5840+ Best Short Horror & Scary Stories to Read Online for Free - Reedsy Prompts – Page 383

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Horror Short Stories – Page 383 of 390

“short story 001” by Matthue Davis

Submitted to Contest #64

The woman is a mound of dirt and rags pushing a squeaky shopping cart; a lump that moves steadily, slowly forward, as if dragged by an invisible tide. Her long, greasy hair hides her face but Ramon feels her staring at him. He looks ahead. The best thing to do with the homeless mob littering Vancouver is to ignore it. Give them a buck and the beggars cling to you like barnacles. “Have you seen my children?” the woman asks. Her voice, sandpaper against his ears, makes him shiver. His heart jolts as though someone has pricked it with a needle....

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“Magic or Magick ” by Radia Al Rashid

Submitted to Contest #64

I'd been pondering on loads of options to cope with the terrible breakup that took place a couple of weeks ago. I didn't feel like talking to the jerk, David who chose to ditch me for my best friend! Well, EX best friend. I mean seriously, could it be any worse? I still couldn't believe Nina actually double faced me the whole time she entertained that jerk to cheat on me. What could I possibly do then? It all happened too fast. Anyway, among all the potential coping mechanisms I'd scavenged so far, the one suggested by my cousin, Casey seeme...

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“Apple Picking with a twist” by Shelby Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #63

Fall has finally arrived. The trees are starting to turn beautiful colors. Oranges, yellows and reds taking over for the green landscapes. The sky even seems to glow brighter. Then there is a refreshing crisp air taking away the heat of summer. Time to bring out the hoodies and light jackets. Turn off the A/C and let nature cool down the house for you with the windows open. The leaves crunch under your feet as you stroll along the sidewalk. Children raking the leaves together, getting the piles big enough to jump in. Its such a wonderfu...

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“Light in the Darkness” by Nathan Ice

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Smoke billowed from the tree canopy and smudged every star from the sky. Ashes fell like snow, leaving a gritty feeling and bitter taste in my mouth. The air smelled like meat roasting over a campfire. People of the forest city ran passed me screaming, their dirty, panicked faces illuminated by the roaring flames. A mother and her kid fell at my feet. I reached out to help. Fire danced in her fearful eyes as she looked up from the soot-covered ground. “Monster! Stay away!” she s...

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“The Photograph Room ” by Cat Palacios

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire with a charring sense of prosperity that comes with being self-assured, maybe self acquitted? No that's not the word. Self-defined? Wait, how can leaves be self-defined in the sense of a poem written by Mary Shelly, where the monster is eaten up by the fire of his own longing for a lost love. No, they weren't on fire. Perhaps they were thrown instead. Thrown like the words that you threw at me about my insecurities. See, I mopped up the words splattered on the w...

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“The Eyes of Something Unknown” by Olivia Charlson

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time she stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Brilliant golden blazes danced toward the ground as the wind swept them off branches. The forest floor was covered in a carpet of orange that protested Margo’s heavy boots with a crunch as she ran from the cabin to the back of the yard with the small metal gate stitching across the grass and poking up at the sky. “Agnes!” She called. A giggle came from the pile of bushes that Margo had raked up earlier. She sighed, walking up to the leaves. She hesitated and smirked, picking up a...

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“Paper” by Anii ✨

Submitted to Contest #63

Hey, everybody! This is my third entry on Reedsy! Have fun!Warning: If you don't enjoy stories with unhappy endings and descents into "madness," then exit stage right, and have a good day! If the kind of stuff mentioned above is your jam, then go ahead and enjoy it!“Snip.”It was the first day. They said it would be paradise, but all he saw was paper. And more paper. There was a tube attached to his arm, but otherwise, he was free to roam around. Not that there was much space anyway. The room had no doors. No furniture. All there was was a ca...

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“The Ballad of Rick: The Beginning” by Jean Nacua

Submitted to Contest #63

I went outside to a world on fire. The nearby buildings were either smoking or still blazing. There were cars and trucks in smoking wrecks. What the hell was going on? And what is that godawful rotten smell? I better return inside. Great, no one's around. This was a hospital, goddamit. There should be someone around. And where was Laurie? My wife should at least be here to watch over me. My already dizzy mind was making want to vomit. Take a deep breath. And I gagged. What is that awful smell? Deep breaths, calm down and look around. Some ki...

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“The Price” by Megan Jane Armstrong

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. The soft licks of heat lapping my face, melting the frost that clung to the world. I watched my neighbours, my friends and family, run from what threatened to devour them; I watched their attempts all be for nought, for the fire swallowed them up. My world burned before my very eyes, leaving in the fire’s wake a barren wasteland. By the time I stepped outside, my world had already been forsaken. * A sharp chill clung to the air as I breathed in the scent of autumn, my heavy black boot...

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“Mildred's Morning Brew” by H.M. Adelaide

Submitted to Contest #63

Mildred’s Morning Brew was a welcomed new addition to the small downtown of Cherry Clove. The mild-mannered citizens of the quaint New England town had spent generations of having little more to do than go from Church, to the movies, to the bars. That was, until the opening of Mildred’s earlier in the year, which created a space for artists to display their drawings, for writers to manufacture tales for hours, for musicians to hold open mics. Most importantly a place to grab a...

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“Into the Dark” by Olivia B

Submitted to Contest #63

A cool afternoon breeze washes through the leaves of the rows and rows of trees as shiny red fruits dangle from the branches. The two girls take their time strolling up the mile-long row of trees, swaying their baskets back and forth as they walk in the fading sunlight. ”Tiana, over here,” Faye calls, her wavy, light brown hair blowing in the gentle wind. Tiana quickly rushes over to her friends’ side, both of them picking the few ruby red apples from the tree. Looking up at the orange and pink sky, Faye frowns as she glances d...

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“Orchard of Delusion” by James Morris

Submitted to Contest #63

Tony and Jen were on their first fall outing as a couple. They had been seeing each other for three months and Jen was the one that suggested apple picking in the local orchard. Tony was more of the city guy that liked concrete under his feet and not dirt and mud. Jen was finally able to convince him when she promised to bake an apple pie with the ones they picked. They agreed that this Saturday would be their adventure out. "Wear something comfortable," Jen said. She knew if she did not tell Tony that, he would arrive in one of his urban ...

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“Jingle of a Bell” by Serendipity May

Submitted to Contest #63

Autumns Brew's They had the best coffee any coffee shop could have to offer, anyone who lived in the city would say that I would be right. You see the same people, at the same time, every single day week after week, after week. They all had the same faces but dressed up in different clothes. Normal, everyday people, nothing new, nothing different. Which I was okay with. With my slow and casual pace, I walked to the brightly-lit, autumn-themed cafe that was open year-round. I didn't have to work today, which was rare for me, so I was going...

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“The Apple Orchard ” by Andrew Sasenaraine

Submitted to Contest #63

Sally and Sam were going to pick apples. They always did this time of year. The leaves were turning red, orange and yellow, and the smell of fresh apple pie always filled the air. Sam and Sally were driving to the apple orchard that they always went to, when they saw a sign that said: Permanently Closed. Sam and Sally had no idea why the orchard would be closed. They had been going to this orchard for the past 10 years. So they got back in their car, and were driving to go home, when they saw an apple orchard they had never noticed...

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“Fall's Veil Is Thin” by Santina Loppie

Submitted to Contest #63

FALL’S VEIL IS THIN By: Santina D’Angelo-Loppie By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. The crisp autumn air made an explosive fall palette on my backyard trees. I had been woken by a brisk fall chill and windy howl coming from my slightly cracked window. We were having an abnormally chilly October and in the morning glistening frost was visible atop the multi-coloured leaves carpeting the yard. Halloween was coming, pumpkins were lined up along my deck railing and th...

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