by D Kershaw
Facebook: PoisonedQuillWriting
Instagram: @poisoned_quill_writing
Mirror
by Abi Linhardt
My wife had been murdered and the bastard wouldn’t tell me where he had stashed her.
“Where is her body!” I screamed at the criminal I was interrogating. He just smiled back at me, shaking his head.
“Under the stairs, you know that!”
Once I got home, I went for a long walk in the woods, her body heavy as I dragged it by the foot over the dead leaves. I’m glad I asked, because I’d forgotten she was down there.
When I got back, I looked in the mirror and gave myself a thumbs up. We were safe now.
ABI LINHARDT has been a gamer all her life but is a teacher at heart. When she is not writing, you can find her slaying enemies online or teaching in a college classroom. She has published works of fiction, poetry, college essays, and even won two literary awards for her short stories in science fiction and horror. Abi lives and writes in the grey world of northern Ohio.
Blindsided
by Jonathan Inbody
The middle-aged man unlocked the door and rushed into his windowless room. He pushed aside the tools of his insidious trade, sending them clattering to the floor as he tossed the note down on his desk. It had been pinned to his door in a simple white envelope, and what it said could only have been understood by its intended recipient; “I know about the girl. Payment instructions will follow.”
The man slumped over and began to cry.
On the rainy street outside, a man in thick sunglasses smiled. It was almost too easy gathering blackmail material with X-Ray vision.
JONATHAN INBODY is a filmmaker, author, and podcaster from Buffalo, New York. He enjoys B-movies, pen and paper RPGs, and New Wave Science Fiction novels. His short story “Dying Feels Like Slowly Sinking” is due to be published in the anthology Deteriorate from Whimsically Dark Publishing. Jon can be heard every other week on his improvisational movie pitch podcast X Meets Y.
Website: xmeetsy.libsyn.com
Backup
by Joel R. Hunt
“Thank God you got here so quick, officer!”
He stepped inside and scanned the hall.
“Where’s the killer?” he asked.
“We managed to tackle him and grab the axe,” she sobbed through tear-stained make-up. “We tied him up in the basement.”
“Stay here. Lock the door. Don’t move.”
“Yes, officer.”
He approached the basement, eased open the door and peered into the darkness.
Silence.
He drew his weapon. Descended the steps. Approached the huddled body of the killer.
Then cut the ropes and handed over the knife.
“You have three minutes until the cops arrive,” he said. “Make them count.”
JOEL R. HUNT is a writer from the UK who dabbles in the darker aspects of life, particularly through horror, science fiction and the supernatural. He has been published here and there (though likely nowhere you’ve heard of) and hopes to have released his first anthology of short stories later this year.
Twitter: @JoelRHunt1
Reddit: JRHEvilInc
Cold Case
by Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer
It was a cold case, but a particularly ugly one. An innocent woman alone at a suburban train station, and an unidentified killer hunting a victim.
Police-woman Marika had been drawn to the fatal spot over the years. Occasionally, she saw a man lingering on the platform. One day their eyes met in chilling recognition, and Marika instinctively knew he was the killer.
Marika decided to arrest the man for questioning. Following him into the subway, she reached for her service holster, finding the gun was missing. The killer had a knife. Marika’s cadaver provided evidence to reopen the case.
CECELIA HOPKINS-DREWER lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has written a Masters paper on H.P. Lovecraft, and her weird poetry has been published in THE MENTOR (edited by Ron Clarke), and SPECTRAL REALMS (edited by S.T. Joshi). Her novels include a teenage vampire series comprised of three volumes, MYSTIC EVERMORE, SAINTS AND SINNERS & AUTUMN SECRETS. Short stories have been published in WORLDS, ANGELS & MONSTERS (Dark Drabbles anthologies edited by Dean Kershaw).
Amazon: amazon.com/Cecelia-Hopkins-Drewer/e/B071G968NM
Website: chopkin39.wixsite.com/website
Confession
by Jonathan Inbody
“I’m a fraud!” he said tearfully.
“Well isn’t that the idea?” asked his wife.
“You don’t understand,” the man replied. “I’ve never actually impersonated someone, or swindled an old maid out of her fortune, or even done so much as trick a child into giving me their candy! I’ve never committed a real act of fraud in my life!”
She patted him on the shoulder. “It’s alright, Harold. The way I see it, lying about being a fraud might be the most fraudulent thing someone could do.”
“Really?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded. “You’ll always be despicable to me.”
JONATHAN INBODY is a filmmaker, author, and podcaster from Buffalo, New York. He enjoys B-movies, pen and paper RPGs, and New Wave Science Fiction novels. His short story “Dying Feels Like Slowly Sinking” is due to be published in the anthology Deteriorate from Whimsically Dark Publishing. Jon can be heard every other week on his improvisational movie pitch podcast X Meets Y.
Website: xmeetsy.libsyn.com
The Backpacker Murders
by Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer
No one knew who had murdered a group of backpackers. Nor why the killings had stopped. Unless, as Inga proposed, the killer had gone overseas. Suddenly the killings began again.
Inga searched through arrivals and departures, looking for a correspondence between that day and ten years ago. She found a name; Horace Thorsen.
Inga donned a rucksack and joined the backpacker ranks. With no connections in Australia, they seemed ideal victims. However, she wished she had not tracked the suspect to such a remote area. She also wished he did not have a machete, and she could run much faster.
CECELIA HOPKINS-DREWER lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has written a Masters paper on H.P. Lovecraft, and her weird poetry has been published in THE MENTOR (edited by Ron Clarke), and SPECTRAL REALMS (edited by S.T. Joshi). Her novels include a teenage vampire series comprised of three volumes, MYSTIC EVERMORE, SAINTS AND SINNERS & AUTUMN SECRETS. Short stories have been published in WORLDS, ANGELS & MONSTERS (Dark Drabbles anthologies edited by Dean Kershaw).
Amazon: amazon.com/Cecelia-Hopkins-Drewer/e/B071G968NM
Website: chopkin39.wixsite.com/website
Discovery
by A.R. Johnston
She looked at it all with dispassion, it was the only way to get through something like this. You’re always told that things will get easier, but it still turned her stomach. The lengths in which one human would go to destroy another was unfathomable.
“How many bodies do we have so far?” she asked.
“Unclear since everything is mixed together, but this boy has been doing this a long time, honing skills.” Callister shrugged. “Doc thinks, bare minimum, sixteen, probably more. She won’t know until everything is collected.”
“Damn, how the hell did we stumble on a serial killer?”
A.R. JOHNSTON is a small-town girl from Nova Scotia, Canada. Her style of writing is considered Urban Fantasy. Her first major publication is part of an anthology called First Love and she has several more titles lined up. She is a lover of coffee, good tv shows, horror flicks, and reader of books. She pretends to be a writer when real life doesn’t get in the way. Pesky full-time job and adulting!
The Perfect Crime
by Ann Christine Tabaka
The man’s body was sprawled out in the middle of the kitchen floor. The stab wound in his back indicated that it was foul play. It seemed to be the perfect crime. The police spent the
entire day scouring the scene for evidence but found nothing; no murder weapon, no fingerprints.
As night fell, the detectives decided to call it a day. They scratched their heads as they retreated to their vehicles, they never ran into a case like this before.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the dark basement, the cat grinned as he played with his shiny new toy.
ANN CHRISTINE TABAKA was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from numerous publications. She is the author of 9 poetry books. Christine lives in Delaware, USA. She loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and two cats. Her most recent credits are: Burningword Literary Journal; Ethos Literary Journal, North of Oxford, Pomona Valley Review, Page & Spine, West Texas Literary Review, The Hungry Chimera, Sheila-Na-Gig, Pangolin Review, Foliate Oak Review, Better Than Starbucks!, The Write Launch, The Stray Branch, The McKinley Review, Fourth & Sycamore.
Smoke and Lead
By Eddie D. Moore
Logan’s hand hovered above his pistol, and he stared his opponent in the eyes. The sheriff stepped between the men with a double barrel shotgun cradled in his arms.
“There’ll be no duels today, gentlemen. If you boys want to settle things like men, your fists are good enough.”
In the blink of an eye, Logan drew and fired. Smoke rose from his colt’s barrel as the sheriff fell, lifeless, to the ground.
Logan holstered his pistol, cracked his neck and shouted, “You’re next, James!”
James’ hand trembled, but he set his jaw and answered his murderer with hot lead.
EDDIE D. MOORE travels hundreds of hours a year, and he fills that time by listening to audiobooks. When he isn’t playing with his grandchildren, he writes his own stories. You can find a list of his publications on his blog or by visiting his Amazon Author Page. While you’re there, be sure to pick up a copy of his mini-anthology Misfits & Oddities.
Website: eddiedmoore.wordpress.com
Amazon: amazon.com/author/eddiedmoore
Til Death
by Cameron Marcoux
Link approached the scene. “They found the finger yet?” He looked down at the woman’s hand. Her ring finger was missing. Severed.
Felder took a drag on his cigarette before answering. “Yeah. They tweezed it out of her mouth. Still had the diamond on it, too. Giant rock.”
“Well, shit.”
With hands in their pockets, the suited men stared down at the body.
“Can I bum one?” Felder pulled out a pack of Camels and slid out a loosey. Link took it. “Thanks.” Felder replaced the cigarettes. “Anyone reach the husband?”
“No.” He hesitated. “And I wouldn’t count on it.”
CAMERON MARCOUX is a writer of stories, which, considering where you are reading this, makes a lot of sense. He also teaches English to the lovely and terrifying creatures we call teenagers. He lives in the quiet, northern reaches of New England in the U.S. with his girlfriend and scaredy dog.
Grit and Gravel
by Jo Seysener
“Turn off them bleedin’ lights, Pat. Givin’ me a headache.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it. Gotta keep them people away. Bloody stickybeaks. Wantin’ ta see what blood looks like.”
“Yer mumblin’ again. Help me lift this, wouldya?”
“Urg, this one’s fresh. I hate ‘em like that. Still warm underneath.”
“Like they’re a person.”
“Yeah.”
“Hang on, what’s that?”
“Ooh, you reckon he’s finally left evidence?”
“Looks like it.”
“Bag it. See what they make of it.”
“Be good to finally catch this bugger.”
“Sixteen bodies.”
“Women.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t want to clean up another one of his.”
“His victims?”
“Yeah.”
JO SEYSENER is a mum of three crazies, a scatter of chickens, a decrepit kelpie and a rambunctious GSD. She lives with her husband near Brisbane, Australia. When she is not exposing her kids to cult story books from her childhood, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new flavours and pairings. She adores alpacas.
Facebook: joseysener
Website: www.joseysener.com
A Thing of Beauty
by Jo Seysener
Skin so tender, still. But it will soon go tough.
Unyielding.
When the flashing lights get here.
I’ll be up there, watching them scurry about like tiny ants. So many people, thinking they are important. But there is only one important person here.
Her.
I’ve made her important.
Skin is cooling. I should go. Just to see her face, touch her flesh again before they get their hands on her, their filthy medical instruments.
As though she is an object of science, not beauty. A thing.
I have to leave now. So they don’t find me.
So I’m important too.
JO SEYSENER is a mum of three crazies, a scatter of chickens, a decrepit kelpie and a rambunctious GSD. She lives with her husband near Brisbane, Australia. When she is not exposing her kids to cult story books from her childhood, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new flavours and pairings. She adores alpacas.
Facebook: joseysener
Website: www.joseysener.com
Panic and Plans
by Jo Seysener
I can’t believe it. I’ve been so stupid, leaving my tools at the scene.
That’s what I get for rushing. Giving them evidence.
Stupid stupid.
Got to think. They could find me with this. With their science. Catch me and put me behind a neat row of bars in a tiny cell with a man I’d have to beat into submission.
Think think.
Maybe it’s not so bad. I’ve wiped them all clean. I should be good. Maybe I should stop for a while, take a little trip away. But I’ve got my eye on her.
I’ll make her pretty.
JO SEYSENER is a mum of three crazies, a scatter of chickens, a decrepit kelpie and a rambunctious GSD. She lives with her husband near Brisbane, Australia. When she is not exposing her kids to cult story books from her childhood, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new flavours and pairings. She adores alpacas.
Facebook: joseysener
Website: www.joseysener.com
Another Body
by Jo Seysener
“We gonna get him, Pat. I can feel it.”
“Yeah, we got him this time.”
“Just give the word.”
Pat nodded to a lackey in uniform who busted the door in. He tapped the young man’s shoulder approvingly. The boy—why were they all so young?—gave him a dark smile as though he, too, were enjoying catching this madman.
“Ah, hell.”
“Whatcha got?” Pat saw the long hair first and knew they’d lost him. He cursed, kicking the wall.
“Careful, Sarge, you might damage evidence.”
Pat grunted at the young cop, wondering why he wasn’t hurling up his guts.
JO SEYSENER is a mum of three crazies, a scatter of chickens, a decrepit kelpie and a rambunctious GSD. She lives with her husband near Brisbane, Australia. When she is not exposing her kids to cult story books from her childhood, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new flavours and pairings. She adores alpacas.
Facebook: joseysener
Website: www.joseysener.com
Blue Blood
by Jo Seysener
I smile as they find her, laid out in blood. They wish it was me. The fat cop stoops over her, tracking blood around the scene. He kicked the wall, too. Destroying evidence.
What a lark. I had to remind him to be careful.
They’re getting complacent, expecting to find something that will give me away. I lean on the doorway, grinning. It unn
erves the older cop. I can read the puzzlement in his eyes.
Maybe I should tone it down some, pretend to care about this blonde body gone cold. But they’ll never catch me.
Not in this uniform.
JO SEYSENER is a mum of three crazies, a scatter of chickens, a decrepit kelpie and a rambunctious GSD. She lives with her husband near Brisbane, Australia. When she is not exposing her kids to cult story books from her childhood, she can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new flavours and pairings. She adores alpacas.
Facebook: joseysener
Website: www.joseysener.com
Winner
by Umair Mirxa