DESPERATION HOLLER

ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
of the

DESPERATION HOLLER
2015 HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE

Thank you, to all the wonderful writers who participated in my Halloween Interview and Flash Fiction Challenge. I enjoyed reading all the interview answers, and gaining insight into each author's horror background and Halloween secrets.

But my favorite part was the flash fiction challenge that required them to use the same 100 word begining to write their stories. They then took the character of Jerry and gave us a Halloween tale of horrific dimensions, and Jerry found himself in hot water quite a few times. Thank you, for your excellent flashes!

Thom Futrell, author of Empty Graves made Jerry an Arch Bishop, did that save him from the evil of the night?

Christine Rains, the author Of Blood & Sorrow had Jerry's mother, a truly evil witch needing a soul to release the fiends of Halloween. Would Jerry escape her clutches?

Julia Press Simmons, author of The Bloody Mary Coven made Jerry an avenging angel, and he fought evil with a smile, and I think a cigarette in his mouth, but did he succeed?

Shannon Lawrence the author of The Blue Mist insisted Jerry was the "one soul to lead them all." What did she mean by that?

Cathrina Constantine author of Don't Forget to Breathe had Jerry ready to take his revenge on the witches, but did he succeed?

DeAnna Knippling, author of Alice's Adventures in Underland had a treasure hunting Jerry descending into the darkest of basements. Did he find his treasure?

Tara Tyler, author of Simulation had Jerry planning vengeance on the witches using all the rules, but did following the rules work in his favor?

Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of The Widow's Walk League had Jerry providing the children for the witches pies, and fulfilling her deepest desire for mincemeat pie.

Ann M. Noser author of Dead GirlRunning had Jerry trying to turn his witch of a sister straight, but was she willing?

A special thank you to Walter P. Honsinger who sent a ghostly tale, The Tomb, based on a true story. The Tomb is set in New Orleans and a graveyard where the characters spent the night during a Voodoo ritual.

~~~ ~~~
INTRODUCING JUDGE 
WENDY ELY

Today I'm also excited to introduce editor, Wendy Ely. The judge for my Halloween flash fiction contest. I knew I couldn't choose a winner, I loved them all, but Wendy volunteered and I was delighted. I met Wendy on Facebook and she's done a beautiful job on several of my writing projects.  Thanks, Wendy!

Wendy started her writing and editing career in January of 2008. Since the start of her career, her passion for the craft has only grown stronger. Not only does she have the drive to perfect her own books she wants to help other busy authors as well. She has several years of freelance editing experience, and recently attended advanced grammar classes in college. Wendy has extensively studied the craft of writing, and is a USA Today bestselling author.

Wendy feels she succeeds when her client succeeds. And claims that editing should be as creative and as enjoyable as possible. Her goal is to provide fast, friendly, and efficient service while working with her clients. 

I can attest to her speed!

She also knows that no author is the same, so she'll tailor an editing plan specifically to you. Wendy uses her passion for the craft along with her education to give all her clients the best editing experience that she can.

I highly recommend Wendy's services!

Check out her website

http://creativemanuscripts.blogspot.com/

or send her an email:

creativemanuscripts@gmail.com

~~~~~ ~~~~~

And now without further delay

the winners of the

2015 Halloween Flash Fiction Contest are:

1st place & the winner of a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Shannon Lawrence

The Blue Mist

Wendy says, "The author used great imagery in her writing. It had a great mixture of humorous dialogue and an interesting twist."

CONGRATULATIONS SHANNON!

2nd place & the winner of a $7 Amazon Gift Card

Thom Futrell

Empty Graves

Wendy said, "The story flow was well done. It kept me entertained and the ending was a shock."

CONGRATULATIONS THOM!

3rd place & the winner of a $5 Amazon Gift Card

Christine Rains

 Of Blood & Sorrow

Wendy said your piece showed, "Clever writing and was enjoyable!"

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE!

For all authors who participated Wendy is kindly

offering a discount on her editing services –

$25 off any manuscript over 100 pages.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

AND THANK YOU AGAIN

YOU MADE MY HALLOWEEN A REAL TREAT!

DEAD GIRL RUNNING

MY LAST VICTIM THIS HALLOWEEN!

IS ANN M. NOSER

author of

the DEAD GIRL SERIES

Thanks, Ann, for agreeing to be part of the fun.

Presenting Ann'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 13^th. 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!

To have the most fun, I'd have to choose Michael Jackson from his Thriller video. It's the only way I'll ever dance like a pro.

 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?

I'd save my family, because I'm a mom and there's no way I'd leave them behind. I'd rather die trying. If they didn't believe me, I'd sedate them and haul their doubting a$$es out of town.

 3.      Because of the time of your birth, (see the 1^st 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?

Suffering. The reasons should be obvious. And by choosing this "one," I'd really be choosing so many evils to remedy.

 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!

One year, I dressed up as Gene Simmons from Kiss. The costume was epic, which was unusual for me. Typically I had lame costumes, but this one rocked (pun intended). I used black garbage bags, a black sports bra, black netted leggings, silver duct tape (which became painful later, but I'll get to that), a black wig that was so huge I had to hand over the keys to my car because I had no peripheral vision while wearing it, and face paint. Lots and lots of face paint (which also became painful later).

The veterinary school party was held at a bowling alley and it was great fun.

Undressing afterwards was NOT fun. Hear me now and obey me later: NEVER, I do mean NEVER put duct tape on any part of your body you intend to keep. Ouch.

As for the face paint—and I bought the "good stuff" according to the store—what a gooey mess. Instead of washing off the white and black paint, my face remained coated with a grey, thick cream. And I had to work the next day. I scrubbed and scrubbed until my face was grey with red, irritated skin underneath.

So face paint is out for my Halloween fantasy. Instead, I've always wanted to be Phoebe from Friends—not only the long, blond wig, I want to talk like her, sing "Smelly Cat" like her—the whole deal.

Maybe someday, long after when dressing like her would be "cool."

      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 unless the restriction is just impossible then no more than 1000 words. 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 . . .

His sister would still be there, working her nasty trade.

He had to put an end to it. Right now. She couldn't be allowed to remain part of the family—not after she'd become one with the moon.

Her fall from grace had to be erased. But he wouldn't stop there. All the witches had to go. Every last one of them.

In the darkness, he circled the cabin, muttering to himself. The gas can grew heavy in his hand. Earlier in the day, He'd stuffed old papers and blocks of dried wood in every crack and cranny around the base of the old cabin. He knew those stupid witches wouldn't notice.

A childish giggle escaped his lips as he tipped the gas can, soaking the base of the cabin, his nose filling with vapors.

He took out a match.

"I told you I'd win big at bingo tonight," crowed a little old lady, hobbling out the front door of the cabin.

The match fell from Jerry's hands, unlit. How could this be? The old ladies from church shuffled out, one after the other.

These weren't witches. These were the same ladies who slipped him cookies, patting his head while clucking their tongues over how it was "too bad about the accident."

He stumbled under the shadow of the trees, breathing hard.

But the white haired ladies didn't see to see him. They simply prattled on about their bingo game.

"You always win, Bertha," laughed one. "You must have a lucky rabbit's foot in your purse."

Jerry gasped. He'd given Bertha that rabbit's foot. And then he'd almost burned her alive. Bile flooded into the back of his throat. He leaned over, gagging.

He had to get out of here. He stood, arms flailing as he crashed through the bushes, fallen leaves crunching under his feet as he scrambled away.

The old ladies turned to watch him leave.

One by one, they started to shimmer, their flowered blouses fluttering then replaced by black robes, their short white hair lengthening into flowing curls.

"What are you going to do about the boy?" the tallest asked, pointing at the discarded gas can.

"Yes, something must be done." Another nodded. "He's getting dangerous. He must be stopped. If you can't do it, we will."

Susan hung her head. Ever since the head injury, Jerry had changed. He used to think her tricks were wonderful, but now he hated the fact she was a witch. He hated everything about her. "No, he's my brother. I'll do it."

"Then do it soon, and be done with it," the taller one urged before melting into the night.

The rest disappeared into the darkness, except for Susan and her closest friend, Belinda.

Belinda shuddered. "What are you going to do?"

"Fight fire with fire, I suppose," Susan blinked hard as tears escaped.

She encircled the cabin, hands outstretched.

"Crawl. Devour. Consume.

Creep along these wooden rooms.

Lick the floors. Lick the walls.

Flames assemble and grow tall.

The heat will rise—a light in the dark.

Life begins and ends with a little spark."

Some distance away, Jerry smelled the smoke and turned back in disbelief.

The match. He must've forgotten about the match.

No. This couldn't happen. He rushed back the way he came, branches breaking in his wake.

He reached the cabin, engulfed in flames. He paused for only a moment before rushing inside.

His screams filled the air.

"No pain. No breath. No sensation." Susan waved her arms once more.

The screaming stopped.

Susan moved the gas can with her family's name on it to the edge of the clearing, near a tree.

"It is done," she said, walking away.

*****

Blurb:

Eight years ago, SILVIA WOOD's father died in an industrial accident. After suffering through years of Psychotherapy Services and Mandated Medications for depression and multiple suicide attempts, she longs to work in Botanical Sciences. When the Occupation Exam determines she must work in Mortuary Sciences instead, she wonders if the New Order assigned her to the morgue to push her over the edge.

To appease her disappointed mother, Silvia enters the Race for Citizen Glory, in an attempt to stand out in the crowd of Equals. After she begins training with "golden boy" LIAM HARMAN, she discovers he also lost his father in the same accident that ruined her childhood. Then Silvia meets and falls for Liam's older cousin, whose paranoid intensity makes her question what really happened to her father. As the race nears, Silvia realizes that she's not only running for glory, she's running for her life.

Author Bio:

Growing up an only child, I learned to entertain myself.  During summer vacations, my greatest form of exercise consisted of turning the pages of a book.  Now I’m all grown up, and full of stories half-written in my head.  I have to write them down so I can find out what happens next.

Where to find Ann:

Blog:  http://www.annmnoser.com

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/AnnMNoser

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AnnMNoser

Goodreads page:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8124757.Ann_M_Noser

*****


 WEP-Flash Fiction Challenge 

 Halloween Tales for your reading pleasure!
Today we're announcing the winners!
Congratulations!

Youthful Frights vs Adult Fears

SIMULATION

MY NEXT VICTIM THIS HALLOWEEN!

IS TARA TYLER

Thanks, Tara, for agreeing to be part of the fun.

Without further ado presenting Tara'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!

That's easy - I can be the most evil of witches in a snap of my crooked, bony fingers with long green fingernails when provoked!! Plus witches can make youth potions and live longer - even if they have to sacrifice a few kids to do it... And I already have a good cackle for it too!

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?

My youngest will do what I ask, the others will be zombie fodder! And I know better than to waste my time convincing them, so my little guy and I will head for the hills! Or find someone with a secure shelter, fast!

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?

Terrorism. I don't think you need a reason.

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 love Halloween, I have a blast decorating even if my boys are getting too old to appreciate it. And I'm a scaredy cat, not big on horror movies. Secret Halloween fantasy is to go to a costume party with my hub and us have a good time in matching costumes - unfortunately, he's not a costume guy =( oh well! 

     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 unless the restriction is just impossible then no more than 1000 words. 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 . . .cast an eerie purple glow from it's windows and the smoke from its chimney sparkled in the moonlight. Jerry couldn't resist peeking in a window to catch a glimpse of magic and see what he was up against.

Being a novice witch hunter, Jerry knew he had to be extra careful and more silent than an awkward moment. He crept along, taking one slow soft step at a time in the crunchy Fall leaves toward the back where the kitchen should be, avoiding the creaky old porch in front. If he drew their attention and lost the element of surprise his chances of survival dropped dramatically. That was lesson number one.

"Hello, deary."

Jerry flinched. There went his first line of defense. He spun around to see the wrinkled old lady who looked more like a grandmother than a wicked witch. But Jerry knew her for the hideous hag she was.

"Trick or Treat?"

She cackled at him. "Aren't you a little old for that?"

"Who's out at this witching hour, Bernie?"

The other witch stuck her long nose out the back door. Her lips curled into an evil smile when she spied him.

"Ooo. It's Jerry. Finally got your license, eh boy?"

"Just for you, Fiona." Jerry said and smiled right back at her. Exude confidence, or at least hide fear, that was lesson number two.

Jerry backed away from them, further from the house. He needed to draw them out. Lesson number three was to stay out of a witches' lair where they would definitely have the advantage. Glancing behind him, he noticed a small fenced-in area with reaching, oozing, and creeping plants.

"I love what you've done with the place. What's growing in your garden here?"

Bernie stepped toward him. "Flattery and trickery won't work on us. We've been around for far too long to let a new cub like you win over a couple of cunning cougars like us."

Jerry knew he was young and inexperienced, but these two wily witches had been terrorizing Desperation Holler since he was little. The Halloween he escaped their treachery and his cousin didn't was the night he vowed vengeance. He wasn't giving up without a fight. He had all the tools he needed, following lesson number four.

Taking out his anti-witch wand, he wielded it wildly waving it at them and spoke his wishful words.

"Howl wind, darken night,

Stir the leaves, douse the light,

In this full moon shining bright,

Curse these witches, take their sight!"

With a switch of his wrist, the moon electrified his wand and shot out at the witches' eyes, blinding them.

They screeched like demons and screamed like damsels. Fiona flew at him as Bernie lunged for him.

Jerry ducked and tried to escape, but he'd stepped too close to their garden. He hadn't realized during his incantation the vines wrapped around his legs and tangled him up.

The witches dragged poor Jerry into their home and he was never heard from again.

Poor Jerry ignored the final, most important lesson. Lesson number five, never attack witches on Halloween!

*****

That was so much fun, Yolanda! What a way to bring in Halloween and wind down my blog tour (only 2 more posts!) How clever of you! Thanks for letting me participate and for helping me with my release.

Truly, Tara, so much fun and I'm thrilled to be able to help you with your blog tour but more so that you were game to do this crazy interview and flash fiction Halloween Challenge while in the middle of a tour! You rock!

Now for the SIMULATION tour!

SIMULATION

by Tara Tyler

Release Date: Sept 14, 2015

In 2082, androids are an essential part of daily life. Some are helpful, some would make better toasters, and some are so human-like they're creepy. Back in Atlanta, Detective Cooper takes a case to uncover an illegal clone android simulation operation. He hopes it will take his mind off his recent break up, but he winds up crossing paths with his ex, FBI Agent Geri Harper.

As Cooper closes in, Geri is kidnapped. But when she resurfaces in Washington and goes on a killing spree, he knows it isn't her. Now under suspicion himself, Cooper must find the real Geri to prove her innocence, not to mention hunt down the powerful villain behind it all. Never a dull moment.

SIMULATION delivers more technology, more intense action, more humor, and more, distinct new characters. Come along for the ride.

Available Now!

Amazon ~~ Kindle

Goodreads giveaway!

Tara Tyler writes sci fi and fantasy action-adventures from her little corner of the world in Ohio as she tries to keep up with her three boys and coach husband. Always making time to write, she sometimes puts off chores and lets laundry pile up... hence, she's also the Lazy Housewife, offering advice and tips to other gals out there trying to do it all without going crazy.

She and her housewife friends blog at The Really Real Housewives of America.

tara tyler talks and tweets and facebooks

And don't forget the Rafflecopter!

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JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!

AMAZON.COM

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN UNDERLAND

MY NEXT VICTIM THIS HALLOWEEN

IS DeANNA KNIPPLING!

Thanks, DeAnna, for agreeing to be part of the fun.

Without further ado presenting DeAnna'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 13^th. 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 have inherited the power of...The Most Evil of All Witches! I've always been fascinated by them. On the one hand, they were slaughtered for hundreds or even thousands of years...but on the other hand, I've always wondered why. Why witches--why not, say, midwives or prostitutes? I realize that a lot of the time, the women who were killed were women who had a) property worth taking, and b) few or no male relatives to protect them. But now that we've legalized pot in Colorado, I've also been pondering:  what if one of the reasons that "witches" were targeted was that they distributed not just medicines like arbortifacients, but recreational drugs? As well as the knowledge to find, harvest, preserve, and use them? It's just supposition on my part, but it would explain why you hear about them acting weird and having orgies with the devils. You hear stuff that's almost as bad about pot, let alone other types of illegal drugs. Witch burnings as a covert Mafia war between church-sanctioned and independent drug dealers. Why not? It might be fun...

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?

Oh, my family would believe me.  We've had an agreement for years that if one of us gets bitten by a zombie, the others will take them down as quickly and painlessly as possible.  We don't have bug-out bags and kits set up, but it's on our to-do lists.  I'm thinking about making them for Christmas presents at some point [she said, hoping her family isn't reading this].  At our old house, we were planning to go up to a certain reservoir stocked with fish; now that we're in the middle of moving, I'm not sure where we'd go.  I'll have to ask.

3.      Because of the time of your birth, (see the 1^st 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?

I'd like to tweak human nature just a leeeetle bit so that humanity can process the interconnection of more than five things at a time. See Robert J. Sawyer's Calculating God. In essence, humans may think we're smart, but we can't actually process the interconnections of more than five things at a time (which is 125 interconnections). The universe is far more complex than that, which leads to humanity failing to even understand how little it knows (and, I might add, how hypocritical we usually are). A planet with just a little less hypocrisy and a little more willingness to admit we're wrong? Super.

 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!

FAVORITE. I've always liked it (I was one of those kids who always wanted to play dress up), but the reason it's a favorite is because of my daughter, who was born in October. Halloween has become a second birthday in which we set up a mini-haunted-house in the garage and pass out treats to anyone brave enough to run in and make a snatch-and-grab. We've done Frankenstein, hillbilly zombies, pirates, and other things. It's a ton of fun. This year, because we're in the middle of moving, we're going to do a normal trick-or-treat pass. Siiiiigh. Next year.

      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 . . .

All he had to do was get inside, find the trap door to the cellar (it was supposed to be in one of the bedrooms, although that homeless slut he’d caught had claimed not to know which room it was in), and climb down an old wooden ladder.

The chest would be the only thing left in the cellar: the glass jars full of dead babies and demons' blood had already been taken out by the group of teenagers who had found the trap door last week, and Jerry had already found their hiding spot after he had caught Mary digging through his trash three days ago. He had been so elated that he had put a quick end to the girl and her other little homeless friends. There was fun and then there was what he'd been sent here to do, and now he was all out of time for fun.

He must have gone past that place a hundred times and not even suspected.

He whistled as he swung his keyring around the tip of his finger.

He did a little jig as he jumped onto the front stoop and selected the key with the grinning skull at the end. The key slid into the door lock and opened it smoothly. He danced inside and closed the door, closing the rotting curtains with a flourish.

He laughed when he saw the cross-stitched embroidery on the wall: BLESSINGS ON THIS HOUSE and a cabin with smoke coming out of the chimney, flower pots on the stoop, and an embroidery spiderweb stretched between chimney and roof. The cabin was a little old ladies' home, all armchairs and doilies and delicate end tables simply begging for a cup and saucer. Spiderwebs covered the furniture like drop cloths, torn in places where the teenagers had stopped to playact a tea party in the witches' chairs, pinkies sticking out as they spoke in clumsy accents.

He skipped into the back hallway, jiggling door handles as he went. Broken windows, leaves, sticks, and animal nests. Footprints on bare floors, rotting quilts on beds, the old gray tinsel of fat cobs long dead. The place was so old it had no indoor bathrooms. There'd be an outhouse somewhere in the back, so long unused that it would smell almost sweet. Maybe it would still have an almanac or catalog by the door.

The last room, then. He flung open the door. The bed had been tossed to the wall and the trap door flung open. A narrow old ladder peeked out from under the floorboards.

Jerry picked another key from the ring, this one marked with a candle held by a severed hand. He knelt at the edge of the trap door and turned the key in the darkness.

A faint green glow appeared in the cellar: all clear. Yet who knew better than he to trust witches! He ignored the ladder and jumped down, landing as cleverly and quietly as a cat hunting a mouse.

The shelves were bare of all but circles in the dust. The cellar ran the length of the house; if the dust spots on the shelves were any indication, the homeless shits had another cache of jars somewhere. When he was done tonight he’d have to go looking for them.

And use them all up, before they went bad. He grinned.

An old, iron-bound chest waited coquettishly for him at the other end of the cellar. Splashes of old mud covered the bottom of the chest; it was heavy, sinking down into the floor. Around it lay scraps of old carpet and straw mats, marked with small, muddy footprints.

He sang a little ditty about something something pretty, something something pity and didn’t even mind that he’d forgotten most of the words, and couldn’t remember whether the singer had used a fish knife or a surgeon’s scalpel on the women as he’d killed them.

The skeleton key flashed in his hand as he pushed it into the lock and turned it.

The top of the chest popped open like a jack in the box. Jerry hopped backward, and the small claws missed him.

He cooed, he tickled, he scooped it up with a tattered old piece of rag rug from the floor so it wouldn’t scratch him, he closed the lid.

And then he turned around just as the eerie green thieves' light went out.

He tucked the bundle under his arm and pulled out a third key, this one marked with the handle of a knife, and held it before him.

The trap door at the other end of the cellar slammed shut. The squirming, sacred bundle fell apart in his arms, scattering into fragments of old mud onto the floor.

Jerry cursed, an old curse that was supposed to be good against witches. He’d suddenly remembered something bad, very bad.

There hadn’t been any spiderwebs in the cellar.

Behind him, the chest lid creaked.

****

Thanks so much DeAnna, That was thrilling!

DeAnna says she would happily give away an ebook to one lucky commenter!  Your choice of A MURDER OF CROWS (short horror stories), ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN UNDERLAND (zombies), and TALES TOLD UNDER THE COVERS (middle-grade genre stories).  

Alice's Adventures in Underland: The Queen of Stilled Hearts

by DeAnna Knippling

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Alice Pleasance Liddell whose father ran Christ Church College at Oxford University. One of Dean Liddell’s friends was a man named Charles Dodgson, a lecturer in mathematics and amateur photographer who would eventually become known as Lewis Carroll.

Once upon a time, an outbreak of a virulent disease known as zombieism spread across Great Britain. What made it so deadly was that it had two phases—the earlier phase infected the victim’s bloodstream, making them infectious but not necessarily mad; the latter phase occurred upon death, when the victim was prevented from joining the souls in the afterlife and condemned to remain upon the Earth—which had the understandable effect of enraging them to the point of infecting every human in sight.

At first, the undead were considered to be lost to both Heaven and Earth, and regularly burnt to cinders in large pits throughout the countryside; then, the Italian Filippo Pacini developed a serum that, if ingested early enough and regularly thereafter, allowed the undead to fight off the worst effects of the infection. The Infected and the undead were treated with serum on a regular basis, and society returned to normal—except for a few curious customs regarding the undead, including the requirement to be shackled at all times, for the safety of the living.

A curious fact of the times was that zombies, being dead, were seen to have few legal rights. They were unable to enter into legal contracts or own property—even themselves. A zombie without a de facto owner was a dead zombie—collected by the Government and humanely destroyed.

Protected zombies were often employed as servants. They were certainly not slaves.

Once upon a time, Mrs. Liddell wanted a picture taken of her three daughters by the most fashionable photographer in Oxford…even if he was a zombie.

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DeAnna Knippling lives in Colorado with her family and probably spends too much time thinking about ways to hypothetically scare her friends with horror stories. 

 Everyone, no matter how jaded, has something that gets under their skin, is her theory.  Her latest book is Alice's Adventures in Underland: The Queen of Stilled Hearts, a zombie tale about the real Alice from Alice in Wonderland.  You can find out more about her at www.WonderlandPress.com.

Connect with DeAnna here:
dknippling@gmail.com
@dknippling

Goodreads
www.WonderlandPress.com
www.facebook.com/deanna.knippling

Her new collection of short horror stories, A MURDER OF CROWS, is out now! You can get a copy here. 

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WEP - Halloween Flash Fiction Challenge

Youthful Frights vs. Adult Fears

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