September 23, 2024 · 5:32 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Crow Girl by Alicia Dean ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The eleventh of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Crow Girl by Alicia Dean

Fun Fact:  

I am obsessed with Mr. Ballen. If you aren’t familiar with him, you should definitely check out his YouTube channel and podcasts. He tells all sorts of fascinating, often crazy and creepy tales. And he’s a fabulous story teller. He’s also not bad-looking and is a former navy seal, so there is that… 🙂

Many of his stories have given me plot ideas but I hadn’t actually written books from any of those ideas…until now. I got the idea for Crow Girl from an incredible story about a young girl who was befriended by crows (see the video below). Now, of course, in my book, things don’t turn out as heartwarming as they did in the true story.

Muwahahahaha…

Find Alicia’s Friday the 13th story here…

https://books2read.com/CrowGirl

Blurb:

Ten-year-old Twyla Gillette was abandoned by her mother and placed in an abusive foster home. Teased unmercifully by her classmates, she has no friends—other than the crows. As a toddler, she shared her food with the birds and they befriended her, bringing her gifts and always looking out for her, protecting her.

When the teasing turns to vicious bullying, and her foster family’s abuse becomes more relentless, Twyla relies on the crows to make things right.

It’s not that she wants her friends to hurt anyone…but sometimes wicked people have to learn a lesson.

Excerpt:

When Mr. Lambert got home that night, Twyla was in big trouble. Everybody was talking about Braden being missing, so they were occupied with that and, instead of a spanking, she just got yelled at. The worst thing, though…they took her Raggedy Ann doll away from her. They told her she would get it back when she learned how to behave. She did her best to hold back her tears but couldn’t. She cried and begged, but they didn’t give in. Ms. Lambert snatched the doll from her bed and stalked down the hallway, disappearing into her room with Twyla’s prized possession. How would she sleep at night without her doll to cuddle?

After Twyla finished washing the supper dishes, she went out into the back yard. It was dusk but still fairly light outside. She looked up in the sky for the birds, but they were nowhere around. No doll…no birds. She was feeling very alone. And, other than at school, it would probably be a while before she could see Hester, with the Lamberts being so angry with her. When she got close to the bird bath, she noticed something new lying in the center of it. She frowned, trying to figure out what it was. She drew closer and saw that it was a round whiteish object with red stringy things hanging off of it. Putting her face closer to it, but not wanting to touch it, she got a really good look. She slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. The thing lying in the center of the birdbath, looking up toward the sky, was an eyeball.

About the Author:

At age 10, Alicia Dean wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she enjoys reading, writing, MLB, NFL and watching (and rewatching) her favorite television shows like Dexter, Justified, and Breaking Bad. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.

Find Alicia Here:
https://linktr.ee/AliciaDean1835

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 22, 2024 · 4:48 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: PRISM by Wendy W Webb ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The tenth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

PRISM by Wendy W Webb

Fun Fact:  

(photo by Nadine Doerle)
(photo by Nadine Doerle)

I love gargoyles. I’ve admired them on the Munsterplatz in Freiburg, Germany, on the cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC,  watching over the Washington National Cathedral and even the great Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. Some gargoyles represent mythological creatures and animals, and some embody people—or is it some people embody gargoyles? PRISM explores human transfiguration in a few different ways, but you know what? There are plenty more where those came from!

Find Wendy’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

At first they hid in the dark, as she did now. Then some of them stepped forth. They didn’t speak to her at first. They didn’t kill. At first.

She retreated deeper into the darkest place she could go—in case they killed again.  From the dark she could watch them. In the dark she was safe. At least she imagined she was safe.

And there, she whisper her stories.

Excerpt:

The Girl shivered more from fear than cold, then retreated even deeper into her mind….

Delicate instruments and tiny probes replaced picks and shovels. They found row after row of heads erupted from the floor of the earthen pit. These were more than mere artifacts. Much more.

There, in her mind, she could escape, even briefly….

Encircling the pointed arch of the entrance were faces with their grotesque features forever captured in stone. A one-eyed animal bore sharp teeth. A human-like face was caught in a battle of emotions between sadistic humor and excruciating pain.

And hide in one of her made-up stories….

Mama lay still and pale on the handmade wooden kitchen table while Grandmama Geum stirred the mixture until it became a red-brown paste. “Rub this on them cuts. Be quick about it, girl. There’s so little time left it’s nearly none at all.”

Since all of them, together, would kill her if they could.

About the Author:

Wendy W. Webb has published dark fantasy short stories, supernatural-humor murder mystery novels, and stage plays for adults and children.  She’s discovered that writing scary stuff and funny stuff is a great excuse to avoid vacuuming, phone scams, and losing precious minutes of her life waiting for someone to back their truck into a parking spot.

She loves animals, Bordeaux wine, theatre, and traveling.

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 21, 2024 · 5:23 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Meet me in the Night by Tamrie Foxtail ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The ninth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Meet me in the Night by Tamrie Foxtail

Fun Fact:  

I don’t like mirrors. There are very few mirrors in the house. It’s not a phobia. I’m not afraid to look in a mirror—they just strike me as slightly disturbing. It’s as if I might see something that isn’t there standing just behind me.

When I was trying to come up with the September 2024 story I started thinking about mirrors. I was going through a rough spot missing my husband who passed away a few years ago.  I decided to add the fox in the story because they always feel like a link to my husband. And no—my love of foxes did not lead to my last name. My last name led to my love of foxes.

Those three things: mirrors, the loss of my husband, and foxes, all came together in this story.

Find Tamrie’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

Kacie Halloran is still grieving the death of her fiancé, Seamus. She finds reminders of him everywhere, but most of all in the antique mirror that draws her into a mysterious realm each night. Half-hidden in the shadows is a figure who offers to lead Kacie to her lover.
If she can find Seamus in that dark otherworld, can she bring him back to the world of the living? Or will the other realm claim her life and her soul?

Excerpt:

“Kacie.”

She opened her eyes. The voice had been little more than a scratchy whisper. Had she imagined it? Could someone be in the apartment? Her heart slammed against her chest. She felt the pounding of it in her ears.

She pushed back the covers, sat on the edge of the bed, and listened. Nothing. Was someone in her home? She didn’t want to turn on a light, didn’t want to call attention to her bedroom if there was someone in her apartment. Kacie reached for her phone, her fingers brushing an empty spot on the nightstand. She’d left her phone in the living room. She couldn’t call for help and there was no lock on the bedroom door. Was there anything she could use for a weapon?

She stood up. Keeping one trembling hand on the edge of the nightstand she used the other to trace the cord of the lamp. The little touch lamp was the only weapon she could think of.

Wait. The voice had called her name. If there was someone in the apartment, it must be Kevin. Her brother had a key. But why would he be there in the middle of the night?

She crept to the bedroom door, turned the knob slowly, and listened. Nothing. She must have imagined it, but if she didn’t check it out, she’d lay there all-night worrying.

The hall was dark, but not as dark as it should have been. The antique mirror, now hanging in the hallway, glowed with a pale, amethyst light in the darkness.

She stepped up to it. Deep purples and blues swirled in the glass. She stroked the cool glass with her fingertips, her eyes closing of their own volition.

About the Author:

Tamrie Foxtail was raised in the sunshine state. She married an Okie who brought her to the Sooner State.

She now works with children in Special Education and is currently working on a cozy mystery series set in Oklahoma.

http://www.TamrieFoxtail.com

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 20, 2024 · 4:57 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Flies on the Wall by Jon Minton ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The eighth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Flies on the Wall by Jon Minton

Fun Fact:

In the story, the villain uses technology to spy on and manipulate the lives of his coworkers. I wish I could say this was some speculative work of horrors yet to come, but I didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

The FBI has seen a rise in technology-based fraud – https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams

When researching the book I was shocked that the FBI reported close to $956 million in 2021 related to just romance scams – https://www.fbi.gov/…/inside-the-fbi-romance-scams…/view

In 2018, a new law established the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – https://www.cisa.gov

If that’s as terrifying to you as it is to me, check out my horrifying techno-thriller.

Find Jon’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb

Rosalind Clark works for Panoptic Finance, an industry leader who takes its motto, “We see the big picture,” very seriously. They utilize cutting-edge technology to keep the money flowing and their investors happy.

Rosalind is driven and successful, but her focus on work and a new promotion are causing friction in her marriage. Things get complicated when she runs into James, an old friend, and unintended sparks fly.

Bill is a senior member of the company’s cybersecurity division. The company sent people to work from home during COVID-19 and implemented spyware to keep their employees on task. It caused technical issues and elevated the risk of ransomware attacks. In response, Bill’s team received remote access to company devices, everything from phones to company cars.

Bill discovers Rosalind’s affair because she’s using her work phone to keep her secret from her husband. What starts as voyeurism turns into manipulation of Rosalind’s life. How far will Bill’s obsession go?

Excerpt:

Bill poured scotch into a tumbler and used mini tongs to drop in a single ice sphere. He grabbed his drink and a Charcuterie board and headed to the living room. He placed the board on the coffee table, next to his laptop, sat in his leather recliner, then hit the button on the side to pop his feet up.

The laptop played a hacked feed from Rosalind and Craig’s home security cameras. Rosalind used her private cell for personal calls except for the affair, but she installed personal apps on her work phone. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp. The gem was when Bill found the app for her home’s camera system, HD color cameras in every room of the house, and four external.

“Stream to the living room.”

The laptop obeyed, and his TV played a mirror of the stream. There wasn’t any audio, which was a bummer, but Rosalind wasn’t home anyway. He let the motion capture auto-switch cameras as Craig moved through the house, eventually stopping in the kitchen as he fixed dinner.

The camera feed split, showing an external camera as Rosalind’s car pulled into the drive. Bill’s heartbeat quickened. The love triangle had been heating up over the last few days, and Bill thought this was the day she would talk to Craig. Maybe not confess to the affair, but at least begin the initial divorce talks.

Bill pushed the footrest down and leaned over to use his laptop. He accessed the audio on Rosalind’s work phone, surprised at how clear it was.

God bless technology and the geniuses that gifted us with it.

About the Author:

Jon Minton is an American speculative fiction writer based in Oklahoma City. He is a software developer but has always been passionate about a great story.

He reads and writes everything from horror to historical, but his primary genres are science-fiction and fantasy. A few of his favorite authors include Stephen King, Anne Rice, James S.A. Corey, N.K. Jemisin, and George R.R. Martin.

He is the vice president of the Central Region Oklahoma Writers.

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 19, 2024 · 5:00 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Retribution by Fire by Krysta Scott ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The seventh of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Retribution by Fire by Krysta Scott

Fun Fact:

I got the idea for this story during a writer’s retreat. We were doing writing exercises base off a picture. Mine was of an angel standing in a meadow in a storm. On that day the angel of justice was born. I originally indented for this character to have a romance arc and learn something important. The story took a darker turn and she ended up being a much different character in Retribution by Fire.

Find Krysta’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

Haunted by visions of an avenging angel, Eleanor Turner escapes into the bottle.  One night in a drunken stupor, she gets behind the wheel and rams into a vehicle, killing the driver. In order to avoid prison, she voluntarily signs up for Dr. Dunkeld’s therapy group. The other members appear to benefit from the interventions, but the therapy only intensifies her visions. 

Jax Dunkeld narrowly avoided career suicide when he faced disciplinary action from the psychology board. All he has to do to make things right is counsel a group of men and woman who have committed violent crimes. As he learns more about his patients, he becomes consumed with dread that helping them is not the board’s true objective. When his patients begin to mysteriously die, he realizes he’s stepped into a dire situation…one he may not survive.

Excerpt:

Leora’s head snapped up and her body went rigid. She fixed her gaze on Nathan. “Liar!”

Nathan stared Leora down completely dropping the scrawny wet mouse look. His eyes sparked with rage and his lips curled into a snarl. “Shut up, bitch. What the hell could you possibly know?”

Leora tilted her head, her eyes narrowing.

Joan gasped. “Nathan, watch what you say. You just got here but there are things you just don’t know.”

“So, a bunch of psychobabblers,” Nathan made air quotes with his fingers. “freaked out and left. Big deal. A bunch of wimps, if you ask me.”

Rose glared at him. “Be careful, it’s Friday the 13th.”

“Who cares?” Nathan looked around the circle. “What? Are you all superstitious or something?”

“It’s not that,” Rose spoke in a stage whisper. “Strange things have been happening. And we think its…”

“Shhhh.” Danny placed his finger to his lips. Rose went silent.

About the Author:

Krysta Scott is the author of the novel, Shadow Dancer. Since publishing her first book through the Wild Rose Press, she has since published two novellas in the Martini Club 4 series and three four novellas in the Friday the Thirteenth series. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and dog.

Buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9CSB19S/

Contact:

Facebook Author page:

https://www.facebook.com/krystascottauthor/

Amazon Author page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Krysta-Scott/author/B01FB7RJS2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 18, 2024 · 7:25 am

In the Spotlight: Cyndi L. Stuart ~ Deadly Yours #Mystery #WRPbks #Blog

Please help me welcome today’s guest, Cyndi L. Stuart…

Deadly Yours

by Cyndi L. Stuart

Published by The Wild Rose Press 2024

Paperback:978-1-5092-5423-1  Digital:978-1-5092-5424-8

This Killer Won’t Let You Run Away!

A letter, sealed with blood red wax, arrives in a small coastal town. Samantha’s hopes of a new, quiet life are shattered. The killer is back. Like years before, the crime scenes mimic classic mysteries Samantha once taught in her English Lit class—The Art of Detection. Is one murder staged from an Ellery Queen novel? P.D. James? Sherlock Holmes? Maybe more! 

Five years ago, strangers died. This time—friends. As the body count climbs, this menace must be found, or the killings may never stop. What’s hidden in the tiny details? Why is the killer taunting her? As the killer closes in, does she once again cut and run or stand and fight? What will Sam risk to bring this nightmare to an end?

Excerpt:

Just past the coffee station stood a large whiteboard. A young, tall officer paced in front of it as he made notes and pinned up photos. A photo of a sea chest caught Samantha’s attention. Her head spun to the next picture which showed the same chest with a body inside. The note written alongside the image read, “killed by a sharp weapon—run through trunk into body.” Her eyes scanned the top of the board and then stopped on the photo and the words written below—Victim Robert Brignone. 

Samantha shoved herself away from the counter, then turned and ran back into the conference room. She wrenched the door wide open, raced inside, and slammed it shut. The three investigators huddled around the letter on the table, stared up in alarm.

“Was that trunk found in a museum?” Sam demanded.

Detective Jessica Noguchi’s face looked confused. “What trunk?” 

“The body in the trunk!” Sam shouted and pointed to the room behind her. “On the whiteboard. Was it found in a museum?”

Jessica squinted through the window to the squad room and then her eyes darted back to Sam. Oh, crap! She’s seen the incident board. Even though it contained details of an unrelated crime scene, she didn’t want to discuss an ongoing case with a civilian. 

Before Jess could respond, Criminal Profiler, Colin Davies, stood up. “No, not in a museum exactly, but…” There, he thought as his voice trailed off, a spark of recognition in Sam’s eyes behind the fear.  

The pitch of her voice rose. She turned toward Colin. “Then…a-a-a party? Was there a party in the room with the ch-ch-ch-chest?”

Jess and Police Chief Marlene Porter stared at her stunned. Colin answered again. “Yes.” He walked over toward the door. “He was found in an old sea trunk two days after a party at his home.”

Sam’s next words came out as a whisper. “It’s the killer.” 

Buy link(s):

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-yours-cyndi-l-stuart/1144771110?ean=9781509254231

https://www.bookbub.com/books/deadly-yours-a-samantha-mcmican-mystery-by-cyndi-l-stuart

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207588517-deadly-yours?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=W3VSh1pRWN&rank=6
Deadly Yours

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deadly-yours

https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-Samantha-McMican-Mystery-Deadly-Yours-Paperback-9781509254231/5320825021?from=/search

https://www.target.com/p/deadly-yours-a-samantha-mcmican-mystery-by-cyndi-l-stuart-paperback/-/A-91791033#lnk=sametab

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781509254231

https://bookshop.org/p/books/deadly-yours-cyndi-l-stuart/21088379?ean=9781509254231&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwildrosepress.com%2F&source=IndieBound&title=

https://books.apple.com/us/book/deadly-yours/id6477392234

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Deadly_Yours/bNCW0AEACAAJ?hl=en

About the Author:

Cyndi didn’t start out life as a mystery writer. But one day something unexpected happened—she became a woman of a certain age.

“What in the world are you waiting for?” said the voice in her head as she woke up on her fiftieth birthday. “That novel isn’t going to write itself! And YOU, sweet pea, are NOT getting any younger.”

So, after years spent as a naturalist on the north Oregon coast and PNW garden speaker, Cyndi dusted off her old Comm degree, left technical writing behind and got to work on short stories, flash fiction, and personal essays. But in secret she tapped away on her first mystery novel, Deadly Yours, which has now been published by The Wild Rose Press.

The challenge of creating stories from her own imagination, current events, history, and things she might have overheard at the local coffee shop is what makes her happy and where her passion for writing began. She now lives in Washington state on a small island in south Puget Sound where she and her husband, a potter and artist, run an artisan business. When not reading, writing, or procrastinating, Cyndi can be found hiking, biking, or swimming in the local lakes, streams, and even Puget Sound.

Cyndi is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and Sisters in Crime.

www.cyndilstuart.com                                  https://linktr.ee/cyndilstuart

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September 18, 2024 · 5:30 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Fatal Attachment by Mary Coley ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The sixth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Fatal Attachment by Mary Coley

Fun Fact:

I was hacked years ago and the creeps got all my vital information. For over twenty years, I’ve dealt with this, as they sell my information over and over again. I’ve been enrolled in Italian cooking classes, received books in the mail, and had attempts to file for my tax money. This story came from my revenge thoughts!

Find Mary’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

Oliver Calvert has been scammed more than once in recent weeks. The police can’t help. Oliver remembers how his wife, Rhanita used to handle those who wronged her. If he curses the unidentified culprits, will their lives be wrecked as his has been? On one Friday the 13th, he finds out.

Excerpt:

Oliver Calvert sat on the front porch glider. The muscles in his legs shook. He’d hardly slept last night, but when he did, the dreams he had were vivid nightmares. The plagues were visiting his dreams. Now he needed to find out how to visit them upon his scammers. How could that happen when he didn’t even know their names?

He shut his eyes, closing out the house across the street, the man walking his shepherd down the sidewalk, the blue jay squawking at him from that old elm in his front yard. Rhanita would know. He should have been able to go to her, to tell her that he loved her and needed her help as never before. Would she listen, would she help? Not that an answer mattered. She’d removed herself from him. They’d had so many years ahead of them. Now he was alone.

He clasped his hands together and recited again what his wife had always murmured, the curses she had uttered when someone had shunned her or made a sly comment that cut her to the quick. Rhanita was crafty that way. She always had a comeback, usually a curse. She’d mutter it and mutter it again. Then she’d go into the house and light black candles, throw her black shawl over her head, and kneel among the flickering flames, repeating the curse incessantly.

A few days of that and suddenly the cursed neighbor or acquaintance would be at the door with a casserole or home-baked bread, and a story to defend the offense. He thought the stories were simply excuses, but Rhanita took the offered gift with a frown and closed the door.

The offender might stay on the porch for hours, begging to be admitted, forgiven, or merely listened to. When Rhanita judged it had been long enough, and the regret was sincere, she would open the door, and nod. The offender would walk away, and Rhanita would replace the black candles with white ones, light them, and kneel once again, repeating a rush of words as she swayed wearing a white shawl.

Could it be that simple? A shawl, some candles and some murmured words? But what words? And how could it work if the offending party had no name?

A motorcycle zoomed down the street.

Oliver recalled what he had done last night. With only the light of the waning moon peeking into the dark bedroom, he found his wife’s shawl and the box of black candles, barely stubs. In the living room, he placed the lit candles in a circle on the wood floor, threw the shawl over his head and lifted his eyes toward heaven. “I am like Job, a simple man. This disaster was not deserved. The perpetrators are not worthy of success. I curse them. May the fruit of their work bring pain and misery. Send down the plagues of Egypt. The universe knows who did this.”

Words tumbled out. As he spoke, he heard Rhanita cursing the scammer until the moon and stars disappeared behind a thick cloud.

About the Author:

Mary Coley loves a good scare. She writes award-winning mysteries, usually set in her home state of Oklahoma. With the heart of an adventurer, she loves to travel and learn interesting new things. Sometimes they end up in her fiction. 

https://www.marycoley.com

https://www.facebook.com/MaryColeyAuthor

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 17, 2024 · 5:06 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Spoiled Milk by Robert Herold~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The fifth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Spoiled Milk by Robert Herold

Fun Facts:

Horror and science fiction often reflect society’s fears. Many works explore the notion of science and technology run amok. From Frankenstein to the Terminator franchise and beyond, we see a deadly side to science and technology.  

Cloning is one such concern. You don’t hear much about it lately, but it’s real. Cloning holds great promise for medicine, agriculture, and many other aspects of society. For example, an Argentinian polo team all ride clones of a champion horse. But there’s a dark specter surrounding the notion of cloning humans. Might they simply be raised for parts? Is that ethical?

I have imagined the cloning of my main character’s infant son, a descendant of a long line of men raised to be sacrificed by a coven of witches. Now, with the clones, they could have an endless supply of these victims. “Spoiled Milk” follows the main character and his friends as they attempt to rescue the clones before the slaughter begins. The occult and science fiction merge in this fast-paced supernatural thriller!

Find Robert’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

A father races against time to prevent witches from slaughtering clones of his son.

Excerpt:

My infant son, Lazarus, was in foster care, arranged in secret by the Church after Seattle witches tried to kill him. Our bloodline contained something that could be utilized by witches. Because of this, my son and I, and now my son’s clones, were at great risk. I learned the embryonic clones were being kept on ice by a witch who had also been a University of Washington professor of biomedicine. The professor was now dead, along with the other Seattle witches, but that didn’t stop the threat. Witches were everywhere…

About the Author:

Seattleite Robert Herold is the author of the award-winning Eidola Project novels and the Seattle Coven Tales. In addition, Mr. Herold’s work has appeared in anthologies, on the Saturday Evening Post’s website, and will soon appear in Feral, a European horror comic magazine. Find out more at: https://robertheroldauthor.com

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 16, 2024 · 5:36 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Broken by Laura Strickland ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The fourth of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th…

Broken by Laura Strickland

Fun Fact:

I’m a great believer in Karma, Fate, Cosmic Justice or whatever you’d like to call it. What goes around comes around, and stories of retribution satisfy me deeply. This tale takes that concept through several centuries and gives it a twist of horror. I’ve seen these karmic consequences come true in real life. But that’s another tale…

Find Laura’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

 When Burton Renfrow awakens from his thirteenth nightmare in a row early on the morning of Friday the thirteenth, he doesn’t expect to be drawn into a tale of betrayal and retribution. But there’s a dead woman in his studio, a shard of broken mirror embedded in her breast. And when Burton falls into the mirror, he faces his own past, one so terrible it changes who he thinks he is, and who he’s always been.

How long might it take for a man’s misdeeds to catch up with him? Is there any escape, once vengeance tracks him down? What is the just punishment for rampant greed and selfishness? The answer just may leave him broken.

Excerpt:

As he moves into the studio, he senses something. Something amiss. Despite the darkness and the clutter, he knows this space. After spending untold hours here indulging his passion, its details are imprinted on his brain.

Even when he steps out of the light spilling from the bedroom, he can see enough. Ambient radiance shed by the street lights bleeds through the tall windows.

Bleeds.

He can smell blood.

A shiver travels down his spine, one that reaches right in and twists his bowels. No, surely not. He’s carried that from the dream.

On soundless feet, he pads forward. Weaves his way between the pieces of furniture that now seem marooned without purpose. The canvasses. The draped forms. Toward the tall mirror which should, as it always does, wink at him through its oval eye.

Mr. Bolton wants his daughter painted as if framed by that mirror, so Burton has left it out in the center of the room.

It does not wink at him now.

The smell of blood grows stronger as he crosses the floor toward the wooden chair, which sits in the center of an open space where he surely did not leave it.

Something is in the chair.

Something that should not be there.

His breath catches and then rattles in his throat. He doesn’t want to see.

He must see.

The overhead lights, as he knows, will illuminate the place to an almost unbearable degree. He does not want that.

There’s a lamp he uses for shadowing on the table to his left. He steps over and switches it on.

The light, soft as it is, makes him blink. At first he doesn’t comprehend what he is seeing. Because it shouldn’t be there. It can’t possibly be there. All in black. And red. A glitter of light where there should be none. An impossible juxtaposition of visuals.

He jerks his gaze up and encounters the cheval mirror. The frame of the mirror, he corrects himself, for the glass has been shattered and lies about the base in shards.

All but the largest of them, which is embedded in the breast of the woman in the chair.

About the Author:

Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music are all reflected in her writing.

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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September 15, 2024 · 8:15 am

A Friday the 13th Horror Short Story: Claws by Christopher Farris ~ #Horror #Fri13thStories #Blog

The third of thirteen creepy tales of murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th… (and one of my favorites. I recommend you check out the other Beaver stories, Stripes and Blanks. He’s a psychopathic hoot :D)

Claws by Christopher Farris

Fun Fact:

Claws is a reimagining of a short story I wrote years ago. It was called Wild Things and focused on Elizabeth (the femme fatale from Claws,) her strained marriage, and the bear she built a creepy connection with.  You can find it at Coffin Bell, here: https://coffinbell.com/wild-things/. It is free to read. 

Find Christopher’s Friday the 13th story here…

Blurb:

Beaver went to the mountains to live in the peace. Unfortunately, he didn’t bring any with him. Now a mad creature is on the loose, the bodies are stacking up and the woman of his dreams is set to take the blame. Life never seems to get easier for Beaver but then, Beaver has never been easy on life. One way or another, he’ll claw his way to what he wants. He always does.

Excerpt:

She checked there weren’t nobody listening, you know with the kids in the house and all, then she leaned in and whispered, “Did you ever kill a man, Josiah?”

I got to say, I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know what I expected, but not that. I considered lying but she had those eyes and they was practically undressing me. I throwed caution to the wind. I couldn’t help myself. I nodded, once, nervous.

She caught her breath, give a long sigh and leaned in closer. I could smell her faint perfume and feel the heat coming off her. “Who? More than one?” she asked and put her hand on my knee again. “Tell me.”

About the Author:

Christopher Farris lives in a very old, very small house in a very old, very small town nestled deep in a valley of the Boston Mountains of Northwest Arkansas. He is not a hillbilly, but he is trying. He has four well-adjusted children and the two best granddaughters available.

His horror novel, The Fountain, was published by The Wild Rose Press in January of 2021. His Christmas novel, Intersection: A Trucker’s Christmas Carol, was published in November of 2021. Both are available at Amazon.com as are his other Friday the 13th stories.

*** Find all the stories here: https://linktr.ee/fridaythe13thstories

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