Small Horrors

Haunted by the loss of his wife and his best hunting dog, hunter Jari tries to stem the flow of alcohol and grief that threatens to destroy his life. As the darkness and isolation of winter settles around his small hunting community in remote Finland, it brings with it another threat. The encroachment and growing boldness of a pack of wolves endangers the villagers’ way of life. The presence of the wolves opens old feuds and cracks within the community’s makeup. As Jari tries to lead the villagers through their toughest season, it soon becomes clear that not everyone will survive the winter.

On the brink of a breakdown, two years after the death of his fiancée, Jim Hawkes quits his high-powered job in the city to rent a cottage in the Devonshire countryside seeking some well-needed rest. But Slyford St. James is far from the peaceful haven Jim was hoping for. Almost immediately, he is plagued by strange occurrences: a combination lock that won’t open, loud noises in the attic, the figure of a little girl always just out of sight. His new village friends, Jed and Emma, are convinced Jim has found his way to the village for a reason.

One night, Annie went missing. Disappeared from her own bed. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. And then, miraculously, after 48 hours, she came back. Though she couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened to her. But something happened to my sister. I can't explain what. I just know that when she came back, she wasn't the same. She wasn't my Annie. I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister.

When Maeve Calloway and her friends enter the Gravenfield Maze Challenge seeking the $50,000 prize after losing everything in an apartment fire, they think their luck is finally changing. They couldn’t be more wrong. Deep in rural Nebraska, the town of Gravenfield harbors a dark secret—its legendary corn maze isn’t just difficult, it’s deadly. The rules seem simple: find golden kernels, rack up points, and survive three days to claim the prize. Easy peasy, right? As her friends succumb one by one to the maze’s horrors, Maeve struggles to keep the survivors together—including her...

In 1944, Oakwood's town council is desperate to save their young men from being lost to the devastation of the far-reaching effects of WWII, and as such make the unconscionable decision to make an evil deal with an agent of the devil in order to protect their own children, town's citizens and peaceful way of life. Little does journalism student Jim Norton know that his decision to write an article on the town, that seems to have been able to have escaped the pitfalls of progress for his school paper in 1984, will lead him down the treacherous rabbit hole that might end with his demise.

A horrific car crash leads to problems for the people who scavenged the remnants of the accident scene. A small and peaceful town becomes a nightmare for those involved. This 19,000 word short story makes for a nice afternoon or evening listen!

On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins, and not a single bone found. Now, journalist Abigail Foster and her historian father have set out to explore the long-abandoned town and learn what happened. With them are two backcountry guides - along with a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are there to investigate rumors that the town is haunted.

A carefully crafted collection of short stories derived from the urban legends of small-town America. Each fictional supernatural thriller inside was made to get your heart racing and question whether they were in fact stories or something far more sinister.

In this short story, Zeke had enough of big city life, but something has followed him to the backwoods. Every predator, natural or unnatural, gets only one chance to learn how dangerous it is to push a country boy in the corner.

Prince Vladimir Odoyevsky's beautifully written and powerful take on the age-old question: "What would happen if you received exactly what you wanted?"

Sheila Tulane is in love with the resort's pool boy, Teague Harmon, and will do anything to please him - even if it means murdering Guild member Sam Carstens. Meanwhile, Asadi doubts his position in the Guild when he is forced to violate his own personal code. Are his days with the Guild numbered?

It is difficult to combine mysticism with humor, but Alexander Grin takes on the challenge and comes out with flying colors. For all its mystical and mythical references, An Incident at the Apartment of Madam Cerize, is quite a heartwarming story, giving all of us some hope that, sometimes, powers that be do care.

It isn’t just a wrong number. It’s her own. And it’s calling at exactly 3:28 AM. Every night. When Terri Reeves moves to the picturesque town of Pinecrest, she expects quaint shops and quiet streets—not her dead ex-boyfriend knocking on her door or calls from her own phone number in the dead of night. Unbeknownst to Terri, Pinecrest’s charming facade hides an ancient occultic pattern—one traced directly to Terri’s apartment and the middle of the night calls. “Don’t answer,” warns the local parapsychologist. “Don’t engage.” But the calls keep coming… and the texts...

Vampire painter, serial killer, an investigator who can see ghosts, a drunk ex-detective, a man who cannot sleep…they all have one thing in common, the peaceful town among the mountains…or is it?

Ben lost his father some months back and is doing his best at being a boy amidst the new tragedies in town when he is confronted by an unseen threat. With nowhere to hide, no one to help, and his mother worried that she is losing him to mental illness, Ben teams up with an unlikely ally who has a horrible secret. Dan Leeds takes the boy under his wing. Each having their own demons to battle, they are confronted by an ageless power unlike anything they could have imagined. Prophecy, the past, and a boy's need become entwined with Leeds, his secret, and saving the world.

A finales de los años ochenta una familia homomarental se muda con una niña y un niño (hermanos mellizos) a un pueblo recóndito de no más de treinta habitantes intentado esconderse del estigma social que provoca la enfermedad de una de las madres que es portadora del VIH.

Asadi's world has ended with the murder of his wife, Taqiya. Yet, even as he buries her, a new tragedy occurs in the small town of Still Water. It seems the sheriff has returned and a member of the Guild has fallen at his hand. As the Guild reels from the blow, Asadi meets a strange being who will challenge the way he sees them. Is the creature telling lies? Or will Asadi learn the Guild is not all it seems?

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS OVER. SHE WAS WRONG. Detective Claire Barnes thought the case that haunted Tanger Falls, Tennessee, was nearing it’s final days after three and a half years. The accused is scheduled to stand trial in what appears to be an open and shut federal case, and she’s ready to relax and help the small town rebuild. Everything is on track until there’s high tech intervention that alters the evidence to resurrect things that had been buried, causing Claire to suffer from nightmares that set her suspense on edge. When Ruby Josen re-emerges from hiding, Claire finds herself in ...

BRONZE BADGE HONORABLE MENTION IN THE 2020 AUTHOR SHOUT READER READY AWARDS FOR MYSTERY BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. Ruby Josen is a nobody desperate to become somebody. She’s been trapped in Tanger Falls, Tennessee, her entire life, watching others move on while she’s stuck in a rut of grief after her mother’s death. Ruby passes her misfortune off as bad luck, until she’s passed over for a promotion that she’s worked ten years to achieve. In desperation, she turns to a mystery man who promises that he can remove the obstacles holding her back – all she has to do is accept his ...

The Addisons - Julia and Tonio, 10-year-old Dewey, and derelict Uncle Robbie - are driving home, cross-country, after collecting Robbie from yet another trip to rehab. When a terrifying blizzard strikes outside the town of Good Night, Idaho, they seek refuge in the town at the Travelers Rest, a formerly opulent but now crumbling and eerie hotel where the physical laws of the universe are bent.