When There's Smoke, There's Fire

      Adrian Tjin
     When There's Smoke, There's Fire

"Sometimes, it's not the people who change; it's the mask that falls off."A short story from the prize winning author of "Resolution"."Drive carefully, there’s a frost again tonight.”A teenager asks his domineering father if he can borrow the car with dramatic consequences."Drive is an edgy flash fiction contemporary family life story with a dash of mystery and a conclusion that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve read ‘The End’." MDG

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    The Reading of the Will

      H Jason Schulz
     The Reading of the Will

After going to a reading of a will, John inherits a mansion, land and treasure, But the treasure has a curse! Find out what happens in this short story.I was asked to be a guest speaker at an elementary school and this idea came form the kids from Mr. Barnhurst's 5th grade class.John is a farmer but after a distant relative died he was asked to attend the reading of the will. He was bequeathed a house, land and treasure! But there's a catch. Gypsys want the treasure and there will be consequences if they don't get it. Read what happens in this short story.

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    The Thing That Knocks

      Duke Thompson
     The Thing That Knocks

A young boy named Francis finds himself in his room one night after years of reading high thrilling and chilling novels, and isn’t sure what to make of a certain experience that follows only minutes after hearing three knocks on his bedroom door.When the human mind begins to experience a certain level of media, fiction, or other forms of prevarication, they slowly lose their ability to reason and sort through the information correctly. Such events will take place throughout a person's life where they won’t be able to tell if something is real or not; this is thanks to our desire to consume and experience things that remove us from our everyday lives. The unworldly is an addiction, and like every addict, people build up a tolerance to said addiction, and soon, they might not be able to separate a fantasy from reality. In a rather twisted way, this story takes a look into exactly what this could mean when a young boy named Francis finds himself in his room one night after years of reading high thrilling and chilling novels, and isn’t sure what to make of a certain experience that follows only minutes after hearing three knocks on his bedroom door.

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    Come The Night

      Ian Watson
     Come The Night

From the author of Midnight Spookshow - 8 weird stories inspired by exploitation cinema.Corgren makes a living as a prize knife-fighter in the rough fighting rings along the Hart river. When a mysterious stranger offers him power to gain revenge on his enemies for his service, Corgren dismisses it as a con. But when the stakes are high against an opponent as skilled as himself, will Corgren accept offer? This short story is a prequel to The Bow of Destiny, Book 1 of The Bow of Hart Saga and contains a sample chapter from the upcoming novel.

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    Love in death

      james milano
     Love in death

a teenage boy has nightmares and illusions after he meets a girl. a test of will and strength he must find out why he is lost to the demons.A short story warning the reader to listen for the sound of heavy rain as it means that aliens of long ago are about to pass judgement on our species.

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    Reprisal

      F. Paul Wilson
     Reprisal

In Reborn (6/90), Jim discovered the ancient evil that lurked within his past. Now Jonah, his only son, is the bearer of the horror. Jonah is biding his time, keeping his true identity a secret and waiting for the time when he can carry out the mission he was born for: to bring about the end of the world.

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    Dead End Train

      Mark D. Evans
     Dead End Train

It's the dead of night.A man wakes up on a speeding train only to find his carriage empty. As his commute home continues, he grows suspicious of the apparent nothingness outside his window. After his gut tells him something's not quite right, he wonders if his carriage is the only one void of life and embarks on a personal journey through a bleak and desolate train.Where will the ride end?There's a fine line between love and hate...~*~Meet Eleanor Fyer, a 16 year old girl. Rich. Snobby. And failing her classes. Now meet Samuel Rose, a 16-year-old boy. Fourth-smartest student in the school, a nerd with a capital N. Thrown together in a completely disastrous start, Eleanor knows for sure that their relationship is bound to become chaotic. Having Samuel Rose as her personal tutor is definitely a mistake.Throw in an obsessive friend, a quirky transfer student, finding assistance in the least likely people, and some awkward situations, who knows how it will end? As new bonds are created, secrets shared, and barriers taken down, maybe their relationship can blossom into something more.

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    The Spirit Clearing

      Mark Tufo
     The Spirit Clearing

After a horrific accident Mike wakes to find himself blind in one eye. He now sees things that others can't and nobody will listen to him. That is until he meets Jandilyn Hollow. Will she be able to pull him out of the depths of his despair? Can love transcend even death?

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    Halls of Desolation

      Mark Trimeloni
     Halls of Desolation

You ever thought about applying for a job you see in the paper. Ever wonder what psycho might be lurking behind the innocent words. A bloody thrill ride into a world of murder and madness. Leave sanity at the door. You've just walked into something you won't survive.It’s Volume 4 of TIW shorts! The fourth collection and possibly the last of totally pointless exactly 500 Challenge and exactly 200 Weekend Quickie flash fiction stories/scenes word nonsense (plus a few specials, relays, newsflashes from the TIW blog and collaborations) to entertain you while doing whatever you do when reading. For myself, it was a long and tricky half year in The Iron Writer. Through troubles and difficulties, there was always the TIW Challenge waiting for me.I hope you enjoy these short snippets just as much as I enjoyed writing them, and thanks again to Brian and all the other Iron Writers for allowing me into their community…I wouldn’t.

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    The Tempering

      Shannon Lee Martin
     The Tempering

A blind king at war with orcs and their half-dragon overlord faces the prospect of a war on two fronts he cannot win, but his insidious plan for victory may not turn out quite like he has planned.It is the far future and humanity has become stagnant. A device called the Interface enables all humans to link themselves to virtual realities and to download at whim any information that they might want. It is an existence devoted purely to leisure. But no one now remembers how to think for themselves. There is no need to learn or to gain knowledge. There is no striving for a better world, no need to improve oneself. No need to travel or work. Nothing changes, everything stays the same. That is, until Laurena Tyall asks the Interface a question that no one else has thought of asking for over two hundred years: what is it to learn? That one question changes her world forever and nothing will ever be the same again, or so she believes.

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    The Woolly Boys

      David Donaghe
     The Woolly Boys

When a pack of werewolves on motorcycles roll into The High Noon Saloon and attack the Road Dogs clubhouse, Chico and the bros flee into the desert and take refuge at their cabin. while the hairy beasts take Harlem Springs Arizona, Cave Man and his bros leave Biker Heaven and help the Road Dogs fight off a pack of blood thirsty werewolves and their demonic friends.A private detective chases a burglar onto the midnight streets of Boston and discovers the oddest artist he's ever seen. Terrified that her secret identity will wreck her real life, Killian can't imagine the havoc Mike is about to cause. "Popcorn, Lollipops, and Porn" is a short story which contains no porn whatsoever! The title refers to a comment made by one of the story's three compelling main characters- a trio the author likes so much that she's planning a full-length novel built around them. "Popcorn, Lollipops, and Porn" is the quirky mystery which started it all!

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    The Sitting

      Rik Hunik
     The Sitting

Peter Dennis is flattered to be asked by a beautiful artist to sit for her next painting for a book cover. It starts out well but it doesn't go as he'd anticipated. A short horror story.A slightly different version of this story first appeared in "Black Petals, Summer 2003".Nine Books. One Boxed Set. Endless Adventure.Find your next favorite YA series in Stranger Worlds. This urban fantasy collection includes nine full-length, first-in-series books. Gods and ghosts, portals and shifters, werewolves and fairies... there’s a magical new world waiting for every reader. Explore them all!Stealer by A.M. YatesWhen Dee chases a thief out of her house, she ends up with a whole new set of troubles... in a whole new world. Now, all she wants is to get back home again.The Portal and the Panther by R.A. MarshallAll Jon Parker really wants is to graduate high school and escape his sleepy little hometown, but everything changes one day when he stumbles into the boys' bathroom and transforms into a panther. Without choice, he's thrust into a world in which alternate universes exist, people control the elements with a mere thought, and somehow it's his job to protect our world from interdimensional "intruders". But whether or not it's a job Jon will accept... well, that remains to be seen.Undraland by Mary E. TwomeyStill reeling from the deaths of her parents and brother, Lucy is trying to get her life back on track — until short-tempered, handsome Jens saves her from a bear attack. Soon, Lucy is swept away to an enchanting world where Scandinavian fairytale creatures run wild... and adventure is for the taking.Crystal Magic by Madeline FreemanReading people’s thoughts and making things move with her mind is nothing new for Kristyl, but she hopes to leave her past behind when she moves to Clearwater. But when a curse threatens her aunt’s life, she must do anything for a cure—including tapping into the magic that terrifies her.My Fair Assassin by C.J. AnayaAfter a childhood of foster families and being labeled freakish for her strange looks and eating habits, Crsyta is emancipated and providing for herself. Just when it seems she's finally settling into the normal life she always wanted, a dangerous man with lethal intent breaks into her apartment. But has this enticing stranger come to kill her or to protect her from others who will?A Brush With the Moon by Raquel LyonWhen Sophie moves away to university, she isn’t expecting to be thrown into a world where supernatural creatures are real, nor is she expecting to attract the attention of the most eligible werewolf in town.Soul Slam by Allie BurtonOn her first heist, sixteen-year-old Olivia steals an ancient Egyptian amulet and inadvertently receives the soul of King Tut . . . and the curse that comes with it. But Xander believes it’s his place to inherit King Tut’s soul. Now, he must deal with the thief who stole the amulet. When the two find themselves up against a secret society that wants to use the curse to rule the world, they reluctantly join forces to end the curse before it turns deadly.Ghost Hand by Ripley PattonOlivia Black has a rare birth defect. Instead of a hand made of flesh and blood, she was born with a ghost hand. And when her hand goes rogue, doing things she never imagined possible, Olivia must run for her life from a group of men bent on taking her power for their own nefarious purposes.Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnelLena’s on the run, struggling to master the forces of chaos she now controls while at the same time staying out of the way of the crazy gods and goddesses who want her to use Red Magic to cause chaos. Turns out, Red Magic is real…and deadly. Will Lena learn enough about her power before it’s too late, or will she become a walking disaster?

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    Mimic (A Spear Bearer Short)

      Stephen Clary
     Mimic (A Spear Bearer Short)

“Who is Kracken?”“No one. He never was.”Lizzie’s cousins have moved into a large old home. It’s a nice place, but it seems it had already been occupied by a spirit named Kracken. Lizzie has a job to do...her first job since facing the sorcerer in Spear Bearer Book 1. But for Lizzie being a Spear Bearer isn’t getting any easier.“Who is Kracken?” “No one. He never was.” Several weeks have passed since the events of Spear Bearer Book 1. Lizzie’s family is spending Thanksgiving with her mom’s sister’s family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The family recently moved into a large old home. Not too long after they arrive, Lizzie’s four-year-old cousin Masi begins to talk about her ‘imaginary’ friend Kracken. Lizzie’s dad guesses that the friend is actually a Lost Soul—a ghost. Lizzie has a job to do...her first job since facing the sorcerer in Spear Bearer Book 1. But for Lizzie, being a Spear Bearer isn’t getting any easier.

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    Song of Kali

      Dan Simmons
     Song of Kali

Calcutta: a monstrous city of immense slums, disease and misery, is clasped in the foetid embrace of an ancient cult. At its decaying core is the Goddess Kali: the dark mother of pain, four-armed and eternal, her song the sound of death and destruction. Robert Luczak has been hired by Harper's to find a noted Indian poet who has reappeared, under strange circumstances, years after he was thought dead. But nothing is simple in Calcutta and Lucsak's routine assignment turns into a nightmare when he learns that the poet is rumoured to have been brought back to life in a bloody and grisly ceremony of human sacrifice.

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