Dark Fantasy Short Stories

War has come to the human kingdoms of Parth! From the capital cities and castles to the most remote mountain villages, the Kingdoms of Man, the Elven Enclaves, and the Dwarven Dynasties are all under attack from the Dread Lord Vargo Duuk and his hordes of barbarians, demons and orcs.

Drawn from the myths and histories of the American Midwest, Piasa: Rite of Talons combines the legend of the Piasa dragon-bird with the Cahokia Mound City. A dark pact is made between the royal line of Ouatoga and the man-eating monster. What horrible price must be paid to ensure the prosperity of the Mound City? Who is the true enemy of the progress of mankind?

The police take Terrell Boyd to Malcolm Bliss Mental Hospital. Diagnosis: Schizophrenia, paranoid type. Can the paranormal powers he claims really work? What if Jesus Christ returns to Earth the second time, only to have the world drive him insane? Unavailable for over 30 years, until now. This short story first appeared in the July 1982 issue of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone Magazine.

Heaven's Burning God gave Ted Erickson the power to freeze the sinful, so why does his own body keep growing numb? A prostitute. A dirty bum. They can't survive Ted's growing ability to exhale cold air from the Ninth Circle of Hell. So how can the suicidal teenager next door keep singing? At first Ted Erickson doesn't understand how or why he can freeze things just by blowing on them. He believes God gave him a mission to clean up the world of sinners.

In this short story, paranormal detective Will Castleton gets a phone call in the middle of the night that appears to be about his girlfriend - who happens to by lying in a catatonic state in the hospital. But within an hour Will is thrust into an investigation involving vengeful spirits and a decades-old murder.

Imagine your life as a vampire. How would you survive? What would you eat? How could you handle yourself around other humans who have beating hearts? How would you face the one you really love? Would you tell them that you are a vampire? Would you change them? Or would you lead them on with a web of lies?

Three veteran hunters are on the trail of a supernatural creature. It is a simple tracking mission, promising easy money. But things go horribly wrong, and the mercenaries realize too late that they are facing one of the deadliest creatures known to man. Embroiled in a desperate fight for survival, their doom may well await them.

Estás a punto de entrar en la Casa Oscura, ahí donde habitan las sombras. Esta es una recopilación de relatos que tratan de rendir homenaje a los clásicos del género, a los verdaderos maestros.

In a frozen land where power and wealth are sought for at any cost, a dangerous old man seeks revenge on his children for crossing him one too many times. Spend a Winter in Hell is a dark fantasy short story by Caleb M. Powers.

Cuando los humanos vienen a talar el último bosque, se llevan una desagradable sorpresa. Un corto y oscuro cuento de fantasía sobre la ira de la naturaleza.

Quando gli umani arrivano per abbattere l'ultima foresta, hanno una brutta sorpresa. Un racconto sull'ira della natura.

The duty had fallen to Cor to take his nephew Daron to the top of the Pinnacle, for no one else dared. The hard part was making a game out of it so that the boy would not suspect. Some lies were necessary for the greater good, after all. Weren't they?

In a land of forbidden magic, a mysterious cave holds both riches and danger for three adventurers who discover a mighty treasure and a terrible secret.

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.

This surreal mix of The Twilight Zone, Sisyphus, and Sartre feels especially relevant in these unprecedented times.

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.

Experience three exciting stories of fantasy and science fiction, each immensely different from the last.

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.