Ardor in and out of the Catacombs by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
During the hours of the sun, she worked behind the counter and among the shelves. Only the sun never reached her or her charges who had to be safeguarded from...
Awaken From Your Granite Slumber by K.J. Watson
I rapped a tumbler on the mantel above the fireplace. The crowd in the hotel bar fell quiet. “We’ve had three months of rain,” I said. “The foundations of our...
Baracuda by Wellington Lambert
He called me Barracuda, yelling, “straight finisher, throat and kidneys,” while a screaming mob circled as we entertained them with our savage death. His throat is soft. There’s a pile...
Between Canvas Walls by Michelle Brett
The sweat became even itchier as it pooled in the center of Annie’s lower back. She clenched her teeth and breathed in deeply, willing the horrid sensation away. Instead, it...
Children Shouldn’t Play with Anything by Steven Holding
The meal, of course, was delicious. Wine was flowing. Expensive, obviously, but he’d come to expect nothing less. As he took another sip from his glass, taking a moment to...
Deep Black Water by E.W. Farnsworth
On the edge of the void, she lost her mind, Fell and her hand hit rows of framed prints, Glass everywhere and when she came to, Blood all over the...
Drive by Ken Poyner
Nothing like a clown drive! Once the smaller herds have been collected, the great mass is routed through town to the railhead. Children watch from second-floor windows, parents fearing children...
Eating the Elephant: It Was the Friends We Made
Networking. People. Relationships. Is there anything more anti-author? We're known for solitary journeys. Author, pen, paper, story. We haunt cafes and libraries. We have private studies, spaces dedicated to our...
Everything Caving In by Barbara Anna Gaiardoni
dead silence a black snake visible in the dark The moon is getting small and I keep flying straight ahead. This is important in allowing me to control destiny, because...
Garden Fresh with Blood by John McMahon
who gave you your first knife, dear? was it the one that lost his hand? did he who gave you your second knife cut off the ears to your heart...
Homesick by Penny Durham
Alissa sat in her parked car, glaring at the faded For Sale sign. “Stupid house,” she hissed. It was inexplicable in this market. It would be inexplicable in any market....
Ignis Aeternus by Namreal Drawde
" I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve it, but follow the wrong.”...
Obliteration – Part One
Abby stood on her tiptoes and craned her neck to see through the cluster of soldiers riding down the escalator. “Lance!” She jumped up and down, waving her arms the...
Our Family Closet by Joan McNerney
is full of cracked skulls beginning with nancy "mother's never going to be sick again— see her steady hands" cured twenty times or take longislandexpressway aunt edna shock treatment in...
Peace/Pieces of Mind by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
I Come to take the waters. Partake of them. Our town is not renowned for them,...
SEALAB IV by Stephen A. Roddewig
“All right, Davis. We’ve got a fix on your position and vitals. Everything looks nominal. Confirm comms.” “Solid copy, Base. Moving to the northeast to investigate the sensor outage.” “Keep...
Sewing by Andrew Kurtz
The ten-year-old child tiptoed up the wooden stairs of the house, eyes shifting from the doorbell to the door. Deciding on the door, his knuckles barely touched the wood. Placing...
Social Service by Ken Poyner
Clowns usually start falling into town ten days before the rut. Local authorities keep count of them, and at the appropriate number fence off Patriot Park, start herding them in....
The Great Edwardo by Chris Tattersall
Edward was proud of himself, blowing out his six candles with ease. As if a magic trick, that precise moment also saw ‘The Great Raymondo’ enter the house behind Edward...
The Gypsies of Arbor by Sandy DeLuca
They soar beneath the gibbous moon, at midnight, wild and unafraid, and when dawn comes and dreams wane, they tuck away ancient spells… mystic potions symbols written on ancient parchment…...
The House on Linden Street by J. Paré
My older brother David and I were walking home from baseball practice Friday night. It was getting dark, and the streetlights had just turned on. Dad had told us to...
The Maze by Julie Dron
The narrow grassy path was soft beneath his feet as he meandered with a sense of vague amusement. He wondered how many hours were spent keeping the tall privet hedges...
The Muse by Kelly Moyer
would have thought you’d know better than to tell them about us. After all, it was you who called me into your world through lines and curves sketched with precision....
The Smiler by Dennis McFadden
Blackie had Nora pull over. He wanted to watch the snow falling in the park, snow being such a rare ol’ thing in Dublin. The park was only an open...
Value by Ken Poyner
Two teens heading into the woods to practice what they had learned in sex education class found him. Face up, fake red nose, bowler hat disturbed, over-sized daisy leering out...
Ω Editor Dean Shawker
Dean Shawker Dean Shawker hails from Bracknell, UK, and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. Dean is co-founder and editor of Black Hare Press. Having found that his BSc in Bioengineering...
Ω Editor Kara Hawkers
Kara Hawkers Kara Hawkers is a poet and author of short, dark fiction. As Editor-in-Chief, Kara devotes most of her time to operating The Ravens Quoth Press, along with her...