Horror And Thriller Novels & Stories

I breathed in deeply, his scent was gone as well. I'm left with an undying thirst for his blood, his ghost grip around my neck and a curious twin sister who I had no explanation to give. All of what was happening to me right now, felt like what was drawn out of a smutty horror movie. My heart drummed faster, mirroring my heightened breath. It's thumping, pulsing in my heart in my ears in a creepy rhythm.

Her pulse thunders in her ears, and it takes precious moments for the residual terror to subside in the tiniest sense of it. In the eerie stillness of the night, Marisol clutched at the sheets, her heart racing wildly owing to the scare of the nightmare that had taken a few nights off, only to return stronger than it would seem. The vivid imagery of the beast persists even behind her closed lids, haunting her waking moments as she grapples with the remnants of the surreal horror that had unfolded in her dreams.

• Psychological manipulation (gaslighting, mind games, blurred reality) • Dubious consent / non-consensual themes (coercion, power imbalances) • Obsession & possessiveness (stalking, toxic attachment, unhealthy control) • Graphic violence & gore (blood, injury, death, explicit descriptions) • Torture & pain infliction (psychological and physical torment) • Cults & rituals (dark family traditions, blood oaths, disturbing ceremonies) • Abuse & trauma (emotional, physical, sexual abuse) • Murder & death (brutal character deaths)

I steeled myself and opened the door. The hallway was awash in red. Smears and spatters of bright and dark blood covered the walls, the floor, and my door. My head reeled. What the hell happened? Why was there so much blood outside my door? Hadn't the guy in 603 seen it through his peephole? I couldn't help looking toward apartment 603. To my surprise, the door stood half-open, and it was dead quiet inside. I picked my way past the bloodstains and made my way to apartment 603.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a game world. The title "Family of Four" screamed wholesome parenting sim to me. I quietly looked around at the other players who had entered with me. A lot of them were terrified of this new environment, and several men were cursing loudly. Among the crowd, a veteran player named Mike Bates started explaining the situation. "This is an infinite horror game. The only way to clear it and revive is by getting an SSS rating. Otherwise, you will be killed by the boss." "How do you even get that kind of rating?" a college girl asked.

"Why ask when the answer's so obvious?" Afro chortled. The two factions, which had been at each other's throats just moments earlier, now had a unified purpose. "Are you sure?" I confirmed. At that moment, I felt like I was the kindest boss in any horror scenario that ever existed. I reminded them, time and time again, but no one believed me.

I'd never seen anything like that in real life. If I died chasing a pretty face, at least I'd die without regrets. It was still early. I did the math. I'd have plenty of time to get back before sunset. So I left my husband a quick note and headed for The Gilded Lyre, equal parts excited and nervous. [Naomi's actually clueless. What kind of horror game lets people team up?] [Don't forget, she still thinks this is the romance game she endorsed.] [Am I the only one who thinks Holly's shady? Sabotaging another player is low.] [Didn't she get those two killed yesterday and take their items?]

The haunted house was everything the reviews promised: pitch-black corridors, fog machines choking the air with cold mist, chainsaws revving somewhere in the distance, and actors jumping out with perfect timing to make my heart slam against my ribs. My friends and I had been laughing and screaming for twenty minutes straight, clutching each other’s arms as we stumbled through the maze of rooms themed around an abandoned asylum.

1, edited by Joe Mynhardt Fear the Reaper, edited by Joe Mynhardt For the Night is Dark, edited by Ross Warren Short story collections: Dead Reckoning and Other Stories by Dino Parenti Things You Need by Kevin Lucia Frozen Shadows and Other Chilling Stories by Gene O’Neill Varying Distances by Darren Speegle The Ghost Club: Newly Found Tales of Victorian Terror by William Meikle Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors by Todd Keisling Whispered Echoes by Paul F. Olson

A new edition will be launched every few months, featuring four or five essays per edition, so be sure to check out the webpage regularly for updates. Horror 101: The Way Forward—a comprehensive overview of the Horror fiction genre and career opportunities available to established and aspiring authors, including Jack Ketchum, Graham Masterton, Edward Lee, Lisa Morton, Ellen Datlow, Ramsey Campbell, and many more. Horror 201: The Silver Scream Vol.1 and Vol.2—A must read for anyone interested in the horror film industry. Includes interviews and essays by Wes Craven, John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Mick Garris, and dozens more. Now available in paperback, as well.