fiction
Horror fiction that delivers on its promise to scare, startle, frighten and unsettle. These stories are fake, but the shivers down your spine won't be.
Don't Let Go
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The no-longer young man averted his eyes. He knew the power it had to draw onlookers in and he knew the terror once inside. He rose from where he’d been lying, in exhausted stupor underneath a tree, and attempted to walk away ... head down, staring at the forest floor in front of him. A peek of red suggested a berry and with hunger gnawing he lunged for it. The peek was just that ... a beetle had eaten most of the fruit and was finishing it off. The man popped berry and beetle in his mouth, scavenged around to see if there were more, then stood up. Glancing around just to get his bearings he realized he was even closer to the cabin, as if he’d been walking towards instead of away from it. The candle flame mesmerized his tired brain and he stood staring, remembering ...
By Shireen Pigott4 years ago in Horror
The Death of the Moth
“Just as life had been strange a few minutes before, so death was now as strange.” - The Death of the Moth, Virginia Woolf The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Annie saw this through her binoculars. The only lights she ever saw from across the lake were the tiny flashes of fireflies, but it was too cold outside and this new light did not move. The house across the lake has been sitting empty for as long as Annie, who had been here for a majority of her summers and a few of the winters, could remember. It was a beautiful lake house that sat on a few acres of land, taking up a majority of the lakefront property. She appreciated that the house never sold and nothing could be developed instead. Annie enjoyed the peace that she got out here. The house was the biggest on the lake. It was built back in the day as a hunting club for rich folks from the city. The current owner is an older gentleman who lives across the country and never visits the house. She heard from folks in the area that he left the house about forty years ago and hasn’t visited, or kept up the property, since. Annie joked that the place was haunted, why else would you just let a beautiful cabin on the lake, secluded and surrounded by nature, just sit there?
By Mary Lynne4 years ago in Horror
The Night Jogger
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. You’ve jogged past the cabin a thousand times, though you know your mother would be furious if she knew. There’s something about the woods at night that feels so liberating, invigorating, and yes, maybe even a little spooky. A little unsafe. So you changed your usual course a while ago, and maybe that little tingle of fear, that invisible, primordial pressure on your shoulders, makes you run just that much faster. And what could be wrong with that? Not a thing, of course.
By Megan Malcolm4 years ago in Horror
Lovely Luna Lake
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. An eerie twilight covers the forest floor and the winding roads within like a funeral shroud. The sun creeps down over the horizon, allowing one last glimpse at the landscape of the dense forest before the darkness sets in. Miles away from any lamp post and the nearest porch light being a glint in the distance, blinding headlights sweep over the greenery.
By Emma McWilliams4 years ago in Horror
The Essence
The Essence...Never Close Your Eyes in the Nighttime Hours The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. As soon as she lit it, Gwen immediately blew it out, realizing she had made a tremendous mistake.
By Megan Virginia Sennett4 years ago in Horror
The Candle
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Two young boys bore witness; it was a moonless night, just as chilly as it was dark. A harsh breeze pushed through the trees and howled at their backs. The boys had seen the cabin a few times before. Over the years, they had crossed paths with the cabin frequently enough that they didn’t think anything of it by this point; it was just the same old cabin. The funny thing about the cabin was that when they were younger, the boys had tried to find the cabin again after crossing its path. They embarked on several searches, but were never able to find it. See, they had only ever been able to find the cabin when they had no idea where they were going; when they were truly lost. It was not far to civilization from either side of the woods, so they did not typically panic when they found themselves in this situation. One of the boys would just say, “Oh look, there's the old cabin again. We must be lost,” then they would laugh and carry on their way. But tonight, they stopped. There had never been a light in the window before. The wind howled and the trees quaked.
By Nick Dehler4 years ago in Horror
A Thousand Empty Cabins
"The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It wasn't an inviting sight. The kind you'd see on a wintry Christmas eve, with lights draped around the window and snow cresting the bow of the roof firmly threatened by a gust of wind that it might fall upon the deck. Nor was it the kind you hope to see after a long journey. Your feet weary, back hurting and ready for a soft bed to embrace your cracked bones. It was the kind that harbored a unique type of malice."
By Devan Rhea4 years ago in Horror
Zero
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. It was the last time I ever lit a candle, but the memory of that night was still so visceral, sometimes I wondered if the tiny flame had burned my soul, and my scarred memory was the invisible damage that would never heal. Never be smooth, and soft, and free from pain.
By Monique Danielle4 years ago in Horror
