FEAR An Anthology of Horror and Suspense [SS Collection]

199 Pages·2016·0.52 MB·English

by  Lagana Giovanna

FEAR: An Anthology of Horror and
Suspense

by
Louise Bohmer, Vickie Britton, John Everson, Loretta Jackson, Nancy
Jackson, Giovanna Lagana, Linda L. Lattimer, Janet Mills, Susan M.
Sailors, Richard A. Satterlie, Katherine Smith and An Introduction by
Nicholas Grabowsky

Published by
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
Whiskey Creek Press
PO Box 51052
Casper, WY 82605-1052
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
The 2006 copyrights ©

for each story in this anthology are held by the authors of the individual stories.
All rights reserved.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the
authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and
beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
ISBN 1-59374-546-X
Credits
Cover Artist: Jinger Heaston
Editors: Giovanna Lagana, Katherine Smith, & Louise Bohmer
Printed in the United States of America
Other Anthologies by WCP Authors Available at Whiskey Creek Press:

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

LOVE, An Anthology

HATE, An Anthology of Murder and Mystery
Dedication

We'd like to thank the extremely talented WCP authors who contributed to this
FEAR anthology. Your stories made our nights appetizingly frightening while
we stayed up late reading them in the dark and hiding under the covers.

We'd also like to thank the gifted and award-winning authors Nicholas
Grabowsky and John Everson for supporting us in this project.
CONTENTS

"Night Crawls In” by Nancy Jackson:

Lindsay suffers another night of insomnia where her imagination runs wild, or at
least what she hopes is her imagination. As Night Crawls In, her darkest fear
comes alive to haunt her with its furry eight legs.

"Possibilities” and “Cara's Eyes” by Katherine Smith:

Death is a realm unexplored but always present. Looming and relentless, it cares
little for the petty woes of the average person, nor does it offer either pity or
redemption. Fear is all it acknowledges...

"Frieda Mae” by Linda L. Lattimer:

When a widower remarries to give his two young sons a mother, the new wife
isn't what she appears to be. After she starts to dominate the household, a ghost
from the past returns making sure those she left behind do not fall in harms way.

"Crime or Punishment” by Giovanna Lagana:

Poor Chris has been abused and tormented all of his life by none other than his
robbing, violent, drug-addicted parents. When a mysterious boogieman begins to
robbing, violent, drug-addicted parents. When a mysterious boogieman begins to
haunt him at night after his mother's death and then falls dead in front of his
stepfather's car, Chris begins to panic. He wonders just how long he has before
the boogieman's prediction comes true and he'll get what's coming to him.

"Feathers” by Louise Bohmer:

Garrett has always possessed a natural knack with all things arcane, hidden. But
his love for the ancient goddess, Lilith, and the strange owl-child they share,
ends his mortal marriage. When Lilith tries to take the owl-child back to the
Netherworld—the boy's rightful home—Garrett protests the loss of his child, and
he will do anything to stop Lilith and their offspring from leaving him.

"Vera's House” by Katherine Smith:

Shelia isn't greedy; it just seems such a waste to let her grandmother slowly rot
away amidst a fortune in antiques and other valuables when a few kind gestures
might make Vera leave her everything...

Of course, nothing comes without a price and inheriting the estate isn't exactly
what Shelia imagined. Odd sounds in the night, weird dreams, and the cellar ...
well, that is enough to give anyone the shivers if they live in Vera's House.

"Cynophobia” by Janet Mills:

Following her husband's death, Janie Raycraft's life has become a daily routine
of rising early to catch the weather forecast, going to work, then returning home
to an empty house to eat and watch TV alone. When an aggressive dog and a
to an empty house to eat and watch TV alone. When an aggressive dog and a
strange man begin to stalk her every move, she longs to return to her quiet
existence, even if it means someone has to die to accomplish it.

"Because I Wanted You” by Susan M. Sailors:

Obsessed by words that touched his soul, a young man pursues a woman he
knows nothing about, not knowing he is entering a world no one ever returns
from. He wants to possess her, but soon she will show him what true possession
is.

"Eleven-Thirty Midnight Road” by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson:

A tragic accident took the life of Cathy Rhodes, leaving guilt-stricken friends,
Marc and Paula, to pick up the pieces. Now Paula believes Cathy is trying to
communicate with her through the Ouija board, and also sees her ghost in a
blood-soaked white dress.

Paula's ex-boyfriend, Andrew, believes Marc is trying to draw Paula into his web
of madness. Is Paula losing her mind or has she fallen under the spell of a
psychopath? Andrew knows the truth will be revealed tonight on the anniversary
of Cathy's death—Eleven-Thirty Midnight Road.

"The Stick” by Richard A. Satterlie:

There are those of us who believe inanimate objects can possess a power that
feeds on evil, while there are others who harbor a deep evil within them. But on
one lingering fall day, when Xerxes Bradshaw decides to go out to investigate
one lingering fall day, when Xerxes Bradshaw decides to go out to investigate
the body of a boy in the woods, he comes in contact with something eerily
peculiar that fuses both evils into one. Before long, his curious journey turns into
one of pure horror, and his life hangs with the swing of The Stick.

"Long Distance Call” by John Everson:

Jack thought when his wife strangled herself with a phone cord that it was the
last he'd hear from her. But then the phone rang...
NIGHT CRAWLS IN

by Nancy Jackson

Lindsay lay alone watching the dim green numbers on the clock show midnight.
Earlier in the night she had seen a spider make its way across the wall, and
somehow the very thought of it being in the same room kept her wide-awake. Of
course she was no stranger to the frustration of insomnia. Between her husband's
snoring, endless thinking, and an overactive imagination, sleep was a rarity in
her life.

Jay was a wonderful, hardworking man and ever supportive. He offered to sleep
on the couch to see if it would somehow do the trick, and bring her one full night
of peaceful slumber. It seemed like a cruel trade-off but she thought it was worth
a shot just this once.

She breathed slowly in and out, willing herself to fall asleep. It had been
unusually warm for the season. While she was self-conscious of her middle-aged
body, the heat had made her start to sleep in the nude.

A slight cover of warmth hung over her body and gently caressed her with its
breath. She missed the dreams of the night. At one time they had propelled her to
write all kinds of imaginative stories. Her children used to love to hear them, but
they were all grown up and now studying hard in college.

Lindsay stared at the window and counted out the three branches from the tree
outside, its shadow looming twice its normal size. The lack of sleep had started
to make her see things that were easily explainable in daylight, but looked
to make her see things that were easily explainable in daylight, but looked
frightening at night. Objects on her dresser made shadows sway on the wall in an
eerie rendition of ancient ritual dances.

Something moved, and she blinked twice. Peering closer, she saw a spider. The
nasty thing crawled right above her; its thick, fuzzy legs scurrying with amazing
speed and gusto. Had it not been for the faint light from the crescent moon, she
never would have seen it in the dark.

Lindsay's pulse raced—her body's reaction to fear. She hated everything about
the dark. Nothing looked the way it should. Her husband had long since stopped
making fun of her need to sleep with a nightlight; a tradition started when she
was a little girl. For years she had horrendous nightmares and freakish dreams
that no small child should ever have to deal with. Sleep was its own nightmare,
and she tried to stave it off for as long as possible. Now, not only did she have
the night to contend with, but a spider as well. Her two biggest fears in one.

Beads of sweat lined her forehead as the heat wave washed over her body.
Lindsay's throat grew sore and became increasingly dry. Sitting up, she fumbled
for the silver light with hanging butterflies beside her bed. As she pulled the
little metal chain, it broke off and fell to the floor. A sense of dread washed over
her.

"Jay?"

She didn't figure he'd hear her. Not with his insufferable snoring. Her eyes took
their own sweet time adjusting to the darkness while her hands felt around for
the glass of water her husband had brought in earlier. The first drops of water
were pure pleasure against her parched lips and mouth. Greedily, she guzzled the
rest down, practically choking. Something felt strange as she swallowed. She
tried as hard as she could to make the uncomfortable feeling go away, but it