Dark Hearts Love Too

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Time's Up #8Sunday

Photo by Igor Lypnytskyi (ilypnytskyi) on Unsplash

Time’s Up

Eulalia Bonner, the mayor of the Village of Peace on the coast of Nucleycia, read the crumpled three-word note again, as if mulling it over for the thousandth time would bring any more resolution than reflecting on it for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth.

TIME’S UP, BITCH.

If she refused to allow the churlish Duke of Atrar access to Nucleycia via the Port of Malfair, he would render every one of the Village’s pristine white buildings to rubble. If she gave into his demands, the entire population of Nucleycia would suffer.
“We must stand up to him,” Mayor Bonner declared.

notes

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

Friday, October 20, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: In the Present Tense

Photo by Mathilde Langevin (mathildelangevin) on Unsplash

In the Present Tense

“My husband’s name is Rama Abadjiev. He is thirty-eight years old, and he is from the country of Turkey. We have a three-year-old daughter named Claudia.”

“My husband’s name is Rama Abadjiev,” Natali repeated. “My husband’s name is Rama...”

notes

I didn't submit this drabble to Dragon Soul Press for inclusion in The Damned horror drabble anthology. Losing a loved one is life-altering. It is a personal horror that never ends. The piece, however, contains no supernatural elements and although it could be the opening for a crime thriller, this possibility isn't clear cut.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Time's Up

Photo by Igor Lypnytskyi (ilypnytskyi) on Unsplash

Time’s Up

Eulalia Bonner, the mayor of the Village of Peace on the coast of Nucleycia, read the crumpled three-word note again, as if mulling it over for the thousandth time would bring any more resolution than reflecting on it for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth.

TIME’S UP, BITCH.

If she refused to allow the churlish Duke of Atrar access to Nucleycia via the Port of Malfair, he would render every one of the Village’s pristine white buildings to rubble. If she gave into his demands, the entire population of Nucleycia would suffer.

“We must stand up to him,” Mayor Bonner declared.

notes

I didn't submit this drabble to Dragon Soul Press for inclusion in The Damned horror drabble anthology because it reads more like the start of a military/political action thriller than horror. Not that the aftermath of political conflict isn't horrific for the survivors.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Beneath the Surface

Photo by Kevin Charit (kevin_charit) on Unsplash

Beneath the Surface

Messias Robertsen wished he’d chosen a career in any field besides archaeology. He rued the day he found the hieroglyphs carved into the Altar of Rock at the Farms of the Vanquished on the shore of the River of Rust. Since that day, he’d been plagued by sanity-scarring nightmares.

Messias gazed out the tavern window at the row of volcanic islands extending across Turtle Bay Harbor. He looked at the sketch of the creature that had been haunting his sleep. His dreams told him the thing would rise from the sea near The Sleeping Skerry on the next full moon.

notes

I submitted this story to Dragon Soul Press for potential inclusion in The Damned horror drabble anthology, but it didn't make the cut.

That's all right, five of the drabbles I submitted did pass muster. Plus, you'll also find more great drabbles by other talented authors.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: The Trial

Photo by Ong Cheng Zheng (ocz0929) on Unsplash

The Trial

Blaire Brock fired her gardener Sandalio Juárez after he scolded her for killing a snake. Before leaving, he warned her that one day el padre de las serpientes would make her stand trial for her loathsome ways. She laughed at him, telling him she’d send him his final check. The sophisticated English heiress wasn’t about to let a superstitious Spaniard spook her.

As Blaire dressed for bed, she heard leaves rustling. She screamed at the sight of a great green snake staring at her. The window opened and the beast slithered inside.

Blaire’s maid found her dead the next morning.

notes

This story appears in The Damned horror drabble anthology from Dragon Soul Press.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

https://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2023/10/wrong-tober-2023-flying-high-8sunday.html

Monday, October 16, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Three Things

Photo by ayush kumar (ayushk9) on Unsplash

Three Things

Ashok Bolesław-Bove simply wanted to get out of his own head for a while. His girlfriend had just broken the news that she was pregnant. Of course he intended to do the right thing. He was a man of integrity, and certainly he was old enough to be a father at thirty-two. However, he was still heartbroken over the death of his Papa Úlfr three years previously from COVID-19, and his Papa Julian had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Ashok sat in the bathtub fully clothed, wishing he could drown in the tears that refused to flow from his eyes.

notes

This drabble is the second half of the story I published yesterday. I didn't submit it for publication consideration because it isn't a Damned horror story.

Here's yesterday's drabble.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Flying High #8Sunday

Photo by Julian Lates (jlates) on Unsplash

Flying High

As the needle touched vinyl, exuberant pop-punk blasted from the speakers. Julian Bolesław was having a fantastic birthday. Thirty wasn’t too old for fun but was mature enough to make smart decisions. Julian believed he was on his way to becoming a successful record producer able to provide for the little boy he and Úlfr had just adopted from India.

“Hey Pop, it’s time for your pills.”

Julian brushed his white hair back from his face and took the young man’s hand.

“Have we met before?” he asked.

“It’s Ashok, Pop.”

“That’s nice. I have a little son named Ashok.”

notes

I didn't submit this story to Dragon Soul Press. From my point of view, few things are more horrific than dementia, but I didn't feel the story was visceral enough to be considered horror.

No, I didn't publish a drabble yesterday. If you recall, I'm not sharing drabbles from my current project because I will be selecting fifteen of those to submit to Dragon Soul Press for their 2024 drabble anthology, The Fear Doctor. These drabbles are the ones I created this April for submission to The Damned. There are only thirty of them and I've taken one off the table because it's simply too contentious. I didn't submit it, and the only other person to see it is my brother.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: The Fog

Photo by and machines (and_machines) on Unsplash

The Fog

The thick yellow fog hanging in the air had real and devastating consequences. The town’s population lay dead in their homes. Animals lay dead in the fields. Flowers hung their heads as their petals dropped away. Leaves turned brown and rotten on trees and vines.

The drone that had released the gas was shot down forty-five miles away from its target. Its destruction would make no difference. Others like it had already been dispatched to agricultural areas all across the nation. A society without readily available food quickly begins to crumble. All the enemy had to do now was wait.

notes

This story is included in The Damned anthology from Dragon Soul Press.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Deadly Runoff

Photo by David Becker (beckerworks) on Unsplash

Deadly Runoff

Myembaatush Falls were a remarkably majestic sight. The cool, clear melt water from Mount Driaren plunged over a thousand-foot drop to Taldrac Creek, which flowed into Lormorn Lake and supplied water to the little towns of the Barbarum Range.

There were no indicators to warn the people that death flowed from Mount Driaren in this spring’s runoff. The leak from Belciar Mine would not be found until more than a thousand people had perished. Xarbarum, a highly toxic side product created by the Marbarum mining process, is odorless, tasteless, colorless, and not even modern water testing methods can detect it.

notes

I submitted this Drabble for potential inclusion in The Damned anthology from Dragon Soul Press, but it didn't make the cut. That's all right, it's still pretty nifty. That is, if you consider drinking from a tainted water supply nifty.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: On a Spring Day

Photo by Mak (mak_jp) on Unsplash

On a Spring Day

It was a glorious spring day. Cherry blossoms adorned the trees along the street beside Cryptic Chemicals headquarters.

There was not a living soul to be found when Lilith Bezuidenhout emerged from the building wearing a Hazmat suit with a respirator. She knew her colleague was unhinged but nobody would listen.

On the surface, Marianne Trujillo was a charming and cooperative young woman. Beneath the surface, her emotions raged out of control. Her recent separation from her husband had pushed her over the edge. Seanán Trujillo would pay for his betrayal, and so would everyone who breathed the contaminated air.

notes

This is one of the five drabbles selected for inclusion in The Damned anthology from Dragon Soul Press.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: Beneath Leadville

Photo by David Glessner Works (davidglessnerworks) on Unsplash

Beneath Leadville

Lachtnae Svenson wasn’t sure exactly what was happening beneath the carpet of scrubby alpine grass in Leadville. The signs were ominous, but there was no consensus among the scientists about their meaning. Seismographs were concerning one day and calm the next. The side of a mountain bulged one day and the next day it didn’t. Then there were the rounded tunnels with their perfectly smooth walls in the old mine.

Locky felt a bit silly as he prepared for his appearance on the evening news. In essence he was saying, “something’s happening here, but we don’t know what it is.”

notes

I submitted this piece for potential inclusion in The Damned, but it wasn't selected.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Monday, October 9, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: The Enforcers

Photo by Andrew Haimerl (andrewnef) on Unsplash

The Enforcers

The way Hanaa Burnham danced down the sidewalk seemed to defy physics. Father Ruben Bellincioni watched her pass by. Seeing her coming, Abd-Al-Malik Ajam stepped from the shadows near the Grind House Cafe, asking if she knew how to get to the King’s Mill Library.

While Hanaa conversed with the slight, affable young man, the heavyset elderly priest slipped up behind her and pulled her into the alley. The cleric straddled the terrified young woman, restraining her beneath his burly body, covering her mouth with one of his powerful hands. The slim, bespectacled student slit her throat in one pass.

notes

This piece appears in The Damned horror drabble anthology.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: The Drain #8Sunday

Photo by byMATTER MADE BETTER (bymatter) on Unsplash

The Drain

Professor Vladimir Reed-Field wished he had never taken the job at Miskatonic University. He’d never had problems like this when he was teaching at the University of Hawaii. A volcanic eruption would be a welcome change over the sound coming from that damn kitchen sink.

The plumber from Blizzard Pipeworks could find nothing wrong with the drain. She’d scoped it, snaked it, and performed a full flush. She said that sometimes the plumbing in Arkham’s old houses just made odd noises.

The problem wasn’t the pipes themselves. It was the thing inside the pipes that kept whispering the professor’s name.

notes

This is one of five drabbles selected for publication in The Damned anthology from Dragon Soul Press. Yes, I already shared this piece, but my brain was on overload and I cocked the post up. I'm resharing the cleaned-up version today.

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Wrong-Tober 2023: The Pinnacle

Photo by Mo (mo_design_3d) on Unsplash

The Pinnacle

The cabin in sixteen-year-old Shideh O’Floinn’s dream was not user-friendly. Innumerable steep steps carved into a slender peak of white stone led to the confounding cottage. The dream always culminated with Shideh plummeting from the precipice just as she reached the strange edifice. Right before she hit the ground, a gust of wind whispered “thirty-two.”

“It’s a foolish structure,” Shideh told her father as the pair prepared for a climbing expedition. “It’s completely open to the elements. I only ever see one room with a plant, a recliner, a table, and two chairs for visitors. I can’t fathom its implication.”

notes

I didn't end up submitting this piece for potential inclusion in The Damned. While it has a paranormal or supernatural feel, it doesn't really scream "horror."

Pick up your copy of The Damned here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/renesgetawaypartyroom

I will be giving away one copy of The Damned and one copy of the Hot and Sticky anthology from Passionate Ink during the Spooky Good Time party.

You can find out more about the Hot and Sticky anthology here.