Dark Fantasy Short Stories

In this anthology, everybody is Black. Filled with epic battles, complicated families, soft kisses, and sharpened blades, Magic in the Melanin is an adult fantasy anthology that showcases Black authors who write magical stories of all kinds.

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

In this darkly comic and surreal collection from celebrated author Alissa Nutting, misfit women scramble for agency in a series of uncanny circumstances. Throughout these breathtakingly creative 17 stories spread across time, space, and differing planes of reality, we encounter a host of women and girls in a wide range of unusual jobs. A space cargo deliverywoman enlists the help of her cybersex partner to release her mother from cryogenic prison.

Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, and Larry Niven have seen the future. Now you can, too. A constellation of the brightest lights in the science fiction and fantasy firmament have judged these authors to be the best, the brightest, the truest emerging stars in the field.

Tormented and abused by her father, teenaged runaway Alex soon finds herself the victim of a vicious sex trafficker. When she escapes, Alex realizes there are far worse abuses to suffer in her unlucky life. But that all changes the moment she dies. Her abusers are about to find out KARMA IS A BITCH.

Winter's Night features two Christmas stories included in number-one New York Times best-selling author Sherrilyn Kenyon's short story collection, Dark Bites. From demons to cowboys, from werewolves to mistletoe, this two-in-one will keep you warm during cold December nights.

This is a SHORT STORY set within the ongoing THE UNSEEN franchise. Potential spoilers ahead! This short story stars the youngest character in the intense THE UNSEEN franchise, Hope Diaz. Her survival is one of heartache, terror, and perseverance, an event that occurs during book two of the main series, DESOLATION.

Even in the fathomless depths of the underworld and the bleak chambers of a damaged heart, the bonds of love can heal...or destroy. He holds the ability to annihilate souls in the palm of his hand. He commands the respect of the most dangerous of demons and the most powerful of angels. He can seduce and dominate any female he wants with a mere look. But for all Azagoth's power, he's bound by shackles of his own making, and only an angel with a secret holds the key to his release.

At World’s Edge: Seven Liminal Stories from the Edge of Reality Beyond the borders of maps and memory lie worlds that obey no known rules. In this haunting anthology of speculative fiction and dark fantasy, seven stories explore what happens when reality thins—where time unravels, identity dissolves, and the familiar becomes unrecognizable. From a girl who returns from a doorless frame altered by the realm she crossed, to a lighthouse powered by memory guarding against something older than night, these tales are eerie, poetic, and charged with slow-blooming dread. Each story is a ...

Empty rooms have their own stories to tell. Here are 11 of them. The lost, the forgotten, the unrespectable; the children in the walls, the girls from the factory, the Cult of Junnha, the lone figure from Apartment 12; the home where hate lives, the chuckling newborn - they all leave their echoes here. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave: keep the shadows safe. These empty rooms may not be so empty after all.

Unity waits. Unity is there to help people like you and me. Do not betray Unity. A house on the beach that no one ever visits. A house with a history. It craves company. A killer. The other side of the mirror. A seaside town, remote and fearsomely private. The fragments of a family, ancient and invulnerable. A Scottish town gripped by cold. A lone creature, isolated and far away. The ignored, the unwelcome, the denied. Solace comes from an unearthly, mysterious place. It comes at a price. * This is a collection of horror stories, birthed up and presented in all their grim glory. “We never...

In April 2020, the world faced imminent lock-down, so a group of filmmakers started a virtual support group. Once a week, these diverse voices would assemble to do what they do best: tell each other stories. Campfire horror tales, emotional cosmic mysteries, and anything else that either made them take their minds off what was happening to the world, or help them understand it. HAUNTED REELS is the best of those stories.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about resisting evil and fighting for what you believe in. Shambling from the depths of the Murkwode Fens comes a tale of courage, faith, and the unyielding nature of the human spirit. Bartram Humblefoot, Paladin of the Ancients, leads a contingent of Mumling regulars to retrieve a holy artifact from a ruined temple. Regrettably, the forces of darkness have other plans. War is coming, and the artifact would lend their evil disciples a great advantage. The dead are awakened, rising from death to secure the temple. Bartram must help...

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: TOP OF THE WORLD: A dangerous hybrid of several species of animals has escaped from its cage at a remote research facility in the Arctic during a prolonged blizzard. THE ASYLUM: Paranormal investigators are sent to an abandoned mental institution when a teenager disappears after visiting it for a good scare with his buddies on Halloween. THE DEVIL'S DIARY: A horror author rents a creepy cabin to cure a bad case of writer's block and finds a journal written by a serial...

As a graduation present for her daughter, Tammy, Samantha Moon and the gang head down to South America for the vacation of all vacations. Next stop: Easter Island On a beach in Chile, the unimaginable happens. Magical cultists kidnap Tammy and Paxton in a blink of an eye—literally. Sam and Allison spring into action, chasing a barely visible trail... and end up, of all places, on Easter Island, famous for its massive collection of giant stone heads. Turns out, the cultists were dead set on sacrificing Tammy and Paxton to a local god. That was their first mistake. And as all hell breaks ...

Nobody likes getting bullied, and Donny has had enough. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he solicits the help of the old Asian man at the end of his street to teach him Karate. During a grueling two days of training, Donny earns belt after belt, until he finally becomes a Karate Master.

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

Discover the stories inspired by some of the greatest songs of all time. Dark fiction that will keep you turning the pages as you read stories influenced by songs like Satisfaction, Angie Baby, She Loves You, Maggie Mae, The Hotel California and more. Dark stories inspired by dark lyrics that tell the tales hidden behind the popular melodies that are so familiar to us all. Ten different authors bring you their literary visions provoked by their favorite song lyrics to create a chilling read you will not soon forget. Experience the insanity of a young woman who seeks refuge from reality in ...

A fast-paced fifty-page short story book about two budding astronauts, a space hound named Chewie and a rather pissed off creature in the form of a Kraken. Contains epic storytelling, dark humor and general silliness.

Divining the difference between reality and the fantastic may not be as simple as it seems. Because the world you think you know may not actually exist… STORIES is a collection of six short stories loosely based on legends and folklore. Each is set in a modern context, giving the reader an unusual take that yields interesting insight on these traditional tales. The Snow Woman: a spirit in Japanese folklore who traps people in snowstorms, then uses her icy breath to leave them frost-coated corpses. The Slit-Mouthed Woman: a figure from Japanese urban legends who, mutilated by her husband, ...