My dystopian political thriller Unarmed has been published in The Start anthology by Rebellion Lit. It’s a story about a citizen fighting back against a cult-like authoritarian leader, using the only weapon she has at her disposal: herself.
Content warning: gore, self-mutilation, sexual violence (mentioned)The amputation was the easy part.
My sci-fi drabble We Need To Talk has been published by Martian Magazine. It’s a story about what happens when your AI assistant knows you better than you know yourself.
I don’t know how to tell him.
I’m just an AI assistant. I order cigarettes when he runs out. I hail him a cab when he’s drunk. I don’t do… this.
My sci-fi story Coherence has been accepted by Amazing Stories. Set in the same Syntech universe as Override, Set For Life, and A Free Man, Coherence tells the story of a synthetic assigned to replace an elderly widow’s deceased husband, and what happens when it refuses to replicate the bitter resentments of a loveless marriage.
I’m this way because Sam was this way, and because this is how Rose expects me to be.
My historical horror story Breathtaking has been accepted into the Wild Weather anthology by Smoking Pen Press (final title TBD).
Set in 1930s Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Breathtaking tells the story of a young girl and her brother who see a mysterious woman in white screaming outside their house during a dust storm.
Banshee,” I whispered, mouthing the words as I read. “A spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to members of a family as a sign that …” I trailed off. I felt my stomach tighten. Icicles formed down the center of my spine. “That one of them is about to die.”
My body horror drabble Only We has been accepted by Martian Magazine. It’s the story of a couple who wanted grow closer to each other … but not that close.
His hand caresses my cheek. His cheek. Our cheek.
There is no he anymore. There is no me. There is only us. Only we.
Three of my horror drabbles has been published in The Book of Drabbles by Shacklebound Books.
My body horror story A Thing of Beauty has been accepted into the Beautiful Darkness: Volume Two anthology by Dragon Soul Press. It’s a story about a fleshcrafter who learns that revenge can be a beautiful thing.
You can also listen to the full-cast audio production on The Storyteller Series podcast.
Content warning: sexual assault (implied), bullying, goreThe body hanging from the ceiling began to writhe, straining against the inside of the translucent, teardrop-shaped sac in which it was encased. The sac stretched and distended, pressing outwards in all directions as the figure inside struggled to break free.
The audio production of my weird horror story Molehills has been released by Chilling Tales For Dark Nights. It’s a longer version of my story The Man Who Ate The Road, originally published in Haven Spec.
When a woman tries to return home after visiting her abusive father, she discovers that the road is closed … but just for her.
Content warning: child abuse (implied)
My story is the first in the episode, starting around the 3:50 mark.
My sci-fi horror story One Last Step has been accepted by Dark Matter Magazine for their special Halloween issue. It’s a story about a little girl stalked by an unseen shadow-thing across a post-apocalyptic landscape.
“Will it hurt?” I watched my father roll the sewing needle between his fingers, its tip glowing orange-red in the heat of the flame. My eyes welled with tears.
“Just a little,” he replied.
The flickering candlelight sent eerie shapes dancing around the cluttered attic where we were hiding for the night. Outside, the screeching calls of the shadow-things rose and fell like whale songs made from rusted metal. They sounded close.
My coming-of-age horror story Many Deaths Before Dying has been published in Issue 10 of Underland Arcana. When a giant, silvery puddle appears in the field where they play, four boys encounter an inexplicable horror that will change them forever.
“We need to get help,” I said quietly. But I didn’t move. I felt rooted in place, as if my feet had bonded to the Earth’s crust. I was frozen solid, utterly paralyzed with fear. Shah hadn’t just fallen into the puddle. He had been pulled.
Warren Benedetto 