American Horror

Jacob is an old man who has secluded himself in an apartment convinced that something is after him. As he retells strange coincidences throughout his life, maybe he's right.

A Charlie Madigan short story - from the series praised for "intricate world-building and richly complex characters" ( Publishers Weekly) - as it first appeared in the Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology.

When Kiley learns firsthand what evil lurks in the heart of her boyfriend, he’ll learn about the Cold Girl, and her penchant for retribution.

Author of the Amanda Feral series Mark Henry lends his brilliantly twisted imagination to the gripping Carniepunk anthology in this creepy zombie short story. When the zombie apocalypse overtakes New York City, a trip to Coney Island is the most frightening thing of all. A gruesome tale of transformation, Ferris wheels, and transsexuals.

Max and Amy Jones wanted a fresh start following the loss their child and an injury ending Max's football career in the UK so they set off to experience the American Dream. As they settled into the Cul-de-sac they now called home, a weekend of pampering was approaching for the ladies of Vernon's Place when they headed off to the Belle Vue Hotel & Spa leaving the men with a brand new barbecue and plenty of beers. The fun soon turns into a nightmare as the mysterious man in black begins killing the men off in a gore driven game of who's next.

While Billy Blackhawk makes his escape from prison, Sampson Faith hides himself away in a cheap motel room above the Cantina, drowning his sorrows in cheap liquor and the company of prostitutes. Before the night is over, he will realize with terrifying clarity he is no better than Billy - a bitter, remorseless killer.

His bride is killed. His people are being wiped out by an enemy from the north. Bright Dance chooses to bind with an ancient horror to seek revenge for his love and a future for his people. In order to save them, Bright Dance must attach himself to Night Warrior, an ancient demon with a bloodlust that creates death wherever Bright Dance goes.

A Christmas Carol is a novella by the great Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

As Billy approached the parking lot, he could smell it: a dark scent, musky and wild and tangy on his taste buds as he breathed it in. The smell of wet fur and dried blood were what he identified next and knew he had been here recently. It wasn't hard to track Sampson. He left dead hookers wherever he went. Sampson was much older now, but he was still very strong as an opponent.

Now, Billy did believe in ghosts. Missy, completely whole again, if only for a brief moment in time, moved into the real world so that he could see and hear her singing. She began with the song she chose five years ago, stepping out of the shadows into a convenient patch of moonlight filtering in through the dirty clouds above them, looming over them like big gray ghosts.

Sampson Faith lay in the darkness of the motel room, his hands, arms, and torso smeared with dried blood. As he opened his eyes, his vision tunneled once more. He stared into the abyss and it stared back into him. He felt the hand of God within him for the first time in years...but it wasn't soon enough to save the life of his most recent victim.

Deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this maximum-security penitentiary held some of the most vicious criminals...One of them was Billy Black Hawk, a murderer and rapist...he was not only a master of mind control, but he was also a fluent out-of-body traveler and shape-shifter. Sampson Faith, a cold blooded assassin, wanders the wastelands in search of the man who killed his beloved wife. Little does he know that Billy Blackhawk, the man who killed Missy, will soon escape his musty prison cell and come looking to kill Sampson and claim his soul as well.

Delbert Thompson lived all by himself on a farm deep in the country and never bothered anyone until a group of teen's car broke down about a half mile down the road from Delbert's farm. The teens were only looking to use Delbert's phone to get help, but Delbert was in no mood for company, so the teens picked the wrong door to knock on for help. Delbert was sitting in his rocking chair on his front porch whittling a piece of wood when he stopped what he was doing and noticed a group of people headed his way.

During a visit to her dying friend, a woman discovers to her horror that his family and his home are one. SonicMovies are premium audios with strong vocal performances enhanced by music and sound effects to such an extent they sound like movies, hence, SonicMovies.

In this tragic tale of a summer sea voyage, the narrator’s old friend, Cornelius Wyatt, is onboard the Independence, sailing from South Carolina to New York City, with his wife and two sisters and an oblong pine box. A hurricane near Cape Hatteras leads to tragedy, and the truth is revealed about Wyatt’s family.

This is a story from the "Great Ghost Stories" collection.

Olivia Locke, formerly the Greek titan Mnemosyne, has built a nice little life for herself. She's bound her ancient powers, has a steady job performing inspections for an insurance company, and even goes to the dentist. But when Olivia is sent to a traveling carnival, she discovers that the claims she's reviewing aren't accidents at all but rather symptoms of a depraved bargain struck to keep the operation afloat. And, at the heart of the carnival is a force intent on capturing her very soul.

From New York Times best-selling author Seanan McGuire, a haunting urban fantasy short story in the Carniepunk anthology - for fans of all things circus, supernatural, and mysterious.... It's been 17 years since the last time Ada's carnival passed through her father's hometown in Alabama.... and no one is expecting the reception she gets.

Having just quit Julliard, disillusioned fiddler Melanie St. James finds herself as part of a group of traveling musicians en route to an OtherFolk carnival. Eager to break the chains of a lifetime of conformity, Melanie throws caution to the wind and enters a reckless bargain, plying her musical skills for the chance to win a violin that can open Doors to the CrossRoads. But the competition turns out to be far more than she expected.