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  “I’m not worried,” replied August. “If they think I’m guilty, I will only be going to prison.”

  August patted the lawyer’s cheek with one hand and leaned in close. He spoke softly into his attorney’s ear. “But your family won’t recognise the pieces left of you.”

  G. ALLEN WILBANKS is a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and has published over 50 short stories in various magazines and on-line venues. He is the author of two short story collections, and the novel, When Darkness Comes.

  Website: www.gallenwilbanks.com

  Blog: DeepDarkThoughts.com

  Hero

  by David Bowmore

  Where were all the superheroes when you needed them?

  Tommy held his hand to his throbbing stomach.

  In the films, Batman would have turned up in the nick of time.

  Instead, it was just him, two armed thugs, and a scared girl.

  He couldn’t let them do what they wanted to do.

  His fingers were sticky now.

  In comics, a superhero with healing powers would arrive now.

  But he’d done enough with the rusty piping and they had run off.

  The girl held him, phone pressed to her ear by shaking hand.

  “My hero,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes.

  DAVID BOWMORE has lived here, there and everywhere, but now lives in Yorkshire with his wonderful wife and a small white poodle. He has worn many hats in his time; head chef, teacher and landscape gardener. His first collection of short stories ‘The Magic of Deben Market’ is available from Clarendon House.

  Website: davidbowmore.co.uk

  Facebook: davidbowmoreauthor

  Elementary

  by Joel R. Hunt

  Detective Therofeld gathered all of the suspects in the drawing room, standing them against the far wall as he paced back and forth. This had been the hardest case he had ever worked on. He was so close, he could feel it, but the last pieces simply weren’t fitting together.

  All of the murders had happened right under his nose. The culprit had outmanoeuvred him at every turn, avoided every trap he had set. They knew his mind.

  Therofeld took in the scared, confused faces gathered before him, and he realised there was only one conclusion.

  He was the killer.

  JOEL R. HUNT is a writer from the UK who dabbles in the darker aspects of life, particularly through horror, science fiction and the supernatural. He has been published here and there (though likely nowhere you’ve heard of) and hopes to have released his first anthology of short stories later this year.

  Twitter: @JoelRHunt1

  Reddit: JRHEvilInc

  The Shoe

  By Stephen Herczeg

  His trail led here. A couple of local girls saw him in an Italian suit with expensive patent leather loafers.

  Son of a bitch killed one of his own girls. Said she was holding out on him.

  I hate pimps, but I needed to find him before Sonny Gallioni did. The idiot killed Sonny’s girl. Beat her to death. For what? A bit of money.

  There’s not much in this old shed.

  The floor is covered in ooze.

  A wood chipper. Some old canisters. Liquid Nitrogen. Weird.

  And a patent leather loafer.

  Ain’t gonna find much. Sonny got him first.

  STEPHEN HERCZEG is an IT Geek based in Canberra Australia. He has been writing for over twenty years and has completed a couple of dodgy novels, sixteen feature length screenplays and numerous short stories and scripts. His horror work has featured in Sproutlings, Hells Bells, Below the Stairs, Trickster’s Treats #1 and #2, Shades of Santa, Behind the Mask, Beyond the Infinite; The Body Horror Book, Anemone Enemy, Petrified Punks and Beginnings. He has also had numerous Sherlock Holmes stories published through the Belanger Books - Sherlock Holmes anthologies.

  The Confession

  by Mark Kodama

  I feel some responsibility for his actions; he is my brother after all, and really quite insane.

  I called the police when I found blood spattered all over the kitchen.

  You say he is dead. People say he drowned in the lake many years ago.

  But he is alive.

  Who else buried those bodies in our backyard?

  It wasn’t me. I am not a killer.

  My brother, Paul, killed those people. Yes, I will submit to a lie detector test. I do not need a lawyer. I am innocent.

  I don’t know his whereabouts.

  I am not my brother’s keeper.

  MARK KODAMA is a trial attorney and former newspaper reporter who lives in Washington, D.C. His short stories and poems have been published in Clarendon Publishing House anthologies, Commuter Lit, Dastaan World Magazine, Dissident Voice Magazine, Literary Yard, Mercurial Stories, Spillwords,Tuck Magazine, and World of Myth Magazine.

  Sharon

  By Stephen Herczeg

  There was a time where we only lost one patient a month. For a while it’s been three or four. All sudden. All heart attacks. Something was wrong.

  I decided to check time of death to the work schedule, and there it was.

  Sharon.

  She had started two months before the rise in deaths, and all were on her watch.

  She was on tonight. I went to track her down.

  A groan from one of the residents’ rooms.

  I burst in. Sharon had a pillow over his face.

  The look on her face. Maniacal. I ran. I needed the police.

  STEPHEN HERCZEG is an IT Geek based in Canberra Australia. He has been writing for over twenty years and has completed a couple of dodgy novels, sixteen feature length screenplays and numerous short stories and scripts. His horror work has featured in Sproutlings, Hells Bells, Below the Stairs, Trickster’s Treats #1 and #2, Shades of Santa, Behind the Mask, Beyond the Infinite; The Body Horror Book, Anemone Enemy, Petrified Punks and Beginnings. He has also had numerous Sherlock Holmes stories published through the Belanger Books - Sherlock Holmes anthologies.

  Clues

  by Annie Percik

  There’s a clue somewhere. I know it. There has to be. Something that was missed, something that will blow this case wide open. But is anyone looking? Why would they? They think they’ve already found the culprit. Wrong place, wrong time and all that. No decent alibi. I was there. I know it. They know it. But I didn’t do anything. If only I could remember something useful. Some vital clue to prove my innocence. But it’s all a blank. I know I didn’t do it; I just have to convince them. There must be a clue somewhere. Mustn’t there?

  ANNIE PERCIK lives in London with her husband, Dave, where she is revising her first novel, whilst working as a University Complaints Officer. She writes a blog about writing and posts short fiction on her website. She also publishes a photo-story blog, recording the adventures of her teddy bear. He is much more popular online than she is. She likes to run away from zombies in her spare time.

  Website: www.alobear.co.uk

  Website: aloysius-bear.dreamwidth.org

  Buzzing

  by Rich Rurshell

  As Glenn approached passport control, the man sitting behind the desk breathed out smoke, and his reptilian eyes became untrusting. Glenn watched the man’s tongue flick out and catch a fly that was buzzing around. Glenn was relieved the buzzing had finally stopped. It had been driving him crazy.

  “What’s your final intended destination?” asked the man as his left eye melted into his cheek.

  “Wait!” said Glenn. “Are you God?”

  “Are you alright, Sir?” asked the man.

  In a moment of clarity, Glenn concluded there was a good chance one of the packages in his stomach had split open.

  RICH RURSHELL is a short story writer from Suffolk, England. Rich writes Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy, and his stories can be found in various short story anthologies and magazines. Most recently, his story “Subject: Galilee” was published in World War Four from Zombie Pirate Publishing, an
d “Life Choices” was published in Salty Tales from Stormy Island Publishing. When Rich is not writing stories, he likes to write and perform music.

  Facebook: richrurshellauthor

  Scratches

  by Jacek Wilkos

  There’s something in my head, I can hear it.

  Psychiatrist stated schizophrenia, but drugs and therapy don’t work. It’s getting even worse. Inhuman howling and scratching noise, as if something wanted to get out, brings me to the edge of madness. I can’t take it anymore, I have to get rid of the damn thing.

  There is only one way.

  “IT LOOKS LIKE A SUICIDE, the guy shot himself in the head. Why are we here?”

  “The exit wound is too big, and the skull is empty. Somebody removed the brain. And he did it ineptly, because he left scratches.”

  JACEK WILKOS is an engineer from Poland. He lives with his wife and daughter in a beautiful city of Cracow. He is addicted to buying books, he loves coffee, dark ambient music and riding his bike. He writes mostly horror drabbles. His fiction in Polish can be read on Szortal, Niedobre literki, Horror Online. In English his work was published in Drablr, Rune Bear, Sirens Call eZine.

  Facebook: Jacek.W.Wilkos

  The Midnight Man

  by Zoey Xolton

  Ellie looked up from her novel. Her eye shot from the front door to the clock. It was midnight. Who could be knocking at this hour? Every horror film she’d ever seen came to mind. Picking up her phone, she peeked beyond the curtains.

  No one there... She sighed, relieved. Perhaps the sound had come from next door? Turning back to the couch, she found herself confronted by a towering, cowled figure.

  “It’s time,” rasped a voice like death.

  The next morning, her husband, Officer Ted Neulen, returned from night shift to find Ellie lifeless, the clock frozen at midnight.

  ZOEY XOLTON is an Australian Speculative Fiction writer, primarily of Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. She is also a proud mother of two and is married to her soul mate. Outside of her family, writing is her greatest passion. She is especially fond of short fiction and is working on releasing her own themed collections in future.

  Website: www.zoeyxolton.com

  The Sting

  by J. Farrington

  Preparation is key. We’ve been after this guy for months. Multiple ties to gang activity, direct links to high-profile drug cartels’ and a fondness for killing people with his bare hands. Yes, we need to get this man off the streets.

  The sting is in place. We know his routine and soon enough he will be with us, detained.

  We’re not the police, oh no, sorry if I led you to believe that.

  We run an underground bare-knuckle to the death fighting organisation.

  Now we have our new champ in our sights, we’re going to need contestants...

  You’ll do perfectly...

  J. FARRINGTON is an aspiring author from the West Midlands, UK. His genre of choice is horror; whether that be psychological, suspense, supernatural or straight up weird, he’ll give it a shot! He has loved writing from a young age but has only publicly been spreading his darker thoughts and sinister imagination via social platforms since 2018. If you would like to view his previous work, or merely lurk in the shadows...watching, you can keep up to date with future projects by spirit board or alternatively, the following;

  Twitter: @SurvivorTrench

  Reddit: TrenchChronicles

  Leaf Memorial

  by Alexander Pyles

  There was always a leaf. Not just any leaf, but an oak leaf. Tucked into the hands of the corpses left or in the windows of empty houses. Those were bodies we never found.

  The leaves were mocking. I always wanted to know why leaves and not acorns, those didn’t decay quite so fast. Maybe that was the point.

  I went to the cemetery. Oaks grew large and broad there. I was convinced this place was part of the puzzle. A gale rushed over the grave markers. A figure appeared, with a fistful of leaves. They were there for me.

  ALEXANDER PYLES resides in IL with his wife and children. He holds an MA in Philosophy and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. His short story chapbook titled, “Milo (01001101 01101001 01101100 01101111),” from Radix Media, is due out fall 2019. His other short fiction has appeared on 101fiction.org, River and South Review, and other venues.

  Website: www.pylesofbooks.com

  Twitter: @Pylesofbooks

  War Crimes

  by Zoey Xolton

  “It’s heinous,” said P.I Mallory Black. “What kind of sicko accosts innocent civilians and hacks off their arms? And it’s always the left!”

  Mallory’s partner tugged on her coat sleeve, gesturing to the trail of blood that led down the alley. “I don’t know, but I think we’re about to find out.”

  Pistols drawn, they burst into the dingy, abandoned repair shop. The rank odour of decay overwhelmed them.

  A middle-aged, one-armed veteran in a bloodstained uniform glanced up, madness in his eyes; needle and thread in hand. “Need a new arm,” he said. “Lost mine in service.”

  Mallory wretched.

  ZOEY XOLTON is an Australian Speculative Fiction writer, primarily of Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. She is also a proud mother of two and is married to her soul mate. Outside of her family, writing is her greatest passion. She is especially fond of short fiction and is working on releasing her own themed collections in future.

  Website: www.zoeyxolton.com

  Guilty

  by Terry Miller

  Deputy Ford looked at the dead body. This was the third one in just as many weeks.

  Back at the station, the deputy sorted through paperwork for something to jog his memory. Nothing. He breathed deep and let out an agitated exhale. The phone rang. Another body.

  Ford stared at the motionless, pale corpse of his wife.

  “Mr. Ford, here’s your medicine,” a woman in blue scrubs insisted.

  “Wh-what’s that?”

  “Your medicine, sweetie.”

  He took the small plastic cup then turned to the surrounding white walls. Ford shook as he remembered bloodstained hands, his hands. The cup hit the floor.

  TERRY MILLER is an author and 2017 Rhysling Award-nominated poet residing in Portsmouth, OH, USA. He has self-published a dark poetry collection on Amazon and one short story to date. His work has also appeared in Sanitarium, Devolution Z, Jitter Press, Poetry Quarterly, O Unholy Night in Deathlehem, and the 2017 Rhysling Anthology from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.

  Facebook: tmiller2015

  Mystery Man

  by Terry Miller

  Her eyes were glazed with a dull stare. She had been there for hours. Stone cold. The seedy part of town, Fremont was known for its body count.

  A man walked up to the yellow tape. He addressed a policeman.

  “What happened, officer?”

  The sheriff noticed the tightly-wrapped towel around his arm.

  “You tell me,” he insisted, pointing at the towel.

  “Hey, Sheriff, come here a sec,” a deputy kneeling at the body requested. He held up the woman’s hand, blood and skin buried deep in the nails.

  The sheriff looked back for the mystery man but he was gone.

  TERRY MILLER is an author and 2017 Rhysling Award-nominated poet residing in Portsmouth, OH, USA. He has self-published a dark poetry collection on Amazon and one short story to date. His work has also appeared in Sanitarium, Devolution Z, Jitter Press, Poetry Quarterly, O Unholy Night in Deathlehem, and the 2017 Rhysling Anthology from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.

  Facebook: tmiller2015

  The Deathbed Confession of Jenna Greenville

  by Mark Mackey

  Letter to Jennifer Royals, editor-in-chief of the Rivercrest Gazette.

  The Deathbed confession of Jenna Greenville.

  As I lie dying of a terminal illness, I write to confess I killed town beauty queen, Mirand
a Colinwood. It was the moon which goaded me to kidnap her. As her former trusted nanny, it wasn’t hard to accomplish. Bizarre as it sounds, it instructed me to bath in her blood to preserve my own fading beauty. I drugged her and then did it. A mistake, it didn’t make me attractive one single bit.

  Tell the police they’ll find her remains buried in my backyard.

  MARK MACKEY is the author of various self-published books and has had various short stories published in charity anthologies. They include such captivating titles such as Christmas Lites, No Sleeves and Short Dresses: A Summer Anthology, Painted Mayhem, and Grynn Anthology, among others. A long-time resident of Chicago, when not writing, he spends time reading various genres of books.

  The Giant

  by Marcus Cook

  “I’ve never stripped to Yellow Submarine before,” the girl said, grinding on Wydryk’s massive leg.

  “I love the Beatles,” he stated.