dark fiction
Market of the Macabre
By Jim on July 25, 2010
He drifted through the cacophony with certain inevitability. Barkers called out their wares along the way. “Seed of life, extracted via rectal cavity!” “Fetal tissue from forced abortion!” “Skullcap of a suicided dwarf!” “Broken heart! Freshly broken!” On and on the calls went, featuring items of the grisly and the grotesque. His attention, then, was [...]
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Cursed
By Jim on July 25, 2010
The Callous Demon peered down at Leohand from its perch atop the door. Leohand glared at the leathery creature. “Ah, I see you’ve met Domedra,” Tarvin said, coming back into the room. “She’s harmless enough, but few of my customers care for her presence. Cuts down on theft.” He chuckled. “I’ve come for an item [...]
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Creeping Up the Back Stairs
By Jim on March 10, 2010
The party upstairs was in full swing, the bump-bump-bump of the music audible even from outside. In the darkness on the back stairs, a shadow moved. The form had almost no shape; it moved like liquid. It climbed each step with meticulous care, coalescing itself before pushing its turgid form upward to grab the lip [...]
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Listen to Ava
By Jim on March 5, 2010
Beth stood on the knoll and gazed at the broken city some seven miles distant. The voice on the city’s public broadcast system was audible, even from here, but distance diluted it such that it merely caused Beth a mild headache. Had she been within the city proper, that voice would have been enough to [...]
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Conventus
By Jim on March 3, 2010
She swirled her finger in the glass, then lifted it to his mouth. “Just a taste, my lover,” she crooned. He parted his lips, tongue sampling the drop as it fell from her fingertip. “Oh, my god,” he breathed. “Amazing.” He closed his eyes, fell back on the pillows, she on top of him. They [...]
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Blessed
By Jim on March 2, 2010
“They battled high upon the wall walk, pushing and pulling, slashing with their blades, and slinging spells, neither gaining a foothold over the other.” Read the rest at Blessed on Ficly – A better, shorter story.
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Heritage – Repaid
By Jim on March 2, 2010
The gate preventing anyone but maintenance workers from reaching the bowels of the sewer system was frozen solid, having rusted in place long ago. Pudge pushed his way through, anyhow, the space being just wide enough to admit entry to his overweight frame. His unfortunate nickname was a testament to the difficulty of living with [...]
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The Midnight Road
By Jim on March 2, 2010
Drive faster! Rain lashed, wipers slashed, Cort plowed through the pouring rain, the demons of his past – both real and imagined – pursued him close behind. Wind whistled, debris whirled into the road ahead of him, utility poles fell behind him. That’s how he knew they were still chasing him. Stomach tied in knots, [...]
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Eye of Newt
By Jim on March 2, 2010
The black cauldron sat in the middle of the room and hissed menacingly as the green sludge within burbled and glurped. The stench emanating from the vile brew was overwhelming, nauseating in its potency, but the witch standing over it seemed not to notice. “Leg of lizard. Tail of salamander. African bat guano.” The bubbling [...]
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Eternal Sleeper
By Jim on March 2, 2010
The Lonely Moon gazes down on me, The pale, immortal Son of Night. It wakens the Eternal Sleeper, Who calls to me, and I answer. She walked, barefoot, across a carpet of moss. Her song – soft, haunting – danced on a breath of air, spun through the wood. Only the trees observed her progress, [...]
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