Ok, so someone asked me to link them to these horror stories I wrote, so I'm posting them here, enjoy! And in the interest of making this a discussion, what are your favourite short horror stories, and what did you think of these ones?
"All it is is an idea, but a lethal one, all it needs is to be in your head, for you to know about it... and you can't escape"
This was a sentence in my friend's diary that most caught my attention. He died the other day; he had no family so I inherited his possessions and had been flipping through it, trying to shed some light on what happened. It was a bite to the back of the neck, along with some other scratches and scrapes, the teeth mark apparently was almost like a dog's but the wound was much too wide. Here are the entries from when it all started, a couple of weeks ago,
February 2nd
I can't believe I'm letting that stupid story get to me, it wasn't even scary! But now I'm jumping at the slightest thing and always seem to be alert, my imagination's getting the best of me too, more than once today I thought I saw something out the corner of my eye, at the risk of sounding cliche, I think I must be over-doing it...
February 3rd
I'm going mad, I must be! All day today I was hearing noises and seeing things, flickers at the end of the corridors, creaks on the floorboards. Anyway, I've made an appointment with the doctors and taken a day off work, I'm not about to let a kiddie's horror story make me lose my senses.
February 4th
I'm not going to the doctor's, they'll agree with me, tell me I'm mad, I'll get locked up, because it's not a story, it can't be, three days and I can't forget about it, and I'm terrified ALL THE TIME! And there's more... I've started to see it, the thing from that story, a couple of times I'll turn a corner and there it'll be, huge and dark, like a human with a mad look on his face, but taller and covered in black hair, then I'll blink or rub my eyes and it'll be gone, I'm not imagining it, it's toying with me, oh god I'm so scared...
(It goes quiet for a few days now)
February 10th
Oh god, it's going to kill me I know it will! I can see it all the time now! It's always there staring at me like it's deciding how it will do it! I haven't left the house in days, every time I go to the door it just stands there between me and the door, with that mad grin on it's face, and the same if I go near a window or the phone, it won't let me escape or tell anyone about it, I don't know why it lets me write in my diary, but it just stands there staring and nodding while I do, come to think of it, I don't even know why I'm writing in my diary now, it seems so pointless when it'll kill me soon anyway, oh please, someone help me please!
(Incidentally, I have now figured out the source of my friend's desire to document his affliction, but more on that later)
February 11th
It's started getting aggressive now, standing very close and occasionally taking a swipe with black, clawed hands, like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills it. The worst thing is that face. Ever since this started it's had that horrible face... A huge, mad grin and wide, unblinking eyes, like it's wearing some terrible Halloween mask, god I wish it would just kill me, I can't stand any more of this...
(Again there are a few days of silence)
February 15th
This is it. For the first time, its face has changed, it's opened its mouth revealing rows of long, sharp teeth, now it just sits there, like it's waiting for me to finish writing. But I've figure it out now (and I hope it lets me write this), because all it is is an idea, but a lethal one, all it needs is to be in your head, for you to know about it... and you can't escape. Looking back, I can remember the fear on my friend's face when he told me that horror story, it had been tormenting him and now he's probably dead, but god he is such a t*** for telling me! Because this is what it is, a story, you hear about it and then you can't get rid of it, and then, before it kills you, you tell someone else and it moves on to a new victim. Well, that's it, that's all I can think to write, the creature's walking towards me now, still showing those terrible teeth... Goodbye, I guess.
This page is splattered with blood, I guess the creature really did kill him once he finished writing. Now back to what I've figured out. What my friend didn't realise was that the creature, apart from scaring the living crap out of you, gets inside your head, subtly influences your decisions. In the case of his friend, making him recount the story onto him, the next victim, and in his own case, making him document the events in his diary, despite the futility of it. This way, the creature is never forgotten and it always has a new victim before the previous one is killed.
Now you might be wondering why I speak of this creature not as if it's just a story, but as if it's fact, well, as you should have figured out by now, the next victim was me, in fact it's here as I type this, standing behind me with it's hand on my shoulder and it's teeth bared just like in the last entry of the diary, and because it's making me publish this for someone else to read, I know what's about to happen. Soon it'll kill me and move into its next victim.
Oh god, I'm so sorry, but I had no choice... it'll be with you soon.
This was a sentence in my friend's diary that most caught my attention. He died the other day; he had no family so I inherited his possessions and had been flipping through it, trying to shed some light on what happened. It was a bite to the back of the neck, along with some other scratches and scrapes, the teeth mark apparently was almost like a dog's but the wound was much too wide. Here are the entries from when it all started, a couple of weeks ago,
February 2nd
I can't believe I'm letting that stupid story get to me, it wasn't even scary! But now I'm jumping at the slightest thing and always seem to be alert, my imagination's getting the best of me too, more than once today I thought I saw something out the corner of my eye, at the risk of sounding cliche, I think I must be over-doing it...
February 3rd
I'm going mad, I must be! All day today I was hearing noises and seeing things, flickers at the end of the corridors, creaks on the floorboards. Anyway, I've made an appointment with the doctors and taken a day off work, I'm not about to let a kiddie's horror story make me lose my senses.
February 4th
I'm not going to the doctor's, they'll agree with me, tell me I'm mad, I'll get locked up, because it's not a story, it can't be, three days and I can't forget about it, and I'm terrified ALL THE TIME! And there's more... I've started to see it, the thing from that story, a couple of times I'll turn a corner and there it'll be, huge and dark, like a human with a mad look on his face, but taller and covered in black hair, then I'll blink or rub my eyes and it'll be gone, I'm not imagining it, it's toying with me, oh god I'm so scared...
(It goes quiet for a few days now)
February 10th
Oh god, it's going to kill me I know it will! I can see it all the time now! It's always there staring at me like it's deciding how it will do it! I haven't left the house in days, every time I go to the door it just stands there between me and the door, with that mad grin on it's face, and the same if I go near a window or the phone, it won't let me escape or tell anyone about it, I don't know why it lets me write in my diary, but it just stands there staring and nodding while I do, come to think of it, I don't even know why I'm writing in my diary now, it seems so pointless when it'll kill me soon anyway, oh please, someone help me please!
(Incidentally, I have now figured out the source of my friend's desire to document his affliction, but more on that later)
February 11th
It's started getting aggressive now, standing very close and occasionally taking a swipe with black, clawed hands, like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills it. The worst thing is that face. Ever since this started it's had that horrible face... A huge, mad grin and wide, unblinking eyes, like it's wearing some terrible Halloween mask, god I wish it would just kill me, I can't stand any more of this...
(Again there are a few days of silence)
February 15th
This is it. For the first time, its face has changed, it's opened its mouth revealing rows of long, sharp teeth, now it just sits there, like it's waiting for me to finish writing. But I've figure it out now (and I hope it lets me write this), because all it is is an idea, but a lethal one, all it needs is to be in your head, for you to know about it... and you can't escape. Looking back, I can remember the fear on my friend's face when he told me that horror story, it had been tormenting him and now he's probably dead, but god he is such a t*** for telling me! Because this is what it is, a story, you hear about it and then you can't get rid of it, and then, before it kills you, you tell someone else and it moves on to a new victim. Well, that's it, that's all I can think to write, the creature's walking towards me now, still showing those terrible teeth... Goodbye, I guess.
This page is splattered with blood, I guess the creature really did kill him once he finished writing. Now back to what I've figured out. What my friend didn't realise was that the creature, apart from scaring the living crap out of you, gets inside your head, subtly influences your decisions. In the case of his friend, making him recount the story onto him, the next victim, and in his own case, making him document the events in his diary, despite the futility of it. This way, the creature is never forgotten and it always has a new victim before the previous one is killed.
Now you might be wondering why I speak of this creature not as if it's just a story, but as if it's fact, well, as you should have figured out by now, the next victim was me, in fact it's here as I type this, standing behind me with it's hand on my shoulder and it's teeth bared just like in the last entry of the diary, and because it's making me publish this for someone else to read, I know what's about to happen. Soon it'll kill me and move into its next victim.
Oh god, I'm so sorry, but I had no choice... it'll be with you soon.
This is hell or something worse, I'm not even sure if I'm still alive, I can't believe life could be this tormenting but nor can I bear to think that I don't still have the relief of death to look forward to. If I'm alive I so dearly wish that I would die, you're probably wondering how I could be tormented to this extent? Well it started just a few days ago.
I was sitting at my computer looking up cheats for some of my video games that I'd gotten bored with, my computer is pretty up to date on the whole firewall front, but you have to be especially careful with those cheat sites. Sure enough, a pop-up soon appeared. It was a simple rectangle with a big, red 3D button on one side, the other had, in a hazy, blurry font, the words ?Deadly Virus, Click Here? and an arrow. I chuckled to myself, at least they were being honest. Then something strange happened, as I went to click the red box with the X in it, to close the pop-up, I started to feel strange, like there was a haze in my head and I couldn't think clearly. Suddenly, my arm moved of it's own accord and clicked on the red button. My head snapped back together and I could only watch, as the red from the button seemed to seep out, across the pop-up and then all over my screen. I panicked and tried everything, Alt F4, Control Z and of course, Control Alt Delete, but nothing worked, I unplugged the computer, but the screen remained on, that's when I started to get scared. After about a minute, the screen was all red, a black chat window swam into view, words appeared.
?You clicked the button, just because I told you to? I stared at the words, a shiver ran down my spine, then, ?I wonder if you'd do anything else I tell you to do, like a puppet, are you my puppet?? The direct question made me realise I had better reply, but all I could manage was,
?No?. It replied,
?Is that so? Stand up puppet? I stood up ?My what fun, what should I make you do next?? I stood there, unable to move and dreading what would appear on the screen next, it was like looking through someone else's eyes, I could only watch as another sentence appeared, ?Find something sharp puppet, and bring it here?. My body walked into the kitchen, my head screaming to stop, to run and hide. I opened a draw and selected a large knife and walked back to my room, I passed my roommate in the hallway, barely hearing what he was saying. I walked up to the computer with the knife, ?Very good puppet, that looks dangerous and now I want you to point it at your heart?. Terrified, I obeyed whatever diabolical force had entered my computer, then it said, ?I could do it puppet, and why shouldn't I? I can see you through your web-cam, puppet, I could watch as you commit suicide?. Suddenly, my roommate burst in.
?What the hell are you doing?!?!? He ran between me and the computer and took the knife from me, I didn't resist, I realised that I had control of my body again ?Well?? he asked, his face a look of shock. When he had burst in, my computer screen had gone back to the cheat website, but now it was red again, over my roommate's shoulder I saw, in bold, black letters
?TELL HIM AND YOU WILL DIE PUPPET?. I muttered that I wasn't doing anything. He was very concerned but eventually I got him to leave me alone. On the chat window, more words appeared, ?My, what a pain, it would be simpler if I had you kill him, don't you think puppet?? no less scared, I replied,
?What do you want? Who are you??
?I am your master now puppet, I want you to do as I say?
?I'm not your puppet? I typed, not knowing what I hoped to achieve,
?Kill yourself puppet?. Suddenly, my hands shot out and seized my mouse and wound the wire around my neck, ?You ARE my puppet, and you will do as I say?, choking, I read the words with terror. I sat there, begging to be made to stop, but the ?thing? remained quiet, lights started appearing in my eyes, the room started to spin, then, ?stop?. I dropped the mouse and fell to the floor, gasping for air. ?None of my other puppets were quite so easy to manipulate as you are, I think I might just keep you alive a little longer?. I read the words, terror consuming my head, I typed,
?Please don't kill me? as a last feeble hope, it replied,
?Hahahaha, how funny, a puppet that makes requests of its master. Soon I will tire of you, puppet, and when I do, I'll see no reason to keep you alive, remember that?. With the realisation that I had nothing to lose, I felt a hint of anger in the midst of my fear. Putting Caps Locks on I typed,
?YOU ARE SICK! YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF GAME? PEOPLE MATTER AND YOU CAN'T JUST KILL THEM FOR ENTERTAINMENT!? I resented what I had done the moment I hit Enter, I knew that somehow the ?thing? would find some new way to punish me for this outburst, I wasn't wrong. I sat there, the silence was agonising, nothing happened for almost ten minutes, the anticipation was torture and I knew it was deliberate. Then my room exploded in noise, the most horrific screaming filled the room and rattled my soul, but that was absolutely nothing to what I now saw on my screen, and on the TV's screen and reflected in every window and reflective surface in the room. It was a face, a rotting human face with no hair or teeth and gaping black holes for eyes, and its mouth was moving, this creature was what was screaming at me. I collapsed from my chair and shut my eyes and covered my ears, but that was even worse, like it was in the room with me. This might have gone on for hours or even days, I couldn't tell, eventually all was quiet. I staggered up to my computer.
?That was my little pet, do you like him?? I was horrified, all I could think of was that I never wanted to see that thing again,
?No? I typed, ?It was horrific?
?Hahaha, most people seem to think so, that's why I like him. If you defy me again puppet, do you know what I'll do?? I had several disgusting ideas, but I typed,
?What??
?Look behind you?, I looked behind me and jumped, there, between my bed and the wall was a new door, exactly like the other one that led to the hallway, but something was clearly not right about it, like it didn't quite ?belong? in this world at all, ?If you defy me again puppet, I'll open the door, and I'll send my pets through to meet you, all of them. Wouldn't it be terrible if they killed you before I got the chance to?? I gaped at the sentence, horrified at the prospect of there being more than one of theses creatures. That was when I resigned myself to the fact that I could only do what this monster said, that was when I sold my soul...
The next few days were a living hell, the thing toyed with me constantly, always making me put myself in mortal danger, only to stop me at the last minute, holding knives close to my face, hanging out the windows and strangling myself again and again, the suffering was so intense that I didn't even notice that my roommate was gone. Eventually I was made to sit in front of the computer again,
?You are not a very good friend, puppet? the words appeared,
?What do you mean?? I typed, hardly caring,
?Your friend is gone, don't you want to know where?? Suddenly I realised it was true, I noticed that I hadn't seen my roommate for days,
?Where is he?? I typed,
?He was getting in the way and my pets were hungry?, I felt sick as I realised what was to come,
?I made you sleep, and while you did, I opened the door, my pets came through and devoured him. My pets can't talk but it looks like they thought he was delicious?. That was when I broke down, I burst into tears, finally losing the slither of hope that I would ever get out of this torture. I typed,
?Please kill me, I can't take this any more?,
?I think I will puppet, I grow bored of you. Now turn around?, then four more words appeared, and a deep, rasping voice, accompanied them. ?And open the door?. I spoke,
?No! PLEASE! JUST KILL ME! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THOSE THINGS AGAIN!!!? Suddenly I wasn't in control again, but it wasn't like before, this time there were invisible chains around my hands and feet, I was literally dragged to the door and my hand placed upon the handle, like a magnet, my fingers closed around it and turned it The door swung open revealing a swirling mass of black and red smoke and I got dragged inside. I couldn't see a thing but the swirling smoke, but I could feel other bodies all around me, and I could hear the horrible screaming, I was with the creatures. Before long I became one of them, I lost my vision entirely and I feel it as time goes on, the never-ending pain of a death that will never come. The chains that dragged me to this hell never left and I am stuck with them, occasionally they drag me somewhere where I am used to scare one of the master's new victims, just as one of them had been used to scare me. I am a puppet, and this is my life... and death.
I was sitting at my computer looking up cheats for some of my video games that I'd gotten bored with, my computer is pretty up to date on the whole firewall front, but you have to be especially careful with those cheat sites. Sure enough, a pop-up soon appeared. It was a simple rectangle with a big, red 3D button on one side, the other had, in a hazy, blurry font, the words ?Deadly Virus, Click Here? and an arrow. I chuckled to myself, at least they were being honest. Then something strange happened, as I went to click the red box with the X in it, to close the pop-up, I started to feel strange, like there was a haze in my head and I couldn't think clearly. Suddenly, my arm moved of it's own accord and clicked on the red button. My head snapped back together and I could only watch, as the red from the button seemed to seep out, across the pop-up and then all over my screen. I panicked and tried everything, Alt F4, Control Z and of course, Control Alt Delete, but nothing worked, I unplugged the computer, but the screen remained on, that's when I started to get scared. After about a minute, the screen was all red, a black chat window swam into view, words appeared.
?You clicked the button, just because I told you to? I stared at the words, a shiver ran down my spine, then, ?I wonder if you'd do anything else I tell you to do, like a puppet, are you my puppet?? The direct question made me realise I had better reply, but all I could manage was,
?No?. It replied,
?Is that so? Stand up puppet? I stood up ?My what fun, what should I make you do next?? I stood there, unable to move and dreading what would appear on the screen next, it was like looking through someone else's eyes, I could only watch as another sentence appeared, ?Find something sharp puppet, and bring it here?. My body walked into the kitchen, my head screaming to stop, to run and hide. I opened a draw and selected a large knife and walked back to my room, I passed my roommate in the hallway, barely hearing what he was saying. I walked up to the computer with the knife, ?Very good puppet, that looks dangerous and now I want you to point it at your heart?. Terrified, I obeyed whatever diabolical force had entered my computer, then it said, ?I could do it puppet, and why shouldn't I? I can see you through your web-cam, puppet, I could watch as you commit suicide?. Suddenly, my roommate burst in.
?What the hell are you doing?!?!? He ran between me and the computer and took the knife from me, I didn't resist, I realised that I had control of my body again ?Well?? he asked, his face a look of shock. When he had burst in, my computer screen had gone back to the cheat website, but now it was red again, over my roommate's shoulder I saw, in bold, black letters
?TELL HIM AND YOU WILL DIE PUPPET?. I muttered that I wasn't doing anything. He was very concerned but eventually I got him to leave me alone. On the chat window, more words appeared, ?My, what a pain, it would be simpler if I had you kill him, don't you think puppet?? no less scared, I replied,
?What do you want? Who are you??
?I am your master now puppet, I want you to do as I say?
?I'm not your puppet? I typed, not knowing what I hoped to achieve,
?Kill yourself puppet?. Suddenly, my hands shot out and seized my mouse and wound the wire around my neck, ?You ARE my puppet, and you will do as I say?, choking, I read the words with terror. I sat there, begging to be made to stop, but the ?thing? remained quiet, lights started appearing in my eyes, the room started to spin, then, ?stop?. I dropped the mouse and fell to the floor, gasping for air. ?None of my other puppets were quite so easy to manipulate as you are, I think I might just keep you alive a little longer?. I read the words, terror consuming my head, I typed,
?Please don't kill me? as a last feeble hope, it replied,
?Hahahaha, how funny, a puppet that makes requests of its master. Soon I will tire of you, puppet, and when I do, I'll see no reason to keep you alive, remember that?. With the realisation that I had nothing to lose, I felt a hint of anger in the midst of my fear. Putting Caps Locks on I typed,
?YOU ARE SICK! YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF GAME? PEOPLE MATTER AND YOU CAN'T JUST KILL THEM FOR ENTERTAINMENT!? I resented what I had done the moment I hit Enter, I knew that somehow the ?thing? would find some new way to punish me for this outburst, I wasn't wrong. I sat there, the silence was agonising, nothing happened for almost ten minutes, the anticipation was torture and I knew it was deliberate. Then my room exploded in noise, the most horrific screaming filled the room and rattled my soul, but that was absolutely nothing to what I now saw on my screen, and on the TV's screen and reflected in every window and reflective surface in the room. It was a face, a rotting human face with no hair or teeth and gaping black holes for eyes, and its mouth was moving, this creature was what was screaming at me. I collapsed from my chair and shut my eyes and covered my ears, but that was even worse, like it was in the room with me. This might have gone on for hours or even days, I couldn't tell, eventually all was quiet. I staggered up to my computer.
?That was my little pet, do you like him?? I was horrified, all I could think of was that I never wanted to see that thing again,
?No? I typed, ?It was horrific?
?Hahaha, most people seem to think so, that's why I like him. If you defy me again puppet, do you know what I'll do?? I had several disgusting ideas, but I typed,
?What??
?Look behind you?, I looked behind me and jumped, there, between my bed and the wall was a new door, exactly like the other one that led to the hallway, but something was clearly not right about it, like it didn't quite ?belong? in this world at all, ?If you defy me again puppet, I'll open the door, and I'll send my pets through to meet you, all of them. Wouldn't it be terrible if they killed you before I got the chance to?? I gaped at the sentence, horrified at the prospect of there being more than one of theses creatures. That was when I resigned myself to the fact that I could only do what this monster said, that was when I sold my soul...
The next few days were a living hell, the thing toyed with me constantly, always making me put myself in mortal danger, only to stop me at the last minute, holding knives close to my face, hanging out the windows and strangling myself again and again, the suffering was so intense that I didn't even notice that my roommate was gone. Eventually I was made to sit in front of the computer again,
?You are not a very good friend, puppet? the words appeared,
?What do you mean?? I typed, hardly caring,
?Your friend is gone, don't you want to know where?? Suddenly I realised it was true, I noticed that I hadn't seen my roommate for days,
?Where is he?? I typed,
?He was getting in the way and my pets were hungry?, I felt sick as I realised what was to come,
?I made you sleep, and while you did, I opened the door, my pets came through and devoured him. My pets can't talk but it looks like they thought he was delicious?. That was when I broke down, I burst into tears, finally losing the slither of hope that I would ever get out of this torture. I typed,
?Please kill me, I can't take this any more?,
?I think I will puppet, I grow bored of you. Now turn around?, then four more words appeared, and a deep, rasping voice, accompanied them. ?And open the door?. I spoke,
?No! PLEASE! JUST KILL ME! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THOSE THINGS AGAIN!!!? Suddenly I wasn't in control again, but it wasn't like before, this time there were invisible chains around my hands and feet, I was literally dragged to the door and my hand placed upon the handle, like a magnet, my fingers closed around it and turned it The door swung open revealing a swirling mass of black and red smoke and I got dragged inside. I couldn't see a thing but the swirling smoke, but I could feel other bodies all around me, and I could hear the horrible screaming, I was with the creatures. Before long I became one of them, I lost my vision entirely and I feel it as time goes on, the never-ending pain of a death that will never come. The chains that dragged me to this hell never left and I am stuck with them, occasionally they drag me somewhere where I am used to scare one of the master's new victims, just as one of them had been used to scare me. I am a puppet, and this is my life... and death.