours since the last time I'd eaten anything.     I sat my shovel down against the side of the house and headed inside, scavenging the kitchen cabinets until I could find something to satisfy my starvation. I found some bread and peanut butter and figured that was good enough.     After throwing tog...

     Your birthday is supposed to be the happiest day of the year for you, right? So then why was I sitting alone, crying my eyes out as the people I thought were my friends were pointing and laughing at me?     Maybe they thought embarrassing the hell out of me at this restaurant was funny or something. Maybe they got a kick out of throwing the birthday cake in my face out of absolutely nowhere. It was a cruel and twisted joke, especially when they threw it with such force that I was in the bathroom for nearly an hour trying to get my nose to stop bleeding.     What was wrong with them?     But as I sat crying, a man approached me. He wore a purple suit and tie, as well as a purple top hat and a pencil-thin mustache.     "What seems to be the matter, dear?" he asked, speaking in an accent I couldn't quite place. He turned his head to see my friends, who had stopped laughing at me and were now chatting amongst each other at the tabl...

     I let out a loud burp that left the air smelling like bologna. My friends around me all booed me and made disgusted noises like they were pretending to throw up. I snickered, thinking their reactions were hilarious as they waved away the burped air around them.     I rolled my eyes. "Come on guys," I chuckled. "It wasn't that bad."     "Dude, I'm never going to be able to unsmell that," said my friend Bobby.     He and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. He, as well as a couple of our other friends were gathered at my house to hang out and watch some horror movies. It'd been a while since the last time we'd all seen each other, but thankfully today we all had some time free to hang out.     As we turned out attention to the television, Bobby had his eyes locked on the neighbor's lawn across the street. And it wasn't much of a surprise why. My neighbors always went nuts with Christmas lights. And this year was no...

     My friends and I were excited to go see the Grand Canyon. A few weeks ago, we decided to rent an RV and here we are now, on the road trip of a life time.     Today was our second day out on the road. We'd passed by a few states and each took turns driving when the previous driver was growing tired. James, Corbin, and I had been wanting to do something like this ever since we graduated high school. And now that we were on break after our second year in community college, we were more than ready for this.     At this point, night had overtaken the world, drowning it in its dark abyss. The only thing illuminating the world around us was the narrow beam of headlight on the road as we drove. It was getting late, so we decided we should find a spot to rest for the night. Unfortunately for us, there wouldn't be another rest stop for a few miles.     As we drove on, we chatted and joked about random things that now seemed really dumb.   ...

     The sun shone brightly in the bedroom as I was dragged out of my dreams and into reality. Rolling over to check my phone, I saw that it was nearly 11am. Had I really slept that late?     I threw the covers off of me and rushed to the bathroom to throw some water on my face and brush my teeth, the usual morning routine. I then sped to the living room to my computer. I hoped and prayed that the cameras actually worked last night. Thankfully, I easily found the files it recorded last night.     I got comfortable on the couch and hit play, watching all four screens from the surveillance cameras from last night. They were all green as the infra-red displayed my house.     All the rooms, the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and the area by the front door, were all perfectly still. I didn't feel like sitting through all the blandness, so I hit a button to fast forward a bit. Until I saw movement coming from the corner of the kitchen. I pa...

     Traveling for work was always fun for me. Seeing the sights and meeting new people was always exciting and refreshing from the mundane boredom of staying at home all day. I was grateful for the opportunities that being a writer provided me.     As the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky this beautiful purple-blue hue, I had finally pulled into the parking lot of the hotel I'd be staying the night in. It wasn't exactly the fanciest place to stay, but it would get the job done.     I checked in and the gracious lady at the front desk handed me my room key. On the way to the room, I took a few glances around the lobby and my eyes landed on a corkboard with several missing person's posters. This peaked my curiosity, so I stepped closer. There were dozens of posters, all with black and white images of various people of different ages and genders. All disappearing in the last few years. All of them were last seen in this very city.   ...

     Sleep escaped me as I slowly paced back and forth in the kitchen, stumbling with every few steps. I felt almost drunk with how disoriented I felt.     It had been weeks since the eerie feeling crept over me.     I would be attempting to sleep, much like most nights. I would listen to the crickets chirping outside, maybe the occasional car zooming by. It was almost soothing to hear the outside world as it made me feel less alone somehow. Like the world itself was at peace.     But that's when I heard it. Call me paranoid, but my house was relatively new. Never had I heard the floorboards creak or any subtle thuds of the house settling. Yet, that one night, I could swear I heard something in the room with me. I could swear it sounded like maybe the rustling of clothes, or a soft creaking sound. It was subtle enough that I felt I needed to hold my breath to hear it, as even a single exhale would mask it.     I would turn to face t...

     I sat in the back of the car, my parents singing together in the front seat to some weird song on the radio. It was something I'd never heard of, so you know it was old.     Sitting on my lap was my computer. I had a story I needed to write, but I was drawing a blank. The only phrase that kept entering my mind was, 'The bedroom was cold.' Now, this was something of a good starting point for me normally. Usually I could come up with some good lines to follow it with and trail the rabbit hole that the story led me down. But for some reason, that phrase left me stumped.     In frustration, I turned my head to the window, watching the world pass us by in a blur. We were all alone of this deserted road, out in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but grass and trees and powerlines for miles. On one hand it was incredibly boring. On the other, it gave me this strange perspective of how vast the world is and how small we were compared to it.     My a...

     Some people write because its fun. Some write because they feel inspired. I write because that thing behind me won't let me stop.     It's watching me, its cold eyes burning into the back of my skull. It's been there for so long at this point that I can't remember a time where it wasn't behind me. It watches me with intensity. One of which sends chills down my spine.     There was one point where I stopped writing for a single moment, to rest my aching fingers, but I heard footsteps behind me scraping against the floorboards as they creeped closer. That was a few days ago. I begged and pleaded for it to let me stop tying, to get some food, to use the restroom, to even just sleep. Yet, it remained silent. I was thankful at least that I had the lights on when I began writing, otherwise I'd be left in the dark overnight without being able to see my keys. Could you imagine, typing away at a keyboard without being able to see?     I was thank...

     The wind was howling on this cold winter night. It whistled through my hair like whispers of the undead coming back to remind me that I wasn't as alone as I felt.     It was supposed to be another Tuesday night, but this was one unlike any I had ever experienced.     The day began like any other. I woke up late and after an hour of scrolling through my phone, I dragged myself out of bed as I realized I needed to leave for work soon. Man, how I dreaded my job. It was an average minimum wage job that required little experience. But the people there work you like you're some kind of robot. You're basically expected to be a manager without the pay, nor the authority.     Sure, I had every opportunity to leave. Hell, I should have several months ago, but I stayed because it seemed easier to me than to be retrained again for a job I'd also hate.     But as I got to work, I clocked in and noticed all of the workers gathered around the...

     It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It was all supposed to be a joke, but it went horribly wrong.     The day started like any other. I went to school to see my friend, Jared. He and I had been best friends since the seventh grade. Which was about two years ago, but it felt like we'd known each other a lifetime.     Today was April 1st and it was time for our pranks we'd been setting up for a while to begin. He shared some cookies with me at lunch and I bit into them, thinking they were regular Oreos, but the shock hit me when I tasted something sour. Something that wasn't exactly edible. I spit it out instantly. The taste in my mouth lingered and almost burned a bit. I chugged some water to try and get rid of the rancid taste.     Glancing over, Jared's face was red as he was trying to hold back laughter. But as my head turned more toward him, the laughter broke through like a dam. There were literal tears welling in his eyes from l...

     Excellent, you opened the story. My phone just pinged, notifying me of this action. I was beginning to get worried for a moment. But I guess now that you're here, I need to distract you for a few moments while I... well, you'll find out soon enough.     I'll try to be vague on the details as to not give too much away for my plan. Where was I. Oh yes, the story. My distraction.     So, there was this woman. Let's say her name is Sarah. Everyone in her house had gone to sleep and she was busy browsing the internet until she happened upon a story. One much like you're reading right now.     It was dark outside, which made it far easier to blend into the shadows than you would expect. Anyways, she was just in her room, peering down at her phone, reading a story that was said to be the scariest ever written. Of course, she didn't believe it. Or maybe she did but wanted to prove just how brave she was.     She then heard a sound behi...

     There's nothing I love more than that new car smell. I was on the highway after just leaving the dealership. It was a long and tedious process, but I was finally the proud owner of a new car. Well, it was the model from about two years ago, but I was happy about it all the same. And it didn't cost a ton of money either.     It didn't take me any more than about five minutes to get home. I pulled into the driveway in front of my apartment building and turned off the car. I sat with it for a few minutes, looking through all the compartments and exploring all the cool features and stuff it had built into it. My previous car was one from about twenty years ago, so the fanciest that one got was a radio and a CD player.     After the satisfaction wore off, I got out of the car and locked it. I admired it from the outside as I made my way to the front door and walked into my apartment.     I got comfortable on the couch, throwing off my shoes, ...

     Here I sat, on the rooftop of my apartment building. It had been such a long day and I was exhausted. I wasn't tired in the sense where I didn't want to leave my bed, but rather, I wanted to look up at the stars, breathing in the night air and just feeling everything around me. Like I was one with the world.     And for a while, it felt great. I was alone with my thoughts, finally giving myself time to breathe after a day at work that seemed to drag on until I wanted to crawl out of my own skin and die.     But as I was about to go inside, I let out a sigh and felt something fly into my mouth. It must have been a bug or something, the way it thwacked into the back of my throat. In a panic, I managed to cough it up and spit it out. It was too dark to see where it had landed, but I felt it leave my mouth so I knew it was fine.     I returned to my apartment and flicked on the lights. There it was, the same familiar rooms with the grey wall...

     As day shifted to night, I still remained in my kitchen, pealing away at the potatoes that sat before me. The sizzling skillets behind me flooded the room with a warm, crisp scent of bacon. My stomach was growling just standing here. I was so ready to feast, but I had to be patient. The best of things come to those who wait.     Pealing my final potato, I sat it in the bowl and grabbed the cutting board to empty the shavings into the trash. As I did I jumped back in horror as I gazed into the trash and saw a pair of eyes staring back at me. I jumped, throwing the board back and dumping the shavings all over the floor behind me. But I didn't care. I was concerned with the thing in my trash.     I pulled off the lid to get a better look, leaning back a bit just in case it leaped out at me or something. But as more light shone into the trash, I saw that it was a full on disembodied head of a man with a plain face, blue eyes, and blonde hair. His eyes...

     As I sat writing, my mind whirring with ideas and incredible metaphors and analogies, I realized this story might be the best thing I ever wrote. I wrote with a prose and plot that would match that of the great poets of times passed. My mind was like a finely-tuned instrument playing perfectly in a royal orchestra. One that one the select few with the finest talent could perform. I felt inspired.     Then, my stomach started to growl. It rumbled with a fiery pit of rage that one would be considered fortunate to never have to endure. The hunger simple could not do. So, I made my way elegantly to the kitchen to open some cabinets and scroll through with my eyes, those delectable things that would satiate my hunger pains. That's when I spotted it. Oatmeal. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing that clicked in my mind well enough, like that word you've been searching for but struggled to place.     I grabbed a packet of oatmeal, admiring the apple...