With 12 terrifically spine chilling short stories, this anthology contains contributions from some of the best young horror writing talent out there, and was curated by the editors of the PlayWithDeath.com, the premier destination for online horror entertainment. If you're searching for stories that will frighten you to your very core, look no further. List of Short Story Authors Tom Wortman M. B. Vujačić Manen Lyset Jenny Ashford Kyle Yadlosky G. T. Montgomery Ari Drew Patrick Winters Trevor James Zaple John Teel Dexter Findley Kyle Rader

    Bey had spent his entire life running through the woods and never once saw anything to convince him there were creatures worth fearing. When his littler sister, Chensei, whines about the trip home at night, Bey only mocks her. Until she disappears beyond the treeline. I, PONTIANAK Everyone hates and fears monsters, except for when you’re the monster. I never asked for it, and honestly I can’t say I’ve really enjoyed it. But I am what I am, and I can’t change it. Hell, I can’t even control it. My name used to be Anastasia, and I am a Pontianak.

     Featuring stories by Richard Chizmar, Mark Lukens, Michael A. Arnzen, Eric J. Guignard, Veronica Smith, Lee McGeorge, James Matthew Byers & Kevin J. Kennedy

    Do not purchase this book if you are easily offended or require trigger warnings!Meet Brad.A quiet, hardworking man who goes about his daily routine with joy. He works as a telemarketer, trying his best to sell poorly made, over-priced products to the unsuspecting people on the other end of the phone. Brad doesn't mind though, it's a means to an end.Life's about to change for Brad. Now that Father has anointed him the Chosen one, the one to open the gates and allow them to flock into the Black Heavens.Eternity awaits.But is Brad ready to perform on the big day?

    So much that she's prepared to kill for them. A succession of rich husbands has ensured she's never wanted for anything, but there are some itches that just can't be scratched.When she comes to realise that her current husband has reached the end of his usefulness there's only one thing for it…But plotting your husband's murder isn't quite as straightforward as you think...

    He gathers his wits and calls emergency services. Despite a torrential thunderstorm, Sheriff's deputies, the Fire Department, and an ambulance all respond quickly. But there's little they can do. The victims are not only dead, they are long dead. The snoop invites the emergency workers into his garage, out of the rain, to await the arrival of the coroner and the funeral home staff, who will take his neighbors away. The lightning flashes... The thunder rolls... And the setting inspires the police, firefighters, and paramedics to pass the time by telling stories, both thrilling and chilling - and you are invited to join them. In Seven For The Slab, Rondo award nominee Doug Lamoreux spins seven eerie tales of terror and mystery into one bewitching brew.

    

    But now she’s not so sure. She’s been getting cryptic threatening messages ever since her teenage daughter, Ballad, did a school report about her journalist grandfather. It turns out someone has a dark secret and doesn’t like Ballad digging into the past. But Nova has a dark secret of her own. One that she can’t let anyone - especially not Ballad - find out about.Too bad she’s not the only one who wants the past forgotten. And the other person will stop at nothing to silence the most precious thing in Nova’s world - her daughter Ballad.Nova did what she had to do to protect her daughter once, will she be able do it again?Welcome to Liar’s Island… a stand-alone series of interconnected domestic thrillers set in the picture-perfect community of Liars Island. Here, nothing is quite as it seems.On this island, families and friendships are more than meets the eye … secrets, deceptions, and jealousies threaten to ruin everything these influential people have built. But it isn’t only the rich that live here … and power comes in all shapes and sizes.Everyone here is a liar … just how far would you go to get what you want?

    But it’s not only the letters that Jenny has in her sights… Strategy is the follow up to the international best-seller 34 Days, it can be read as a sequel or an unmissable stand-alone.Anita Waller is the best-selling author of Beautiful, Angel, 34 Days & Winterscroft

    All is well in Windbrook, just like usual, just like always. Nothing changes here, nothing is different. Except... except today something is different. An old man with piercing gray eyes will arrive in town this morning. This man isn't human. Not even close. And he isn't coming alone. Death travels with him. Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December, and Brian James Freeman, acclaimed author of The Painted Darkness, have combined forces to create an old-fashioned tale of horror, full of good and evil, with a breathtaking ending that will leave you wondering when this peculiar old man might be coming for you.

    Unable to conceive, she's overjoyed when she and her husband bond with the five-year-old girl they adopt. But Claire's hopes for a perfect family shatter when her daughter stands before her covered in blood and prophesying death...As the child exhibits more strange supernatural abilities, the frightened Kellers find themselves caught up in a dark plot. Hunted by a shadowy organization hellbent on claiming the girl, the family is forced on the run. But if they can't find shelter from the man obsessed with their daughter's power, their adoption may end up lethally terminated.Can Claire escape a terrifying conspiracy and restore the happy family she's always dreamed of?The Adoption is a standalone science fiction thriller. If you like pulse-pounding action, futuristic tech, and unexpected twists and turns, then you'll love Greg Meritt's suspenseful tale.Buy The Adoption to watch a family battle the unknown today!

    I know lots about you...From the moment I saw you in the park I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Thoughts of you fill my days and haunt my nights...With all my heart,Your Secret Admirer"Janice's best friend things the guy who's writing these letters is looney--and may be dangerous! After all, what kind of person goes around sending anonymous letters? But Janice is secretly thrilled about the mystery person who is in love with her. Maybe now, Mike, the guy she really likes, will hear about her secret admirer and begin to take notice!

    To get away and relax with friends, forget everything happened, get her life back on track.A stop to seek shelter from a passing storm changes everything. With the weather too intense to continue travel, they pull their Jeep up to the only home around in hopes that the farmhouse's owner would let them rest awhile until the tornado warning passes and the winds and rain have settled. But when the owner of the property answers the door with a shotgun aimed to fire and orders them inside, Samantha can only watch, unseen, as her friends are taken inside to meet an unknown fate.As the only hope for her friends getting out alive, Samantha must figure out what to do, and do it soon. The storm is only getting worse.CALM BEFORE THE STORM is a suspense thriller, a fast-paced journey of horror for a dark and stormy night.

    They can hear their deceased daughter through a baby monitor. But is it really their daughter they are listening to? And if so, who are the other voices coming through on the monitor? As this couple is about to discover, not all second chances are meant to be taken. A psychological horror short story in the vein of Blake Crouch or Stephen King, StillBorn will leave you wondering what is real and what is not. Grief, despair, and tragedy are brought together into a short tale poetically horrific.