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.
The audio production of my slasher story No Signal has been released by Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. It’s a twist on the common trope of someone in the woods trying to call for help, only to realize that, “There’s no signal out here!”
Content warning: goreThe story starts around 26:30.
My sci-fi horror story One Last Step has been published in Lockdown Horror #5 by Black Hare Press. 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.
The audio production of my eco-horror story From Below is now available on the Chilling Tales For Dark Nights podcast, Horror Hill.
In the flooded remains of Old Manhattan, the wealthy stay dry and well-fed in their penthouses, while everyone else is left to fend for themselves against the unseen horrors lurking just below the surface.
Content warning (spoilers): cannibalism (implied), gore, suicideIt’s the second story in the episode, starting between 45:00 and 50:00, depending on where you listen.
My historical horror story Everything As It Was has been published in Volume 2 of Illustrated Worlds Magazine. Set in the dust-plagued landscape of 1930s Oklahoma, it’s a story about lost hope, lost faith, and lost children come home.
“I prayed that you’d come home, and the crops would come back, and everything would go back to how it used to be. And now, glory be, here you are.”
My twisted fairytale Matches has been published in Issue Two of The Stygian Lepus. It’s a dark(er) retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Little Match Girl.
As a frigid wind gusted down the narrow lane, the girl side-stepped into an alley to avoid the chill. She sat down cross-legged on the cobblestone, drawing her feet into her folded knees to try and restore some feeling to her toes. She was freezing, but she dared not go home. Her father would be there, waiting, expectant. How many matches had she sold? How many pennies had she earned? None? The girl winced involuntarily at the crack of her father’s belt. She knew what was in store for her if she returned empty-handed.
The audio production of my cosmic horror story Undone is now available on Fear From the Heartland by the Chilling Tales For Dark Nights podcast. It’s the story of a man whose world is literally falling apart around him.
The story starts at around the 03:18 mark.
Two of my stories have been released by the Chilling Tales For Dark Nights podcast: Me, a Hero and Things Are Looking Up.
Me, a Hero is a psychological horror story about a man who joins the search for a missing girl. This story is only available on YouTube as part of the 5 Scary Stories ― Villain’s Mix, starting at 03:13:18.
Content warning (spoilers): woman murdered by stranger (not shown)Things Are Looking Up is a horror story about grief and loss. 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.
The story starts around the 04:15 mark.
My weird horror story Uncle Pumpkin’s Tongue has been published in Book 17 of The Ghastling. It’s the story of a Halloween carnival ride with a sinister secret.
I’ve always been a huge fan of The Ghastling thanks to their outstanding art and graphic design, and this issue definitely did not disappoint.
My psychological horror story Influenced has been published in the inaugural issue of The Stygian Lepus, a new publication by Black Hare Press. It’s a story about blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, and what happens when your dreams finally come true.
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.
Warren Benedetto 