Dark Fantasy Short Stories

In the late 1590s, Scotland was on the verge of many changes that would shape its future, such as religious reformation and the union of the crowns with England. But in many ways the country, was still rooted in its medieval past, and fear of witches and demons was still a large part of everyday life. Seton confronts his demons, both internal and external, as he wanders on the fringes of history.

The workings of heaven are shrouded in mystery and myth, leaving us to only theorize as to what awaits us when we pass. There are those among us, however, that are special cases. These are good people who have committed a horrendous crime, such as murder. What makes their cases special, however, is the fact that by committing these egregious acts, one could argue that they have made the world a better place.

Prometheus - one of the keenest Titans to ever walk the earth. Until, that is, his weakness for the human race resulted in his imprisonment. For thousands of years, Prometheus's only certainty was his daily torture at Zeus's hand. Now, unchained by the Eternal Guardians, he spends his days in solitude, trying to forget the past. He's vowed no allegiance in the war between mortal and immortal, but when a beautiful maiden seeks him out and begs for his help, he's once again powerless to say no.

From urban hotel rooms with interdimensional portals to far-future robotic societies, to far-flung galaxies, to the near future, to the present day with a twist. Eric Fomley's first full collection brings a variety of dark futures for your consumption and enjoyment. Flash Futures contains three very short stories and 21 sci-fi flash fictions guaranteed to take you to the future in 10 minutes or less.

The problem with the dark is you don’t really know what’s lurking in there. Something hiding? Something menacing? Or just an inky dome for the stars to twinkle on? Writers rarely let us dwell on the latter. No, they would much rather they put our nerves on edge, that our skin would begin to crawl and that the cold sweat of fear propels our pulse and heartbeat to nightmare-inducing trauma. I think they’re ready.

Four dark tales of the holiday spirit. In "Christmas Eve Gift", Old Bill sets out on her annual Christmas Eve journey to her niece's house and encounters an unexpected darkness along the way. In "A Dark Christmas", Alice, a dark daughter of the vampire, Elizabet, turns the table on a family of hunters. In "On the 7th Day of Christmas", Sunny finally gets to throw a party, only a monster shows up and twists a small kink into her New Year's Eve festivities. In "Twelfth Night", A 13-year-old encounters the Woman with No Face for the first time.

El protagonista nos relata con cierto regusto nostálgico una vivencia extraña y entre real e irreal, sobre un viaje que realizó a las montañas, y su casual encuentro con una pequeña isla ubicada en el centro de un lago. El derroche de una rara y cercana fantasía que supura el relato es envidiable, y está contado con tanto detalle en tan escasa narrativa que no por menos habríamos de imaginarnos en una conversación con el protagonista y narrador.

Valerie is an adrenaline junkie with a weakness for surfer boys and long swims at night. As her beach resort honeymoon draws to a close, she sets her sights on three locals for a night of scandal and indulgence.

Eighty acres tucked within a desolate vicinity of Birnamwood, Wisconsin, his farmhouse had been paradise, a much-needed escape relieving an abundance of stress and placing a pause on the monotony of everyday life. Once a month, fast approaching two years, the house provided a getaway of which most only dreamed.

Experts tried justifying this, tried explaining it with logic. Anything concluding her fallout to settle down students of the university and residents surrounding. Doctors have deemed it mental while well-known demonologists have come forward claiming evil spirits. One thing is certain. The details surrounding Kendall Harrison are not only baffling; they are terrifying.

Five knights tell stories of ancient lands, madness, and terrifying monsters...but no one can top Knight Elric's tale of the Land of Hershel, a monstrous swamp filled with horrifying creatures and an ever-present threat. If you stop moving, you drown. "In the Land of Hershel" is a short story set in the thrilling world of SunRider.

Jamie MacKinnion neem die moeilikste besluit van sy baie lang lewe en die hele Feërie voel die toorn en hartseer van die Feëkoningin. Kan Feërie en die inwoners daarvan ‘n magtige heerser se pyn uitgedruk in natuurrampe oorleef? Selfs al kan hulle dit doen, beraam die Donker Koning planne van sy eie en daar kan nie vertrou word dat Alleenloper Feë in vrede kan leef nie. Namate Feërie verder in skerwe spat en die lewens van sterflinge en feë nog meer verweef word, word die lyne tussen wat reg is en wat maklik is, vaag vir selfs die beste van hulle. En niks is soos dit lyk nie.

When an American man discovers that he's the last descendant of the De la Poer family, he travels to England to take over their crumbling estate. Accompanied only by his cat, the man follows the incessant sound of rats to a dark place beneath the estate, unearthing horrible, dark, gruesome secrets about his ancestors and the type of activities they partook in. Taken by madness, the man falls into a dark pit of despair and commits unthinkable crimes. This jarring story from a renowned writer of horror fiction utilizes fear-inducing themes to entice its audience.

Lovecraftian themes abound in the tales of an intern at a madhouse and an illiterate madman. Slater, the madman whose unspeakable crimes led him to the madhouse, is continuously awakened in this story by surprisingly literate hallucinations of a glowing entity seeking revenge. Inspired by Slater’s uneducated background and the telepathic machine that he had made in his yesteryear, the intern delves deep into Joe Slater - who is receiving telepathic messages from a being of light.

The Dragon's Den has revealed to Wizard, now more than ever, the urgency to find the dragons and put a stop to the atrocities, but he must now face the consequences of the death of a man, and the destruction of the Dragon's Den. Wizard must learn to master his power, or never use it again. He discovers parts of himself beyond his control, as time moves at an increasingly slower pace, the closer he gets to living out his dreams of terror.

It is snowing in the middle of summer. The people of Ravenshold are disappearing, including King Olin's daughter. The desperate king reaches out to Ayla, the vagrant princess, and her companion, Brim, for help. Find the princess, slay a witch, get paid. How hard could it be?

In this sci-fi-fantasy, short story, Martin Warwick is a down on his luck racecar driver. His only accolade is to make the other drivers look good with his mediocre performances. It's not that Martin is a bad driver. He's just not had the breaks. He needs a better sponsor which would get him a better car and a little luck to put him ahead of the pack. The break comes in the form of the mysterious Mallory. He doesn't have money or connections. He has a device to make Martin and any car he drives better.

Busty young Pamela plans to break into a candle store in an audacious attempt to steal a handful of gold plated candles worth thousands. Dressed in her skin-tight outfit, Pamela breaks into a locked building at midnight assuming the premises are empty. But when she is caught red-handed by the owner he offers her two options: The handsome older man either calls the police or the busty young criminal submits herself to his punishment.

Twisty scares with heart. Ghosts, sea monsters, and a rest home for troublesome witches all feature in this collection of paranormal stories set in Wellington, New Zealand. By turns spooky and laugh-out-loud funny, these tales stew with malevolence and mischief. Climb aboard the ghost bus for a wild ride of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and humor, and hop off a little more in love with Aotearoa's capital city.

This original short story asks the question, "If eternal life came at the expense of love, would you choose death?"