As My Tears Run Red

The boulevard at last, we have finally made it through the city; our salvation lies ahead. I think we are safe for the moment. At least, we are as safe as we can be in this plagued nightmare. We should stop and rest; there are no signs of those beasts anywhere and we will need all of our energy to make it out of the city. If my calculations are correct, we have about two miles until we hit the bridge and nine miles to our sanctuary. We do not have long though. Our pheromones make us tempting entrées out here in the open. I still cannot believe how the immunization has mutated; it never should have caused this type of reaction. I swear we are living in some type of butterfly effect. Damn, I wish I had brought a gun. Yes, these vile beasts can be can be killed at close range with a targeted blow to the head, but I would still prefer to distance myself from them. Are you about ready to move again?             Great,...

The hands on the clock seemed to be frozen, as Katy continued to internally debate this decision. It had been two months since her ordeal began. 61 days trapped inside this bland hotel room waiting for the judge to call, waiting to face her demon. The thought of Charlie staring at her, no, looking through her was enough to send her into a panic. But, she knew that Charlie, and most of all, his family, must be stopped. It had been nearly three-years since she turned her back on the family and escaped the mental and physical torture on the ranch. "How much longer do I have to wait?" Katy asked John, her court assigned protector. "I couldn’t tell you Katy, they are still laying out the timeline of the murders," John said, "So, this could take a while." "Damn, I need this to end. I don’t know what's worse, the thought facing Charlie again, or spending another month secluded away in this room," she said taking a sip of her lemonade. For Katy, ...

One of my students is fascinated by the Slender Man. As we are having a quiet day in lab, I decided to take this time on Friday the 13 th to add something to this micro-fiction phenomenon, and in the process allow Mike to finally meet this tortured soul. As Michael turned the corner, he knew something was not right. The cool June wind cut through his soul, the heavy atmosphere made every breath a challenge. He could feel this unnatural darkness drown his reality.  Something or someone was near; standing tall as a shadow stalking his every step. All of a sudden, winding his way down the overgrown path toward his house felt like a huge mistake. “Brittany, is that you?” he said as he crept toward the lights that sat off in the distance. “I know it is Friday the 13 th , but come on… This is not funny!” There, in the moonlight, a faint outline rose through the mist. The sounds of silence echoed in his mind as he realized that what stood before him was not Brittany. In ...

As I sit here at the First Annual Pennsylvania Literary Festival, I decided it was time to write something as I wait for interested readers to swing by my table. Here is a tale I wrote inspired by the mysterious Baltic UFO anomaly...  For the crew, it was hard to fathom that the entire nine-day underway period searching for shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea has bore no fruit. With an estimated 20,000 shipwrecks, the odds of that happening were astronomical, almost impossible! Yet, here they sat on a miserable January afternoon with nothing at hand. Not only were their frustrations mounting and their bodies aching, there legs were weary from the swollen seas spawned by the blustery Northeast winds. Little did the crew know that their lives were about to change forever? With one sweep of their fish, the entire navigation suite of Sea Crawler One became a mixture of emotion. At last, the moment they were waiting for throughout their harsh expedition was possibly at hand....

“ The skulls, not the skull, th-th-they are eating him!”              “ What George, no way!”  John said, “ They must be mutating… We must find a lab!”              “I do not know about you, but any type of shelter would be perfect right now, ” Richard said.              “ Oh God, they are sharing him; engulfing him ,” George sobbed. “ Those maggot lovers are drinking his blood!”             The revolting sea was indeed devouring him; his screams for assistance drowned by the disturbing sound of his meat being torn apart. They tore him limb from limb until his divine grey was unveiled for the mass. They were fighting each other off for a chance at one piece of his delicious meat. His last chance of survival snuffed out by a single bad decision. What was the world coming to?      ...

This is a micro (non) fiction piece I did for my latest class, about a rock throwing experience with my friend Sasquatch. Stay Away  The southwestern Pennsylvania air was heavy as the oppressive May drought continued to plague the area. Eric and I ventured out in search of the legendary creature that some say inhabits Chestnut Ridge. Crack! A loud crash echoed through the forest; something was there stalking us. The aroma of death drew us into the dark cave. The musk saturates the den. Random bones litter the darkness. The uneasy feelings grew louder as we ventured deep inside. Deer, rabbit, and mountain lion remains are everywhere; some creature definitely calls this dreary abyss home. Is it just a bear, or is it what we came for: Sasquatch? I thought. Snap! A branch crashed outside the entrance; the creature was close. We ran toward the dense thicket of pine hoping to see the beast, to force the animal into the clearing. There, we will finally have proof Bigfoot was r...

Another one of my projects from my class... This one was a bit of a challenge as well, as it had to fit into a small area on a postcard. Magdalene, You will never believe what happened to me last night. Even now, my comprehension wavers. At first, my evening began as expected. I was cautiously transiting the hollow near the abandoned priory. The dreariness was oppressing, and yes before you ask, the mysterious history of the area populated my mind. I did not imagine this! I am not crazy! Believe me, when I tell you, I saw the dark shrouded figure along the side of the road, clambering on recess of the berm. The sheets of rain and hail pierced my Falcon; I could only imagine how the howling winds were battering him. I had to stop; lend assistance. As I crept toward the solemnly cloaked figure, the repressing atmosphere grew heavy; the temperature plummeted. There was no face! There was only lifeless shell of a man. I looked into the abyss and saw Hell.  I looked into the...

This was a project from my latest class. I had to write a story using only nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives with sentences three words or less. Let me know what you think...  Dark fissure. Menacing abyss.  Beasts lament.  Hungry. Starving. Stalking. Malachi shrieked! Spinal column shuttered. Colossal fiend approaches. Trepidation overwhelms. Emotion feeds terror. Death waits. Creature opens mouth. Malachi frozen. Cement boots grasp. Heart palpitations grow. Tears fall. Life flashes. Beauty appears.  Bright gateway.  Clouds. Lightning. Thunder. Malachi stands tall. Fiend closes. Gateway nears. Ominous teeth salivate. Razors protrude. Mouth widens. Delectable banquet.  Human flesh shimmers. Brute thrusts. Malachi wavers. Darkness overtakes brightness. Scarlet befalls amber.  Amber befalls white. Agony engulfs reality.  Malachi bawls. Acid boils dermis. Bones crunch. Gateway lost. Entry denied. Hope disappears. Gasps gro...

I remember leaving your house at dusk that fall night, with the eerie mist that surrounded us and the brisk winds that were howling through Appalachia etched into my mind. Our sins were weighing on my soul, these forbidden desires we harbor in this illicit secret union. I could still taste you on my lips, your soft pale flesh, so sweet, so luscious. My mind entranced by the I remember leaving your house at dusk that fall night, with the eerie mist that surrounded us and the brisk winds that were howling through Appalachia etched into my mind. Our sins were weighing on my soul, these forbidden desires we harbor in this illicit secret union. I could still taste you on my lips, your soft pale flesh, so sweet, so luscious. My mind entranced by the thoughts of your beauty, but my heart torn on the reality of the situation. I started up the summit with the Beautiful South streaming out of my Ipod; the soundtrack of my life filling my mind with remorse and regret. Our unholy bond in th...

I entered the desolate cemetery searching for answers to the legends that have captivated generations. Your lone tombstone stands before me, Elisabeth, what is the secret you harbor alone in the heart of this sanctuary. Are you the one? The maiden we search for, the illustrious Green Lady. The legends vary, drowned in a swamp, taken by a scorned lover, Satan's seductress? I am here, alone, come to me. For years, I have read of your presence, dreaming of the day when we could be near. So many unknowing bystanders have seen you walking, hitchhiking on the lone dirt road that borders this empty graveyard. You were there, traveling the downward spiral into the depths of stone, they were afraid of your importance, your beauty. Suddenly, a beautiful light shines clear. Is that you, have you come to me? Unveil your vortex and open my blindness. Let me share your story with the masses. Strange, on the ground symbols are burnt into the earth surrounding you. Did they succeed in summonin...

While I have a great memory on most things, one thing that I suck at is remembering what and where I submit some of my writing and other dark musings. Now, I plan to make a change and actually track stuff. So, for February I made submissions to: The Horror Press The World of Myth The Smoking Poet Twisted Dreams Worlds Within - Worlds Beyond Hopefully, some of the submissions will payoff and I will get some more of my work out there.

I remember leaving your house at dusk that fall night with the eerie mist and the brisk winds howling through Appalachia etched into my mind. Our sins were weighing on my soul. These forbidden desires we harbor in this illicit union. I could still taste you on my lips, your soft pale flesh, so sweet, so luscious. My mind entranced by the thoughts of your beauty, but my heart torn on the reality of the situation. Our end was near. I started up the summit with the Beautiful South streaming out of my Ipod; their music, creating the perfect soundtrack for my life, filling my mind with remorse and regret. Our unholy bond in the forefront, the thoughts of truth silenced. Our last ritual together changed everything. As soon as the blood flowed into the chalice, I knew we could rule the world. From the first slit of the wrist, to the depths of your inner thighs, we could indeed be one. Apart we are but pawns, but now, after what seems like all perpetuity, we exist together. I must break m...