OCTOBER

 

Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” 

—Johnny, Night of the Living Dead

It's one of the scariest movies ever made. No other Zombie movie has come close, at least in my opinion. It didn't help that I grew up in the area where it was filmed, so I may be a bit prejudiced. 😊

But folks...

It’s that time…

For frights slights

and epic delights

Devils and angels

Bats and werewolves

Witches and demons

Monsters and ghouls

It’s Halloween

And I’m the Queen!

😉 

“Welcome to my Nightmare”

Don't you just love fall and Halloween? I know I do. So, for October, I've posted flash fiction stories, one each Friday, and another on Tuesday, some new but all rewritten from earlier posts. I tried to keep them to 500 words or less. Most were originally close to 1000 words, so I didn't get there every time. A few were updates, what happened next, or just a slight change, but for most all of them I tried to up the horror. 😱

The final story on October 31st is new, just for this Halloween.

I hope you enjoy this year's Halloween Celebration!

And to wet your appetite here's an oldie but goodie...

BRAISED HEART

Donna admired the gleaming counters and spotless floor. The scent of bread and braised heart erased the smell of blood and bleach.

“Dinner is served,” she sang, lifting Clive’s unfaithful heart from the oven.

Dusty wound around her ankles, purring approval.

“Really—who imagines two-timing Hannibal’s daughter comes without a price?”

Dusty meowed.

She chuckled. “If Clive had guessed the truth…”

The cat sprang onto the counter, eyes bright with something almost human.

Donna’s grin sharpened. She tapped the blade against the roasted heart.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “Daddy always said—cannibalism isn’t a crime. It’s a family recipe.”

~100 words~

Yolanda Renee Stout © 2015

~~***~~

And here is a list of the stories I'm providing this Month along with a teaser tagline!

********************

Friday, October 3^rd     INSOMNIA

Tagline: "Insomnia is no longer your curse…it’s your invitation."

Tuesday, October 7^th     GODDESS

         Tagline: Some encounters are too beautiful to be real

Friday, October 10^th     SACRIFICE

Tagline: Sacrifice isn’t just an ancient practice.

Tuesday, October 14^th     REVISITED

Tagline: One Halloween, the mist came for her… and it’s returned

Friday, October 17^th     OBSESSION

Tagline: Death cannot sever the ties of obsession

Tuesday, October 21^st     THE BEASTS BENEATH

Tagline: A husband’s anger turns into a deadly game of survival.

Friday, October 24^th     HUNTERS

Tagline: Beware the allure of beauty… it may eat your mind and your soul.

Tuesday, October 28^th     JACK

Tagline: Some killers never die—they just wait in the fog. 

Friday, October 31^st     RITUAL

Tagline: The past can be a deadly place to visit.

FYI:

I've used ChatGPT, Copilot, and Grammarly to edit my work. I found the results interesting and, at times, disappointing, especially when AI changed my word choice or completely misunderstood the whole point of the story, to downright word selection errors that even I, a dyslexic grammar failure, could recognize.

I learned that perfection cannot be guaranteed no matter what editor you use. Still, I hope you enjoy the Halloween stories—they are all meant to entertain!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash