a short ghost story in 150 words

Can you write a scary story in 150 words? (7 Scary Good Shortcuts)

If love stories make you swoon and comedies make you belly laugh like a deranged raccoon, then horror stories make you clench your gut, slam shut your eyes, and pray for the nightmare to end. Scary stories deliver fear. That’s their job. But can you write a scary story in 150 words?

That’s a question terrifying enough to send shudders down the spine of the most experienced writer. 

Yes, you can write a scary story in 150 words (or less). The keys are: 1) To trigger fear fast by leveraging age-old human psychology, and 2) To narrow the story to its most basic elements. In this post, you’ll learn 7 ways to terrify readers while keeping your story super short. Plus 75 fear-themed prompts to give you all the goosebumps.

That brings up a few other questions: how to write a good horror story? what even makes good horror?

Let’s start with how to write micro-stories, then layer on the scary. 

Read some r eal life writing convention horror stories .

How to Write Short Horror stories

There are a number of effective ways to write super short stories, or micro-stories (also called micro-fiction or, in our case, micro horror). It’s all about drilling down to the heart of the story. Then cut away the fat. After that, you keep scraping away at the story until you get all the way to the bones. 

Three scary effective ways to write short: 

• Story Stripping (I promise this is SFW – safe for work 😉 )

Find the Bones

Write the bones, story stripping.

To write a short story, you write a story short.

Trust me, that sounds more profound than it actually is (don’t end sentences with is, it’s just poor grammar-ship). But the point stands. Writing short stories doesn’t mean that you shortchange the story. It means that you take the complete story and strip it down to its essence.

So, that means you have to really understand the story. That’s the only way to know what to save and what to shave.

Consider these tips when stripping your story:

• Complete this story template (Character + Conflict + Crucible). Just fill in the details of your story so that you have the main elements – the character (who the story is about), the conflict (what is the main character up against), and the crucible (the setting or situation that traps the character in the story so they can’t just run away).
• If you don’t have a story, use a prompt (like the 75 scary-themed prompts later in this post)
• Strip your story down to one or (at most) two characters. You only have 150 words after all.
• Strip your story down to a single setting. More settings mean more words, which you don’t have at your disposal.
• Strip your story down to one conflict.

Table of Contents

After you finish story stripping, it’s time to find the bones. In practice, it’s really just another, deeper level of cuts. You might have a scene or series of scenes in your mind.

Time to kill those darlings. Prepare yourself because this is going to hurt.

It’s time to find the bones of your micro-horror story:

• Cut your story down to one character (really, give it an honest try). You probably don’t need the other character (at least not much). Pretend you HAVE to cut your story down to one character. How would you do it? (Then do it).
• Cut your story down to one scene. (There’s probably no time for multiple scenes. Go deep with one scene instead of drifting on the surface of several scenes).
• Now cut your story down to a slice of that scene (a micro-scene). Which slice? The most dramatic slice. The scariest slice (Scary Spice?).
• Cut your story down to one slice of the setting, the micro-setting. (If your setting was a graveyard, now it’s one tombstone. If your setting is an abandoned school, now it’s a haunted bus or empty classroom)

Once you complete those steps, you will have a super bony story ready for the page. You have finished the brutal work of chopping away at your story. Now it’s time to focus on techniques for translating your slimmed up story into actual words.

But before you grab your pencil or keyboard, I have two more cool techniques to share with you. These methods will help you maintain your narrow focus to reach your goal of penning your story in a maximum of 150 words.

The first approach is called the Napkin Test. Here’s how it goes. You attempt to write your entire story on one regular-sized napkin. I know! It’s a terrible test. The worst, really. But it forces you into conciseness. The physical edges of the napkin taunt you with their limits.

Try it out. Grab a napkin (or go buy a cheap pack the next time you are at the store). Try to force yourself to write the entire story in the square space of that napkin.

The second method is even worse. I call it Twitterizing your story. Instead of the napkin, write your entire story in one 150-character tweet (or whatever the current Twitter limit is – if Twitter still exists lol). Even if Twitter is a distant relic of the past when you are reading this post, you can still attempt to write your entire story in 150 characters. Let’s be nice and not include the spaces in the character count.

Why punish yourself with the nearly impossible? Because, once you struggle to write your story in 150 characters, 150 words will seem like a football field of space.

Then there is the actual writing of words. Writing a scary story in 150 words is a challenge best met with intention.

Apply these best practices for writing super short copy:

• Use short words (as a bonus, often shorter words pack more punch)
• Use short sentences
• Avoid adjectives and adverbs (you can always add them in later if you are under word court)
• Use vivid verbs with more emotional connotation
• Use nouns with more meaning
• Use symbols, subtext, and multiple meanings as often as you can (you can double the emotional impact of your writing while keeping the word count low)

Check out my post on The Best Thesaurus for Writers .

In summary, to write short requires short, simple sentences filled with short, simple words packed with subtext.

7 Ways to Terrify Readers (Based on Neuroscience)

You have the bones of your story. It’s time to talk terror. There are certain tools and techniques writers use to create the unsettling atmosphere of psychological suspense.

When you are writing micro-fiction, you must employ the best horror tactics to terrify readers in the small space of your story. Apply these next tips to scare your readers’ shorts off.

By the way, all of these tips work wonders because they are based on real brain science (sources at the bottom of the article).

1. Scare them Early

Things are scarier if you are already afraid. So scare them early and often. Once we are primed for fear, we interpret everything else through this fear-smeared lens. Especially in a micro or short story, we need to get to the fear fast.

In your story, don’t go for the slow burn by building to suspense or fear. Dive into the middle of the scary. Think that’s hard to do in 150 words? Try 5 words.

2. Threaten the Ordinary

Un-scary things can be the scariest (humans imagine the worst). One of Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite techniques was to invoke fear in normal settings, like showers, and into normal things, like birds.

Sure, graveyards and old, empty houses are scary. But so are rain gutters with smiling clowns.

When choosing your story and scene settings, think outside of the graveyard. Invoke fear into the ordinary. Pick a normal place and make it terrifying.

3. Slow Time Down

When scared, people experience time distortion where time appears to move slower. Novice skydivers, for instance, often think the preparations before jumping take longer than they do. Horror scenes in movies and fiction often exploit this slo-mo feature to terror by increasing the pace of terror while simultaneously slowing time down to focus on the fear.

You can achieve a similar effect by raising the pace of action in your story while slowing down the experience of the horror. You do that by focusing in on specific character actions, description of simple setting details (like the bloodstained baby shoes), and entering into the mind and emotions of the character.

4. No Way Out

According to neuroscientists (people way smarter than me), the purpose of fear is to prompt us into appropriate adaptive action. Mainly, that is to escape the source of the threat or perceived threat.

That’s why it’s so terrifying to feel trapped. So, ramp up the fear in your stories by hemming in your characters so that they can’t do what everything in their biology is screaming at them to do: get the hell out .

Now all of those buried alive stories make more sense. So do the stories of being conscious but immobile on the surgeon’s table, the scalpel sharp and gleaming inches away from the whites of your eyeball.

When you think about trapping your character or characters, think not only about the physical location. Also, think about access to help through cell phones and other resources like food, water, and air.

5. Helpless

Another primitive fear is powerlessness. When we feel helpless, we feel desperately alone. That’s another reason those buried alive stories are so dang terrifying.

Spook up your story by getting your character alone and without any outside help. In your 150-word story, you might only have one character anyway. But this technique also works for longer stories.

When plotting out your story (or pantsing your way through it), ask yourself, “How can I make my character more helpless?” and, “What do they need? How can I take that away?”

6. Vulnerable

Like helplessness, vulnerability is another fear trigger. That’s one of the reasons the shower scene in Psycho is so visceral. The female character is completely vulnerable.

The same can be said of the movie Jaws. When we are floating in the ocean, we are easy prey. Vulnerability can be terrifying.

What parts of your story can exploit vulnerability? How can you make your character more vulnerable?

Consider these possibilities:

• Darkness (When we can’t see, we are more vulnerable)
• Handicapped (Such as when we are injured and can’t run or defend ourselves)
• Weaker/Smaller (Children are vulnerable, when facing bigger and stronger opponents, we are all vulnerable)
• The unknown (When we don’t know what is out there or what we are up against, fear magnifies)

7. Empathetic Fear

The terror that I can relate to is more terrifying. Vampire horror stories and zombie stories can be very scary, but I can’t really relate to them. But hearing a knock on the door in the middle of the night? I’ve been there .

That’s why scary stories involving pets (Pet Cemetery) and dolls (Chucky) scare the goodness right out of us. Most all of us have experienced pets. Most of us have glanced side-eyed at a creepy doll perched on a dusty dresser and wondered at the dark intelligence that might be starting back at us.

When crafting your story, dig into relatable experiences and places. They terrify us in their normalcy. We connect to them more easily and fully.

75 Scary Story Writing Prompts

In case you need spooky story starters to write your short horror story, here are 75 writing prompts. Use them for writing sprints, creative fodder to generate new and terrifying micro or long-form horror story ideas, to write creepy fanfiction, or just as a mental exercise to train your mind to see story possibilities everywhere. You could even consider them 75 Halloween themed prompts (since some of the prompts reference this spooky holiday) . It’s completely up to you!

Download a copy of all 75 Horror writing prompts as a PDF below: (Just click the Download button)

• You come home and no one recognizes you.
• The old civil war painting in the hall just blinked.
• Describe Halloween from a Jack-O-Lantern’s point of view.
• What is the most terrified you have ever been?
• What are some unusual tools that you could use to carve a pumpkin?
• Write a scene where someone carves a pumpkin while the pumpkin screams.
• Something is following you while trick-or-treating.
• You realize that you are slowly losing your mind.
• Your character must stay overnight in the room where a dozen people were murdered.
• The old man in front of you has fully black eyes (no whites)
• Your dog is acting strangely like it doesn’t recognize you.
•  Your character wakes up trapped somewhere.
• What is the most terrifying day of the year? Why?
•  A kid suspects his or her parents may be trying to murder them.
•  Your mirror image stops mimicking you.
•  Your character finds a long-lost letter that chills his spine.
•  The doll on the dresser just moved by itself.
• Who do you want to scare this Halloween? How will you scare them?
•  Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere.
• What would you do during a zombie pandemic?
•  You suspect the old lady next door is cooking more than bread.
•  Write a story about a haunted playground.
•  Share your first pumpkin carving experience with a person deathly afraid of knives.
• Can you write a poem from the point of view of a serial killer?
•  Prepare a questionnaire to interview the monster under your bed.
•  How would you define yourself, a scaredy-cat or strong-hearted person who is difficult to scare?
•  Do you believe in ghosts?
•  Write a descriptive recipe from the point of view of an evil witch.
•  Complete the sentence- When I looked behind the basement water heater …
•  Your little brother tells you that he saw a monster underneath the bed. Then he shows you the claw marks on his shin.
•  Write a persuasive letter to your pen pal pleading with them to never to play “Bloody Mary.”
•  Flip to three random words in the dictionary and create a scary story that connects all three.
•  Make a list of decorative items that can be used by a Vampire to lure victims into his lair.
•  A new mother finds a jack-o-lantern with a secret spooky message inside it.
•  What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night to find someone staring at you?
•  Your shadow stops following you. What do you do?
•  You wake up in the middle of the night and can’t breathe.
•  Write about the history of a ghost town.
•  Write a story about a kid who goes trick-or-treating but gets lost in the woods.
•  While taking a shower, your character realizes she is covered in giant tarantulas.
•  All the power and lights suddenly go off in the middle of a storm.
•  Your character starts spitting up blood.
•  You are a vampire trying to get invited into a house. Write a first-person account of what you would say to gain entrance.
•  What scares you the most?
•  What are the similarities of your top three scary movies?
•  Write about a normal object that becomes unsettling.
•  A traveling minister brings your dead brother back to life but something is different about him.
•  List as many words as you can that sound “scary” to you.
•  You start hearing the thoughts of a serial killer.
•  A new girl in town puts a curse on you.
• You wake up in bed next to a dead body.
•  A man attends a funeral and realizes the body in the coffin isn’t dead.
•  A woman gets in touch with her dead younger sister.
•  A woman attends a funeral and realizes the body in the coffin is her.
•  If you could bring any Halloween monsters back to life who would it be and why?
•  A man is accused of kidnapping a child he has never met.
•  A woman wakes up with no eyesight in a place she has never been.
•  Write a story where nothing is as it seems.
•  A scary clown is walking towards you in the dark.
•  The local psyche ward just lost all power and all staff has mysteriously disappeared.
•  The empty subway train slows to a stop in the middle of a tunnel.
•  A serial killer is recreating every one of Stephen King’s novels .
•  A man takes a beautiful woman home, but she starts acting oddly inhuman.
• A woman’s spouse is convinced she’s been replaced with a clone.
• A man’s dog starts becoming more aggressive.
•  Create a social media profile for one of the following: mummy, clown, zombies, vampires, or werewolf.
•  All the children in town disappear.
•  A woman gets out of the shower to a strange message written in the steam on the bathroom mirror.
•  A mythical being comes back to life.
• The faces of a man’s neighbors start to sag grossly.
•  Write about a household item possessed by an evil spirit.
•  Complete the story – The moment she stepped off the curb onto the deserted street…
•  You think you might be starting to crave blood.
•  The magnets on the fridge spell out, “I’m in the room with you.”
•  You start to hear whispering in the walls of your house.

How to use These Horror Writing Prompts for Writing Sprints

• Choose one or more prompts from the list
• Prepare your writing tools
• Decide on a word count goal, for example, 1,000 words (hey, that’s almost 7 of those 150-word stories. The actual calculation is 6.66. Coincidence??).
• Set a timer for between 15 and 60 minutes.
• Start the timer.
• Write as many words as you can until the timer stops or goes off.
• Record Your word sprint data on a spreadsheet or using online software.  For example, your word count achieved compared to your word count software.

For a complete breakdown of writing sprints, read Writing Sprints: The Ultimate Guide to Successful Writing Sprints .

So, that’s how to write a scary story in 150-words (or less). For even more awesome content, consider these articles:

• 21 Ways To Write a Complex Villain [Ultimate Badass Guide]
• How To Write Morally Gray Characters [Bestseller Secrets Revealed]
• How to Become a Writer for SNL (The Insanely Complete Guide)

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6 Sincerely Spooky Stories in 100 Words or Less

Halloween is upon us, but here in the digital age, it’s hard to find the time to read a short story, let alone a full-length horror novel. Here, then, are six blood-curdling tales for the digital age, each 100 words or less.

RELATED : 10+ Short Scary Stories You Definitely Don’t Want To Read Alone

Sally’s parents went out for a Halloween dinner, so Sally decided to invite a few friends over. There was some booze and pot, some slasher DVDs, and then the spooky highlight: a Ouija board.

Just gibberish at first and then, to their horror and delight, messages.

Specific messages.

S-A-L-L-Y , the board spelled out.

“Who is this?” said Sally.

SALLY OH SALLY

“Are you dead?”

“How did you die?”

“Who are you?”

YOUR MOTHER

Sally is still screaming when the police car arrives, and a single officer, cap respectfully in his hands, approaches the house.

© fourblueeyes/flickr

Driscoll and Smedley are grave robbers. Their night’s work done, they head to the hospital on a cart loaded with fresh corpses.

No honor among thieves: Driscoll plans to cut Smedley’s throat after they get paid. Driscoll cackles to himself as they traverse the London dawn. He looks at Smedley, thinking: He has no idea.

“Excellent,” shouts Dr. Barron from a casement window as they draw up with their grisly cargo. “You’ve brought me those seven corpses I need!”

” ‘Ere,” says Driscoll. “There’s only six on the cart! You told me—”

“Yeah,” says Smedley, drawing his revolver. “I did, didn’t I?”

They entered the chamber.

Kendall was gripped by foreboding. There was the altar stone with its spiral pattern, carved millennia ago.

Glover shone his torch around the gloom. “The legends say this place makes people vanish.”

“Hard to see where anyone could vanish to.”

“Ten have, over the last 200 years.”

Kendall stared into the spiral carving; as he did so, he felt an awful sense of unease. Suddenly, he saw infinity. The same pattern repeating, over and over, reminding him of something. And then he was remembering, screaming—

Kendall was gripped by foreboding…

The Old Well

© @Doug88888/flickr

I fell down the old well. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt. At the bottom, there was a skeleton, a horrid thing in the tatters of a summer dress. I was terrified. I climbed out and ran back to the house but I couldn’t find my family, only a man and a woman I didn’t know. I approached them; the man ignored me, but the woman screamed, and then I realized there was something important I had forgotten.

Then I was back in the dark well again, with that horrible skeleton.

What have I forgotten? What was it?

From Room 116 come the sounds of flamenco in the hot Seville night. The clacking of castanets, the shuffle of heels, the melancholy guitar.

“Christ,” says Benson. “For the third night running!”

Before he knows it, he’s out of bed and hammering on the door of 116. “Keep that bloody noise down!”

The noises stop abruptly. The door creaks open.

On the bare floorboards are a broken guitar, cracked castanets and a pair of mouldering high-heeled shoes.

The dust is thick. Undisturbed.

All Benson can hear now is the sound of his own breathing, hard and fast.

Long Distance Call

© helloturkeytoe/flickr

At the hideout, the phone rang. Trembling, Dan answered.

“Dan! It’s Tony.”

Dan gasped.

“I thought you were—”

“Just listen. Guess the bank job didn’t go like we planned, huh? Still. At least one of us got away.”

“What are you—”

“Shhh. I had to describe it. This place.”

“Whispering shadows. The sky white with ash. The horizon roars, and the streets are bleached bone…”

“Nobody has a face.”

“This isn’t funny.”

“I mean, I expected flames, and pitchforks, laughing devils. Not this.”

“But you’ll see. Soon enough, Danny Boy. You’ll see.”

Cover photo: ifeel_infinite/flickr

This article was originally published on November 1, 2014

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5 Short Ghost Stories that Will Scare the Life Out of You

When I think about telling ghost stories, I think about sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows, telling spooky tales with a torch under my chin before retiring to my tent for the night. Despite the fact that that isn’t an activity I’ve ever taken part in, ever , it just feels like the perfect way to share a scary story, especially with the sounds of the forest rustling around you and the stars overhead. Well, even if you’re not in the forest, telling short ghost stories is a brilliant way to pass the time, so we’ve rounded up some of the very best ghost stories for adults from around the internet that are sure to give you a fright. Pass the marshmallows!

1. The Puppy in the Basement

This short ghost story, found on Reddit, is super creepy:

“Mommy told me never to go in the basement, but I wanted to see what was making that noise. It kind of sounded like a puppy, and I wanted to see the puppy, so I opened the basement door and tiptoed down a bit. I didn’t see a puppy, and then Mommy yanked me out of the basement and yelled at me. Mommy had never yelled at me before, and it made me sad and I cried. Then Mommy told me never to go into the basement again, and she gave me a cookie. That made me feel better, so I didn’t ask her why the boy in the basement was making noises like a puppy, or why he had no hands or feet.”

2. Nun Chucks

Michelle Froelick Young had a strange experience with her two year old daughter, submitted to Movie Pilot:

“When my daughter was 2, I found her twirling paper towel tubes, tied with twine, in the air. I asked her what she was doing. She said she was practicing her “nun chucks”. I was very confused as she’d have no way of knowing what they were. I asked her what she meant and she said that Adam had told her how to make them and showed her each night how to use them. She went on to say that Adam told her to practice because she may need to know how to defend herself someday. I almost freaked out, but asked her what Adam looked like. She said he was tall, blond, and had blue eyes. She said,”Mommy, you KNOW how he looks – you know him! He died of a headache.” I had to leave the room.You see, 4 months before she was born, my tall, blonde, blue eyed, martial arts-pro friend had died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 27. She has not spoken of him since that day, so I’m not sure if I scared her with my reaction or if she had completed her lessons.”

3. There's Someone Under the Bed

Sometimes the very short ghost stories are the best, and this tale, from Reddit via Buzzfeed , tells the story of a father putting his young son to bed:

“I begin tucking him into bed and he tells me, “Daddy, check for monsters under my bed.” I look underneath for his amusement and see him, another him, under the bed, staring back at me quivering and whispering, “Daddy, there’s somebody on my bed.””

4. The Chair

This short tale starts benignly enough, with a friendly-seeming ghost playing with children, but when you learn the origins of the ghost – and just why the ghost is moving the object around the room, it quickly gets a lot creepier. Submitted via Reddit by Scoopwhoop :

“When my sister Betsy and I were kids, our family lived for awhile in a charming old farmhouse. We loved exploring its dusty corners and climbing the apple tree in the backyard. But our favorite thing was the ghost. We called her Mother, because she seemed so kind and nurturing. Some mornings Betsy and I would wake up, and on each of our nightstands, we’d find a cup that hadn’t been there the night before. Mother had left them there, worried that we’d get thirsty during the night. She just wanted to take care of us. Among the homes’ original furnishings was an antique wooden chair which we kept against the back wall of the living room. Whenever we were preoccupied, watching TV or playing a game, Mother would inch that chair forward, across the room, toward us. Sometimes she’d manage to move it all the way to the centre of the room. We always felt sad putting it back against the wall. Mother just wanted to be near us. Years later, long after we’d moved out, I found an old newspaper article about the farmhouse’s original occupant, a widow. She’d murdered her two children by giving them each a cup of poisoned milk before bed. Then she hung herself. The article included a photo of the farmhouse’s living room, with a woman’s body hanging from a beam. Beneath her, knocked over, was that old wooden chair, placed exactly in the center of the room.”

…Did it get colder in here, or is it just me?

5. The Ghost at Home

In one of my favourite short ghost stories, a man thinks that he loses his phone and someone is playing a trick on him. Turns out, there is someone playing with him, but it’s a ghoul rather than a person. Submitted via Reddit by Buzzfeed :

“Last night a friend rushed me out of the house to catch the opening act at a local bar’s music night. After a few drinks I realized my phone wasn’t in my pocket. I checked the table we were sitting at, the bar, the bathrooms, and after no luck I used my friend’s phone to call mine. After two rings someone answered, gave out a low raspy giggle, and hung up. They didn’t answer again. I eventually gave it up as a lost cause and headed home. I found my phone laying on my nightstand, right where I left it.”

6. Super, Super Short Ghost Stories

Finally, something a little different. The Metro wanted to put together something spooky and came up with these one or two sentence ghost stories that are designed to get you thinking – so here are my favourites.

Sometimes the very best short ghost stories are those that include a sense of creeping dread, or that tingling sensation where you’re not quite sure where the story is going to go or where it is going to end. Filling in the blanks of a story with your own thoughts from your own experiences is what can make these ambiguous stories even creepier… so where will these stories take you?

Find how far down the rabbit hole you can go, as we list the 12 scariest books ever written !

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Inveraray Jail Ghost Hunt, Argyll, Scotland – Saturday 13th April 2024

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Emilie-Noelle Provost

Author, Writer, Hiker

150-Word Short Stories

*NO AI TRAINING

Although I primarily write novels , magazine articles, and essays, several years ago, I started writing very short stories, all of them exactly 150 words long, as a fun way to keep my fiction writing skills from getting rusty. It was also great to be able to write a story from start to finish in just an hour or so. Some of these stories are posted on this blog page . I’ve also included a few of my favorites below.

If you enjoy reading my 150-word stories, please also consider reading one of my books , and telling others about them, too.

Outside the funeral home, I heard a boy say that she had fallen off the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle. Broken her neck. She never knew what hit her, he said. I was 13. The dead girl had been a junior in high school.

The line to see her snaked around the building. Boys with long hair, wearing ties they’d borrowed from their fathers, and girls with thick blue eyeshadow smoked cigarettes in the parking lot. Someone passed a bottle of Jack. There were no adults there, just very old kids.

She almost looked like she was sleeping, except that she was too still. There was a puffiness to her face that didn’t seem quite right. They had dressed her for the prom; the crinoline sleeves of her gown like poofs of pink cotton candy. Some kids prayed, but I couldn’t. I just stared at the roses in her corsage.

“Come on! It’s starting!” Greg, my neighbor, hollered from the sidewalk. 

“What’s starting?” I said. Behind him, groups of kids hurried down the street.  

We’d moved to the neighborhood just weeks before. I was shy; a bookworm, waiting for school to start. Greg was the only kid I’d met.

“The magic show!” said Greg, exasperated. “At Mr. Hale’s house!”

At the end of the Hales’ dirt driveway, rows of kids were seated on the grass.

White-haired and very thin, Mr. Hale wore a black top-hat and tails. In his hand he gripped a wand, producing doves from an urn. He asked for a volunteer to be sawed in half. I raised my hand. No one breathed.

“Just relax,” Mr. Hale whispered. “There’s nothing to it.” I got into the box and held my breath.

A collective gasp went up. And when I emerged in one piece, I was a star.

Cat in the Wall

“How’d he get in there?” said Amy, peering into the opening in the basement wall with her hands cupped around her eyes.

“Got me,” I said, taking a look. Barney, our 18-pound Maine Coon, peered up at me with his yellow eyes. The cat had squeezed his massive frame through an opening in the wall that an animal half his size would have had trouble with. He was trapped. 

“What are we going to do?” said Amy. “We can’t just leave him there.”  

A metallic aroma, the scent of panic, perfumed the damp cellar air. She was right. We couldn’t leave him. But we wouldn’t get him out without tearing down the wall, and we were only summer tenants.

The cat let out a mournful meow.  

“Barney’s going to die!” Amy cried. 

So, I brushed the tears away from her little cheeks and grabbed the hammer from the toolbox.

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4830+ Horror Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest . From hauntings and murderers to terrifying creatures from the deep, our collection of horror stories will have you breaking out in cold sweats. Take a look… if you dare.

🏆 Winning stories

“ the gingerbread cookies ” by aaron chin.

🏆 Winner of Contest #230

The Gingerbread Cookies Let’s go downstairs and bake some cookies, like mother used to make. The warm smell sits right at home in your nostrils, invading them like wild ax-murderers hacking and slashing their way through endless miles of human bodies that stand in the way of their inhumane, carnal desires. Shhh, shhh, but that’s too dark. It’s Christmas after all. So let’s go down...

“ Cerulean ” by AnneMarie Miles

🏆 Winner of Contest #224

The door is cerulean, a bright and vibrant blue, but really it is the color of my sudden uneasiness. The feeling creeps up me slowly, jumps out at me dauntingly, and I am frozen in it. If the door were a mirror – and how I wish it were as innocent as a mirror – I would see my face reflected back to me, and it would tell me to run.I’m not sure what’s more jarring: the fact that this door is a clashing contrast to the rest of the library décor, or the fact that I’ve never noticed the path we took to get here before. I supp...

“ Do Flamethrowers Belong In The Library? ” by Kenz Ross

🏆 Winner of Contest #212

We lose people all the time. It’s just the nature of the job. What can you expect from a place full of nooks and crannies people intentionally go to get lost in? I usually don’t worry when I don’t see someone for a while, but when it’s been days since someone’s checked out, it’s usually a sign that I need to step in. I’m not doing this alone, thankfully. No Librarian i...

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“ the unbecoming of belinda blackwell ” by giulietta villalobos.

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #242

There are few places Belinda Blackwell likes to lay down to rest more than upon her husband’s chest. He hadn’t been expecting her. Belinda hadn’t been expecting to be home so soon, either– what with the unpredictability of her father’s illness demanding open schedules from his children, someone on-call at all times lest the old man die without one of them there to hold his hand. When Oscar had come to join them a week early— something about a case closing timely and a stiffening in his shoulders when Belinda enquired about her sister-in...

“ General ” by Hannah Lannswift

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #236

My eyes fly open like I’m waking from the dead. I start up, tossing aside the blanket that had been tangled around my legs. Something woke me up. I kick dirty laundry out of the way and shift my body to sitting up. Head swimming. The sunlight is too bright in the room and I find myself squinting around. When I lean forward, my phone tumbles off my lap, hits the edge of the coffee table, and clatters to the floor...

“ A Decently Modest Proposal ” by Allan Bernal

Hey you! Yes you, reading this story! Don’t worry, this isn’t some piece of meta fiction, I’m dictating what I say to a gracious volunteer who’ll post it for me. I’ve got an offer for you – and no, not like a door to door salesman peddling dull kitchen knives or what have you. You see, my offer is as genuine as a baby’s first laugh. My name is Donald Basemore-Cooper – quite a mouthful I know, my friends c...

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🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE .

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“ no-cloning theorem ” by alyssa li.

Submitted to Contest #244

In physics, the no-cloning theorem states that it is impossible to create an independent and identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, a statement which has profound implications in the field of quantum computing among others. no-cloning theorem It was as if the Elephant God himself whispered eldritch secrets that physically guided him by the hand. On the brink of scientific defiance at a cosmic scale, Enkephalins stood, challenging the physical rules of the world, daring to outsmart the unseen Creator of the universe. His eyes ...

“ Barbequeue ” by J. I. MumfoRD

The row of heads bobbed at a steady pace. Surely not much further. We’ve walked for a while now, and we’re tired from tests and injections.Impossible to say how long we’ve been walking. The corridors pulsed and contracted around us, breathing in time with our shuffling steps. The metal walls glistened with a sickly sweat that beaded and congealed into runnels, adding another layer to the already suffocating miasma. It’s always the same—walk forward, make a sharp left turn, continue forward for another hundred thirty-two paces, make a sharp r...

“ Deceptions' Dance ” by Tori Lowe

The smell of an earthy dark roast coffee permeates through the air, enlightening my sense of smell with pure bliss as I take the last sip. The clock strikes six forty five and I feel the sun rays creating the first beam of light through the coffee shop windows, warming the skin of my face. Just as I am in the midst of daydreaming about my future, A bolt of energy jerks me back into reality, as the sudden chatter of twenty year old’s flood through the doors. I should become a coffee shop owner, they seem to do just fine with business, and I a...

“ Einstein's Nightmare ” by Joseph Ellis

A family takes a trip to a park on the first day of spring: dirt trails, a candy-colored play area, the laughter of children, high sun peeking through tall oak trees. The mother had visited this park before, many years ago, but had forgotten. As she watches her children climb the yellow jungle gym, scale the wooden mockup pirate ship, giggle as they swing on the swing set, she is reminded of that earlier trip, and that memory pulls her into the past. Now this mother watches other children playing on that very same pirate ship decades before....

“ Twisted Tarn ” by AJ Diaz

Standing water, with a mossy green sheen across the top. I stand here, wine in hand. Red wine. Green tarn. The light is reflected from the bottom of the body of water. Green-covered rocks. And the sulfurous smell, though I can’t really smell it. Still. Not good. I need wine to be able to approach the tarn. I dare not do it without alcoholic libation. Though I can barely feel the effects of the alcohol. I am a man of no means, save for the produce that grows on my land. I’ve always loved the land. The deep violet rolling f...

“ The Janus Expedition ” by Nicholas Schramm

Jeremiah . . . Jeremiah . . . JEREMIAH . . . JEREMIAH!!!My eyes snapped open. The foreign voice had brought me out of a strange dream. In it, I’d been floating on the Dead Sea, a place I’ve never been but would love to visit one day. This wasn’t the oddity of the dream, however. While floating, I had been doing . . . nothing. Sitting, bobbing, looking off into the distance but picking up nothing of detail; it had been like I was—“JEREMIAH! ARE YOU WITH ME?”The voice penetrated my skull, reverberating through my brain. I cried out and my han...

“ The Distance from the Sun to the Earth ” by Paul Littler

     A nation planted, so concerned with gain     As the seasons come and go, greater grows the pain     And far too many feelin’ the strain     When will there be a harvest for the world?     ‘Harvest for the World,’ The Isley Brothers      The distance from the Sun to the Earth is approximately ninety-three million miles, or one astronomical unit, which is close to the distance displayed on m...

“ The Quickening of Sarah ” by John Lyden

  I hate this place. Why doesn’t anyone look at me? Aren’t I pretty anymore? It’s probably because I’m stuffed into this dusty corner like an old relic next to these pieces of garbage. No one wants to come over here. Wait! Two suckers are walking in the door.           "I want to find a nice tea service,” the woman said. She was in her mid-fifties, attractive with dark hair and dark eyes. She was smartly dressed and wore glasses. “I don’t know why, you only drink coffee,” the man said. “...

“ Scrambled Parts ” by Audrey Dimmel

Content warning: ableism, eugenics, human experimentation, sexual abuse     Somehow, I always knew I would end up here.     My mother is crying in the other room and the doctor is with her. I can hear them through the door.      “Shh, there there. It’s all right,”     “What the hell? It’s not alright!”     “My apologies. Of course it’s not alright.”     She sobs. “You’re certain?” &nb...

“ Away Day ” by Jed Cope

This dream was strange, even for a dream it was strange. What was stranger was that Mo remembered the dream. Mo knew he dreamt, everyone did, but seldom did he have any recollection of where his mind wandered to at night. Of the dreams that did make themselves known to him, most were those that occurred between his alarm and the small window of snoozing. He didn’t trust those dreams as they were impossibly long for the seven minute window he had available in which to drift off. Maybe they were dreams of dreams. He hoped not, because there wa...

“ Blood Sacrifice ” by Patrick Boey

Submitted to Contest #243

If you listen closely enough, you might just hear the faint whispering of the paintings when a new artwork arrives at The Gallery Diablerie. A stifled laugh here, a murmured rumour there—easy to attribute to any of the gallery’s wealthy clientele or dismiss as a passing echo or the squeak of a wooden floorboard. But when the lights are down and the visitors have departed, the paintings gossip freely amongst themselves, nudging their neighbours and visiting friends on the next landing; exchanging hearsay and dealing judgement; assessing the n...

“ The Final Delivery ” by Frank Lester

People snorting bad shit?Tommy straightened up at the accusation.“My shit? Fuck’em.”Growing up in the projects hardened one’s view of life.“It’s their choice, man. I only sell it. What they do with it . . . who gives a shit?” he said, his voice flat.“The shit you’re putting out on the street is bad. Poison.”Tommy shrugged and went back to stacking the bricks in a large canvas bag.“Yeah. Probably somebody wants a bigger cut and’s spreading bullshit,” he said without looking up.“It ain’t bullshit, Tommy. The cops are shakin’ everyone down. You...

“ SCHISM ” by Hazel October

Ash twitched, wincing, a pain—acid sharp and hot seared through the index and middle fingers on his left hand, they were stuck, jammed between the cubicle door and the marred tile underneath—it must have slammed on his fingers after he’d passed out last night on the floor of the disabled bathroom.  He dared himself to look at his hand and regretted it instantly. Blood pooled down his arm, sticky and warm, bits of it dry and crusted towards his forearm, while the part near his fingers was still fresh and gushing. The fingers themselves h...

“ Sentient Masterpiece ” by Bec Newton

There was an appeal in a museum that I could never quite explain. The expanse of the stone structure, the quiet reverence a building such as this commanded. Everything about it was comforting and felt so permanent and reassuring. The atmosphere held a strange, cool mustiness despite its impeccable cleanliness, like an ancient tomb opened to the world for people to discover its treasures, and I was here to discover them all. My museum was the best. It combined both the treasures of the past with art. The best of both worlds in this ...

“ El Gato de la Muerte ” by Tanya Humphreys

Dominic sipped espresso as he watched the cat. The thing was all angular bones under tufted black fur, it slunk low to the ground, making Dom think of the Grinch as it stole the Whos’ Joy. Looking at this poor creature, Dom felt his own joy ebbing away. The thin dark woman selling fish tacos flapped her apron, “Sal de aqui!” she screeched as the cat did also. Dom went to the woman’s stall and pointed at the fried fish. She narrowed her eyes as she assessed his station in life. She could have been 30, she could have been 50, her skin was taut...

The Best Horror Short Stories

Horror stories. What is it that you think of first? Maybe it’s malevolent, otherworldly spirits. Or perhaps it’s psychopaths, serial killers, and struggling writers driven mad by a deserted hotel? Whatever it is, there’s one thing that unites you and every other horror lover out there — adrenaline. You know the feeling: your skin crawls, your heart pounds, a shiver runs down your spine. And, as all the best horror story writers will tell you, the cause of this feeling isn’t just the presence of a monster, but the creation of suspense. 

That’s where short stories come in. Think Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft: some of their best horrors take the form of a short story. Tales that climb steadily towards a dark and horrific denouement. The kind of thing that, if you’re brave enough, you’d tell your friends around a campfire — a torch casting spooky shadows on your face. 

Looking for some spine-chilling horror stories?

If you’re into creepy stories that keep you awake at night, then look no further than our collection of short horror stories, compiled from submissions to our weekly writing contest. Here we’ve gathered together all the scary stories that made us want to lock our laptops in a cupboard and hide under the blankets. And at the top of the page, is the cream of the crop: horror stories that have either won our competition or been shortlisted. 

Lots of promising new writers have emerged from this collection, deftly creating atmosphere and building that all-important suspense. So who knows? You might just discover the next Stephen King. And if you enjoy this collection of horror stories, then why not try your hand at writing your own? You could join this week’s short story contest , and walk away with the cash prize — and a shot at publication in Prompted , our new literary magazine!

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How to Write a Ghost Story

Last Updated: March 4, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Grant Faulkner, MA . Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.  This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 221,458 times.

Many people enjoy a good ghost story and writing your own can be just as enjoyable. Ghost stories generally follow the patterns of other fictional work, focusing on a character and their encounters with a challenging force or event. However, ghost stories have a close focus on evoking feelings of terror and dread, building them up into a horrifying climax. Learning some of the ideas and techniques behind good ghost stories can help you create your own terrifying tales.

Developing Your Plot

• Think about which situations meeting a ghost would be most terrifying.
• Imagine the details of the ghost and how it haunts you, noting what scares you the most.
• Try watching your favorite horror films or reading other ghost stories to get inspired.

• What locations do you find disturbing or discomforting?
• Your setting should have a feeling of isolation, cutting the main characters off from help.

• Stasis. This is the introduction to your story and it demonstrates the normal life of your characters.
• Trigger. This event is something that pushes your character out of their normal life.
• Quest. This is where your character is given a goal or something they must do.
• Surprise. This will take up the middle section of your story and will be the events along the way towards your heroes goal.
• Critical choice. Your protagonist will need to make a hard choice that demonstrates their character.
• Climax. This is the moment your story was building up to and the most dramatic moment of the story.
• Reversal. This should be the consequence to your character's critical choice or the main challenge.
• Resolution. This point is where your characters return to everyday life but are changed from the ordeal.

• Write your outline in a chronological ordering of events.
• Don't leave any gaps in the narrative for your outline.
• Try to think about each scene and examine how they work together.
• If writing an entire ghost story seems overwhelming at first, try writing a 100-word ghost story to warm up. You get 100 words to write something truly creepy and unsettling. It takes less time, and you won't have to worry as much about outlining and pacing.

• Don't rush to reveal the confrontation or climax of your ghost story.
• Building the tension of the story slowly can make the climax even more intense.

Developing Your Characters

• Try to think of why your character is in the situation they are.
• Imagine how your character would react to the events in your story.
• Try to get a clear mental picture of what your character looks like.

• Your ghost will need a reason or motive for existing and doing what they do.
• Ghosts come in different forms, being more or less physical or having different powers.

• Foils usually have different personalities than the main characters in order to highlight the individual characteristics.
• Your supporting characters should also have their own unique qualities and personalities.
• Ask yourself what relationships these characters might have with the main characters of your ghost story.

Writing Your Ghost Story

• ”The ghost appeared and I was frightened” is an example of telling the reader what's happening.
• ”The ghost appeared and my stomach tightened up in knots. I could feel my face break out in a sweat and my heart trying to leap out from my chest.” is an example of showing the reader what's happening.

• For example, “The ghost was ten feet tall and exactly as wide as the door that it came through.” is probably too direct.
• Try saying something like “The ghost was enormous, making the room suddenly feel claustrophobic and tight.”

• Consider ending your story in a single sentence.
• Offering too much explanation at the end of your ghost story can lessen the impact of your ending.

Community Q&A

• Think about what scares you the most and let those fears inspire your ghost story. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Have a clear understanding of what and who your characters are. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Setting is an important part of your ghost story that can either enhance or detract from the feelings of terror you are trying to evoke. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• You don't have to write about a human ghost. Try writing about a ghost animal or some other supernatural being.

Things You'll Need

• Pen or pencil

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/there-are-no-rules/the-horror-genre-on-writing-horror-and-avoiding-cliches
• ↑ https://www.writers-online.co.uk/how-to-write/how-to-write-a-ghost-story/
• ↑ http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story
• ↑ https://atomlearning.com/blog/6-ways-to-build-suspense-and-tension-in-writing
• ↑ https://mythcreants.com/blog/three-ways-you-can-use-description-to-mess-with-your-readers/

About This Article

To write a ghost story, start by thinking about what you find scary about ghosts. Additionally, since atmosphere plays a large part in ghost stories, imagine the creepiest location you can think of for the setting. Next, work on your story’s arc, which includes the introduction, the climactic moment, and the resolution. As you draft your story, think about what you want to show your reader and what you want to leave up to their imagination, since readers will automatically fill in details with their own mind. To learn how to finish your ghost story, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Spooky Tales: 13 Ghost Stories in English You Don’t Want to Miss

Are you ready to get scared?

Being scared by a story , movie , or anything else you know is not real can be fun and exciting.

There are many different ghost stories, urban legends and horror tales in the English language.

Reading is an excellent way to learn English better, so why not learn and get spooked (scared) at the same time?

Why Do We Love Ghost Stories?

How to learn english from scary stories, 13 spooky english ghost stories that’ll keep you up at night, 1. “the legend of sleepy hollow”, 2. “the monkey’s paw”, 3. “the diary of mr. poynter”, 4. “the tell-tale heart”, 5. “the haunting of hill house”, 6. “the shining”, 7. “the screaming skull”, 8. “the woman in black”, 9. “the bone key”, 10. “the graveyard book”, 11. real ghost stories, 12. two-sentence horror stories, 13. “the big book of ghost stories”, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Ghosts, ghouls, monsters and all sorts of supernatural beings have fascinated humans for many years. There have been countless horror stories written, or just told around a campfire to excite and scare. But why do we love scary stories so much?

Famous author Neil Gaiman puts it perfectly on Brain Pickings : “Fear is a wonderful thing, in small doses.”

There is something comforting about knowing that what you’re reading or watching  is not actually real. You can experience the physical and mental effects of fear, without being in any actual danger.

It’s like when you watch scary movies or shows on Netflix: You know they’re not real, but you can let yourself get lost in the stories.

Reading scary stories can be a bit like watching them on screen. But when you read, you rely (depend) completely on your imagination to picture the characters, the scenery and the events of the story.

You create the thrill of fear in your own mind.

Reading a ghost story lets you have fun with fear, instead of being afraid or stressed over the real things in your life.

In other words, scary stories are harmless but exciting, and that makes them fun!

You can always just read the stories below and enjoy them. But to really learn from them, there are a few tips you should follow.

• Read with a notebook. We know it ruins the effect, but to learn from the story you’re reading, you should read with pen and paper nearby. Use these to write down any words or parts you don’t understand.
• Read things twice. Read once for vocabulary, and a second time for understanding. This is a great way to read books and stories that are a bit higher than your current learning level. If you learn what a word means, you will understand the story better when you read it a second time, and be getting practice with the new words.
• Learn the cultural impact. Many ghost stories use ideas that have been around for a long time, and some have been repeated or rewritten into modern culture—like the jack-o’-lantern from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which you’ll find on the list. Take the time to look up ways in which the stories you read have been reused in culture, or what the stories themselves can tell you about the culture it comes from. For instance, the American idea of a ghost is a bit different from the Chinese. Do you know how ? Learning interesting things about the culture of the language you’re studying can help you understand it a lot better.
• Ask questions. You already know that you should ask questions if you don’t understand something. But you should also ask questions to understand better. As you read, ask questions like “What’s going to happen next?” and “What made that story so scary?” Reading and discussing books helps you improve your English for everyday conversation .
• Enjoy what you read. Once you learn enough about the words the story uses, you can get into the actual story. Don’t forget to enjoy what you’re reading!
• Watch spooky videos too! Streaming services like Netflix or YouTube can be a great way to experience spooky stories and other exciting video content in English . This is useful for practicing your listening skills and pronunciation . A language learning program like FluentU lets you watch English clips about various subjects (including about Halloween and spooky topics).

Some of the best ghost stories are classics, and many are old. Below is a list of some of our favorite spooky stories in the English language. Some of the older stories might be a challenge, but since many are available to read for free, you can at least give them a try. Enjoy!

Written by: Washington Irving

Skill level: This story is old, so it uses some old language which may be difficult for beginners.

On his way home from a party, a schoolteacher meets with a terrifying headless horseman. This famous story is a favorite on Halloween nights, especially since the head of the horseman is often shown as a jack-o’-lantern (a carved pumpkin face with a light inside). This story has also been turned into a movie .

Find the book here or read it free here .

Written by: W. W. Jacobs

Skill level: Another old story, this one is easier to understand, although you may need to look up some words that are not commonly used anymore.

A man gets a monkey’s paw that will grant him three wishes—but these wishes have terrible consequences (results). More creepy than scary, “The Monkey’s Paw” has been used many times in other stories, movies , TV shows, and many other places. It message is “be careful what you wish for!”

Written by: M. R. James

Skill level:  This is an older story, though it’s accessible to intermediate level learners.

This story has given birth to a creepy urban legend that is retold many times: You stroke the head of your dog while your attention is on something else… then suddenly remember you don’t have a dog. M. R. James is a great author of short ghost and horror stories that might not have any blood or violence, but will still make you scared to turn off the lights in the dark.

Find the book of short stories here .

Written by: Edgar Allan Poe

Skill level: Poe’s writings are simple and clear, and should be understandable for early intermediate learners.

A man is haunted by the beating of a dead man’s heart. Edgar Allan Poe is very well known for his horror stories, many of which are about the darkness inside humans and not actual monsters. Horror story lovers should read at least one of his stories!

Written by: Shirley Jackson

Skill level: This is a full book, not a short story. The language is not too difficult but the writing style can be a little tough to get used to.

Four people come to Hill House hoping to get evidence that the house is haunted. But the house is not only haunted, it’s looking for its next victim, and it has chosen one of the four to make its own.

Written by: Stephen King

Skill level: Modern, clear writing makes this a good book for learners of any skill. Watch out for some obscenities (offensive/vulgar words or behaviors).

A man is left in charge of a hotel during winter months when it’s closed, along with his wife and his son. Something is strange about the hotel, though, and it begins to affect the minds of everyone—with some terrible results. Stephen King is a modern master of the horror genre, and this book is a great read even if you’ve watched the classic movie .

Find the book here .

Written by: F. Marion Crawford

Skill level: The language and writing style can be tough to follow, but Crawford’s writing is varied. So if you don’t like or understand one story, try a different one.

A man finds a skull in his house, which screams every time he tries to remove it. He learns to live with it, until a visitor comes to the house, and even stranger things start to happen. Crawford’s other stories are just as weird and scary.

Find the book here or read free it here .

Written by: Susan Hill

Skill level: Hill loves long sentences, which might be difficult to follow. The writing is not too advanced, though.

A lawyer is sent to handle the affairs of an old house, but the house is more that it seems and hides many secrets and ghosts. You can also watch the movie version of this book, starring Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry Potter).

Written by: Sarah Monette

Skill level: Clear and simple writing makes this a good choice for any level, though it does contain plenty of vocabulary words.

A stuttering museum archivist wants nothing to do with the supernatural, but for some reason ghosts and ghouls just keep coming to him. In a series of connected short stories, Monette creates a strange world not too far from our own, and a very likeable character.

Written by: Neil Gaiman

Skill level: There are some challenging words, but it was written with young adult readers in mind, which means it is good for learners of any level.

A young boy is raised in a graveyard, where ghosts and apparitions are the normal, and the real monsters might just be the living humans. Neil Gaiman is a great storyteller who creates worlds of magic and reality, where something dark is around every corner.

Written by: Many different people

Skill level: It depends on each story! Browse around and find something for you level.

Some books claim they’re based on real stories. On this website, you can find stories submitted by real people, about real strange things they’ve seen. Some are well written stories, and others are more like conversational blog posts. All are about real events—a great way to get spooked on Halloween night.

Find the stories free here .

Written by: Reddit users

Skill level: The level varies a little, but since there are only two sentences to each story, they are mostly simple and easy to understand.

“What is the best horror story you can come up with in just two sentences?” This is the question someone asked on Reddit, an online commenting and sharing community. Many of the top-rated stories are truly creepy, and manage to create a terrifying story in less than a paragraph.

Find the stories free here , or if Reddit is too confusing, see a free collection of the best stories here .

Written by: Many different authors

Skill level: This collection is so huge, there’s something for everyone here!

If you just can’t make up your mind about which ghost story to read, you can always just get them all! This massive collection of ghost stories has almost 1,000 pages, including classics, old and new stories. There are plenty of creepy, spooky and scary stories for any kind of reader.

Light a candle and turn out all the lights, because it’s time for some spooky reading!

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How to Write Scary Ghost Stories that Terrify Your Readers

by James Colton

https://www.jamescolton.com/articles/how-to-write-ghost-stories/

Fear is one of the hardest reactions to provoke in writing. Just flip through the pages of any ghost story anthology; how many of them are genuinely scary ? It takes more than tortured groans, rattling chains, and a splattering of gore; anyone can do that . But the art of raising goose bumps? That is an elusive art indeed. If you can write a scary ghost story, you can write anything. Are you ready to inspire nightmares? Then follow me…

Fear of the Unknown

People don’t fear death. No one’s afraid of ghosts. Monsters, murderers, darkness—none of the horror staples are really terrifying. If you rely on your audience being scared simply because your story includes any of the above, you’re doomed to fail. Instead, you must understand where terror truly lies.

Everyone fears the unknown.

People don’t know what comes after death, so they get scared. They don’t know what’s making that noise in the other room, so they call it a ghost and get scared. Darkness could be hiding anything—what exactly, we don’t know—so we get scared.

We fear what we can’t understand. That’s why a touch on your shoulder when you’re all alone is so frightening: it should be impossible. The best ghost stories take full advantage of this. You won’t see the ghost; you’ll only hear it, smell it, feel it. A ghost is like the wind; you see a curtain flutter, and the question remains in your mind, what is it?

When writing your ghost story, don’t be afraid of withholding information. Your readers, by the very act of reading, have activated their imaginations. Use this against them! Don’t bog them down with long descriptions of a gruesome specter; instead, use simple words to sketch a vague impression. Your readers will imagine the rest, filling in the gaps with whatever scares them most.

Another way you can introduce an element of the unknown is to limit how often you use trope words. If you’re constantly mentioning ghosts or vampires, then the reader knows exactly what they’re up against. By not attaching a label to your entity, you produce doubt. Doubt makes people uncomfortable, which makes them easier to scare.

Examples of the Unknown

Something is not right.

Why is it that one smile can put you at ease, while another makes you want to get out of the room as quickly as possible? Does it reveal just a few too many teeth? Are the eyes above it just a little bit soulless? Is the accompanying laughter a tad too enthusiastic?

We may not be able to tell what , but something is…off. Something friendly has been distorted. You were climbing a familiar staircase, and the last step was missing. You were listening to a pleasant tune, but that one note—was it off-key? What’s wrong with this picture?

This is a natural extension of our fear of the unknown. A defense mechanism. It tips us off that someone around us bears a sickness that we don’t want to catch, that someone is pretending to be something they’re not. In the realm of robotics and computer graphics, it is called the uncanny valley . When something comes so close to being real, but falls short in some subtle way. This is why mannequins, dolls, and clowns are common phobias.

So how can you leverage this in your ghost story? There’s the obvious: characters with slightly deformed features or unnatural movements. Houses with strange angles. Unexpected behavior works as well.

Then there’s the more subtle: mentioning a detail that would be innocuous anywhere else, but in this particular scenario is out of place. There’s nothing quite like a child’s laughter—especially coming from your basement at 3 in the morning. Is it really a child? Or something like a child?

You can also work it into your writing style. Phrase something in an odd way. Intentionally break the rules of grammar. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll come across as illiterate instead of terrifying.

Examples of the Uncanny

Sinister whispers.

What are the most iconic ghosts you can think of? How are they described? I’ll bet the words that just drifted through your mind weren’t college-level terms like ectoplasmic , ominous , or stygian . Rather, you probably imagined something white, something tall, a shadow.

You reached for simple terms that your brain could instantly understand.

Amateur writers often gravitate toward heavy descriptions. This is likely the result of high-school English teachers encouraging them to be more creative and expand their vocabulary. But let me remind you of a very important fact: you aren’t writing a ghost story to impress your high-school English teacher. You’re not trying to prove how clever you are.

You’re trying to scare people.

At best, advanced or overly descriptive words are harder to process. At worst, they lead to overwriting and the dreaded pit of silliness.

Simple words, on the other hand, are subtle. They conjure clear sensations in our minds, sensations that we didn’t expect. If you’ve set up your scene properly, everyday words that are innocent by themselves will take on new, sinister meanings.

If you have trouble with this, Lean on the basic structure of the English sentence: subject, verb, object.

He opened the door. The room was dark. He stepped inside. Something dripped on his shoulder. He looked up.

If you need something more, pick a single adjective and apply it to either the subject or the object. Don’t apply anything to the verb; it should stand on its own. If it doesn’t, you either used the wrong verb, or the preceding sentences didn’t set up the right context.

Examples of Subtlety

Do you feel afraid.

Emotion is vital in any form of literature, but especially ghost stories. Remember, the end goal is to make your reader feel what the protagonist is feeling: pure, unbridled terror.

Simply telling the reader that your character is scared isn’t enough. You’ve heard the adage “show, don’t tell.” When writing about emotions, try forbidding yourself from using words like:

• Scared/Scary
• Horror/Horrified
• Terror/Terrified

Instead, show the character’s fear by writing what their body is doing. Write exactly what they’re hearing or smelling, even if it’s only in their head.

But the protagonist is only half of the emotional equation. The other half is the ghost. The scariest ghosts always project some kid of emotion. It doesn’t matter what that emotion is as long as it’s dangerous:

• Frustration

A dangerous emotion doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative one. It could be a positive thing taken in a bad direction. Dysfunctional love, overzealous affection—as long as the ghost’s emotions project some kind of threat, you have the makings a terrifying specter.

Fear isn’t the only emotion you can use when writing a ghost story. Try enhancing the terror with sadness, depression, or anger. Positive emotions can have a tremendous impact as well. Offer a glimmer of hope, then replace it with something awful. The contrast can be unnerving.

Examples of Emotion

A dreadful descent.

Fear must be built up gradually. Think of it like you’re taking the reader on a journey from the safety of their world to the nightmare of yours. Like any journey, it’s a transition from point A to point B. If you skip that transition by presenting your scariest scene right up front, it won’t have any effect. The audience is still comfortably seated at point A: a soft armchair by a warm fire.

That’s not to say you can never start with a spooky scene—in fact, it’s a good way to catch the audience’s interest and entice them to keep reading. Just make sure you save the best for last. Wait until the reader has gotten out of their comfy chair; wait until they’re curled up in the cold, damp corner of the basement. Once a reader is primed, they’re much easier to scare.

This priming process is called foreboding . It’s similar to the more common literary device of foreshadowing, but with an emphasis on the ominous. It helps your reader suspend their disbelief and gradually draws them into your nightmare world.

Start small. In a ghost story, this is the quiet noise, unexpected but not altogether unusual, that the protagonist dismisses, attributing it to natural causes.

Then go a little bit bigger. A more demanding noise that piques the protagonist’s curiosity. Perhaps they investigate, but once more can only shrug their shoulders and move on with life.

Then one night the noise becomes a knocking. Maybe someone is at the front door? But the protagonist looks and no one is there. Now they’re nervous, and maybe the reader is too.

The next night, however, the knocking comes not from the distant front door, but the protagonist’s own bedroom door.

And the wood begins to splinter.

Examples of Foreboding

The end…or is it.

If you want to make your ghost story truly memorable, it needs a killer ending. You want your reader to keep thinking about the story long after they’ve finished it—after the lights are out, when they’re trying to sleep.

The key is to put your scariest scene last. Your scariest scene isn’t necessarily the one in which your character’s life is in the most danger. This is the horror genre, after all; death is expected. Rather, your scariest scene is the one in which your character’s identity , sanity , or relationships are in the most danger.

This may mean leaving the reader with a disturbing question or a terrifying revelation. These reveals will threaten the character’s understanding of the world and trigger the darkest aspects of your reader’s imagination.

Putting your scariest scene last might require a non-linear narration. If your scariest scene takes place three quarters of the way through your story, write around it, then use a flashback at the end to explore the scene in greater detail.

If you’re having trouble coming up with an impactful twist for your ending, try asking yourself these questions:

• What single fact would make this good situation bad, or this bad situation worse?
• What detail would alter the character’s understanding of the situation in a terrifying way?
• How can the situation force the character into a choice?
• How can that choice be bad no matter what the character chooses?

Regardless of how you end your ghost story, be careful not to overextend the ending. After the big reveal, it may be tempting to offer further explanation, but this can dampen the effect. Don’t be afraid to leave some things up to the reader’s imagination. Leave some questions unanswered, some conflicts unresolved. This produces doubt in the reader and forces them to think about your story late into the night.

Examples of Endings

Writing a good ghost story is hard, but when your readers say they can no longer walk down dark hallways and complain of trouble sleeping, that feeling is totally worth it!

To sum up, here are the main things to keep in mind when writing a ghost story:

• Use the unknown to turn your readers’ imagination against them
• Exploit the uncanny valley to make your readers uncomfortable
• Write simple language to paint a sinister picture
• Create empathy to manipulate your readers’ emotions
• Build the fear gradually before springing your scariest scene

Finally, the most important advice I can give you is this: read . Immerse yourself in the genre, and you’ll find you naturally improve. A good place to start would be my own library of horror stories .

10 of the Best Gothic Horror Short Stories to Read Online

Whether it’s vampires or werewolves or mysterious patterns in wallpaper, writers of Gothic short stories have used all sorts of horrors and frights to chill our blood, ever since the horror short story developed in the early nineteenth century. Below, we pick ten of the very best Gothic horror tales which you can find online. None of these is a particularly long read, and they’re all classics of the genre.

1. E. T. A. Hoffmann, ‘ The Sandman ’.

The character of the Sandman from folklore supposedly throws sand into the eyes of children to get them to go to sleep, but Hoffmann’s creation is much more unsettling – indeed, ‘uncanny’, as Freud realised.

In Hoffmann’s tale, published in 1816, the Sandman can supposedly steal the eyes of children, at least according to Nathanael, the story’s doomed protagonist. Hoffmann’s tale features romance, death, sinister visits to children’s bedrooms, and lots of other things to keep anyone awake at night!

2. Washington Irving, ‘ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ’.

Memorably filmed by Tim Burton in a 1999 adaptation that changed a number of details of Irving’s original story, this tale is, along with ‘Rip Van Winkle’, Irving’s best-known work, and was first published in 1820.

A classic American Gothic story, ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ is about a secluded grove (the ‘Sleepy Hollow’ of the title) in a fictional New York town, which is reportedly full of ghosts – most famously, a spectral figure known as the Headless Horseman. However, the protagonist of this American folk tale is Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster, who has designs on a local girl whom he wishes to marry so he can acquire her father’s wealth.

These two elements – the ‘courtship plot’ and the ghostly atmosphere of Sleepy Hollow – come together in a story shot through with peculiarly American detail, making it the New World’s answer to the European tales of the Brothers Grimm. Indeed, Irving was influenced by German folk tales for both this and ‘Rip Van Winkle’, and he actually wrote the story while living in Birmingham, England.

3. Edgar Allan Poe, ‘ The Fall of the House of Usher ’.

No pick of the best Gothic horror short stories would be complete without something from Poe (1809-49), who helped to pioneer the short story form (and has even been credited with introducing the term ‘short story’ itself into the language).

Many of Poe’s finest Gothic stories can be viewed as Gothic novels in miniature, and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ are prime examples. The latter of these is regularly named one of Poe’s best stories. The story combines the Gothic house, the old aristocratic family on its last legs, the idea of the dead returning to life, and various other hallmarks of classic Gothic fiction. Go and have your spine chilled with this classic tale.

4. Charles Dickens, ‘ The Signal-Man ’.

5. Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘ The Body Snatcher ’.

This 1884 tale, written after Stevenson had become a huge celebrity following the success of Treasure Island a year before, features characters based on criminals who were employed by the real-life surgeon Robert Knox (1791–1862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828). The story predates Stevenson’s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , and shows his skill at creating an authentic setting against which the tale’s grisly events take place.

6. W. W. Jacobs, ‘ The Monkey’s Paw ’.

‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is a modern fairy tale, and indeed fairy tales and magical stories from the Arabian Nights (featuring djinn, or genies, who can grant wishes) are both mentioned by characters in the story. As in many classic fairy tales, the number three is invested with great narrative significance: there are three members of the White family, three men can use the monkey’s paw to request wishes, and each man gets three wishes.

It was first published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in September 1902 and proved instantly popular, being reprinted later that same year and adapted for the stage a year later. The story inspired similar story-lines in both The Monkees and The Simpsons .

We have analysed this classic horror story here .

7. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘ Lot No. 249 ’.

One of the best Gothic short stories on the subject of Egyptology, this 1892 tale shows why Conan Doyle was such a master of the short-story form.

Written when ‘Egyptomania’ – European interest in all things from ancient Egypt – was at its height in late Victorian England, this tale features a reanimated mummy in what might be regarded as a riff on both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Conan Doyle’s own Sherlock Holmes stories (there is an element of mystery and suspense in the story, with the full truth only become apparent during the story’s dramatic denouement).

8. Rudyard Kipling, ‘ The Mark of the Beast ’.

Perhaps no pick of classic Gothic horror stories would be complete without at least one werewolf tale, or story about lycanthropy. This early story by Rudyard Kipling, written when he was still in his early twenties and living in India, is our choice. Andrew Lang called the story ‘poisonous stuff which has left an extremely disagreeable impression on my mind’, while William Sharp recommended the story be burnt as a ‘detestable piece of work’.

9. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ‘ The Yellow Wallpaper ’.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around, since he has forbidden her to write until she is well again, believing it will overexcite her. Through a series of short instalments, we learn more about the narrator’s situation, and her treatment at the hands of her doctor husband and her sister-in-law.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a Gothic horror story – it ends with the husband taking an axe to the bedroom door where his cowering wife is imprisoned – but the twist is that she has imprisoned herself in her deluded belief that she is protecting her husband from the ‘creeping women’ from behind the wallpaper, and he is prepared to beat down the door with an axe out of genuine concern for his sick wife.

We have analysed this story here .

10. Algernon Blackwood, ‘ The Wendigo ’.

Blackwood (1869-1951) was an important figure in early twentieth-century horror fiction: among other things, he created John Silence, a doctor-cum-paranormal-detective, for a series of entertainingly weird stories.

But Blackwood’s standalone horror stories are also well worth reading. Here, we’ve selected ‘The Wendigo’ (1910), which is one of the longer short stories on this list. Set amongst the Canadian wilderness, the story is about a group of men who go camping and the mysterious disappearance – and return – of one of their group.

4 thoughts on “10 of the Best Gothic Horror Short Stories to Read Online”

Mmmm I’d have included at least one more of Poe’s (The Masque maybe? The pit and the pendulum?) and possibly Young Goodman Brown, by Hawthorne.

Excellent selection. I’d vote for The Queen of Spades by Pushkin too. Is it significant how many of these writers had miserable lives ? This may have given them an affinity for the gothic.

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My goodness…no Angela Carter? Surely ‘The Company of Wolves’ deserves putting on the list?!

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25+ Ghost Story Prompts

Need a scary ghost story to tell over the campfire? Today we bring over 25 ghost story prompts to inspire you to write your own paranormal short story or novel.

A ghost story is a type of horror story that emphasises the theme of the supernatural, apparitions, and otherworldly ghost-like creatures. Generally revolving around death, hauntings or the afterlife. This genre often has an uncanny air about it, producing feelings of fear, dread, and the unfamiliar. A ghost story is one of the oldest forms of literature and can be found in all cultures.

If you’re looking for some new ideas for your next ghost story, these 25+ paranormal story prompts are perfect for writers of all levels. You might also find this ghost name generator useful.

The spookiest time of year is here, and that means it’s time for ghost stories! Whether you’re writing a ghost story for Halloween , a seasonal short story , or even a standalone novel, these ghost story prompts are a great place to start:

• A young woman moves into an old house and finds herself in a terrifying situation with her new roommate, a ghost. The only way to escape is to get out of the house alive.
• A man is haunted by his past and must face the demons that come back to haunt him.
• A group of college students decide to spend their summer vacation in a cabin in the woods. But what starts as a fun vacation turns deadly when they realize that the woods aren’t quite as safe as they thought.
• Use this story starter for a ghost story: The first time I saw it, I was only six. It was night and I was playing in my granddad’s garden when I heard this weird sound coming from the forest. I followed the sound and found myself in the middle of a circle of tall trees. It was so dark that I could barely see my hands in front of me. Suddenly, something grabbed my leg.
• A woman is haunted by the ghosts of her ancestors, but she must learn to accept her fate and embrace the spirits before they are all gone forever.
• An orphaned boy is taken in by a family of ghosts after his parents die in a fire. They teach him how to use his supernatural abilities to help people in need. But soon the boy starts using these powers for evil.
• A group of teenagers visit their favourite haunted house during the Halloween season, but they never make it home again.
• A couple gets married on Halloween night and discovers that their marriage is cursed. They must solve the mystery of the ghost bride to break the curse.
• A boy finds a box of his grandfather’s old slides in the attic, and when he goes back to school, he starts seeing his grandfather’s ghost everywhere.
• A man hears strange sounds coming from his attic, and he’s determined to find out what they are. He sneaks up to the attic to investigate, but when he does, he stumbles upon something much more frightening than he could have imagined.
• An abandoned mansion on a lonely island is rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of a pirate who was hung for his crimes. A group of friends decide to spend the night in the mansion, and they quickly learn that there’s more than one kind of ghost in the house.
• A family moves back into their old family home where their son died years ago. The father becomes obsessed with finding out who killed his son. He believes he knows who the murderer is but no one will believe him.
• A man is tormented by a ghostly hitchhiker. He is forced to take them on a road trip until they reach their final destination…a mysterious abandoned town.
• A family moves into an old Victorian home, where the previous owner mysteriously disappeared after getting locked in one of the rooms. Now the family is trapped inside by a malevolent entity.
• A man is on his way home from work when he is attacked by a group of ghosts. He manages to escape, but now he has a few more problems than he started with.
• Use this story starter for a ghost story: I woke up in the middle of the night, and I felt a cold hand touching my face. I tried to scream, but my voice wouldn’t come out. Then, I felt a sharp pain in my neck.
• My father told me about his experience while we were driving home. He said he saw a dead girl walking towards him just after I was born, but when he got closer, she disappeared. He thought if was imagining things at the time.
• My father used to scare me at night. One time he came into my bedroom and woke me up, telling me to come downstairs. He took me to the living room, and there he told me that a ghost had put a curse on me.
• It was the most beautiful cemetery ever. People would come from far away just to walk through the grounds. There was a rumour about a ghost that roamed the graveyard at night.
• A teenage girl is forced to spend her summer with her grandmother who believes she can communicate with ghosts.
• A young woman moves into an apartment next door to an old house where she hears a woman screaming and sees a little girl standing in the window.
• A woman hears a baby crying in her house, but she can’t find it. She keeps hearing it crying in another room, so she goes to check on it. When she opens the door, there is no baby there. But then, the door slams shut and locks itself.
• A girl is staying at her grandmother’s house with her family for the night. She is sleeping in her grandmother’s bed, but she can’t get comfortable. Every time she falls asleep, she wakes up to see her dead grandmother sitting on the edge of her bed.
• A woman is walking down a deserted road when she sees a figure standing in front of her. It turns out to be an old man in a top hat, holding a cane. He says to her, “Hello, young lady. My name is John Marley. I am a spirit from the other side.”
• One night, a mother wakes up to hear her son crying in their room. When she goes into his room, he is not there. She looks everywhere for him and calls out his name. The only answer she gets is a terrible scream that echoes throughout the house.
• In a small village, there lived a woman who was very lonely. Her husband had passed away and she was left all alone with her two sons. The boys were grown and had families of their own. The woman was so lonely that she began talking to herself. “I’m all alone,” she said to no one in particular. “I’m all alone.” And then she hears a voice.
• There was once a man who lived by the beach. He loved the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. One day, he decided to go for a walk on the beach and ended up drowning. When he died, he came back as a ghost. Every night, he would come back to the place where he drowned, and stand there.
• There was once a little girl who loved to play hide and seek. One day, while playing, she got separated from her family. She found a tree stump and went behind it, but when she peeked around the edge, she saw that no one was there. The stump began to move, and suddenly the girl felt herself being lifted off the ground and into the air. As she looked at the tree stump, she noticed that it had eyes. The eyes were staring right at her. Then, before she could scream, the tree stump opened its mouth.

For more spooky ideas, check out this list of over 110 horror story ideas .

How do you write a ghost story?

The basic structure of a ghost story includes an opening sequence that presents the reader with a situation that seems normal but is actually supernatural in nature. The protagonist then encounters the ghost and experiences events that are often strange and frightening, leading up to a climax where the ghost is defeated or disappears. Writing a ghost story is the same as writing a horror story . Before you start writing you need a good ghost story plot idea, like the list above. Both ghost stories and horror stories have a set of characters, a spooky setting, an opening, a middle part and a dramatic ending. 

What is the shortest ghost story?

The shortest ghost story is just two sentences long. It was written by Frederic Brown in 1948. The story reads: “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door …” Just by reading these two sentences, we can imagine a scary situation. There are two key themes used here, the fear of loneliness and the surprise element at the end. Both these are important themes in ghost stories.

What makes a ghost story scary?

Ghost stories are typically scary as they focus on death and going into the unknown. But the key to a scary ghost story is fear. It is important to make the reader feel uneasy or frightened. Here are some key elements of a good ghost story:

• An encounter with a ghost or spirit
• A supernatural force that can be both good and evil
• Sense of dread
• The feeling of being watched or followed
• Feeling helpless
• Being lonely or lost

Just like all stories, a ghost story must include these basic elements of a story : Characters, Setting, Plot, Conflict and Resolution.

How do you finish a ghost story?

Most ghost stories end with the haunting being explained away as something natural. This explanation can be a spiritual one (the ghost was a real person who died), or it can be a psychological one (the ghost was a product of the protagonist’s mind). The ghost story can also end with no explanation at all. Some ghost stories don’t even bother to give an explanation for the haunting, but let the reader figure it out themselves.

Did you find this list of over 25 ghost story prompts useful? Let us know in the comments below! 

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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"The Left Right Game"

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"Selfies," by Lavie Tidhar

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"Abraham's Boys," by Joe Hill

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"All the Fabulous Beasts," by Priya Sharma

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"Haunted," by Harris Tobias

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"A Perfectly Normal Interview with Carmen Maria Machado Where Everything Is Fine"

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From The Haunting of Hill House to We Have Always Lived in the Castle , Shirley Jackson made a career out of forging terrifying, but thought-provoking, tales. "The Lottery" is her most famous short story and a staple in school curricula—for good reason. Read what happens when a community perpetuates a twisted tradition.

"The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains," by Neil Gaiman

If it's a Neil Gaiman story, you know you're in for an enchanting, magical, and yes—slightly creepy ride. This short story, in particular, begins with an extremely evocative opening; the kind that teases a story you'll read in one sitting. Follow along as our unnamed protagonist searches through dark caves to find what he's looking for, and encounter what he isn't.

"The Yellow Ranch," by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Kali Fajardo-Anstine's short story follows a 20-something-year-old woman living in a remote desert house with a mind of its own—literally. While there are horrors in this story, they're not supernatural but an all-too-common kind.

"The Doll," by Daphne DuMaurier

Rebecca author Daphne DuMaurier wrote "The Doll" when she was 20 years old. Then, it was lost for approximately 70 years, only resurfacing in 2010. The legend around "The Doll" is but an appetizer for the delightfully creepy story itself, which foreshadows DuMaurier's career as an author of unforgettable gothic fiction.

"The Lady of the House of Love," by Angela Carter

If you are looking for a great gothic story about vampirism, look no further than "The Lady of the House of Love." This short from renowned author Angela Carter follows a female vampire queen on her quest to find her next victim.

"Patient Zero," by Tananarive Due

In "Patient Zero" we meet Jay, a little boy who has been in the hospital for a long, long time. In fact, Jay is not allowed to leave. But why are the doctors and nurses going to such lengths to keep Jay locked away, and who really is the danger? Tananarive Due asks these questions and more in this short, thrilling tale.

"Hello, Moto," by Nnedi Okorafor

"Hello, Moto" is a short story about three best friends, each in possession of a magical wig. While the wearers planned to use their powers for good, the tone of the story takes a sudden and abrupt shift when the wigs possess them.

"His Face All Red," by Emily Carroll

Emily Carroll is known for her creepy, horror comics, and "His Face All Red" is one of her most popular pieces. The pacing is solid, atmosphere is chilling, and tale is top notch.

“Please Momma,” by Chesya Burke

From the very beginning of this haunting short story, one thing is clear: Momma is sick and her kids are suffering. But what is the cause of Momma's illness? The truth is terrifying.

"How to Get Back to the Forest," by Sofia Samatar

Summer camps are the perfect horror setting. After all, kids reside in these facilities alone, with no parents and little to no supervision. However, the camp in "How to Get Back to the Forest" is unlike any other, and we quickly learn these children are never going home.

"A Collapse of Horses," by Brian Everson

Brian Everson's "A Collapse of Horses"—for which an entire collection of stories was later named—isn't about gore or jump scares; instead, it follows an unreliable narrator through a confusing, post-traumatic time. A solid psychological thriller.

Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily. 

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Top 10 Short Ghost Story in English 100, 200, 500 Words PDF

Short & long ghost story in english.

10 Top Short & Long Ghost Story in English 100, 200, 500 Words: You can Download PDF of all these ghost stories from the link given below. Today we will introduce you to some such scary and ghostly stories which you will be shocked to read. Some such things are difficult to believe, yet we cannot live without reading them, so let’s start with 10 such best scary and ghost stories.

Ghost Story in English

1. ghost in the lift.

This story is from Delhi, we used to live in Ambedkar Colony. The name of our building was Apsara. There was a rumor that there is a ghost in the lift! In fact, a woman had committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor. Since then people used to say that the ghost of that woman is seen in the lift!

Our house was on the fifth floor! Although I didn’t believe much in the ghost thing, still I was afraid to go on the lift at night! Well, I didn’t even need a lift.

One day I was coming back home with a friend of mine. He also lived in the same building! At that time it was around 10:00 at the night. We were scared to go in the elevator! But we didn’t want to show each other that we were scared! So we got into the elevator! The lift reached the third floor, and the door was half open and closed by itself!

The lift started going up! We tried to stop the lift but none of the buttons were working! The lift went to the top floor and then came down to the bottom floor. This happened 7-8 times and then the lift stopped on the 14th floor. The elevator door opened on its own!

We were very scared! We quickly ran downstairs off the lift and enter our respective homes! Everyone in the house asked why I was panting, so I made an excuse that I was coming after a race with a friend. After that day I never used the lift again during the day!

2. The Witch on the Roof

My name is Amar! I am going to tell you all a story I saw with one eye! The matter is 5 years old, at that time we used to live in Lucknow city. For some days there was a rumor of a witch roaming in our locality.

Some people said that they have seen a scary woman walking in the night! Sometimes she is seen roaming on the roof of houses and sometimes in the streets.

Because of this people stopped sleeping on the terrace. The streets used to become deserted as soon as it got dark. One day the people of the locality together kept watch for the whole night, but no one came!

I didn’t believe it at all, I used to make fun of anyone who talked about witches! I believed that this is the misconception of the people or some person is scaring the people!

One night the lights went out! Everyone inside was asleep in the summer! No one dared to go on the roof for fear of the witch! I was also forbidden to go upstairs! But when the heat could not be tolerated, I took my bed and went to the terrace!

Reaching the roof, I saw a woman sitting on the eaves of the roof! She had a piece of meat in her hand which she was eating! His face was on the other side! Only his hands looked like animals! My condition worsened after seeing all this!

I ran away leaving my bed there and bolting the door! From that day I also believed in the witch talk!

  For the next few days, there were incidents of seeing a witch, but after a few days, the witch stopped appearing! People’s fear also started to end! But I will never forget what I saw!

3. Ghost in the Pond

It’s about when I was 10-11 years old! It was summer vacation! I had gone to my village! There was no work in the village other than having fun! There was no freedom in the city which was there in the village.

There was a pond near the village. One day I asked my brother who lived in the village to walk there. He told that a ghost lives in that pond! If you go there, you will be killed!

I said go secretly no one will know! The next day in the afternoon when everyone was resting at home, we both left secretly! We even took our fishing gear! After reaching the pond, we started fishing!

After a while, my brother got up from there and went somewhere. I was left there alone, suddenly someone pushed me hard from behind! I fell into the pond! The pond was not very deep, but still, I could not get out! Like someone is pulling me inside!

I was out of breath! Meanwhile, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up! He was none other than my brother! After a while when I became normal I asked why did you push me?

He swore he didn’t push! It seemed from his face that he was not lying! We both quickly ran out of there and never went there again!

4. Haunted House

It’s been almost 5 years since then my aunt’s health had deteriorated a lot! She used to do wrong things and used to say anything to anyone.

We have seen many doctors but to no avail! Then one of our relatives told us that he was possessed by a witch and that he would have to be taken to Balaji! The housemates left for Balaji without delay!

As soon as Balaji reached, aunt got down from the car and went inside running. Frightened, even the family members followed him. Going there, it was found that uncle had cut down a tree in his garden in which the witch and her children lived!

The witch had come to break into their house! But after a little persuasion there, she agreed! He asked for milk for his hungry children! Uncle brought milk and as soon as he wanted to give milk to him, he refused and said my children will drink sweet milk!

Uncle bought jalebi from the front and put it in milk! After that, the witch asked to plant a tree in the forest and also asked to keep milk under it every day for 2 years!

After that aunt started recovering and everyone came back, but while coming back, aunt started doing some strange things again! The family members got very upset! On asking, it was found that now it is the shadow of some other ghost!

He told that my uncle used to have a dream a few years back! In the dream, a man used to ask him for water. He told that he is the same man! What happened after this, no one told anything even after asking a lot! But the aunt was absolutely fine, which everyone was satisfied with!

5. Aunt’s Ghost

This story is from my village! There my two uncles and their family used to live in the village. Everything was going well but my great-uncle died in a road accident! Shortly after that my great aunt also died!

After that my younger uncle and his family also left the village house and came to the city. After a few months, my younger uncle had to go to the village house to get it repaired! They started the repair work on the house!

One evening after finishing the repair work, my uncle was lying on the terrace at 10 pm. They saw the ghost of my great-aunt sitting in the courtyard! My uncle’s eyes were filled with tears! As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw my great aunt sitting at the bottom of the stairs, staring back at him!

Seeing this, my uncle was completely scared and lost his senses! After that when he regained consciousness, he went to the neighbor’s house. He told them the whole scene! After that my uncle’s health deteriorated badly. He quickly came to the city but never forgot that thing!

6. Mother’s love

Ramesh who is 25 years old is newly married and has a beautiful wife. Both of them went to Himachal for their honeymoon where they spent 5 days.

Now it was time for him to return to his home. Both sat in their car and left for Noida. It was 10:00 at the night. Now they were about to cross the valley of Himachal, the road was completely deserted and the car was going very fast.

Suddenly Ramesh saw a woman in front of his car who was wearing a red saree. She was stopping the car by waving her hand from a distance. Seeing him, Ramesh’s wife refused to stop the car as she was afraid that it might be a conspiracy to commit a robbery. Suddenly the woman came in front of the car due to Ramesh had to stop the car.

The woman started banging loudly on the door. From the expression on his face, it seemed as if he was in some big trouble. Ramesh’s wife refused to open the car door. She said it could be some trick, we should not go out.

Ramesh said that if she was really in trouble then she would need us because looking at her she was looking good from home. As soon as I said this, Ramesh opened the car door and came out.

The woman said in a panic, “Please help me”. Ramesh said what happened. He replied that my car had fallen into the ditch below and hit a tree and my little girl was trapped in it. Please take him out.

On hearing this, Ramesh’s wife also came out and all three went toward the ditch. Saw that the car had collided with a tree a little below and a small girl sitting behind was crying. Ramesh tried a lot, then the door of the car opened. Ramesh took that girl out and kept her in his lap, but the girl was still crying.

That’s why Ramesh’s eyes went to the one in front where he felt someone sitting. When Ramesh saw it, his feet and tail slipped on the ground. He couldn’t believe it, he saw that there was none other than the mother of the child in the front seat who was calling Ramesh for help.

Ramesh saw that blood was coming out from the forehead of that woman and she had died. Ramesh’s wife came to him and she too was surprised to see her.

On seeing this, Ramesh and his wife looked back and saw where the woman was standing but now she was no one.

7. Hostel Ghost

There is a college near our village. It is counted as a very good educational institution. Children come from far and wide to get an education here.

It was about 9 years back. A boy used to study while staying in the hostel here. He was very intelligent and friendly. The children living with him in the hostel used to call him Sonu Bhai.

Once upon a time, he went to his village for 10 days to attend his elder brother’s wedding. After 10 days that boy started coming back to the hostel. But used to talk less with his friends, even though he did not eat food with his friends and used to say that he will eat later.

Now he was also less interested in studies, when the children with him wanted to talk to him, he used to talk about work, do not know where he lived during the day, and came to the hostel at night only to sleep. It was only a week since he came to the hostel from home that one day Sonu Bhai’s family members came to the hostel.

A boy told his family that Sonu Bhai comes to sleep only at night. Sonu’s family members started crying after listening to the boy and said how can he come even at night. We have come to collect his belongings.

Sonu is no more. Two days after leaving here, he was going to a relative’s place by motorcycle, his motorcycle collided with a speeding truck and he died. By saying this, those people started becoming more intense.

There were children in the hostel who were listening to the talk and they started crying. They were thinking again and again whether the boy who was with them at night whom they used to see was the ghost of Sonu Bhai.

Well after that day Sonu’s ghost never again came to the hostel to sleep and for many months all the children of the hostel were scared. The lock remained hanging in Sonu Bhai’s living room. He kept saying that Sonu Bhai had a lot of attachment to his hostel, so even after being late, he could not leave the hostel.

It is said that even today the children used to sleep with Sonu Bhai. They live in fear, and can’t say whether this incident is right or wrong, because I have heard about this incident from the villagers.

8. Do not turn back, death is certain

Friends, one night I was going from my village to the bus stand with my friend late at night on the way to the farm, then one of my friends said, “Friend, walk a little faster, there is some problem with this field to the next two fields” so I asked what’s the matter If yes, he repeatedly avoided the matter.

But when I put more pressure, he told the whole story.

Many years ago a man was passing through these fields at night from his village. Went under a tree to urinate on the way. After that, as he walked a little, he heard the cry of a child.

He thought it would be the child of the night watchman, but only then he remembered that this field belongs to Rameshwar who died hanging here 3 years back.

The man kept moving forward with fearful steps. The words of those people will be remembered in his mind. Never turn back at night while passing through this farm. If someone asks for a way, don’t look at his feet. Do not listen to anyone no matter how much they say.

Thinking all these things in his mind, that man’s condition became very bad and started thinking about why he did not think about all this before coming here. As he progressed, the child’s voice became louder and it seemed as if he was walking with him.

Then suddenly he saw that a child was crying under the tree, so fearing, he called out whose child it was, but there was no response.

Due to fear, he went ahead but hearing the child’s cry, he could not help it and he looked back. He saw that the child was lying behind him in the swing. Taking this child in his lap out of mercy, he started running away. After a while, that child started to feel heavy for him.

He was shocked to see that his feet were long and almost touching the ground. He panicked and dropped the child. As soon as the child fell down, the child laughed loudly like a grown man. You were saved today, if my feet had touched the ground, no one could have saved you here today. Your death was certain. That child disappeared.

The man reached the house fell down and fainted as soon as he reached home when he regained consciousness, he told the whole story to the villagers, as soon as I heard this, without turning back in panic, he ran as fast as and did not go ever back to that field.

9. Soldier’s Ghost

This matter is of Madhya Pradesh. I was coming back from the fair with my friend. We both were very tired so we were not talking much. Suddenly my friend started mumbling something. He was speaking something in Punjabi, but he did not know Punjabi and was asking questions and answering himself.

I could not understand why he was doing this. I thought he might be joking. Was demanding something from himself and was saying to himself that I do not have it.

After going a little distance, the road split into two. One way went towards the village and the other towards the forest. There my friend called my name Mohan and fainted there.

I saw a man wearing a military uniform and a green turban walking toward the forest. He disappeared after going a short distance. I somehow brought my friend home and told the whole thing.

There was a little tension in his house. But in a short, while he regained consciousness and after a few prayers, everything became normal.

I had heard many stories of ghosts but can never forget the incident I saw with my eyes.

10. Old Cemetery

This is not a fictional story or a movie story but it is true as seen by the eyes. I went on a picnic on behalf of my company. The picnic was at a resort outside the city.

Earlier the people of the company played cricket and other games. After that, we went to the water park. There were only a few people swimming in deep water, the rest all were swimming in less deep water.

We friends made a bet. A coin will be thrown into the water and the one who finds the coin in the least time will be able to find it. He will win.

Everyone dived in turn, but no one ever found the coin. It was my turn next, I jumped into the water, but everything changed as soon as I entered the water. I found that the cemetery was visible under the ground.

There was a woman standing there who did not look Indian in face and dress. He had the same coin in his hand. She stood with her hand raised up. It seemed as if she was standing to give the coin to me.

As he was moving forward in his hypnosis. In a few moments, I was close to him and I took the coin from his hand. As soon as I started coming back, he grabbed my hand and pulled me. Now she and my face were faces to face.

In an instant, his face changed and took on a terrifying look. His eyes were bleeding and there was a sinister smile on his face. There was no limit to my fear. I trembled with fear.

I released my hand, and after that, both the graveyard and the woman disappeared and I caught myself. I felt as if I was in a dream. I quickly came out of the water and went away and sat down. I was out of breath.

My friends started helping me. Everyone asked what happened. I replied nothing. I opened my fist and saw that the coin was in my hand. Seeing this, my friends started dancing with joy and started congratulating me.

Friends bet again, but I did not go into the water again. It was evening, our bus was about to leave. Some of us went out to smoke cigarettes. My friends were joking and laughing out loud.

An uncle standing in front of us was listening to our talk and was cracking up every now and then. I stood silently, and one of my friends jokingly asked why I was silent since then.

Have you seen any ghosts inside? Hearing this, the uncle jokingly said that this used to be a graveyard during the British era. You must have seen a lot of fair people.

Everyone started laughing after hearing this but I was really sure that what I had seen was not my illusion.

Let’s hope so! You must have liked all these ( Ghost Story in English ) ghost stories. If you like such interesting stories then comment us in the comment box.

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• About 100 Words
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A Story In 100 Words

Literature In Tiny Bursts

Posts Tagged ‘Ghost’

Former glory, by thegooddoctor in 100 words.

She sits in a worn wheelchair, slightly swaying to the raspy and sultry melodies playing on the radio behind her. Drunkenly sloshing the dark brown liquid in the bottle she’s nursed throughout the night. Her eyes are as heavy as her heart, drooping with sadness and weeping with grief. Taking another sip, she sighs as the liquid scorches down her throat. She hums along to the music, reminiscing times when she played the same syncopated rhythms on stage. Her knobby and wrinkled fingers dance in the air on her ghost piano while swallowing sobs, thinking about her glorious old memories.

From Guest Contributor Sa’Mya Hall

Ambrose Bierce Walks At Midnight

I recognized him from his picture in an old literature textbook. It had been over 100 years since he had mysteriously vanished. I asked where he had gone and why and what he had done there. He wouldn’t answer. When I added I was a big fan of his writing, especially the Civil War tales, he just snickered. I didn’t know what to say next but felt I had to say something. “You like being a ghost?” I asked. He gave me a sly little grin. “You get to sleep all day,” he said, “so you can work at night.”

From Guest Contributor Howie Good

Howie is the author of Failed Haiku, a poetry collection that is the co-winner of the 2021 Grey Book Press Chapbook Contest and scheduled for publication in summer 2022.

Crossing The Threshold

The greatroom was full to bursting, ghosts everywhere: playing charades, talking, resting, dancing, darting between clusters of spirits engaged in various means of whiling away time.

A newly-born ghost appeared at the doorway and paused at the chaos. The chaos paused in return, all eyes upon the newcomer.

“Come in, Dearie, and welcome,” Eve, the oldest of them all, beckoned.

The new arrival apprehensively crossed the threshold. The others returned to their various activities.

Eve helped the new ghost settle in. Did she have any questions?

Just one, the young ghost said, voice wavering: “When do they notice you’re gone?”

From Guest Contributor Melissa Ridley Elmes

Melissa is a Virginia native currently living in Missouri in an apartment that delightfully approximates a hobbit-hole. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Reunion; The Dallas Review Online, Eye to the Telescope, Star*Line, Gyroscope, In Parentheses, and other print and web venues, and her first book of poetry, Arthurian Things: A Collection of Poems, was published by Dark Myth Publications in 2020. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MRidleyElmes

The Angry Camper

Stuart had a heart transplant last March and felt lucky to sit around a campfire with Paul.

The drunk from the next campsite stumbled over again. “Stop all that damn noise!”

Paul stood and yelled, “Look buddy, we’re just talking. No way you can hear us.”

“Stop banging on those drums. Next time I’ll have a twenty-two.”

“Call 9-1-1, Paul.”

Twenty minutes later they heard all the commotion of the arrest.

“You guys gonna be on the news,” said the park ranger. “That guy was wanted for the murder of Alex Edmund.”

Shocked, Stuart said, “Alex Edmund was my donor.”

From Guest Contributor E. Barnes

E has works in The Purple Pen, The Haven, Spillwords, Centina Pentina, Entropy and the anthology NanoNightmares.

Before going back to the backyard she checked on her husband and her two-month-old kid who were fast asleep. The bed was undone, the dishes were huddled up in the sink unwashed, the rugs were clumsily rolled up. She knew that the child would wake up in an hour exactly. Those midnight crying fits. Last Sunday the infant was inconsolably crying, craving for milk, while she was in the backyard. She wanted to feed him, but couldn’t. Her breasts were heavy with ghost milk. The newspaper on the table read, “Delhi woman electrocuted by wet electric pole in the backyard.”

From Guest Contributor Anindita Sarkar

I Bring Her Diamonds. My Hands Are Full Of Them

I bring her diamonds. My hands are full of them.

“Please,” she sobs heavily, “stop coming back.”

I had no money for diamonds, once.

When my car crashed, the exploding windshield sent diamonds rushing deep into me – my eyes, throat, hands – all shining in the moonlight. The pain was overwhelming. And then it stopped. And all I could think was I finally had something to give her.

Every full moon I come to her porch at midnight, to show her how they shine in my open hands. But every time she only holds her head and softly cries.

From Guest Contributor Eric Robert Nolan

Off Her Rocker

Annette sits in her favorite rocking chair, by a big window. A gloomy afternoon.

She cradles her dead baby in her pale arms. Hair as white as a ghost. Lips cracked and bleeding. Her body fragile and weak.

She sings a familiar tune. Rocking back and forth, as if trying to put the baby to sleep.

Her watch beeps. Medicine time. She throws the bottle out the window.

The Devil calls her name. She stops her singing. Her body freezes.

“He made me do it. He made me do it. He made me do it…” She repeats.

The devil exists.

From Guest Contributor Alexa Findlay

What Happened To Ben?

“So, uh, what happened to Ben?”

“Twitter. Once he discovered that, well, he just sort of fell into a black hole.”

“Do you talk to him on Twitter?”

“Oh yeah. All the time.”

“That’s funny. I can’t get him to return my calls. I even went to his house one day and he didn’t answer the door.”

“Just tweet him. He’ll respond.”

“That seems weird. Does he make sense? Talk in complete sentences?”

“He’s hilarious. Same old Ben.”

“Only he’s not really there. He’s just a digital ghost.”

“When you put it that way it just sounds sad.”

From Guest Contributor Dan Slaten

Harold is frightened into a jolt. “Who’s there?”

He recognizes the silhouette standing before him. “Lois?” he answers staring wide-eyed. “If you’re here, who’s in your grave?”

“Spirits are allowed to visit on Halloween, the first anniversary of their death. I’ve come to say I love you. Now I must go. We can only appear and say what we’ve desired.”

“Don’t go, Lois!”

She backs away into the trees.

Harold awakes, his head leaning on Lois’ gravestone. “I can’t believe I dreamt I’ve seen Lois.” He drives away out of the darkness, and Lois appears blowing him a goodbye kiss.

From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher

In the Paris Catacombs

My tour is just two thousand meters of the hundred kilometer labyrinth that forms this subterranean ossuary.

The tunnel walls are stacks of femurs, tibias, scapulas, et alia, interspersed with grinning skulls.

Six million dead unceremoniously disinterred, generation upon generation, from centuries ago.

Good, evil, male, female, beautiful, ugly, aristocrat, artisan, everyone has attained an undignified égalité here.

I could laugh myself to scorn at this macabre absurdity. Not a ghost in sight, merely piles of bones!

Back in the land of the living, I emerge into the rush hour: busy throngs of stick people, all sharing the same destination.

From Guest Contributor Ian Fletcher

Ian studied English Literature at Oxford University many years ago. He has had short stories published in various genres in Schlock! Webzine, Schlock! Bi-Monthly, Short-story.me, Anotherealm, Under the Bed, A Story In 100 Words, and in anthologies by Horrified Press and Rogue Planet Press. He is an Affiliate Member of the Horror Writers Association.

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• Short Story Writing

Featuring work from Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and more.

Look, everyone loves Halloween , what with all the pumpkins and the ghosties and the sheer terror lying in wait around ever corner. But why limit that feeling to one measly month out of the calendar year? Why can’t everyone enjoy constant scares year-round? After all, the night is dark and full of terrors, and the internet is vast and full of horror stories — horror stories that you can read online, for free, right now.

These aren’t just creepypasta tales from the depths of Reddit, either. Some of the finest horror authors around have their terrifying short stories available online for your reading pleasure, should you dare to delve in. You’ll find tales of creepy dolls and unsettling wigs, of doppelgängers and and bodies found in bogs. The works listed below range from classic horror stories that have haunted multiple generations to new, supremely uncanny creations written expressly for the internet.

Here are just a few of the most chilling, hair-raising stories that you can read online, from your very own phone, computer, or haunted looking glass. They’re sure to send a shiver down your spine — just don't blame me when you have trouble sleeping tonight (or ever again).

“Patient Zero” by Tananarive Due

"Patient Zero" starts off innocently enough, with its narrator — a little boy — confined to his hospital room. Surely, a hospital is a place of healing, not a setting for a sinister story. But as Due's expertly-paced plot unfolds , we come to understand who this boy truly is, and what's happening to the world around him.

From Lightspeed

“Click-clack the Rattlebag” by Neil Gaiman

You know that feeling you get when you walk up the stairs alone in an old, dark house? And you know that you shouldn't be afraid of the dark, but you can't help but feel like something is following in your footsteps, lurking just behind you? Neil Gaiman distills that feeling into a story with "Click-clack the Rattlebag" — a tale as short and simple as it is bone-chilling.

From The Telegraph

“The Spindly Man” by Stephen Graham Jones

In Stephen Graham Jones’ “The Spindly Man,” a book club’s discussion of a Stephen King story lures an uninvited guest with a bone to pick.

From The Dark Magazine

“His Face All Red” by Emily Carroll

Emily Carroll is the reigning queen of creepy, interactive horror comics, and "His Face All Red" is one of her best. If you like fairy tales that twist around and make you feel a little queasy, this one is for you.

From the Author’s Website

“Hello, Moto” by Nnedi Okorafor

You probably know Nnedi Okorafor from her fantasy writing, but she’s proven herself a master of the horror genre as well. Just try to make it through the strange, wig-based story of "Hello, Moto" without shuddering — or disappearing in a flash of green light.

From Tor.com

“Bog Girl” by Karen Russell

You know how people sometimes sometimes come across perfectly preserved, ancient bodies in bogs? “Bog Girl” is about one of those who’s found, and the boy who loves her. At times, this creepy story borders on sweet. But sadly, romance with a bog girl isn’t simple.

From The New Yorker

“How to Get Back to the Forest” by Sofia Samatar

At first, the kids in "How to Get Back to the Forest" seem like any other children at summer camp: homesick and loud and obsessed with ghoulish rumors. But it slowly becomes clear that this is not any old camp — and that these kids are never, ever going home.

“The Third Bear” by Jeff Vandermeer

If you only think of bears as cuddly stuffed animals or lovable carton goofs, Jeff Vandermeer’s "The Third Bear" will set you straight. The bear in question is not cuddly or lovable, to say the least. Be warned: The word "intestines" features at least once.

From Clarkesworld

“The Ash of Memory, the Dust of Desire” by Poppy Z. Brite

Poppy Z. Brite is known for weaving together horror and magic and love to create stories like "The Ash of Memory, the Dust of Desire." So if you're looking to read about steamy romance and half-rotted corpses in the very same story, this is the one for you.

From Nightmare

“Séance” by Donyae Coles

In Donyae Coles’ “Séance,” a fake medium who makes her living hustling wealthy believers has her own, inexplicable brush with the supernatural.

From PseudoPod

“Premium Harmony” by Stephen King

Really, you can’t go wrong with a Stephen King horror story; even the mildest of his tales will give you nightmares for a solid week, and “Premium Harmony” is not mild. This story takes readers back to the fictional town of Castle Rock (as seen in the Hulu show) , where domestic disputes unravel into grotesque horror.

“Nightcrawlers” by Robert McCammon

A storm rages outside a diner window, and the Nightcrawlers are coming. To find out exactly what the Nightcrawlers are, you'll just have to read Robert McCammon’s "Nightcrawlers," a vivid, tense story.

“Bongcheon-Dong Ghost” by Horang

Ten years after its original release, South Korean comic artist Horang’s “Bongcheon-Dong Ghost” is still scaring the pants off of unsuspecting readers. Enhanced by sound and animation — and some wicked jump-scares — this is one story you’ll want to read with the lights on.

From Webtoons

“Abraham’s Boys” by Joe Hill

Yes, Joe Hill just so happens to be the son of the one and only Stephen King, but he's also a great horror writer in his own right. "Abraham's Boys," for example, captures the existential fear of being locked in a basement and left to die right in the first paragraph, and just keeps going from there.

From Fifty-Two Stories

“The Doll” by Daphne du Maurier

Creepy doll. CREEPY DOLL! Surely, the creepy doll story is the highest level of creepy story. And "The Doll," a story of obsession and violins and dolls with blank, staring eyes, is one of the ultimate classics.

From The Guardian

“With Her Diamond Teeth” by Pear Nuallak

In Pear Nuallak’s retelling of the Thai legend of Kraithong, “With Her Diamond Teeth,” a man rescues a young girl from the clutches of a monstrous crocodile, and her older sister is promised to him in gratitude. But has something changed with the girl he brought back?

From The Dark

“Sunbleached” by Nathan Ballingrud

What’s a collection of horror stories without at least one vampire? "Sunbleached" introduces a most uncomfortable bloodsucker, hidden in a crawlspace to avoid the sun. What follows is less of a sultry, Twilight -style tale and more of a horrific, blood-spattered story. Be sure to read in the shade.

“What Sisters Take” by Kelly Sandoval

Three sets of twins, three girls destined to die — but determined to live. Kelly Sandoval’s “What Sisters Take” balances evil and tenderness in its depiction of sisterhood.

From Apex Magazine

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is not an especially long or complicated story: a guy called Arnold Friend drives up to a girl's house, and asks her to come with him on a ride. That's it. And yet, this is perhaps the most chilling story of them all, because the longer readers spend with Arnold Friend, the more they start to fear him.

From Celestial Timepiece: A Joyce Carol Oates Patchwork

“The Child-Feast of Harridan Sack” by Kaitlyn Zivanovich

Turning Hansel and Gretel on its ear, Kaitlyn Zivanovich’s “The Child-Feast of Harridan Sack” centers on a mother who, after her 12-year-old daughter goes missing, finds herself living a nightmare straight out of a storybook.

This article was originally published on April 11, 2018

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Hundred-Word Horrors: Eight super-short Halloween tales by Texas authors

By Various Authors on Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 9:00 am

150+ Short Two-Sentence Horror Stories To Freak You Out

Horror stories don’t need to be long in order to be scary. A good horror concept can always be boiled down to it’s chilling core.

These are short scary stories. These two-sentence horror stories are going to freak you the eff out.

I begin tucking him into bed and he tells me, “Daddy check for monsters under my bed.” I look underneath for his amusement and see him, another him, under the bed, staring back at me quivering and whispering, “Daddy there’s somebody on my bed.” — justAnotherMuffledVo

The doctors told the amputee he might experience a phantom limb from time to time. Nobody prepared him for the moments though, when he felt cold fingers brush across his phantom hand. — Gagege

I can’t move, breathe, speak or hear and it’s so dark all the time. If I knew it would be this lonely, I would have been cremated instead. — Graboid27

Don’t be scared of the monsters, just look for them. Look to your left, to your right, under your bed, behind your dresser, in your closet but never look up, she hates being seen. — AnarchistWaffles

I woke up to hear knocking on glass. At first, I though it was the window until I heard it come from the mirror again. — therealhatman

They celebrated the first successful cryogenic freezing. He had no way of letting them know he was still conscious. — KnowsGooderThanYou

She wondered why she was casting two shadows. Afterall, there was only a single lightbulb. — pgan91

It sat on my shelf, with thoughtless porcelain eyes and the prettiest pink doll dress I could find. Why did she have to be born still? — Horseseverywhere

The grinning face stared at me from the darkness beyond my bedroom window. I live on the 14th floor. — bentreflection

There was a picture in my phone of me sleeping. I live alone. — guztaluz

Working the night shift alone tonight. There is a face in the cellar staring at the security camera. — hctet

They delivered the mannequins in bubble wrap. From the main room I begin to hear popping. — Mikeyseventyfive

You wake up. She doesn’t. — tuskedlemon

She asked why I was breathing so heavily. I wasn’t. — Calamitosity

You get home, tired after a long day’s work and ready for a relaxing night alone. You reach for the light switch, but another hand is already there. — madamimadamimadam

My daughter won’t stop crying and screaming in the middle of the night. I visit her grave and ask her to stop, but it doesn’t help. — skuppy

Day 312. Internet still not working. — fluffyponyza

You start to drift off into a comfortable sleep when you hear your name being whispered. You live alone. — anonymous_abc

I needed to quickly run a SQL command to update a single row in an Oracle DB table at work. To my horror, it came back with “–2,378,231 rows affected.” — waysafe

You’re laying in bed and with your feet dangling out of the covers. You feel a hand grab your feet. — HesusMendez

The funeral attendees never came out of the catacombs. Something locked the crypt door from the inside. — TLFMOD

My wife woke me up last night to tell me there was an intruder in our house. She was murdered by an intruder 2 years ago. — The_D_String

The officer finally got back to me. The call was coming from inside the house.

I was having a pleasant dream when what sounded like hammering woke me. After that, I could barely hear the muffled sound of dirt covering the coffin over my own screams. — vigridarena

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door. — Scry67

After working a hard day I came home to see my girlfriend cradling our child. I didn’t know which was more frightening, seeing my dead girlfriend and stillborn child, or knowing that someone broke into my apartment to place them there. — cobaltcollapse

You hear your mom calling you into the kitchen. As you are heading down the stairs you hear a whisper from the closet saying “Don’t go down there honey, I heard it too.” — comparativelysane

I never go to sleep. But I keep waking up. — genetically_witless

Nurse’s Note: Born 7 pounds 10 ounces, 18 inches long, 32 fully formed teeth. Silent, always smiling. — ichokedcheryltunt

She went upstairs to check on her sleeping toddler. The window was open and the bed was empty. — Aerron

The longer I wore it the more it grew on me. She had such pretty skin. — blaqkmagick

You hear the scream across the hallway, but your eyes won’t open and you can’t move. — dkmino

Being the first to respond to a fatal car accident is always the most traumatic thing I see as a police officer. But today, when the crushed body of the little dead child boy strapped in his car seat opened his eyes and giggled at me when I tried to peel him out of the wreckage, I immediately knew that today would be my last day on the force. — scabbycakes

I looked out my window. The stars had gone away. — Owllette

I always thought my cat had a staring problem, she always seemed fixated on my face. Until one day, when I realized that she was always looking just behind me. — hangukbrian

“I can’t sleep” she whispered, crawling into bed with me. I woke up cold, clutching the dress she was buried in. — VaultKid321

I just saw my reflection blink. — marino1310

I kiss my wife and daughter goodnight before I go to sleep. When I wake up, I’m in a padded room and the nurses tell me it was just a dream. — StoryTellerBob

The pairs of emaciated eyes outnumber the single round in my gun. With pleading tears falling on her doll’s hair, I point the barrel at my last surviving daughter. — yoshkow

I peeked outside. The pizza delivery guy is at the door, but I didn’t order a pizza — and definitely not from someone wearing a pig mask.

My mother has been screaming at the front door for hours now. She’s not happy that I killed her with my bare hands.

I have a friend named Charlie. I’m playing at his house but it’s cold down here in the basement, I wonder when Charlie will let me go home.

If you get scared at night, don’t keep your eyes closed for too long. There’s a reason you’re scared, and now you can’t see it approach.

I used a Ouija board yesterday, but I only asked one question and put it away. I got my answer today — written in blood on my ceiling.

The wailing from the baby monitor just won’t stop. Problem is, my daughter is with her mother this weekend… over 200 miles away.

Grandpa died smoking a cigar in his favorite chair. We got a new one but from the ash marks he leaves behind he has a new favorite chair.

My husband woke me up by kissing my cheek when he got home late. This morning I checked my phone — he stayed with a friend last night.

I like to sing in the shower sometimes. When I got out of the last one, the fogged-up mirror read “YOU HAVE A LOVELY VOICE” — I live alone.

My wife just ran in to ask me if I was okay because she could hear my terrible coughing fit from across the house. I wasn’t coughing.

The upstairs neighbors are awfully noisy. I told my landlord… it’s been vacant for months.

For sale: like-new engagement ring, barely worn, came right off her finger. Finger also for sale for the right offer.

I had a dream that a man was watching me sleep from outside my bedroom window. When I woke up, I found footprints… inside, next to my bed.

My TV keeps turning on by itself. It’s annoying, but what’s more worrisome is how it only shows footage of me standing in my living room.

My girlfriend is scared of horror movies. They make her paranoid, which can be tricky when I’m watching her through her living room window.

I found a new bottle of my best friend’s favorite scotch on the kitchen counter today. He died in a drunk driving accident six years ago.

It’s nice that my grandmother calls to check on me, but if she wants to communicate from the other side I wish she wouldn’t scream so much.

My boyfriend has a collection he’s very proud of. He never told me that he’s been collecting souvenirs from the girlfriends he murdered.

I have a recurring dream I’m murdered by a man I’d never met. I thought it was stupid until I went on a blind date and saw him at the table.

My mom told me she had the best time playing with my little sister today. My sister went missing in 2002 — they found her body in 2006.

The knife, it slices — just like butter I tried to be a loving mother.  — littlemisssassy

I can’t move, breathe, speak or hear and it’s so dark all day round. I should have been cremated, and not buried in the ground.  —  [deleted]

I just saw the children playing, admiring how high they have swung. But others tell me they’re just swaying in the wind where they were hung.  — Alt_punch

I was always told not to play with my food, as it is a blessing to eat. However I’m one to tease my meals, and killing is always a treat.  — [deleted]

Read this after the day is nigh. And tonight you might possibly die.  — Hawkfrostofriverclan

I was never more scared or more filled filled with dread, Than the night the police found, her dismembered head.  — Gil_ByrdIsTheWord

As I played in the basement, Mother called me upstairs. From behind me, She whispered, ‘Don’t go up there.’  — CheckeredBag

I watched you play whilst at the park. I’ll come to your house when the day goes dark.  — Bucket_O_Beef

I had guests over today, they seemed to be really nice, so I introduced my hobby; it’s quite technical, you see, and I’m no good with words, so I had to show them. I really think my skills are improving; I almost didn’t have to break any bones this time, and I do like way they hang there, all strung up, an occasional whimper dripping past their mutilated lips like so much blood.  — TheOtherJuggernaut

I travel here and there so suddenly, and never make a sound. Slaying quickly, quietly, swiftly; Just don’t turn around.  — zenofire

And from the grave, where my father was put And hand reached up and grabbed my foot.  — [deleted]

I saw the children playing, watched how high they swung. Their bodies swaying side to side, while silently they hung. – – GoldenWizard

Roses are red, violets are blue. There is someone right behind you.  — Kaserbeam

You’re the prettiest person that I ever saw, I’d so love to snack on your eyeballs, quite raw.  — moratnz

Warm and juicy; best best served fresh. I love the taste of human flesh.  — littlemisssassy

I held her in my arms, dying What could lie in her crib, crying?  — I_am_Rudy

A knock at the door and ‘Could you help us?’ I hear. I glance outside once and nevermore for the kid’s eyes were black and their faces austere.  — oohshineeobjects

Can you hear the beautiful ring of the bell? That means it’s time to drag you down to hell.  — Hellblood

I will wait patiently until I’m found. And exact my revenge – flesh by the pound.  — CheckeredBag

Roses are red, violets are blue. You’d better run, I’m coming for you.  — RedDeadRevengeance

You see, I stand on my box. And I know how your window unlocks.  —  [deleted]

Muscles now relaxed, and still in her bed; young Timmy and Zax leaving all left unsaid. A smile Zax cracked, and ‘no’ Timmy plead: ‘no need to cut further, mom’s already dead.’  — CDC_

Wrapped in sheets and cuddled in bed. You’ll foolishly expose your sweet, precious head…  — CheckeredBag

You taught how me to be a man, but today I feel so all alone. Happy Father’s Day dad, as I kiss your gravestone.  — battering-ram

I once had a girlfriend named Jill, I buried her under that hill. But sometimes at home, when I’m all alone, I find that she sleeps with me still.  — CheckeredBag

I held my son’s hand tightly as the cars whizzed past the sidewalk. “With any luck, they won’t find the rest of him,” I muttered to myself.

I was starving and lost in the woods until I found a hiker. Im full now, I just wished she hadn’t screamed so loud.

‘Daddy I can’t sleep” she said, and crawled under the sheets with me. In the morning I woke up freezing cold and clutching the dress she was buried in.

I arrived at the funeral a few minutes late. Nobody acknowledged me, and I figured out why when I looked into the casket and saw myself.

I had three seconds of sight left. I was fascinated by how much my brains resembled oatmeal, spattered on the concrete.

‘Please stop,” I whimpered as he fastened my other arm to the table, “if you let me go, I won’t tell anyone”. He looked up at me with a wicked smile “how do you think I got you? They gave you to me.’

There was a picture in my phone of me sleeping. I live alone.

As I walked up the driveway with my new friend, I introduced him to my dad. “What friend?!” he asked with bewilderment in his eyes.

I sat up from this horrible nightmare that a gruesome faced man was trying to get in my home, all of a sudden I heard my daughter screaming. I ran down the hall and she was hiding her face in the pillow screaming and crying and said “a man was watching me outside.’

I’ll hide you in my walls, your body will never be found! I’ll wear your skin as a suit, your friends will like you more than they used to.

She woke up to an unusual silence in their bedroom. She looked over as the thing that laid where her husband use to be rose from under the sheets.

I have never seen anything like it, the way it screamed and crawled towards me. This… This thing is suppose to be my little brother.

I’m all alone during a storm when the power goes out. Lightning strikes and there is a man standing in my hallway with a knife.

I woke up to the sound of screams and the feel of immense heat surrounding me. Sobbing as the torture began again, I remembered hell wasn’t a made up place…

I kept calling my girlfriend the day they buried me. She wouldn’t answer.

My cat is asleep beside my computer in his favorite spot. I’ve buried him 10 times.

I’ve been scrubbing my hands non-stop for weeks. The blood just won’t come off.

I woke up to the smell of copper in the air. I had done it again.

I look at my clock its 3:15 as a rotting corpse pushes fingers into my stomach, I scream in relief its only a dream. Looking at my clock it is 3:14 and my closet door creeks open…

I see a face staring at me from my window. I live on the 3rd floor.

As she finally drifted off to sleep, she felt the cold, bony fingers caress her body. She prayed it was just a dream….

When she turned around, she saw her own self, dressed in different clothes. Her heart went into shock and the other self gently helped her to the floor as she died.

The cloven hoof prints were fresh. They were in sets of two, staggered like a man running.

I got a haunted doll in the mail today. If only I could find where she ran off too…

I hear my daughter cry, “Mommy I’m so cold, please let me in!” I shut the curtains, knowing she wont cry much longer in the snow.

I opened my front door to the frantic pounding of my next door neighbor. To my horror it was something that was wearing his skin…

The stew I was eating was delicious, and I wanted to give my husband a taste. That’s when I found his wedding ring in my bowl, still on his finger.

Every morning my husband tells me he loves me, I really wish he’d stop. I murdered him last year, but he still won’t leave me alone.

Outside my three year olds bedroom I hear her say, ” But Mommy, I don’t want to.” My voice replies, “All little girls stab their Daddies.’

Being the first to respond to a fatal car accident is always the most traumatic thing I see as a police officer. But today, when the crushed body of the little dead boy strapped in his car seat opened his eyes and giggled at me when I tried to peel him out of the wreckage, I immediately knew that today would be my last day on the force.

A smile of relief washed across his face even with his arm swallowed nearly to the elbow by the drain, and he said, ” I think I feel your ring!” I smiled too, and said,” Oh, that’s great, love…and I know about Vanessa,” as I flipped the disposal switch.

I can’t move, breathe, speak or hear and it’s so dark all the time. If I knew it would be this lonely, I would have been cremated instead.

The dog sits at my gate every morning and night when I leave and come home from work. Even after all this time she can still smell her owner’s blood on my hands.

I sat on my daughter’s bed and sang her favorite song before giving her a kiss on the cheek, just as I’ve done every night since she was a baby. When I was done and smiled down at her, she whispered “Mommy please stop, you’re dead.’

I’d been noticing it for months, that tiny lag in my reflection, not that anyone believed me. Today was different she didn’t even attempt to mimic me she stood there smiling, I think she wants to come out.

The girl pedaled quickly towards his car, droplets of water flying off her, leaving a trail on the sidewalk. He should have weighted down her body in the river, but as she came closer and the smell of rotten flesh overcame him, he realized it wouldn’t have mattered.

‘Oh don’t worry dear we’re glad to have you for diner.” They said smiling, as I lie bound and gagged on the floor while they took their last bite of lunch, my husband.

My kids were excited to tell me about the day they just had with their mother. My eyes watered as I pondered how to tell them she died this morning on the way to work.

After dating all through high school and college, our daughter’s boyfriend finally came by today to ask my husband and me for her hand. We gave it to him, hoping that he’ll finally tell us where the rest of her is.

When I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of cracking, I am aware that it is her rigor mortis body snapping unto itself as she crawls down the hallway . I knew it was only a matter of time before she would seek her revenge.

My grandmother told me it was a gift to see the angel of death in front of people’s houses, to know he would be collecting someone there soon. I thought it was a gift too, until the day I began to see it in front of every house.

She felt the warmth of the sun as she smiled at him and promised, “I will follow you until the end of time.” When she opened her eyes, the pyre beneath her had begun to burn.

Audra looked across the table to smile warmly at the loving faces of her husband and children. “I do so enjoy our time together” she whispered as she gently placed each of their severed heads back into the refrigerator.

Through moon and fog, I run, branches whipping bare legs bloody, and race the hot breath, that burp of hell, against my nape. Closer, closer, until saliva spatters my skin, and the thing with teeth wraps me in its mouth.

The smell of my own charring flesh fills my nose as the muffler coughs out the it’s last dying gasps. My only hope is someone seeing my hand, that I’m hoping is still stuck in the guardrail above.

My daughter walked up to me asking, “Mommy, who is that man behind you?” I turned with an uneasy feeling, to find no-one standing there, looked back to tell her there was nothing there and there was nothing left but the teddy bear she was just holding covered in blood.

I used to love hearing those sounds; the bathroom door opening, my girlfriend playfully drumming her fingernails on the sink, and the flat screech of the shower curtain pulling back before she stepped in to join me. But hearing those drumming nails now, as I’m showering before bed on the night of her funeral, stirs up altogether new feelings.

The mirror had been left to me by my late aunts estate, stored in the attic and covered in paper. I stared at my reflection, feeling that something was…off…but not knowing what – when my reflection winked at me.

I breathe in the gas and count back from ten to get my tonsils removed. “Looks like little Timmy is finally going to get a new heart, and I get a new car.”, I hear the doctor say as I fall into the void.

I had often had a slightly irrational fear of being stalked or having someone show up in the backseat of my car after leaving a bad relationship , so I got a smaller car for sense of security. The day I stopped carrying pepper spray with my newfound courage, a soft breath tickled the hairs on my neck with a soft “found you.’

Last night, I had a nightmare that I’d lost both my legs in a gruesome car accident. Then I realized it was only a memory.

I used to be considered the evil twin. But now I’m considered an only child.

Everyone complimented my disfigured mask last Halloween, full of hairy puss and scars. But they didn’t know, when I went home, there was nothing to remove.

All I could do was stare as I watched my father wrap his hands around my mother’s neck. But he was already dead, and soon, she would be, too.

From afar, the doll looked just like her. From close up, she could see it was made out of her lost teeth and dead skin.

I couldn’t wait any longer to be a mother. So I grabbed a knife to rip the baby from my stomach.

I work in a strip club. And I hate to admit it, but I hear more screams than moans.

I swear I heard my daughter whisper my name. But, the thing is, I’m still pregnant.

I fell asleep in my pajamas. But I woke up in a suit, with a closed casket surrounding me.

I like living alone. Because, when I hear a faint singing or feel a hand on my thigh, I know it’s one of them .

I kissed her, but she wouldn’t kiss me back. She was already decomposing.

My car thumped over something in the road. And the windshield wipers couldn’t clear the blood away.

I don’t know where the hell my husband is. I can’t remember where I buried him.

I stopped going to church, because God never answers me. But the Devil speaks to me every night.

I went camping with my three best friends. But by the time we left, we were nothing but a murderer, a witness, and a dead body.

I didn’t mind it when the rain began to fall. Until it hit my skin and burned.

I asked the hot guy in my class why he was staring at me. He said that he was actually staring at the demon that always hovers behind me.

My cat never goes near my closet. The one day she did, she never came back out.

I felt my husband’s hand squeeze mine. But then I remembered, he was dead and I was in my apartment alone.

I tried to check my makeup in the mirror. But my reflection was missing.

I scrubbed her blood off of my suit until there was no trace of DNA left. But I needed something to remember the night by, so I kept a handful of her hair.

When I checked his browser history, I found the search: “How to poison my wife.” So I threw down the water bottle he’d just handed me.

I think I’m dead. But the other spirits keep telling me I’m alive.

I’ve been talking to my mother for hours. But I don’t think she can hear me through the six feet of dirt.

I never meant to make my ex cry. I only meant to make him bleed.

My throat is raw from screaming for help. But no one can hear me now that I’m in heaven.

I didn’t run when I saw him. So he didn’t make me suffer when he stabbed me.

I reached under the bed to find my missing sock. But I felt another hand, instead.

I texted a stranger by accident. But when they texted me back, they used my full name.

I felt the barrel against my head, for only a second, before the burglar did the worst possible thing. He didn’t pull the trigger.

I didn’t panic when my best friend Tom started shuddering from head to toe, clutching his stomach, and coughing up blood. I panicked when the blood started crawling up my leg. — ShadowScribe

Three cheers for Santa Claus, and all the good children who believe. ‘Makes this so much easier,’ He chuckled, the bells on the trusting little girl’s shoes jingling as he dragged the body across the roof and away into the night. — Cinnamon-Ciara

‘Hey daddy, I’m fixing little brother for you!’ He entered the room to find his 8-year-old daughter scooping the eyes out of their now blind baby. — EccentricStrawberry

‘Do you like your new coat?’ my father asked as he draped it over my shoulders. ‘It’s from your mother,’ he said, smiling at what was left of Mom’s flayed corpse. — ShadowScribe

Being the last human alive isn’t too bad. I just wish my hungry neighbors would leave me alone. — troytheterribletaco

There was a knock on my door. Something inside told me not to open the closet. — DonBeanass

I sit in this crowded theater, all my life I’ve been a nobody, a reject, an empty, self-loathing blank. “Time for all of that to change,” I say to no-one in particular, pulling out the guns from under my coat… — TheRaincrow

There was a photo of me sleeping on beautiful red silk on my phone. What I don’t know is how the phone got into the coffin with me. — Abyss1213

I stared at the picture of me emblazoned on the screen of the mobile phone, wracking my brain to try to understand how it got there. Human technology has often proved to be an ally of mine but I’ve never before encountered a mobile that could take pictures of demons. — sleeplessfromdreams

At the expense of the last of their ammunition, the lumbering beast collapsed. Too bad the hunting party couldn’t spare a moment while patting each other on the back to notice it’s mother had witnessed the whole display. — Jibberling

Before I could react, the man produced an ax from his long coat and brought it to rest on the table before me. I carefully chose my words before saying, ‘Even with a receipt, I cannot give you a refund with all those blood stains.’ — Jibberling

My eyes were glued to the scarring images on the horrifying scrapbook I found at my new neighbors house. As I flipped towards the end of the book I noticed that there was a blank spot with today’s date written below it. — Unknownuser55550

Before my parents left town for the weekend, they tucked me in, locked my bedroom door, and told me that there was nothing to be afraid of: the monsters had no way of getting inside the house. If they had stayed a second longer they would have heard his laughter from inside the closet. — ShadowScribe

The voices won’t stop bothering me to let them free. Maybe it’s time to go into the basement and shut them up once and for all… — Tiger106700

My mom couldn’t find her ‘yummy-wummy’ baby, even when she called out to her with that ridiculous nickname. At least it was accurate: my sister was delicious. — SlavicSnowflake

Before I can go to sleep, I have to check all the doors around the house. If they’re all locked, I move on to the next house. — Volohov

Michael Koh

Follow Michael at @UghHugs .

Keep up with Michael on Twitter and thoughtcatalog.com

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