Book picks similar to
Shadow on the Stairs: Urban Mysteries and Horror Stories (Haunted Library) by Blair Daniels
horror
ebook
short-stories
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Brutal Bedtime Stories
Tobias Wade - 2017
and Kyle encountering that bionic cult that's a long way short of being human. Spine-tingling terror from horror writers around the world. Dozens of diverse short stories containing gruesome murders, supernatural mysteries, grotesque hellscapes, and deranged psychopaths to keep you up at night. Surprise twists ensure you keep guessing until the last page. Special Edition with Full page original illustrations!
Excerpt:
Every sense, every muscle, every feral instinct begged for me to close my eyes against the nauseating tumult of color. To let go of the insurmountable force I was thrall to; to find acceptance in defeat, and peace in death. But louder than the diminishing throb of my heart were the words:
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And so I did. I swam through the sea of melting colors, fixating on the black blemish which refused to relinquish my throat. I fought back, tooth and nail sinking into yielding flesh, kicking and screaming as stale air tore through my howling lungs. I lunged after that, digging my fingers into the thing that attacked me until warm wet rivers bubbled over my hands up to the wrist. I wouldn’t stop, couldn’t stop, pouring all my love for the light and rage against its defiler with one unified assault.
Not until it lay still did I allow myself to fall gasping onto my back. One reluctant star at a time unraveled from the tapestry of madness to find its rightful place in the heavens. My body ached to the core, and were it not for the last utterances of my internal voice still coaxing me back to life, I would have been confident that I had died that night.
The Living and the Dead
Todd Travis - 2013
author TODD TRAVIS (Creatures of Appetite) has gathered a haunting collection of suspense stories exploring the monsters, both living and dead, roaming our world.- A brilliant biophysicist on the verge of proving there is no life after death discovers, to his horror, that the dead are determined to stop him ...- An abused small town boy finds a special friend in the woods next to his trailer, but his friend isn't like other children and cannot leave the woods, not ever ...- A group of determined graduate students seek Bigfoot on a remote Alaskan range seek but discover a monster far more deadly than they ever imagined ...- An elderly store manager, disturbed by a stranger eyeing the armored truck deliveries to his store, decides to take matters into his own hands ...- A beautiful young woman walks the streets of Manhattan at night seeking men, but for her own dark purposes, because for her, night is for hunting ...- A mysterious little girl somehow "invites" herself along on an abduction, leading her captors to wonder who really is in charge ...Five stories of suspense and terror and a short novel exploring the darkness everyone eventually faces when it's their time to die, THE LIVING AND THE DEAD is a collection one may want to read with all the lights in the house on ...Foreword by James Schannep (INFECTED - Click Your Poison).THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Ékleipsis
Tamel Wino - 2020
NABE Pinnacle Award Winner for Horror.
Winner of Literary Titan Gold Award.
Reader Views Bronze Award for Short Stories
The sun has finally set on humanity…
What happens when we give in to the darkness?
Ékleipsis is a short story collection that explores the havoc wreaked when ordinary people abandon their humanity to pursue their darkest desires, and questions just how far people will go to follow their baser instincts.Each story takes a version of a person we've known in our own lives and transforms them into something completely unnerving—yet all too familiar.These dark, complex characters and twisted tales of the once ordinary will change your perception of humanity forever.
Blood Rites: An Invitation to Horror
Brian LumleyEd Kurtz - 2013
One exclusive anthology. Blood Bound Books celebrates its third year of publishing with Blood Rites, a gathering of dark talents that have shared our dreams-and shaped our nightmares. We individually summoned each author to contribute his or her voice to this choir of the damned. Now, we invite you to join the ritual... Authors include: Brian Lumley, Joe McKinney, Nathan Crowder, Lisa Morton, Daniel O'Connor, Jeff Strand, John McNee, K. Trap Jones, Maria Alexander, Ed Kurtz, Desmond Warzel, Mark C. Scioneaux, Brad C. Hodson, Gregory L. Norris, Monique Bos, Aric Sundquist, Christopher Hawkins, Chad McKee, Adrian Ludens, Bryan Oftedahl, Angela Bodine, Matt Moore, Douglas J. Lane
The House on Fisher Street
Amy Cross - 2021
Protected by a state-of-the-art security system, this particular house is clearly owned by someone who has a lot of money. Somebody definitely lives there, yet he never leaves the property. He lives all alone, adhering to a strict routine, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world.Paula has already told her boyfriend Ryan that they're leaving town, and that they have to put their criminal activities in the past. When they're offered the chance to help break into the house on Fisher Street, however, they find themselves tempted by the prospect of one final payday. If the rumors about the house are true, they could make enough money to start their new lives with a bang. And the plan is so good, so airtight, that nobody has to get hurt.By the time they realize their mistake, Paula, Ryan and Davey are in a trap from which no-one has ever escaped before.Edward Van Dorsey is far from defenseless. Obsessed with his family's military history, Edward needs fresh victims for his hideous games. All he wants is to show the world that the Van Dorsey family can rise again and reclaim its position as one of the most powerful forces in the world. And while he waits for an opportunity to really show his strength, he's more than happy to hone his skills by taking out three helpless intruders.The House on Fisher Street is a horror novel about a girl who wants a fresh start, a man who wants to bring back the glory days, and a house that hides all manner of dark secrets.
The Haunting of Gawthorpe House
Jack Lewis - 2017
That they saw things. Heard noises. That it kept secrets. After being blamed for a horrific accident, Scarlett Gawthorpe is forced to leave her family home. Sixteen, scared, and pregnant, she leaves with her soon-to-be husband, Trev. Not long after, they have a daughter. They spend the next decade barely getting by, without a hint of contact from her parents. Then, after years of being cut off, Scarlett is shocked to learn that when her dad dies, he leaves her two things. One is the house. Another is a letter, with just six cryptic words. With nowhere else to go, Scarlett and her family journey back to Gawthorpe House. Something waits for them there. Not just the house - a presence. Something that lurks just out of view, but always where it can see them. Not only is Scarlett going to have to face her past, but she will have to battle an opponent both terrifying and powerful. She’s about to find out what lives in the shadows of the old estate. The house has a terrifying secret, and it could tear her family apart. The Haunting of Gawthorpe House is a paranormal horror novel set in the north of England, about a woman forced to face the chilling ghosts of her past in order to save her family.
You saw something you shouldn't have
Brandon Faircloth - 2018
To be entertained. Then you find yourself in a school where a group of friends have brought something terrible to life. You meet a family whose extraordinary luck comes at a horrific price. You write a letter to yourself and get a reply that leads to death and madness. As you journey through these shrouded lands, you look back and can't make out where you started. Because once you're traveling through the darkness, the only way out is through. Read the collection of novellas and short stories that is being called "genius", "amazing", and "scary AF". But be prepared. You won't be the same when you come out the other side.
Travel by Night
Sophie Morton-Thomas - 2020
Caught in a dangerous trap. A life-changing discovery. When Yalina wakes in hospital following surgery, she doesn’t recognise her own parents. Following her release, she makes the decision to meet her estranged brother, Ali, in Sheffield, but the man who picks her up is not her brother. He takes Yalina to a house where girls are held against their will and forced into sex slavery. Too late, she realises she has fallen into a trap.Over time, Yalina discovers a love of playing the old piano that lives in the house. It keeps her sane. As friendships blossom between the women, Yalina finds herself taking a young girl, Rebecca, under her wing, which makes it harder for her to try to escape.Using a stolen laptop, Yalina searches for her brother online, but soon discovers that all is not as it seems. As the women are threatened with violence, Yalina reluctantly accepts help from a stranger she met in the house. But he carries a secret that could impact on her whole life. But will it be enough for Yalina to escape her captors? And how will she cope with the unexpected revelation?
Sanctuary 12
T.W. Malpass - 2013
Each must piece together the origins of their other-worldly abilities and the location of the white manor, where they will be reunited, and the questions that have plagued their existence will finally be answered. But someone else marks their every step. The sinister Mr Cradleworth has other plans for them, plans that could bring about catastrophic consequences, not just for earth, but the whole universe.This epic tale covers half the globe, as it follows each character into the darkest recesses of their soul. Combining eighties-style horror with science fiction, this dark fantasy will take you on a journey you will never forget.
Mask of Silence
Alex Gates - 2019
Until it came calling from the grave…Savannah has witnessed enough in her life. With a drug addict for a mother, she protects her younger brother and tries desperately to maintain a social life. But after a Halloween prank turns deadly, she's unsure she can conceal her friends' dark secret. And not even her close-knit group of friends can hold a stalking, demonic creature at bay forever…Through years of suffering the fury of his father, Evan learned to keep his head down and his mouth shut. Counting on his band of misfits for moral support, the sins of their holiday mistake have come back to hunt them. And he's about to learn the hard way that they'll only pay for their secrets in screams. Can Savannah and Evan battle a demon of their own creation or will their silence end with their slaughter?Mask of Silence is the first book in a chilling two-part supernatural horror series. If you like damaged characters, psychological thrills, and gory action, then you’ll love Alex C. Gates’ edge-of-your-seat slasher.Buy Mask of Silence to unleash a demonic terror today!
Midnight Screams
Sara Clancy - 2017
When he wakes up, he knows it’s only a matter of time before his dreams become reality. No matter how hard he tries to stop the murders, it always ends the same way – with death.After ten years of constantly relocating, his parents have decided to settle in Fort Wayward. A quiet Albertan town where Benton could focus on graduating high school and living an idyllic teenage life. That is, until he finds a dead body in his backyard. Benton’s hopes for normalcy come crashing down as something new begins stalking his dreams. Something that’s not human. And, for the first time, he’s not the only one watching. As his dreams and reality collide, Benton finds himself facing a monster beyond his understanding. In his fight for survival, Benton soon discovers why death follows him, why monsters draw close, and why he always wakes up screaming.
Nightmare Abbey
David Longhorn - 2018
Its infamous history is marred with blood and terror. Only the foolish would dare enter such a place, where devilish hauntings have left a string of dead bodies in its wake.Just as the building is about to be permanently closed, things take an unexpected turn. An American television crew shows up, hoping to investigate the source of the structure’s paranormal activity. Led by producer Matt McKay and paranormal expert Ted Gould, the hapless bunch enter the confines of the hellish residence only to discover that they are in way over their heads.As the group tries to make sense of the strange occurrences, they soon realize that the cellar might be the key to unlocking the mystery. Inside lies a stone altar that emanates with the evil strength of the Devil himself, feeding upon the crew members’ worst nightmares. With the ominous cloud hanging over them, they realize that there’s much more at stake than a disruption in filming. The only hope for survival rests on Ted, Matt and his crew’s ability to find their way out of the darkness, before the house devours them, capturing all the gory details on camera…
The Monsters We Forgot: Volume 1
R.C. BowmanLeah Velez - 2019
Within these pages, you’ll find a treasure trove of myths, legends, folktales, urban legends, historical accounts, and stories about horrors, both ancient and modern, that have been hidden, ignored, or forgotten entirely. “The Monsters We Forgot” is a massive anthology of horror stories by an international team of authors ranging from award-winners and bestsellers to visionary newcomers. These stories draw inspiration from the folklore traditions of countries including Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Ireland, Wales, England, Norway, Nigeria, Greece, Poland, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Canada, and the United States, the tales in this three-volume collection range from original folktales and chilling myths to information-age monsters and modern urban legends, and everything in between. Turn on the lights, check the locks, and settle in. You’re about to remember The Monsters We Forgot.
Follow Me Down
Gordon Mackinney - 2017
Six years earlier, Drax Enterprises’ negligence killed his father and left his mother strung out on Valium. Lucas longs to punish the corrupt behemoth of Cincinnati real estate development, but what can one man do? "Plenty," says old Mr. Blumenfeld, Lucas's boss and a former photojournalist with too many secrets. Evidence to bury Drax exists, he claims, but to find it, Lucas must breach the city's welded-shut subway system. Lucas takes the plunge, aided by his best friend and moral compass, Reuben Klein. The deeper the duo infiltrates the dangerous underground, the further back they turn the clock. They learn that Drax's corruption intertwined with fascism's rise in Germany. That campfire tales of a subway crypt were true. That no one can be trusted, not even Lucas's boss.
Witchopper
Dan Soule - 2020
But when Rob's journalist father dragged him along to investigate the legend of the Witchopper for the local paper, her curse became their reality.She was priestess to the pagan god of the wild wood, hanged by a rabid mob for her unspeakable crimes. Now, something far worse than the hell of high school is after Rob and his dad...In the vein of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, Witchopper is an epic ordeal of a father and son relationship, where past sins echo in the present. Dan Soule delivers another of his terrifying Fright Nights, with a tale of love, lies and truth that will leave you sleeping with the light on.