The Word Worker

Category: Horror

  • The Folly

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Come on, Sal, what kind of place is this for a picnic? It’s creepy!” “Donny, you’re the scariest guy I’ve ever met. It’s just an old building and some dead trees. Can’t you imagine what this place looked like in its heyday?” “Heyday? Sometimes I think you’re an old ruin, Sal. Who talks like that?…

  • The Watch

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The sound of the sailors’ feet shifting against the boards grated on the silence. A whispered prayer floated unintelligibly over the water, blending with the fog like something unearthly and dreadful. There should have been waves noisily licking below, the creak of rigging in the shift of the wind. Edwin closed his eyes, his hands…

  • Cursed City

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Fifteen years since she had fled the city, a child in a handful of refugees with nothing to feel but pain. Child or not, that last view of the city had been burned into her memory as surely as the real fires had marked her face. She frowned, old scars pulling tight; surely it should…

  • The Locker

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Everyone knew Locker 410 was odd. Not even the maintenance man, who had been with the school since it’s founding, remembered it being assigned to anyone. He got a funny look whenever someone asked about it, mumbled about something needing to be cleaned, and shuffled away as fast as his aging feet would carry him.…

  • The Castle

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Hurry! We’re gonna get caught in it!” Jenny shrieked, stumbling over the rocks on her way down the hill. “Don’t be a wimp!” Jake grumbled behind her, hopping from stone to stone instead. “It’s just water! Why are you such a GIRL?” “I AM a girl, stupid!” Jenny stuck her tongue out, then pulled up…

  • Grimdark

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    He stood at the base of the bridge, his hands twisting behind him. Don’t show fear, they had warned. You don’t want to attract the grimdark, they had said. He kept his face carefully blank (he hoped), but his hands fidgeted. He wondered if the grimdark could hear his heart pounding. The orange light of…

  • The Tomb

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “What a depressing place! Why on earth did you bring me here, Jack?” “Oh, I dunno, I think it’s pretty cheerful with the sun shining through the trees and all.” “Whatever, weirdo! Seriously, what’s with the creepy mausoleums?” “Come here, I wanted to show you something. Look at the door on that one.” “What about…

  • The Creek

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    It wasn’t there before. I was sure of it. The tumbledown cottage was just barely visible over the creekbank, granted, and the trees were only recently bare. I might have missed it if I wasn’t paying attention. Still, that roof had to have been falling in for years to reach its current state, and I…

  • The Story

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    Priscilla prided herself on telling a good story. When Elouise pouted because Ms. Charlotte, the governess, made her rewrite her dictation for poor handwriting, she whispered funny stories about monkeys or kittens who misbehaved. When history lessons were just too boring, she embellished the lives of generals and queens with fanciful romances or tragic mishaps.…

  • Crow

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    Brent chortled into the mask. This was gonna be the best prank ever. Forget trick-or-treating, that was stupid kid stuff. He was gonna scare the pants off some partiers in the park tonight. He just needed to find the perfect spot. He ducked under a vine that hung over the entrance to an old footpath.…