Author / Warren Benedetto

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Posts by Warren Benedetto

Warren Benedetto writes dark fiction about horrible people, horrible places, and horrible things. He is an award-winning author and a full member of the SFWA. His stories have appeared in publications such as Dark Matter Magazine, The Dread Machine, and Haven Spec; on podcasts such as The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify, and The Creepy Podcast; and in anthologies from Apex Magazine, Scare Street, Eerie River Publishing, and more. His hobbies include sleeping, hitting snooze, sleeping some more, and naps. For more information, visit www.warrenbenedetto.com and follow @warrenbenedetto on Twitter.
by Warren Benedetto

Four drabbles published in the Love Me, Love Me Not anthology

Four of my horror drabbles have been published in Love Me, Love Me Not: Dark Tales of Love, Lust, and Lunacy by Black Hare Press.

Content warnings: Stalking, terminal illness, suicide

  • First Kiss. Their first kiss is their last.
  • Holding Hands. In sickness and in health, until death do them part.
  • Only We. How close can a couple get before they’re no longer a couple at all?
  • A Hallmark Ending. It’s the perfect fairy tale: a city girl returns to her small home town to reunite with her hunky high school crush … whether he likes it or not.
by Warren Benedetto

“Before” published in Dose of Dread

My microfiction horror story Before has been published in Dose of Dread by Dread Stone Press. It’s about a baby in the womb who suddenly realizes she’s not alone.

Content warning: Pregnancy

I don’t know where she came from, or when she appeared. I just know that I’m not alone in here anymore. There is another now. A Not-Mother. A Not-Me. A Third.

by Warren Benedetto

“Influenced” accepted by The Stygian Lepus

My flash fiction stalker story Influenced has been accepted by The Stygian Lepus, a new publication debuting in March 2023. It’s a story about blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, and what happens when your dreams finally come true.

Content warning(s): stalking

The stranger passes his purchases over the Home Depot self-checkout scanner. Sweat glistens on his round face.

Trash bags. Duct tape. Hammer. Bleach. Scrub brush. Hacksaw. Plastic tarp.

He pays with cash.

by Warren Benedetto

“Set For Life” published in MYTHIC #20

My cyberpunk story Set For Life has been reprinted in MYTHIC #20. It’s the prequel to my novella Override, about a man’s first day on the job picking up bodies for Syntech and the disturbing secret about where they come from.

Lifting bodies wasn’t like lifting boxes. Boxes were symmetrical. Structured. You could lift properly: squat down, straighten your spine, lift with your legs. Bodies were limp. Awkward. Their limbs flopped in odd directions. He still hadn’t figured out the best way to lift one without damaging it. Or himself. Or both.

by Warren Benedetto

“Blame” included in Stoker Awards prelim ballot

My techno-horror story Blame has been included in the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Awards. This story was originally published by The Dread Machine and was selected as a 2022 Brave New Weird award winner (available to pre-order now in print or ebook).

Blame is a “found footage” story consisting of emails, Slack conversations, Reddit threads, phone transcripts, and more unusual artifacts like git commits, JIRA tickets, door entry logs … even a Walmart receipt.

Like many found footage tales, the story is ultimately pieced together based on incomplete information. Multiple reads of the story should reveal new hidden details that may change your interpretation of the ending.

You can read Blame for free here.

Content warning(s): misogyny, sexual assault (mentioned), suicide (mentioned)