The audio production of my dark fiction story, Interminable, has been released on the Lunatics Radio Hour podcast. It’s the story of a man trapped by an incurable condition and an inescapable fate.
Content warning: suicidal ideationMy story starts around the 4:00 mark.
My historical horror story, Breathtaking, has been published in The Taborian. 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.
The dust storms were getting worse.
People in town called them “black blizzards.” That’s exactly what they were like, too, like snowstorms made of soot and ash. One minute, the sky would be as clear as glass. The next minute, the dust would billow up so high that it blocked out the sun. It would go from noon to midnight just like that, right in the middle of the day. The wind would pick up out of nowhere, first whistling, then moaning, then shrieking.
“Like a banshee,” was how Papa called it. “Man, listen to that,” he would say. “Wind’s screaming like a banshee.”
My weird fiction story It’s What’s Inside That Counts has been published in NonBinary Review Issue #40: Epiphany. It’s the story of a young girl who realizes for the first time that there’s a ticking clock inside of every living thing.
Content warning: terminal illness of a childWe gathered around the large table at the front of Mrs. Collins’ science lab, each of us outfitted in plastic smocks, rubber gloves, medical masks, and oversized goggles. We looked like the world’s youngest, most incompetent surgical team.
On the table was a dead pig in a stainless steel tray. I expected the pig to be pink like the ones in the movies, but it wasn’t. Its flesh was a sickly gray color, with a rubbery consistency that reminded me of a popped birthday balloon.
Mrs. Collins held up a scalpel. “Are we ready?” The other students nodded.
My short horror story Leftovers has been published in the Hunger issue by Époque Press.
Leftovers is a story about the challenges immigrants face when trying to integrate into a new country. It’s about the tension between holding onto the old ways of the old culture and assimilating into the new, especially across generations. And it’s about how food is often the one common thread that binds immigrants together, no matter how different their lives may otherwise be. As for how it relates to the theme of Hunger, well… once you read it, you’ll understand.
My weird fiction story It’s What’s Inside That Counts has been published in DreamForge Magazine #16. It’s the story of a young girl who realizes for the first time that there’s a ticking clock inside of every living thing.
Content warning: terminal illness of a childWe gathered around the large table at the front of Mrs. Collins’ science lab, each of us outfitted in plastic smocks, rubber gloves, medical masks, and oversized goggles. We looked like the world’s youngest, most incompetent surgical team.
On the table was a dead pig in a stainless steel tray. I expected the pig to be pink like the ones in the movies, but it wasn’t. Its flesh was a sickly gray color, with a rubbery consistency that reminded me of a popped birthday balloon.
Mrs. Collins held up a scalpel. “Are we ready?” The other students nodded.
The audio production of my sci-fi horror story A Piece of the Sky has been released on the Lunatics Radio Hour. It’s told through the testimony of the surviving member of a two-person asteroid mining crew that picked up an unfortunate souvenir during their expedition.
Content warning: goreMy story starts at around the 43:00 mark.
The audio production of my short horror story Before has been released by Tales to Terrify. It’s about a baby in the womb who suddenly realizes she’s not alone.
Content warning: pregnancy loss
My short horror story Something’s Wrong With Mom has been published in Issue 8 of 7th Circle Pyrite. It’s the story of two brothers who wake up in the middle of the night to discover that their mother is on the ceiling. Again.
Content warning: suicide (implied)“Jimmy!” Grant whispered. He grabbed his sleeping brother’s shoulder and shook him. “Jimmy, wake up!”
Jimmy groaned. He opened one eye and looked at the Darth Vader clock next to his bed. It was 3:05 AM. He rolled over and pulled his Star Wars blanket up over his head. “Go away,” he mumbled.
Grant yanked the blanket away from Jimmy’s face and shook him again, with both hands this time.
Jimmy planted a hand on Grant’s chest and pushed him away. “Stop, I said!”
“You have to get up!”
“Why?”
“Something’s wrong with Mom.”
My surreal weird fiction story It’s What’s Inside That Counts has been published by Space Squid. It’s about a young girl who realizes for the first time that there’s a ticking clock inside of every living thing.
Content warning: terminal illness of a childWe gathered around the large table at the front of Mrs. Collins’ science lab, each of us outfitted in plastic smocks, rubber gloves, medical masks, and oversized goggles. We looked like the world’s youngest, most incompetent surgical team.
On the table was a dead pig in a stainless steel tray. I expected the pig to be pink like the ones in the movies, but it wasn’t. Its flesh was a sickly gray color, with a rubbery consistency that reminded me of a popped birthday balloon.
Mrs. Collins held up a scalpel. “Are we ready?” The other students nodded.
My short horror story Things Are Looking Up has been published in Call Me When You’re Dead. After a man and his wife are in a fatal car accident, the man decides he will do anything to see his wife one more time. Even if he has to dig.
I’ve been in a dark place since the accident.
I know I need to let her go, to accept that I’m never going to see her again, but I can’t. I can’t rest. I can’t lie still. I can’t move on. All I can do is think about her. My wife. My love.
My Lisa.
Warren Benedetto 