Horror Writing Contest 2023

My name is Athena Argos, and I’m the future Gamma of the Blood-Moon pack. I should be training to take over my position, but instead, I’ve left my pack to find the truth about the horrific attack that killed my father two years ago. He was my hero, and I can’t stand by and allow the pack responsible to get away with his murder. Follow the story of Athena and her lycan, Enyo, as they uncover the truth about who attacked their pack. What will happen when they find out that they are chosen by the Moon Goddess to fulfil a centuries-old prophecy, and are the reason why their father is dead? Will Athena and Enyo be able to protect the ones they love and fulfil the prophecy? Trigger Warnings: Violence This story includes random and/or deliberate acts of violence towards others which may be triggering to some readers with lived experience. Please proceed with caution. Physical Abuse This story contains descriptions of physical and/or verbal abuse, including SA, which may be triggering to readers with lived experiences. Mental or Emotional Abuse This story contains descriptions of mental and/or emotional abuse which may be triggering to survivors. Kidnapping This story contains descriptions of kidnapping, which may include forceful deprivation of/disregard for personal autonomy, which may be triggering for readers with lived experiences. Death This story includes references to death, violence, and/or abuse. Please proceed with caution. Blood This story includes descriptions of horror, blood, and/or violent behaviors. Please proceed with caution.

“She tried to escape. I think she wants to go rogue.” The guard said.  Sabrina’s eyes snapped to me. A smirk curled on her lips as she walked forward. “Tried to escape, did we?” she said, her blue eyes slicing into mine. “Leave us.” The guards obeyed. She moved in, gaze sweeping over me. “Whatever made you think your scrawny little body could outrun two strong guards?” “Sabrina, you have to let me go. I don’t want to be your handmaid. Please. Let me go.” I begged.  Sabrina laughed, sharp and cold. “Oh, you’ll serve me whether you like it or not.” She leaned closer. “You won’t just serve me, Elowyn. You’ll mate with the Alpha and carry his child for us.” My breath caught. “What?” Her smile deepened, her voice soft and slow. “I can’t be the one who fulfills the prophecy that Kieran’s Luna will die in childbirth.” She stepped even closer. Her eyes locked on mine. “You will bear his child, Elowyn.” She said it with such certainty that my blood ran cold.  I stared at her, horror rising in my throat. “You want me to die instead of you?” Sabrina said nothing. She didn’t have to. Her smile said everything.

The books say that besides empaths, mages are the most sensitive when it comes to emotions. They also say that mages are the most dangerous supernatural s pecies to walk the earth. There's a reason for that, the elders say that mages who are underaged are a ticking time bomb because if a mage who is not of age constantly experiences negative emotions before their Coming of Age ceremony, their magic becomes twisted, their heart becomes cold and their eyes change to reflect that evil magic coursing through them. No one ever believed the books, thinking of them as fairy tales. At least they didn't until Olive Lane walked into school her magic dark and corrupted enough to give her a shadow familiar. Her hair no longer an almost white blond but a haunting purple. Gone were her kind and emotion-filled green eyes and in their place were amethyst eyes filled with nothing but hatred and amusement. Everyone watched her snap the neck of a classmate with the tilt of her head and it was in that moment they realized that the books and the elders were right. And for the first time in their peace-filled lives, the residents of Ravenswood felt true horror because when she looked at them, they knew that in front of them was the monster spoken of in fear and terrified reverence. Olive Lane,the sweetest and kindest person to ever walk the earth was now a Dark Mage. Will her soul be forever lost in the darkness or is there a hope for redemption? Will she defeat her demons or will they overtake her and ruin that which she loves...

“Reject her.” Jake blinked at Ana stupidly. “What?” “Reject her now Jake! If you love me and want to keep me as your wife, reject her and break the bond!” Ana screeched as her hands balled into fists. “I’m sorry Ana, I can’t do that. You don’t understand how sick your sister is. If I reject her, it will kill her.”  Ana is miserable because she has been trying and failing to give her loving alpha husband a child.  She was raised as an unloved and unwanted Omega but was saved when her sweet husband rescued and married her. That’s why she is desperate to give him an heir. But unfortunately for Ana, her whole life is about to turn into one huge, chaotic, horror nightmare when her enemy/step-sister suddenly returns to claim the same mate she had rejected— Ana’s husband! But things went from bad to worse when Ana seeks comfort from a stranger who turns out to be none other than Kane! her husband’s ruthless older brother! What can she do when Kane becomes determined to claim everything that belongs to him, from her husband’s property, the pack, up to the child in her womb? Two pregnancies, two enemy sisters, two or more fathers but there can only be one true Ruler.

I stand before the judges at the jewelry design competition and admit to plagiarism. Then, I announce my withdrawal from the contest, along with my resignation as Design Director of Fairchild Group. My fiance, Caleb Fairchild, shoots daggers at me. "If you walk away from this competition, our engagement is off!" My father follows up by slapping me across the face. "First, you plagiarize your own sister, and now you're breaking off your engagement with the Fairchilds? Are you trying to ruin our family?" "Oh, I'm not just calling off my engagement. I'm also cutting off my ties with you," I respond apathetically. I make this decision because I have been given a second life. In my previous life, my stepsister and I competed in this contest. First place earns the title of the nation's top jewelry designer and 50 million dollars from Fairchild Group. However, round after round, her designs are exactly the same as mine, and she submits them before I do. The judging panel gives me a pass because of Caleb and lets me advance to the finals, but not without a warning to never plagiarize again. I refuse to believe it. I switch to a brand-new computer, lock myself in my room, and pour everything into a new design. Yet, when the final designs appear on the big screen, history repeats itself. In the end, my sister takes first place and walks away with everything that should have been mine. The reputation I painstakingly built is ruined, and my name is dragged through the mud online. My parents are ashamed of me. They knock me out and sell me off to the countryside to marry an old man. Ultimately, I die after endless abuse. When I open my eyes again, I'm back at the semifinals. Everyone is pointing at me as they stare at the two identical designs.

Élianor est une jeune femme dont l'existence n'a été qu'une longue souffrance. En raison de son poids, elle fut toute sa vie la cible des railleries, autant dans le cercle de sa famille que dans celui de toute la ville. Les murs de l'école furent pour elle le théâtre d'un harcèlement quotidien et impitoyable. Son calvaire atteignit son paroxysme lors d'une humiliation publique, si cruelle et si violemment orchestrée qu'elle se retrouva couverte d'un opprobre indélébile aux yeux de tous. Brisée et rongée par la honte, elle n'eut d'autre choix que de fuir cette cité devenue un enfer. Son exil fut marqué par un drame supplémentaire : elle partit, portant en elle un enfant dont elle ignorait la paternité, fruit possible d'une ultime violence ou d'une relation désespérée. Cinq ans plus tard, Élianor fait son retour. La jeune fille timorée et meurtrie a disparu. À sa place se tient une femme d'une beauté à couper le souffle, mince et rayonnante, dotée d'une puissance et d'une autorité qui ne peuvent être contestées. Elle revient sur la terre de son ancien cauchemar avec une seule et unique obsession : se venger avec une froide méthodité de tous ceux qui l'ont brisée, et faire payer à la ville entière le prix de son indifférence et de sa cruauté.

In the blood-soaked mountain town of Black Hollow, every full moon ends with a body and a lie. Elara Ashwood has lived her life by one rule: never trust a man who knows your scent. Raised by her grandmother after her mother vanished into the forest and her father died in a “hunting accident,” Elara knows the forest is dangerous, and the wolves hiding in plain sight are deadlier. But when strangers arrive during the winter eclipse, the forest screams with fury and people begin to disappear. Among them is Kael Draven, a cold, dangerous Alpha with silver eyes that linger too long on her skin, as if he already owns her. The night he bites her is no accident. Elara soon discovers she is not only Kael’s fated mate but also the one prophesied to destroy his bloodline. Rejected and marked, she flees into the forest, awakening a darker force within herself—an ancient wolf that feeds on fear, desire, and vengeance. The more she resists her nature, the harder it becomes to control. As enemies close in and the moon turns red, Kael hunts her—not to kill her, but because his body, his wolf, and his soul answer only to her. Every encounter is charged with hunger: claws brushing skin, breath against necks, restraint breaking slowly, painfully. Their love becomes dangerous, their desire a weapon. In Black Hollow, the true horror is not the beasts in the forest—it is the one you crave in the dark. And sometimes, giving in to that hunger is the only way to survive.

De camino a ver a mi novio, que seguía haciendo horas extras, sufrí un fuerte accidente de tránsito. Lo llamé decenas de veces, pidiéndole ayuda, pero no respondió ni una sola vez. A lo lejos, el edificio de su empresa seguía iluminado, con las luces encendidas, como si nada hubiera pasado, y la desesperación terminó por devorarme. Cuando desperté en el hospital, vi una publicación de una subordinada suya: “¿Qué hacer cuando tu jefe te regaña en plena madrugada?” La imagen mostraba el reflejo de ambos en el vidrio de una puerta. La cercanía entre ellos era tan evidente que claramente había cruzado los límites de una relación laboral normal. Sin darme por vencida, volví a llamar a Alfonso González. Esta vez, por fin contestó. Con la voz quebrada, apenas logré decir: —Alfonso, tuve un accidente de auto. —Paula, ando ocupado —respondió con frialdad—. Haré que mi asistente se encargue, ¿de acuerdo? Sé buena, ¿sí? Cuando termine este viaje de trabajo, regresaré para acompañarte. Intenté seguir hablando, pero su grito interrumpió todo: —¡Bárbara! ¿Te vas con una sola maleta? ¿Y entonces por qué traes tres? ¿Piensas irte de vacaciones o qué? Bárbara Garza era la nueva pasante que Alfonso acababa de contratar. Miré el teléfono. La llamada ya se había cortado, y las lágrimas ya estaban secas en el rostro. Luego marqué otro número: —Acepto el matrimonio arreglado.

Lendon Martin was a renowned Duke of England. It said that he would lead world politics and business in the future. Everything was served to him on a silver platter, and his noble status was feared by many. His ruthless and cold temperament made everyone shivered, yet a dark secret lies on his deceiving look. For many years he suffered a series of attacks, and his body has been deteriorating. Kendra stumbled on his way, and he treated her like his possession. He gave passion yet caged her. One full moon night changed their lives together. “What is that smell?” The man suddenly got close to Kendra’s neck and whispered. He smelt Kendra’s body carefully. He had never smelt this fragrance before. It was not like the smell of rose or lily, but he was attracted. Who was this girl? How did she dare to come here on a full moon night? Wasn’t she afraid of death? The man stared at Kendra and wondered. Kendra moved back in horror, but the man kept coming to her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” The man's voice came again. When the man opened his mouth to speak, Kendra thought he wanted to eat her alive. “Don’t come here! I…I just happened to come across.” she hurriedly retorted. “What a coincidence!” The man sneered. The next moment, the man rushed to Kendra and pushed her down.

**Dez** Dezmond woke in a cold sweat. The ache in his heart was worse than ever before. It had been growing more intense over the past few weeks. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn't bother looking in the mirror, he knew what he would see. His face would be white and his eyes haunted with the need to find answers. Dezmond needed to know why he was being tormented in his dreams. He was never supposed to dream again. "I can't take this anymore." said Dezmond gloomily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Ruby** Ruby couldn't focus in class, another night of tossing and turning. Seeing the flames consume her house. Hearing the screams as her family slowly died, knowing there was nothing she could do. It had been almost three years since the incident. The day she lost her family in the fire. She was the only one who wasn't in the house. And she relived that horror every night in her dreams. Though recently her nightmares felt different. More like a warning rather than a memory. "Rough night?" whispered Haven. Haven had been friends with Ruby since they were little kids. "Yeah, they started happening again." Ruby whispered back. They never really stopped. "Have you talked to anyone about it? Ruby, you can't keep it a secret forever." This is the same discussion they had just after the incident.