Dark Horror

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real . . . Such tales of the dark and the unknown have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

Step into a World Where Gothic Poetry Meets Cosmic Horror Sad Songs from an Old Goth in a Tree is a hauntingly beautiful collection that explores the enigmatic rise of Cthulhu, blending ancient legends with profound introspection and melancholic elegance. Each poem strikes a delicate balance between despair and hope, solitude and connection, drawing readers into shadowed landscapes alive with whispers of otherworldly forces. Themes of light and darkness intertwine, creating a mesmerizing journey for fans of gothic literature and cosmic horror alike. Enhance your experience with exclusive ...

A Love So Deep There's No Escape.... In a world where love and obsession blur into one, Chiara finds herself trapped in a seductive nightmare of her own making. James, a man of unrelenting will and dark desire, offers her a life unlike any she could ever imagine—a life of intoxicating pleasure, a love that consumes, and a reality where escape is impossible. What begins as an alluring invitation soon becomes an inescapable prison of intimacy. James knows no boundaries, his touch both tender and possessive, his promises both haunting and irresistible. He pulls Chiara deeper into his world, ...

Commander Honor White commands the small crew of the Skeld, fending off disrespect and jealousy from a few crewmates. Kyle Green finds his world turned upside-down when he boards 'The Skeld'. It was supposed to be a simple transit. It was supposed to be easy. Then he finds the girl who he fancies is on the same mission. And the thought of being close to her terrifies him. Yellow Nuwa finds herself attracted to Green. Will she allow herself to get close to him, or will he be like all of the others and want only one thing? The shuttle that takes them to the Skeld encounters a meteorite shower...

Fresh out of jail and eager to start a new life, Chet Moran and his pregnant wife, Trish, leave town to begin again. But an ancient evil is looming, and what seems like a safe haven may not be all it appears. Snared and murdered by a vile, arcane horror, Chet quickly learns that pain and death are not unique to the living. Now the lives and very souls of his wife and unborn child are at stake. To save them, he must journey into the bowels of purgatory in search of a sacred key promised to restore the natural order of life and death.

When Del Lareaux leaves the St. Augustine orphanage, she is desperate to build a normal life for herself and Jimmy, the mentally handicapped boy she spent years protecting. But when a hellish spirit is raised from the dark swamps of Louisiana, abominations of unimaginable horror begin to prey on the lost souls of New Orleans, and Del’s soul is the most coveted.

VHS Killed the LITRPG Star As a fan of everything 1980, 26-year-old Doug Simpson never had the chance to experience the decade. Working at a small-town video rental store, he dreams of being able to enter the horror king Rd Halen's movies and become the hero he has always dreamed about. Then he learns that his two friends working in the basement might just able to make that possible. FBI Special Agent Jenny Winters is looking for a career advancement, and taking down the suspected terrorist working at Vorhees Video may be able to do just that. Working undercover, Jenny is told of Doug's ...

In this short prequel to The Preserve, J. L. Williams reveals the first glimpse into the life and times of young mortician, Jackson Lucid. Just another day and another dead body for Jackson to retrieve from the hospital. He doesn't know it will be the one to turn his entire perspective of death upside down. At this point, he's just following the routine his mentor taught him. But now that Morris has recently passed on, Jackson finds himself alone in the world. He makes friends at the funeral home, but not many worth mentioning except Serena, a girl who's been through her own fair share of ...

Vitus Adamson is falling apart. As a pre-deceased private investigator, he takes the prescription Atroxipine hourly to keep his undead body upright and functioning. Whenever he is injured, he seeks Niko, a bombshell mortician with bedroom eyes and a way with corpses, to piece him back together. Decomposition, however, is the least of his worries when two clients posing his most dangerous job yet appear at his door looking for their lost son.

They Never Left When disgraced journalist Rex Mallory returns to the small town of Whisper Ridge, he expects rust, rumors, and a few ghosts from his past. What he doesn’t expect is a missing woman, a mutilated corpse, and the burned remains of a notebook that points to decades of disappearances. As Mallory digs deeper, he uncovers chilling whispers of an abandoned asylum, a preacher with too many secrets, and a sheriff who doesn’t take kindly to questions. Every lead pulls him closer to a horrifying truth buried beneath the town’s sleepy surface—one the townspeople are willing to ...

In the frozen North, steel is law. Loyalty is brittle. And the sword’s whispers grow colder with every mile. Erikson Gray survived the Sacred Grove, but the North offers no refuge—only frostbitten warlords, ancient grudges, and a realm cracking beneath the weight of betrayal. The Circle of Eight rules these lands with blade and blood, and they will not bow to a southern boy, cursed blade or no. To prevent the empire’s collapse, Erik must forge an alliance among men who would rather see him dead. But Lightbearer whispers of conquest. Of strength. Of dominion. And in a land where trust ...

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The nightmares include: JACK IN THE BOX: Harold fixes up old houses and sells them for a nice profit. That is, until he bought the dreaded house on Elm Street. THE SECOND VIRGIN BIRTH: At midnight on Christmas Eve, a nun rescues a baby left on the chapel steps in the freezing cold. GRANDPA: The zombie apocalypse has begun and Grandpa is near death in the next room. TATTOO: Bad things start to happen after Marla picks a ferocious black panther for the free tattoo she won. THE JACK THE ...

How cold is cold? How deep is despair? At what temperature does your heart finally… shatter? Minus. Two. Hundred. Degrees. Cryonics. The practice of freezing the human body in the hope of bringing it back to life. It’s a voluntary procedure. Usually. Stefan Anderson thought selling immortality for Scarrax BioCryptz would be a scream. He was right. Just not in the way he expected. When a client dies after a car crash, the freezing process doesn’t go quite to plan. Stefan’s about to discover a horrifying truth. The cold, hard way. Bodyfreeze invites you on a gripping journey through a...

Waking up wet and injured in the middle of a muddy road, David Chambers finds himself lost in a world filled with nightmares. His memory shattered, unable to recall how he got there, David finds that he has arrived on a shadowy version of Earth, precisely on the eve of a terrible battle. The dead, resurrected by the power of nature herself, are attacking the walled city of Blackmarch, intent on its total destruction. Captured by the town's fearful inhabitants, he's given no choice but to join in the heated war for survival. After barely surviving the onslaught, he is drawn into a dangerous ...

Supernatural investigators Ben McKelvie and Lindsay Clark and cryptozoologist Richard Severance face their deadliest challenge yet. In the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a man named Henry Drexler operates a private compound that welcomes all visitors - so long as they're racists, neo-Nazis, or otherwise in cahoots with the alt-right. But Drexler is no mere Hitler wannabe. Once he was Severance's mentor, and his research may well have summoned a monster to the Pine Barrens. To find out the truth, Ben and Lindsay must enter the camp incognito.

"Rivaling both Stephen King and Thomas Harris, without doubt, the edgy and provocative Luke Romyn is destined to emerge as the 21st century's newest Master-of-Horror."-- Dee Marie - Award-winning author of the Sons Of Avalon saga. New York’s underworld trembles at the mention of his name, evil courses through his veins like blood, and his conscience has lain dormant for over a decade while he slashed and burned his way to the top of the food chain. Vain. In the world of killers, he reigns supreme, and yet, he is chosen for a task of utmost compassion. Why would this assassin save a young ...

They came. The ravagers of the universe. The scourge of star systems. The enemy of his race. They decimated all that he knew, slaughtering his colony like a herd of insects. Carrying their metal guns and tactical missiles, the marines butchered his siblings by the thousandfold. For that, they would pay. Krill is the last of his kind in a distant corner of the galaxy. Entrusted with the survival of his species, Krill carries with him an egg given to him by the Hive Mother herself. Her last, parting gift. What will it hatch into when it's born? A new hope for the rebirth of the Krath?

The Island: A Beautiful Deception This is a Sci-Fi tale of murder, mystery, and horror. When Harrison Thomas accepts the position of Inspector in charge of the police force on the tropical island of San Lacruz, he leaves the United States for a new life. He also rejects the painful memories of a marriage that didn’t work and a world that seems increasingly cold and callous. Tropical paradise seems like a good place for a new start, and dealing with drunk tourists is much easier to handle than the daily tragedies he sees on the mainland. San Lacruz most certainly seems to offer that second...

A deadly pact. A haunting betrayal. A truth that refuses to stay buried. Ten years ago, Naomi, Victor, Claire, Marcus, and Ethan were inseparable—a tight-knit group of friends growing up in the sleepy town of Middleton. But one fateful summer night in the woods changed everything. When an argument turned tragic, their friendship was shattered, and the group made a desperate pact to hide the truth about what really happened. They buried their secret, swearing to take it to their graves. Now, a decade later, the past they’ve tried to escape has come back to haunt them. Each receives the ...

Come with me on a journey into the dark distance. What will we find waiting? A wooden soldier that is much more than the toy it appears to be... A father who wants nothing more than the forgiveness of his abused son... The most tragic automobile accident in history... A trip to Mexico that is anything but a relaxing vacation... A tower with a valuable jewel that turns out to be not what's expected... A vampire who finds faith can come in many forms... An interplanetary outpost haunted by a rogue alien... A serial killing shaman who takes refuge in the most dangerous swamp on the planet, ...