They had forgotten how arduous this hiking trail could be, but for seasoned walkers Joan and Kevin, they somehow couldn’t help themselves. This wasn’t the most popular of routes, being as it was, one that segwayed off the more popular Pennine Way, and was quite rough in parts. It was also raining heavily, but there was no wind to push at them, and it wasn’t cold. Hills sloped upwards on either side, dotted with coarse shr...

Elena Rodriguez's hands trembled as she poured her coffee, spilling drops onto the worn cabin floor. Ten years as a forest ranger, and she'd never felt this uneasy. The storm outside howled, a sound she usually found comforting, but tonight it felt different—menacing, almost sentient. She glanced at the photo on her desk—her and her father, both in ranger uniforms, smiling in front of this very cabin. He had disappeared i...

The wind howled a mournful dirge through the skeletal branches of the Blackwood Forest, a chilling prelude to the events that would unfold on that fateful night twenty-seven years ago. Young Lore, barely a man, sat beside his sister Elara, sharing stories under the light of the Harvest Moon. Elara, with her fiery spirit and insatiable curiosity, was recounting a local legend—the Whisperwind Graveyard, a place said to appe...

The salt spray stung their faces as Liam, Maya, Noah, and Chloe's small boat cut through the choppy waves towards Widow's Island. The blood-red moon, a malevolent eye in the inky sky, cast an unsettling glow on the water, illuminating the ominous silhouette of the lighthouse—a skeletal finger against the night sky. They’d come seeking a thrill, dismissing the island's legends as mere folklore, but even Liam, the pragmatis...

With clenched fists, I pound on your door Shrill cries unlike you’ve ever heard before Mustering all the strength I have left in my core Frantic and desperate screams, you ignore In the dead of night, the world is without colours A twig cracks, a bush shudders Gasping for air as my heart flutters As shadowed beasts encircle me like vultures With a menacing grin and eyes of jade Slowly approaching, each wielding a sharp bl...

In the cold dimness, I hear it shriek A single tear runs down my cheek As it approaches, the floorboards groan and creak I hold my breath and dare not to speak I crawl to a corner in which to hide in Sweat binds clothes to my skin My heart pulses, my vision spins Time is running out and I cannot win With each passing moment Bone-quaking footsteps boom from my opponent And with it, a slow eternal torment I recite a silent...

How many times have I been here? One step forward, three steps back In my confusion, I’ve lost track Dragged further and further into the black The shadows have claws, they dig into my skin Biting at my flesh, sinking their teeth in My tenacity is wearing thin Will I ever escape the darkness within? This cycle began before my prime Should I let the rot consume me one last time? Shall this be my final rhyme? No, I just nee...

The boy was terrified, his eyes conveying fear like that he had never known. He was four years old and tied to a steel chair, a gag around his mouth, his tearful eyes staring at the man who stood by the doorway of the shed with a 7-inch wildcat Bowie knife, looking at the child with curiosity. He had killed before and knew he would this time. He preferred them as young as possible because they were more innocent, so a fou...

The two young girls played vivaciously in the cool water by the glade. As they splashed and frolicked, their laughter echoed around the mountain valley. The surrounding trees, comprising primarily of larch, beech, and spruce - and, of course, oak – gently whispered their approval. They were safe here. Locals knew not to disturb them. The sisters were special – as was the valley. The power and magic that resided in the tre...

Chapter 1 Once upon a time, in the small village of Chiseldon, Wiltshire, there was a strange occurrence happening. The sun was shining bright, and unicorns were seen galloping through the streets. At first, it seemed like a dream come true for the villagers, but as days went by, they realized that something was off. People began disappearing without a trace. Their loved ones searched high and low, but there was no sign o...

It was a quiet night in the village of Chiseldon, a small and unremarkable spot on the outskirts of Swindon. The clerk, Jack, was counting the cash register and getting ready to close the p shop. He looked forward to a peaceful evening, playing darts down the pub and maybe cracking open a beer. But little did he know that a dark horror was about to descend upon him and his humble village. As Jack was locking up the front...

The horse was in shock. It didn’t know what had happened to it as it could not comprehend just what was going on, and the farmer to whom it belonged, could only stare with a similar level of incomprehension. Standing at the gate, as ‘Bessie’ a retired Haflinger horse, lay on her side in watery mud in the corner of a field, her legs cycling slowly, head moving around, eyes blinking, her heart pumping its last as it lay som...

I come from hell a naked Amoeba to enter a cell called flesh it is my tomb with some growing room through the eyes of my muse and the laudanum fumes pale as pewter eyes of dark's covenant the veil is rent I see her true my tendrils corrupt the heathen woman who is rightly adorned with vanity with a wondrous breath of death, I yearn turning the screw entombed exhaling a scent of eternal on the epiphany grail sickened grief...

Turning the key in the garage door, there was a satisfying click as it locked. His left hand held a claw hammer which was swung at it. It took three swipes to break the key. He nodded in satisfaction. “There, now we’re locked in,” he said, dropping the tool, then turning and walking across to a full-length Hanoi mirror, leaning against a drawer chest. In its reflection he could see the object of his disgust, Kenneth May,...

He stared out from behind the glass of a small frame, the picture taken 22 years ago as he stood on a beach, the sea behind him beneath a cloudless sky. She wanted to feel emotion at his passing, wanted to shed a tear, but couldn’t. He hadn’t been a bad husband, and he certainly hadn’t been good, but then neither had she. Yet he had seemed to treat her as though she wasn’t really there. She had been someone he could fall...