Horror Fiction Short Stories

Venture inside Midnight Under the Big Top, where your wide eyes and pounding heart will discover: the world's grandest tales of murder, madness, and magic set in and around the circus by storytellers such as Stephen King, Joe Hill, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Neil Gaiman, Kelley Armstrong, Robert McCammon, Tananarive Due, Lisa Morton, Heather Graham, Richard Chizmar, Billy Chizmar, Amanda C. Davis, Nayad Monroe, Jeff Strand, Amanda Downum, Robert Brouhard, and Dominick Cancilla!

Beckton is an insignificant farming town in Yorkshire, England, with a history of covens and blood magic dating back to the Victorian Era. The house still stands in 2004, when Kim and Kevin must learn to balance both sibling and parental roles after a car accident kills their parents, leaving them to raise six-year-old Annie. Nothing seemed out of sorts when they toured the house, but Kim can't escape the feeling that someone is always watching.

Thirteen classic stories of horror and the supernatural by some of the greatest writers in the genre. This compilation includes a mix of well-known classics by authors such as Edith Nesbit, J. Sheridan Le Fanu and M. R. James, alongside several tales by less familiar names who were hugely popular and prolific in their day.

Stephen King meets Neil Gaiman in this story of ancient gods and tortured spirits, of temptation and manipulation, and of mankind’s quest to seek justice over revenge. When a forgotten god arrives in a town haunted by the ghosts of dead slaves, will they accept its offer to guide them to the afterlife, or will they heed their priestess’s warnings about the mysterious deity? Gripping and provocative, this story will leave you pondering its ending, and your presumptions, deep into the night.

What happens when a United States military dog unit lands on a small island controlled by the Japanese military during World War II? This story was inspired by true events. In about 1987, the events were described to the author by a man who was there. The names are fictitious and do not reflect real people, living or dead.

The tale of a man who unwittingly angers a sorcerer, who is assumed by some Monty scholars to be based on the self-styled 'Great Beast,' occultist Aleister Crowley. Montague Rhodes James was a noted British mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature.

The Stoker Award-winning editor of the acclaimed, eclectic anthology The New Dead returns with 21st Century Dead and an all-new lineup of authors from every corner of the fiction world, shining a dark light on our fascination with tales of death and resurrection - and with zombies!

The stories in this collection provide a wide-angle lens at what comprises the unique expanse of horror fiction today. From hobgoblins and apparitions, to haunted dwellings and cursed possessions, to good intentions gone awry and evil ones turned on the perpetrator, these 20 tales will unsettle, frighten, tickle, and caution, and in the end, listeners may take heed before ever again accompanying their children trick-or-treating, striking up conversations in anonymous chat rooms, or fortifying their homes in an attempt to prevent Halloween vandalism.

Nicole has wanted to own a haunted car her entire teenaged life, and when she finally finds one - a junker of a Chrysler Neon with its own tragic backstory - her best friend, Johnny, has some serious doubts. Would a demon even want to possess a Chrysler Neon? But when the two of them take it for a test drive, Johnny’s doubts begin to fade: The steering wheel burns hot, the car traps Johnny in the back seat, and is Nicole even driving? Or is the car driving itself? They soon find themselves forced to face the potential evil controlling the car, and possibly even themselves.

CONTENTS: 01. The Nameless City 02. The Festival 03-04. The Colour Out of Space 05-07. The Call of Cthulhu 08-17. The Dunwich Horror 18-25. The Whisperer in Darkness 26 . A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson 27-28.The Haunter of the Dark 29-33. The Shadow Over Innsmouth 34. Discarded Draft of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" 35-42. The Shadow Out of Time 43-54. At the Mountains of Madness 55-79.The Case of Charles Dexter Ward 80. Azathoth 81. Beyond the Wall of Sleep 82. Celephaïs 83. Cool Air 84. Dagon 85. Ex Oblivione.

Washington Irving was an American author of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories, with his two most famous being "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle".

A teenage girl’s unnatural obsession with an ancient coin leads to bloodshed. Supernatural evil bides its time, as it lurks within the gears of an old grandfather clock. And a new bride discovers her mother-in-law is willing to go to terrifying lengths to build the perfect family....

While traveling abroad, a young academic (Anthony D.P. Mann) discovers that the inn in which he is staying, harbors a dark secret: A mysterious room that appears after midnight, and within - a foreboding presence. What sinister entity lurks behind the door to room number 13?

One by one, cities have been falling to a terrorist attack. No one can stop the terrorists or figure out where the next attack will take place. All that is known is when the attacks start, the strange gas the terrorists use turns the moon a blood red, and black shadows of men and women are seen, slinking among the buildings. Yet, somehow, not a single survivor has managed to provide a solid description of the people attacking their towns. Most contribute this to the mysterious gas that seems to put the residence into a temporary psychotic state, but what if it’s something more than that?

Brian Evenson's fifth story collection constructs a human landscape as unearthly as it is mundane. Replete with the brutality, primordial waste, and savage blankness familiar to listeners of his earlier works, Evenson's Kafkaesque allegories entice the mind while stubbornly disordering it.

This follow-up volume to the bestselling Ghosts from the Library resurrects forgotten tales of the supernatural by some of the most accomplished mystery authors of all time. Close the windows. Draw the curtains. Just don’t let the lights go out…

The story begins quickly with a bold admission. It maintains a quick pace by interweaving narratives from the past with the contemporary online conversation between two lifelong friends. The intensity builds through a series of escalating events.

“They Are Everywhere” is a story that combines the elements of the most spine-tingling supernatural horror with the funniest comedy. Never before have malevolent spirits, poltergeists, and haunted houses been so funny. Make no mistake though, the terror is real; it’s the witless protagonists and their incredibly inappropriate reactions that give the story its humor.

“An Illustrated Warning” is a carefully crafted and creepy tale designed to unsettle and chill you. You’ll be held rapt to attention as the dread sets in and things go from odd to eerie and then from eerie to utterly frightening. There is plenty of fright in this story, which is made up of several elements that work together to create a terrifying whole.

The audiobook The Gig is a story of American horror and tragedy that involves the downfall of a once-successful musician who had traveled the world, one coffee shop, one bar, and one stage at a time. Under the recession, he fell out of work. He began searching coffee shops, just begging different shop owners for work. He was never seen without his sax in hand, but after the 30th "No" from the 30th club or coffee house, he is sitting having coffee when he falls to the floor in a massive, convulsing seizure.