MY NEXT VICTIM THIS HALLOWEEN!
Thanks, Shannon, for agreeing to be part
of the fun.
Without further delay presenting Shannon's
Halloween Interview & Flash Fiction
Challenge
1. You're born
on Halloween and have the ghostly evil super powers of one of the following: The
Ghost from Poltergeist, The Frankenstein Monster, The Mummy, The most Evil of
Witches, The Devil himself, Freddy Kruger, Pumpkin Head, Michael from
Halloween, or Jason from Friday the 13th. Alternatively, if
you prefer, pick one of your own. Otherwise, tell us which one you would choose
and why? No friendly ghosts allowed! You're to wreak havoc in this scenario!
I’d go with Freddy. What could be more powerful than
invading someone’s dreams? You can’t fight sleep forever. 1, 2, Freddy’s coming
for you…
2. The Zombie Apocalypse is going to occur this
Halloween and for 48 hours, the world is thrown into chaos. Live through it and
consider yourself lucky, you've been warned. What is your first step,
especially as no one else knows or believes you? Do you leave family behind and
seek shelter to ride it out, or do you try to save your family? How and why?
Let’s see. My family doesn’t believe me? They should know
better by now. ;) I’d encourage them to come up to the mountains with me “for
vacation.” I’d have to pack, of course. They wouldn’t understand why there were
weapons, wood, nails, and hand tools in addition to the food, water, and first
aid items. We’d need to be able to defend ourselves and cover up those doors
and windows.
3. Because of the time of your birth, (see the
1st question) the angels have decided to forgive your sins and are
offering to remedy one evil that now exists in the world, but only one! Which
would you choose and why?
Harm against the defenseless. The young, the elderly, the
disabled. I hate harm coming to anyone (except the Big Bads, of course), but
especially those who are least able to protect themselves.
4. Why is Halloween a favorite holiday, or not a favorite, and if it isn't why did you
participate in this query? Come on; tell us your biggest most secret Halloween
fantasy!
I’ve always loved Halloween. Part of it is my love of the
fall. The crisp, cool air, fall leaves, pumpkins. Plus, I love the night. I’m
an insomniac, and this is the one time of year where people wait until night
time to go out and celebrate something. That means, just for that one day,
everyone’s on my schedule instead of expecting me to be on theirs. It’s also
not a holiday that demands you go out and buy gifts for someone, and it’s far
less stressful than the hoopla around Christmas. Halloween is all about fun,
and the energy that surrounds it is infectious.
Then you have the extras. Horror programming on TV, movie
releases. It’s the only time of year everyone enjoys the dark and scary
alongside me.
Also, chocolate…
Now the fun part: Finish the story. I've
given you the first 100 words. Provide us with
the rest, but please hold the number to 750 words or less. The winner
will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. The contest will be judged by another
lover of the horror genre, the person to be announced later. The winner will be
posted no later than a week after Halloween!
DESPERATION HOLLER
Jerry sauntered along Desperation Holler Road that earlier echoed
with the excited shouts of ghosts and ghouls as the children scrambled from
house to house in colorful and frightening costumes.
Dusk dissolved into the blackest of nights as the little
monsters disappeared into the shelter of the brightly lit houses with their
chocolate goodies.
Jerry smiled, even suppressed laughter, because he knew there was
no refuge, not in Desperation Holler on
this most evil of Halloweens.
Concealed by the dark limbs of deformed trees and invasive
ivy, the innocuous little cabin looked abandoned, but Jerry knew better.
The witches abode . . .
The witch’s abode smelled of rot, with a
hint of wild onion and mint. Jerry stepped carefully over the ivy on the steps,
one cool, slick tendril gripping his ankle before pulling free. He pushed open
the sagging door, surprised at the lack of a rusty creak.
“Izabetta?” he called.
“Enter.”
Shaking his head at the dramatic voice, he
shut the door behind him and walked down the hallway, taking in the polished
wood and immaculate condition of the inside of the house. No one trying to peer
through the intentionally filthy glass panes out front would ever guess the
inside looked so nice.
He found her standing at the stove, her
honey blond hair curling down her back. She wore jeans and a black t-shirt,
hips swaying to the sounds of jazz drifting out of a small radio on the
counter.
“Have you begun the spell?” he asked.
“Doing it right now.”
He looked around. “I don’t see a cauldron.”
She whirled to look at him. “Are you
kidding me?”
“No. I don’t know witch rules. I’m a
fantasy geek.” He pointed to his Lord of
the Rings shirt. “Aren’t all spells done in a cauldron?”
She turned back to the stove and stirred something
in a pot for a moment before asking, “How long have we known each other?”
“I imagine you’re going to say ‘long
enough’.”
“Right. I’m not some wicked witch out of a
movie. There are no cauldrons. I’ve got an orange tom cat with a torn ear, not
a touch of black on him.” The microwave beeped, and she went over to it,
removing a blue plastic container with steam rising from it. “Oh, and I don’t
have any warts.”
Jerry wrinkled his nose at the stench
coming from the container. “What’s in that?”
“Oh, you know, a little eye of newt, toe of
wolf, yadda, yadda.” She waltzed to the stove, pouring the contents of the
microwaved container into the pot. A puff of smoke wafted up then sucked back
down into it.
“I can tell you’re kidding.”
She shot him a look over her shoulder,
wiggled her hips one more time, and reached into her pocket, pulling out a tiny
plastic packet. He watched as she tilted it over her hand and dumped something
into it. He couldn’t see anything, but she held it up to her nose, took a deep
breath, then opened her hand over the pot.
Instantly, the viscous liquid in the pot
began to bubble. Steam filled the room. Jerry coughed as the thickened air
crawled into his throat and tickled his lungs. When it cleared, the pot was
empty.
“What now?” he asked.
“Now? We wait for them to rise. This is a
Halloween this town will never forget.”
Outside, a rumbling began. The house shook.
A loud crack sounded, and Jerry nearly lost his footing.
A fat orange tom cat entered the room, strode
over to Izabetta, and wrapped itself through her legs. She reached down to pick
him up. Straightening, she looked at Jerry.
“You’re first,” she said with a smile.
“I’m wha--?”
Something grabbed him from behind with an
icy cold grip. He could feel his skin tearing where it held. Pain filled his
head, as if his insides were being sucked through his ears. Tunnel vision
narrowed his sight.
Izabetta sauntered up to him, watching as
he tried to fight back.
“One soul to lead them all,” she said. “I figure you of
all people can appreciate that.”
Nothing like dying to a bad
pun, he thought, as
everything went black.
*****
So cool, Shannon!
Poor Jerry's had another bad day! :)
Thank you so much for participating!
Now to introduce
THE BLUE MIST!
Comment and win a copy of Shannon's book!
*****
Shannon has a story The Blue Mist
in THE DEEP DARK WOODS anthology
to be released this October.
In the Deep Dark
Woods...fear abounds. It may be creatures that only you can see, or the
fevered imagination of your nightmares. Perhaps these monsters are the
ones that bite and claw, or the ones that come out of the grave. No
matter what, when you go walking in the woods at night...
You may not make it back
out.
I have a short story in the
collection: The Blue Mist
Website for The Deep, Dark Woods:
Shannon's is a fan of all
things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes in her
dungeon when her minions allow, often accompanied by her familiar, Cleo. She
writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in several
anthologies and magazines, including Under the Bed,Sanitarium,
and the upcoming anthology, The Deep Dark Woods.
When she's not writing, she's hiking through the wilds of Colorado and
photographing her magnificent surroundings. Though she often misses the ocean,
the majestic and rugged Rockies are a sight she could never part with. Besides,
in Colorado there's always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. What more
could she ask for?
*****
Sign-ups are open!
Youthful Frights vs. Adult Fears
What's your scary story?
*****
CONGRATULATIONS
ALEX J CAVANAUGH
YOU'VE WON A COPY OF
THE DEEP DARK WOODS!
