Aug. 2023 (Issue 131)

We have original short fiction from Nuzo Onoh (“Oyili”) and J. Choe (“The Girls That Follow”). Our Horror Lab originals include a flash story (“Five Things That Go Through Your Mind After the Masked Killer Decapitates You”) from Adam-Troy Castro and a poem (“Tropical Fish”) from Mark Alpert. We also have the latest installment of our column on horror, “The H Word,” plus author spotlights with our authors, and a book discussion from screenwriter and author Jamie Flanagan. Our ebook readers will also enjoy an excerpt from Keith Rosson’s new novel Fever House.

Cover art by Lumitar / Adobe Stock

Aug. 2023 (Issue 131)

Editorial

Editorial: August 2023

by Wendy N. Wagner

Of all the classic urban legends, the story of the babysitter sharing a building with a murderous caller has always been my favorite. That punchline at the end is the perfect descriptor for an endless array of horrors, because a house can stand in for so many other things.

Fiction

Oyili

by Nuzo Onoh

Author spotlight

Kachi stroked the yellow python-eye hidden between the cheeks of his buttocks with a distracted finger. The familiar round smoothness of the hard orb calmed his mind as he stared dispassionately at the mangled corpse sprawled at his tiny, blood-coated feet.

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- Narrated by:
  
  Emeka Emecheta
- Duration:
  
  1:03:18
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Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Nuzo Onoh

by David Rees-Thomas

For me, characters, more than anything else, have always driven my appreciation of fiction. When I, the conduit, manage to portray my characters authentically when they tell me their stories, it leaves an indescribable feeling of satisfaction; job well done, Nuzo.

Fiction

Five Things That Go Through Your Mind After the Masked Killer Decapitates You with an Axe and Your Still-Living Head Has a Few Seconds of Consciousness Left to Gaze at Your Twitching Body

by Adam-Troy Castro

ONE: I told them it was stupid to rent the same cabin in the woods where that other slaughter took place, twenty years ago. I said I knew of a perfectly good bed and breakfast where nobody had ever been slaughtered, not even once.

Nonfiction

The H Word: The Un-manored Gothic

by Suzan Palumbo

I’ve always loved gothic romances and horror. Darkness, melancholy, and intense emotion have long been my siren calls, and I gravitated to these genres like a werewolf to a full moon much before I became a functional reader.

Fiction

The Girls That Follow

by J. Choe

Author spotlight

When he tells me to feed her, I do. And I do despite her cries, and despite the rattle of her chains echoing through the basement. The basement of the old house that once belonged to his father before I pointed a hunting rifle at his face and pulled the trigger.

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- Narrated by:
  
  Justine Eyre
- Duration:
  
  14:59
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Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: J. Choe

by Xander Odell

The best horror stories are a gateway to another world, another life. You are no longer just reading, but feeling that dread alongside the main character. Your skin is crawling, your chest feels tight.

Poetry

Tropical Fish

by Mark Alpert

“Tropical Fish” is a relic from my childhood and mostly true. I had an aquarium in my bedroom, and my dad and I spent a lot of time staring at those fish.

Nonfiction

de•crypt•ed—Flanagan on VanderMeer

by Jamie Flanagan

Screenwriter and author Jamie Flanagan discusses the impact of Jeff VanderMeer’s works on their own writing, with a special emphasis on Veniss Underground and Annhilation.

Aug. 2023 (Issue 131)

Editorial

Fiction

Narrated by:

Duration:

Author Spotlight

Fiction

Nonfiction

Fiction

Narrated by:

Duration:

Author Spotlight

Poetry

Nonfiction

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