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Looking for a steady supply of horror short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

6610+ Horror Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From hauntings and murderers to terrifying creatures from the deep, our collection of horror stories will have you breaking out in cold sweats. Take a look… if you dare.

Horror Short Stories – Page 300 of 441

Phantom Burn

Submitted to Contest #115

As the doctor prods away, I stare up at the ceiling, the red light of the smoke detector slowly blinking. “Already a year,” I mutter under my breath. “Hm?” Dr. Sharma looks up at me, wrapping what remains of my arm in a tight cloth. “Oh! A year since… yes, and in this year, you’ve healed great. The skin has formed over the cut well, and you’ve regained mobility in the elbow too.” “And what good is that when It’s not attached to anything?” I ask as he pushes away from the floor on his office chair, the wheels squeaking as he re...

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The Beautiful Face

Submitted to Contest #115

I snuggled deeper into my bed, clutching my phone. It was raining outside, thunder occasionally rocking the house. The streetlights were little yellow smudges against my wet window. The water drizzling from the heavens had a nice sound. It was all I could do not to drift into dreams. As I was scrolling through my contacts, the aggressive light blaring from my phone lit up my otherwise dark room. Moving boxes cluttered the floor, tiny snippets of paper stuck to the wall. A small fan hung lifelessly from the ceiling. I could hear my parents ...

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Have No Fear, Love

Shortlisted for Contest #115 ⭐️

When she opens her eyes, all she sees is gray. The gray of a summer storm right before it breaks. Then she remembers that summer is long gone and that she must get up, no matter how much she longs to bury her face in the pillow and forget about the world for just a moment more.Making breakfast in the dark, to save the generator. Like a moth to a flame, her gaze strays towards the kitchen window and the garden outside. A beautiful garden despite everything, she tells herself. You'd never know anyone is buried there.*Lea is still asleep when N...

33 likes 18 comments 18
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Tonight, you belong to me.

Submitted to Contest #115

*TRIGGER WARNING* swearing, violent themes, mentions death, mentions decapitation, foreshadowed torture*-present-"Don't be an idiot, Sara. Of course I didn't sleep with him! It was just a.. date, that's all." I huff out an incredulous laugh as a reply, my phone pressed to my ear by my left hand, my right holding out my car keys. The heels of my boots clacking against the damp gravel of the road, the night air smelling of rain, the obvious sign of the previous rainfall from earlier. "Oh come on, Kara! He was hot, had an arse that filled out h...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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The Promotion

Submitted to Contest #115

THE PROMOTION  BY P.V. Drumm             Damon’s shirt is crisp and clean. The suit, he borrowed, but it fits him. It fits him so well no one will know. The promotion that Damon worked on for two years is waiting for him atop a desk, on the fifty second floor, in his downtown office building. He went to bed early last night.  He ate a reasonable breakfast. He was easy on the coffee, to avoid jitters. He kissed his wife goodbye, but she doesn’t know yet. She doesn’...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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Schizo

Submitted to Contest #115

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, Language.) Some wounds will never heal. That’s why I carry a roll of duct tape wherever I go. I’ll just bleed out until there’s nothing left of my soul. Sure, you could make changes like using super glue instead, but in the end, you realize that you control nothing in life. Yeah, I know I sound like a complete narcissistic ass for saying that, but you don’t know the whole story. When I was born, a Voodoo Man saw fit to place a curse on me. My mother told me all about it when I was just th...

28 likes 10 comments 10
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Saint Eden's.

Submitted to Contest #115

Saint Eden’s.September 24th, 1949.To be honest, this feels weird but I must try and write. Doctor’s orders.My name is Valentin Bianchi, I am/was a demolition expert for the 301st Airborne back in the States.We are in-route to Saint Eden’s and if you’re wondering, where is that? I don’t know. I know nothing really.What I know is that I was framed for something I didn’t do. See, back home I had some…problems with my C.O. I tried to get rid of him, he did the same but nothing worked until last week. The platoon went out drinking to a bar nearby...

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Lucky Duck

Submitted to Contest #115

TW: Brief mention of a hanging. Piper always played on the safe side. If you dared her to tiptoe through a path of broken glass, she’d suggest replacing them with Legos. If you invited her to a party, she’d only go if there was a cat or dog for her to interact with. If you invited her to go bowling with some friends, she’d make up some story of how she’s allergic to bowling balls. The only way to crack open that shell was to give her no other option. That shell finally started to crack when Piper spent the night at her friend Quinn’s hou...

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Dark Web. Darker Sleepover (Trigger Warning)

Submitted to Contest #115

  Finally, me and Maggie were done with our homework and now was time to chill for a bit. I opened Instagram while playing Drake's new album. My LED lights were dim red, the setting was so relaxing. While scrolling on Instagram, I come across a video of a guy getting his head cut off. I honestly didn't feel grossed, can't say the same for Maggie though. I'd show her gore on purpose and she'll push me away and cringe. It was funny. I decided to look for gore websites to get more gore to annoy her with. My search took me to the Dark Web....

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Bullyproof

Submitted to Contest #115

                                 Bullyproof         Cassie Swenson had always struggled with her weight. She had come to terms with it, and her group of friends were supportive. But moving to a new town and starting at a new school filled her with a dread she hadn’t felt for a long time. She recognized and remembered the fear of meetin...

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Breakfast with a Ghost

Submitted to Contest #115

 CW: Swearing, blood, death     Getting a call at four in the morning on a stormy night, created an instant feeling of gut tangling dread. Luckily, I guess, I was already awake. An unusual nightmare about watching Jonah drown in an icy marsh and not being able to save him woke me with heart palpitations. In the dream, I dove under the water and desperately swam towards him but never actually moved. He floated in the murky, green-brown water in an oddly peaceful way. I swam furiously in place while the pressure b...

29 likes 16 comments 16
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Connection Lost in my Nightmares

Submitted to Contest #115

CW: mentions blood, mentions suicide victims, mental illness, the word R*pe.They say that in the darkness lies a monster, in the silence lies a demon and in the dreams lies the ghosts. I’m here to tell you that it's true. I’ve been there I saw it and most importantly I’m telling it.“So do you think he’ll ask you out, Jazzie?”“No, he’s with that cheap girl, ya know the one that’s always hanging around that corner by the movie theatre? Yeah, I’m not touching that, but he is nice to look at.”“Girl, if that’s the case you should forget about him...

16 likes 2 comments 2
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The Watering Hole on the Fringe of Forever

Submitted to Contest #115

A haggard cowpoke spurred his weary mount to the edge of the small settlement that had been steadily rising from the desert scrub for the last hour. A single, uneven, dirt road ran through town between a smattering of dilapidated wooden buildings. The place seemed as isolated and cut-off as a leper colony; there was no railway, no telegraph, and certainly no electricity. Kerosene street lamps were already burning in the evening dusk to stave off the rapidly approaching darkness.Dust caked the man’s black beard and face; the trail grit collec...

19 likes 7 comments 7
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Can you hear me now?

Submitted to Contest #115

Sirens can be heard in the distance as Henry curses for the fifth time in the last two minutes.“Shit Emily, What did you say?” Henry asks as he walks around in circles trying to get better reception. “Can you hear me now? You’re breaking up. I can’t hear you.” Henry says before the phone disconnects from the call.Henry looks down at his phone and notices he has no signal.“Shit.” Henry sighs as he puts his phone in his pocket. The park seems a lot busier than normal Henry thinks to himself as people rush by him, paying him no heed."...

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Alarmed

Submitted to Contest #115

“Alarmed” by Elizabeth Fenley “Disturbance in Zone 16. Disturbance in Zone 16. Check Control Panel to View Trouble Zones.” What the fuck is that? My eye pop open to discover that Sparky has decided to plant his tiny little butt an inch from my face. But I don’t say anything about the lovely view because I know it will wake up all six of the dogs sharing my bed. That must have been one weird ass dream-- “Disturbance in Zone 16.” That’s not a dream. That’s the alarm system. “Disturbance in Zone 16. Check Control Panel to View Trouble Zones....

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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