Category: Horror

30-minute shivers. · Horror · Phantom black

Phantom black 4 (conclusion)

Joe HallettLeave a comment

Finished, not polished. But I think it’s enough to get a good story out of it. Of course, I will add it to the 30-minute Shivers collection, a collection of my horror stories that I will eventually publish as a book.

I decided to just keep adding to the story as I go, and posting the entire thing, rather than just the separate parts. For new readers or those that haven’t read it yet, I wanted to make it easy to consume the entire thing at once…

If you enjoy this please give it a like and feel free to comment!

Phantom black

                The scientists fiddled with the device with excited banter, enthusiastic about their apparent success. The device looked like an over-engineered paint spray gun. One of the scientists adjusted a setting on the machine, causing a pleasant harmonic tone to emanate from it. The other scientist poured a black viscous liquid into a small vat attached to the instrument with tubes, hoses, and electrical connections. The first scientist starts speaking into a recorder, taking verbal notes with a shaky, excited voice. “Four-thirty two hertz to four forty hertz seems to be the correct resonant frequencies to properly align the filaments. We have achieved approximately….” He looks up at the other scientist and nods slightly, prompting the missing information.

                “Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent.” The other scientist reads off of a computer monitor in a matter-of-fact tone.

                “Yes, right. Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent of photon absorption.” He continued, “We have found with the increased amplitude and voltage, the harmonic frequencies will correctly align the carbon nanotubes vertically, giving us an additional twenty percent efficiency.” He said, his voice still quivering with obvious exhilaration.

            The scientist that poured the fluid into the contraption turned to a wall with a stark white square painted across its surface, then began to spray. A five-foot blob of black paint appeared on the wall. The scientist had to stop at that point as vertigo overcame him, and he swayed on unstable feet. To look into the blackness was to see a complete void that lied to his brain and made him dizzy as if falling into a never-ending hole.

            He set the sprayer down and stumbled to the other scientist that was busy monitoring the equipment. He laughed as he walked drunkenly back to the monitors. “I can’t believe it! I felt like I was going to fall into it for a minute!” he said, finally reaching the desk where he could grab hold and steady his feat.

The beam of light pierced the veil. Like an ugly knife wound tearing a rough, misshapen hole in the darkness. The light touched the creature’s tentacle, a warm tingle drawing its attention. Confused and curious, it extended its tentacles, reaching, feeling the jagged edges of the opening. It wrapped its tentacles around it with more confusion about the nature of this new thing in its world, then examined the edges, feeling its solidity. Reaching in and gaining purchase on the inside surface, it began to pull itself through, marveling at the warm tingly, yet slightly stinging sensation on its skin.

                Tentacles wavered through the opening, touching the air and feeling the strange tingle of the light. As it pushed deeper into the new expanse, it could feel a vibration of sound emanating from inside this new space. It waved a tentacle sniffing the air, searching for the source of the vibrations. With so many new sensations, the creature grew eager and more curious. It pulled itself through the hole, sniffing and feeling.

                With their backs turned away from the black-painted surface, the scientists quickly prepared their device for the new round of testing; the creature probed a tentacle towards them. The probing tentacle extended toward the sound vibrations and detected a unique sensation that triggered a biological response; Hunger.

            The tentacle wrapped around one of the scientists and pulled closer to the creature. Strange and delightful sensations came from it. It was warm and squishy and made sound vibrations that pleasantly tickled its senses. A warm gush of liquid poured out when it was pulled apart, metallic and salty. The creature pulled the pieces into its beak-like maw, enjoying the warm salty, and chewy sensations. It was intoxicating. Its first taste of this new food unleashed an unapologetic yearning for more as it felt the nutrients provided a near-explosive growth.

            The sounds the other scientist made while the creature devoured his comrade intensified. The creature hesitated despite its sudden craving for the new sensations of the food source, but the sounds of it were so compelling it wasn’t sure it wanted it to stop. The creature decided to split the difference by plucking the other scientist up but only pulling off and eating one appendage at a time. This seemed to work as the appendage tore away; the sound reached a pitch that sent shivers of ecstasy through the creature’s body. To the creature’s disappointment, the sounds abruptly stopped after the warm salty liquid stopped draining from the stump end of the appendage.

It finished consuming the still delicious treat when the door burst open. Several people rushed into the room to investigate the screams that echoed through the facility’s hallways. They skidded to a halt just inside the laboratory as the carnage stunned them into indecision. The creature didn’t hesitate and snatched up the first one that entered the room and sucked it into its maw. They screamed.

The creature stretched out into the hallway with fluid, almost vapor-like movements exploring the hallway. It could feel the vibrations of the footfalls of these new treats all around it, behind doors or around corners. It was glad for the new space to explore as its size increased with explosive growth. Every morsel it consumed is added to its now immense bulk and hunger.

It found a few more treats in a room at the end of the hall. The pleasant sound they made drew its attention to them. It enjoyed the first, particularly plump and juicy; its lower baritone screams added to the enjoyment like a savory spice. It allowed the increasing volume and intensity of the screams of the other two to carry on for a moment as it indulged in the cacophony of their anguish and fear until it could no longer resist the craving of the flesh.

The walls and hallway of the building became confining as it continued to consume more and more. It reached farther with a tentacle until it breached the front entrance. Finding more freedom of movement, it nearly gushed through the doorway to the outside. There were many new things outside the facility, strobing lights and new sound vibrations. These new sounds were not pleasant, like the noise the prey made. The frequency of the sirens was annoying and almost painful, dampening the joy of gluttony it was feeling.

It extended a tentacle outward to the nearest the offending vehicle and wiped it out of existence in one swipe of the now enormous appendage. This seemed to excite the human creatures. They reacted by flinging metal fragments from small pipes that they carried. These projectiles didn’t penetrate the creature and only served to further its annoyance. It swiped its tentacle back the other way, scooping up a vast swath of the prey creatures, then it sucked them into its beaked maw with a wooshing sound.

The influx of biomass added to its bulk, encouraging new and faster growth. The changes surprised the creature as it felt a metamorphosis deep within it. New appendages began to sprout, and its body became more adapted, evolving from an amorphous glob of tentacles to a more distinct form. The new budding appendages started taking shape, expanding outward, fan-like.    

The creature flexed these new appendages once, causing an enormous blast of wind dispersing many human creatures and their devices. Incoming flying machines spouting metal projectiles and explosive missiles avoided the gust initially, but the stinging sensations of these new attacks angered the beast.  

It stretched its wings and flapped again, stirring more hurricane-force winds, and began to lift, sending many flying machines spiraling toward the ground. It flew high into the sky despite the enormous mass it now had; it rose like a titanic blimp into the atmosphere. This high vantage gave it a perspective f this world, and it was drawn to the shining light of a large city, where it knew it could feast on these creatures.

The flying machines continued pestering the creature, but it barely noticed anymore. They were dispatched with a flap of its enormous wings as its avarice for the human flesh drew it closer to the city. It swooped down and could hear the delightful screams and almost taste the fear, only to encourage its gluttony. It opened its maw, sending its tentacles to snatch up hundreds of the humans, then slurped them into its awaiting gullet. Unsated, it continued, its gluttonous path rejoicing in the anguished screams of its prey as it went, then it saw it. It saw a sizeable oval-shaped building, a stadium. The roar of the crowd beckoned it like a dinner bell….

30-minute shivers. · Horror · Phantom black · writing

Phantom Black (3)

Joe HallettLeave a comment
This is a photo of the material Vantablack (Vertically aligned nanotubes.) A real pigment developed with 99.96 light absorption.

A few more paragraphs. Hey, this is how my brain does stuff, a little here, a dash there. One reason why it takes me so long to produce anything, I am busy doing every other thing. This little short horror is planned on being entered into a project, “30 minute shivers” a collection of short horror stories. The final version may end up completely different, Im just putting thoughts down.

Phantom Black

                The scientists fiddled with the device with excited banter, enthusiastic about their apparent success. The device looked like an over-engineered paint spray gun. One of the scientists adjusted a setting on the machine, causing a pleasant harmonic tone to emanate from it. The other scientist poured a black viscous liquid into a small vat attached to the instrument with tubes, hoses, and electrical connections. The first scientist starts speaking into a recorder, taking verbal notes with a shaky, excited voice. “Four-thirty two hertz to four forty hertz seems to be the correct resonant frequencies to properly align the filaments. We have achieved approximately….” He looks up at the other scientist and nods slightly, prompting the missing information.

                “Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent.” The other scientist reads off of a computer monitor in a matter-of-fact tone.

                “Yes, right. Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent of photon absorption.” He continued, “We have found with the increased amplitude and voltage, the harmonic frequencies will correctly align the carbon nanotubes vertically, giving us an additional twenty percent efficiency.” He said, his voice still quivering with obvious exhilaration.

            The scientist that poured the fluid into the contraption turned to a wall with a stark white square painted across its surface, then began to spray. A five-foot blob of black paint appeared on the wall. The scientist had to stop at that point as vertigo overcame him, and he swayed on unstable feet. To look into the blackness was to see a complete void that lied to his brain and made him dizzy as if falling into a never-ending hole.

            He set the sprayer down and stumbled to the other scientist, that was busy monitoring the equipment. He laughed as he walked drunkenly back to the monitors. “I can’t believe it! I felt like I was going to fall into it for a minute!” he said, finally reaching the desk where he could grab hold and steady his feat.

The beam of light pierced the veil. Like an ugly knife wound tearing a rough, misshapen hole in the darkness. The light touched the creature’s tentacle, a warm tingle drawing its attention. Confused and curious, it extended its tentacles, reaching, feeling the jagged edges of the opening. It wrapped its tentacles around it with more confusion about the nature of this new thing in its world, then examined the edges, feeling its solidity. Reaching in and gaining purchase on the inside surface, it began to pull itself through, marveling at the warm tingly, yet slightly stinging sensation on its skin.

                Tentacles wavered through the opening, touching the air and feeling the strange tingle of the light. As it pushed deeper into the new expanse, it could feel a vibration of sound emanating from inside this new space. It waved a tentacle sniffing the air, searching for the source of the vibrations. With so many new sensations, the creature grew eager and more curious. It pulled itself through the hole, sniffing and feeling.

                With their backs turned away from the black painted surface, the scientists quickly prepared their device for the new round of testing; the creature probed a tentacle towards them. The probing tentacle extended toward the sound vibrations and detected a unique sensation that triggered a biological response; Hunger.

            The tentacle wrapped around one of the scientists and pulled closer to the creature. Strange and delightful sensations came from it. It was warm and squishy and made sound vibrations that pleasantly tickled its senses. A warm gush of liquid poured out when it was pulled apart, metallic and salty. The creature pulled the pieces into its beak-like maw, enjoying the warm salty and chewy sensations. It was intoxicating. Its first taste of this new food unleashed an unapologetic yearning for more as it felt the nutrients provided a near-explosive growth.

            The sounds the other scientist made while the creature devoured his comrade intensified. The creature hesitated despite its sudden craving for the new sensations of the food source, but the sounds of it were so compelling it wasn’t sure it wanted it to stop. The creature decided to split the difference by plucking the other scientist up but only pulling off and eating one appendage at a time. This seemed to work as the appendage tore away; the sound reached a pitch that sent shivers of ecstasy through the creature’s body. To the creature’s disappointment, the sounds abruptly stopped after the warm salty liquid stopped draining from the stump end of the appendage.

It finished consuming the still delicious treat when the door burst open. Several people rushed into the room to investigate the screams that echoed through the facility’s hallways. They skidded to a halt just inside the laboratory as the carnage stunned them into indecision. The creature didn’t hesitate and snatched up the first one that entered the room and sucked it into its maw. They screamed.

The creature stretched out into the hallway with fluid, almost vapor-like movements exploring the hallway. It could feel the vibrations of the footfalls of these new treats all around it, behind doors or around corners. It was glad for the new space to explore as its size increased with explosive growth. Every morsel it consumed is added to its now immense bulk and hunger.

It found a few more treats in a room at the end of the hall. The pleasant sound they made drew its attention to them. It enjoyed the first, particularly plump and juicy; its lower baritone screams added to the enjoyment like a savory spice. It allowed the increasing volume and intensity of the screams of the other two to carry on for a moment as it indulged in the cacophony of their anguish and fear until it could no longer resist the craving of the flesh.

The walls and hallway of the building became confining as it continued to consume more and more. It reached farther with a tentacle until it breached the front entrance. Finding more freedom of movement, it nearly gushed through the doorway to the outside. There were many new things outside the facility, strobing lights and new sound vibrations. These new sounds were not pleasant, like the noise the prey made. The frequency of the sirens was annoying and almost painful, dampening the joy of gluttony it was feeling.

It extended a tentacle outward to the nearest the offending vehicle and wiped it out of existence in one swipe of the now enormous appendage. This seemed to excite the human creatures. They reacted by flinging metal fragments from small pipes that they carried. These projectiles didn’t penetrate the creature and only served to further its annoyance. It swiped its tentacle back the other way, scooping up a huge swath of the prey creatures, then it sucked them into its beaked maw with a wooshing sound.

Horror · science fiction

Phantom Black (2)

Joe Hallett2 Comments

Added a few more paragraphs.

Phantom Black

                The scientists fiddled with the device with excited banter, enthusiastic about their apparent success. The device looked like an over-engineered paint spray gun. One of the scientists adjusted a setting on the machine, causing a pleasant harmonic tone to emanate from it. The other scientist poured a black viscous liquid into a small vat attached to the instrument with tubes, hoses, and electrical connections. The first scientist starts speaking into a recorder, taking verbal notes with a shaky, excited voice. “Four-thirty two hertz to four forty hertz seems to be the correct resonant frequencies to properly align the filaments. We have achieved approximately….” He looks up at the other scientist and nods slightly, prompting the missing information.

                “Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent.” The other scientist reads off of a computer monitor in a matter-of-fact tone.

                “Yes, right. Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent of photon absorption.” He continued, “We have found with the increased amplitude and voltage, the harmonic frequencies will correctly align the carbon nanotubes vertically, giving us an additional twenty percent efficiency.” He said, his voice still quivering with obvious exhilaration.

            The scientist that poured the fluid into the contraption turned to a wall with a stark white square painted across its surface, then began to spray. A five-foot blob of black paint appeared on the wall. The scientist had to stop at that point as vertigo overcame him, and he swayed on unstable feet. To look into the blackness was to see a complete void that lied to his brain and made him dizzy as if falling into a never-ending hole.

            He set the sprayer down and stumbled to the other scientist, that was busy monitoring the equipment. He laughed as he walked drunkenly back to the monitors. “I can’t believe it! I felt like I was going to fall into it for a minute!” he said, finally reaching the desk where he could grab hold and steady his feat.

The beam of light pierced the veil. Like an ugly knife wound tearing a rough, misshapen hole in the darkness. The light touched the creature’s tentacle, a warm tingle drawing its attention. Confused and curious, it extended its tentacles, reaching, feeling the jagged edges of the opening. It wrapped its tentacles around it with more confusion about the nature of this new thing in its world, then examined the edges, feeling its solidity. Reaching in and gaining purchase on the inside surface, it began to pull itself through, marveling at the warm tingly, yet slightly stinging sensation on its skin.

                Tentacles wavered through the opening, touching the air and feeling the strange tingle of the light. As it pushed deeper into the new expanse, it could feel a vibration of sound emanating from inside this new space. It waved a tentacle sniffing the air, searching for the source of the vibrations. With so many new sensations, the creature grew eager and more curious. It pulled itself through the hole, sniffing and feeling.

                With their backs turned away from the black painted surface, the scientists quickly prepared their device for the new round of testing; the creature probed a tentacle towards them. The probing tentacle extended toward the sound vibrations and detected a unique sensation that triggered a biological response; Hunger.

            The tentacle wrapped around one of the scientists and pulled closer to the creature. Strange and delightful sensations came from it. It was warm and squishy and made sound vibrations that pleasantly tickled its senses. A warm gush of liquid poured out when it was pulled apart, metallic and salty. The creature pulled the pieces into its beak-like maw, enjoying the warm salty and chewy sensations. It was intoxicating. Its first taste of this new food unleashed an unapologetic yearning for more as it felt the nutrients provided a near-explosive growth.

            The sounds the other scientist made while the creature devoured his comrade intensified. The creature hesitated despite its sudden craving for the new sensations of the food source, but the sounds of it were so compelling it wasn’t sure it wanted it to stop. The creature decided to split the difference by plucking the other scientist up but only pulling off and eating one appendage at a time. This seemed to work as the appendage tore away; the sound reached a pitch that sent shivers of ecstasy through the creature’s body. To the creature’s disappointment, the sounds abruptly stopped after the warm salty liquid stopped draining from the stump end of the appendage.

It finished consuming the still delicious treat when the door burst open. Several people rushed into the room to investigate the screams that echoed through the facility’s hallways. They skidded to a halt just inside the laboratory as the carnage stunned them into indecision. The creature didn’t hesitate and snatched up the first one that entered the room and sucked it into its maw. They screamed.

The creature stretched out into the hallway with fluid, almost vapor-like movements exploring the hallway. It could feel the vibrations of the footfalls of these new treats all around it, behind doors or around corners. It was glad for the new space to explore as its size continued to increase with explosive growth. Every morsel it consumed is added to its now immense bulk.

Emergence Ascended · Emergence Collective · Horror · science fiction · writing

Whittling away at things

Joe HallettLeave a comment

I am getting to the end of “Emergence Ascended” (my current WIP), the sequel to “Emergence Collective,” which is very exciting. I am probably the slowest writer in the world since I should have finished this book 6 months ago, but I am chipping away at it. It’s funny that while I am writing, I have to stop myself from daydreaming about the other stories in my head. I added a few more paragraphs to my short story Phantom Black (I’ll post that next), but also I am working out some details for my next book (no title yet). In the next book, I go back to my favorite Genre, Horror. It’s a ghost story, but there is a direction I am taking that requires a lot of moving pieces to work together all at once for the idea to make sense. I am also going to take a completely different approach to my writing. The dreaded outline. With some bonus pain, being character development prior to even starting. I had read somewhere about an approach to fleshing out characters by making a grid, in which each box in the grid describes a character trait or behavior and how those characters interact with each other. There is more to it, but that is the gist of it. I have some other character generation ideas that I am going to integrate into the new writing process too. Anyway, I have been having fun playing with the plot and character decisions with the ghost story instead of finishing my WIP. Oh, and some short story ideas.

Author · Horror

Phantom Black (workshoppin’ a story idea.)

Joe Hallett2 Comments

I posted a part of this story idea before, but I tweaked it a little and thought Id share. This story is a slow burn in the back of my mind. I am compiling some of my short horror stories into a book called “30-minute shivers”.

Phantom Black.

Phantom Black

               
The scientists fiddled with the device with excited banter, enthusiastic about
their apparent success. The device looked like an over-engineered paint spray
gun. One of the scientists adjusted a setting on the machine, causing a
pleasant harmonic tone to emanate from it. The other scientist poured a black
viscous liquid into a small vat attached to the instrument with tubes, hoses,
and electrical connections. The first scientist starts speaking into a
recorder, taking verbal notes with a shaky, excited voice. “Four-thirty
two hertz to four forty hertz seems to be the correct resonant frequencies to
properly align the filaments. We have achieved approximately….” He looks
up at the other scientist and nods slightly, prompting the missing information.

               
“Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent.” The other scientist reads off
of a computer monitor in a matter-of-fact tone.

               
“Yes, right. Ninety-nine point nine, nine percent of photon
absorption.” He continued, “We have found with the increased
amplitude and voltage, the harmonic frequencies will correctly align the carbon
nanotubes vertically, giving us an additional twenty percent efficiency.”
He said, his voice still quivering with obvious exhilaration.

            The scientist that poured the fluid into the contraption turned to a wall with a stark
white square painted across its surface, then began to spray. A five-foot blob
of black paint appeared on the wall. The scientist had to stop at that point as
vertigo overcame him, and he swayed on unstable feet. To look into the
blackness was to see a complete void that lied to his brain and made him dizzy
as if falling into a never-ending hole.

            He set the sprayer down and stumbled to the other scientist, that was busy
monitoring the equipment. He laughed as he walked drunkenly back to the
monitors. “I can’t believe it! I felt like I was going to fall into it for
a minute!” he said, finally reaching the desk where he could grab hold and
steady his feat.

 

The beam of light pierced the veil.

 Like an ugly knife wound tearing a rough, misshapen hole in the darkness.
The light touched the creature’s tentacle, a warm tingle drawing its attention.
Confused and curious, it extended its tentacles, reaching, feeling the jagged
edges of the opening. It wrapped its tentacles around it with more confusion
about the nature of this new thing in its world, then examined the edges,
feeling its solidity. Reaching in and gaining purchase on the inside surface,
it began to pull itself through, marveling at the warm tingly, yet slightly
stinging sensation on its skin.

               
Tentacles wavered through the opening, touching the air and feeling the strange
tingle of the light. As it pushed deeper into the new expanse, it could feel a
vibration of sound emanating from inside this new space. It waved a tentacle
sniffing the air, searching for the source of the vibrations. With so many new
sensations, the creature grew eager and more curious. It pulled itself through
the hole, sniffing and feeling.

               
With their backs turned away from the black painted surface, the scientists
quickly prepared their device for the new round of testing; the creature probed
a tentacle towards them. The probing tentacle extended toward the sound vibrations
and detected a unique sensation that triggered a biological response; Hunger.

            The tentacle wrapped around one of
the scientists and pulled closer to the creature. Strange and delightful
sensations came from it. It was warm and squishy and made sound vibrations that
pleasantly tickled its senses. A warm gush of liquid poured out when it was
pulled apart, metallic and salty. The creature pulled the pieces into its
beak-like maw, enjoying the warm salty, and chewy sensations. It was intoxicating.
Its first taste of this new food unleashed an unapologetic yearning for more as
it felt the nutrients provided a near-explosive growth.

art · Emergence Ascended · Emergence Collective · Horror · narrators · voice acting · writing

What do I get out of it?

Joe Hallett2 Comments

As a creative person, I am driven to make stuff. Most of the time, the stuff I create is just for me, something to scratch the itch. I am usually happy with my creations; most go unfinished, however. A lot of times, there are things I do to express an emotion or try out an idea, and once I have done that, I move on to the next thing (an expression of Attention deficit disorder). But it works for me. Creating things like writing, I need a little more, I need to share some things, and I want feedback on my ideas. Not that I am seeking attention, quite the opposite to be honest, I am very introverted (The pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to me, aside from all the death and dying stuff), and for the most part have to be poked and prodded to be social.

That’s where the paradox lies, where I am not looking for attention but want feedback on my creativity, but don’t want to have to be social about it. I am terrible about self-promotion. So, what do I get out of it? There is nothing better than hearing how a story I wrote made an impact on someone. If I frightened you, or made you think about a crazy idea I had, is a sense of fulfillment that is unequaled. When I write, I aspire to write something that will make the reader just think about my story a week or month later or even want to read it again.

I did get some very satisfying writing done this weekend. Wow, I am on Chapter 28 of Emergence Ascended, and I am really happy with it so far. As far as recording Emergence Collective, I had technical issues that prevented that from happening and that is disappointing. I am starting to feel confident, my narration skills are approaching “decent”, my editing is fair. Thanks for taking the time to read! Feel free to leave a like or comment, I enjoy the conversations! You can also email me at hello@hand-printsofdarkness.com

Emergence Ascended · Emergence Collective · Horror · magic · paranormal · science fiction · writing

Workshoppin a scene

Joe HallettLeave a comment

I am at a pivot point in the plot of Emergence Ascended. I thought I would workshop the scene and share it with you. There is no context yet. My goal is to catch the reader off, guard. If I decide not to include it in the novel, I just might keep it in my backpocket of flash fiction ideas. Let me know what you think (as always, my shoot from the hip, flash fiction ideas are NOT polished, so bare that in mind)

Content may be too graphic for sensitive readers (Im not sure anymore, I am so jaded I don’t know what is offensive)

The golf ball-sized chrome sphere appeared in the middle of the pine and seventh avenue intersection. It hovered silently and unwavering as a tractor-green waste management truck collided with it, punching a perfect hole through the length of the truck. Out of control, the dump truck plowed into the traffic ahead, tossing a few small cars aside as it ground to a halt. Another perfectly round hole pierced through the vehicle following the truck, and it, in turn, smashed violently into the garbage truck. In a desperate attempt to avoid the collision in front, the third vehicle braked hard and turned sharply. It slid sideways, the momentum carrying the car into the sphere, forcing the globe through the temple of the driver’s head like a hole punch. The sphere sat steady unmarred, with a mirror finish that made it appear innocent despite the carnage surrounding it.

                Shocked at the scene, the onlookers quickly noticed the strange imperturbable object that had caused so much damage and bloodshed. One of the witnesses sprang into action in the seconds that followed the collisions. He rushed to the man with the perfect circle of gore just beginning to ooze out of his head, deciding in horror that there was no help, and looked into the back seat for any passengers that may need assistance. The body slumped over, its former owner no longer in control, and fell into the sphere still hovering inside the car.

                There was no resistance as the body slid over the spere, causing a surgical swath nearly cutting the man’s head off as it passed. Stunned at the scene, the hero moved his hand to cover his mouth. His fingers were trimmed off neatly and cleanly as they brushed the sphere causing the would-be hero to cry out and vomit on the driver.

Author · Emergence Ascended · Horror · paranormal · science fiction

Keeping the momentum going

Joe Hallett3 Comments

In my last post, I talked about how excited I am to finish “Emergence Ascended” and the next few books I want to complete this year. Here is my list of story ideas I am excited about, but I am curious about what you might want to read in the future. Here is my list:  (Some of these are working titles…)

  1. “Field notes”  A park ranger gets abducted by a troop of sasquatch in the pacific northwest.
  2. “The Ghost in yellow”  A paranormal investigation team becomes stranded at a supposedly haunted Lighthouse.
  3. “Will-o-the wisp” A man travels back to his home village in Ireland to investigate the strange disappearances of the townsfolk.
  4. “Phantom black”  A Lovecraft-inspired science fiction. (A quick short version of the story I want to expand on)

There is the list. I would love to hear what floats your boats!  Leave me a comment below about what would be exciting for you to read! Thanks for visiting!

Horror · magic

Happy Halloween

Joe Hallett3 Comments

Of Necromancy and love

With iniquity and open grimoire,
summoned from hell, to enslave aberration.
Barter my soul, a dark deed I call for!
Spit from my lips, this ill incantation

Sharpened by sin, my blade let go a flood
upon the alter, gift to the devil,
sacrificial offering of hot blood.
Cadaver imbibe life, I will revel!

Hardened of heart and core it will require
The wickedness of work or my intent
And grim occupation of desire
Unfettered of remorse or to lament

Razor edge of lust and red, sigil signed completes my art
Arise from the dead, lady of my heart

Alone · Horror · writing

“Alone” Part 1 of 4

Joe Hallett2 Comments

In the spirit of Spooky season Please enjoy…..

Here ya go! I decided to release the entire short story “Alone”, just for you! This was my first real attempt at writing a complete story. I got the idea from a weird hypnogogic dream. The image of Luis and Randolph kinda popped in my head. I had to write the narrative. The original story is lost to the ether, what is here is a second version of it that I trimmed from the original to meet the requirements of a short story contest. The first version was probably around 10k words, but the requirements were less than 7k (if I recall correct). Anyway I trimmed it down , cutting away some of what, at the time, seemed like fluff., but in retrospect, that “fluff” tightened the narrative. I won first place in the contest, despite the trimming down so I suppose I left enough meat on the bones to make it work.

Caution, graphic violence ahead. if you are squeamish you might want to pass on this one.

Alone part 1 of 4

He stopped working just for a moment, straining to hear the unnatural sound which only offered itself when his pitchfork was doing its duty. Momma?  The sound was familiar. Again the sound pushed forward to the edges of his hearing, “Momma!” The screams sent shocking waves of fire through his veins, forcing adrenaline-laced blood to his legs. His sprint slowed to a jog as blood in the dooryard caught his attention, and the screams grew louder, more frantic. His eyes traced the thick sticky trail of blood from the garden to the front door of the colonial-style farmhouse.  

“Jimmy! Get in here and fetch me some linens! Then go run to the Doc! Hurry!” His father yelled.  

The twelve-year-old boy bolted through the half-open door, sidestepping the pools of blood that were large enough to catch full reflections of his father. He raced to the linen closet; his throat nearly closed as the painful screams echoed through the hall. He grabbed a stack of linens with shaky hands and brought them to his father.   

His father took the linens with confused and frustrated movements. Worry lines etched his pale, nearly white face as the man struggled with his inability to provide the smallest amount of relief for his wife’s agonizing labor. His voice cracked and broken, barked a frantic reminder,  
“Run, boy! Go!”  
  Jimmy sprinted headlong into the cornfield. Flowing tears carved muddy lines across his dusty cheeks. His feet kept the hurried pace long after he was out of earshot of his mother’s screams, those awful heartrending screams.  
  

A shiny new Plymouth coupe barreled up the long drive with Dr. Hathaway at the wheel, Mrs. Ingram, the town’s midwife, next to him and Jimmy in the dickie seat.  Jimmy did not wait for the car to come to a complete stop and jumped out of the dickie. Dr. Hathaway and Mrs. Ingram soon followed him into the house.   

The midwife cleared away the blood-drenched linens while Doc assessed Jimmy’s mother. Dr. Hathaway looked at Jimmy’s father, his face wrinkled with tension and sorrow. “I’m sorry, George, she’s not doing so well. Her breathing is very shallow, and the baby is in distress.”  
 ”Oh, Momma!” Jimmy sobbed.  
 Doc opened his medical bag and began pulling out his tools. He probed the woman’s chest with the stethoscope, then his face went sullen, “You should take Jimmy out. This… this is going to be….” He took a deep breath. “Um, he shouldn’t see this.”   

Dr. Hathaway’s grim face told George the rest of the story. George took Jimmy by the arm and gently led him to the porch. The boy sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve, smearing snot across his face.  
 ”Poppa? Momma’s gonna be okay, ain’t she?” Then another sniffle and wipe before slumping down against the side of the house. He was losing his battle with his own emotions; George’s voice croaked, “I don’t know, son, I just don’t know.” He sat down next to Jimmy, put his arm around him, and they both cried quietly for some time.   

Through the solid door to the farmhouse, they heard Dr. Hathaway urge Mrs. Ingram to help. ”Come here! Give me a hand. I can’t do this alone.” Both of his arms were elbow deep into the cesarean slit that opened a hole in the womb. He gently pulled out most of a tiny little body, but it looked as it was snagged, and he could not finish the extraction. “Reach in, quickly! Get the other one.” He whispered a gruff order of urgency.   

The midwife reached to the gaping split, looking away from the visceral and writhing form. She felt the familiar shape of arms, legs, and a torso, then drew out the other infant. She gasped as they awkwardly dealt with the twins. “Oh my God,” she blurted and then tried to retract her astonishment by turning her head away.  
 Alarmed by the sudden whispering and gasping, George and Jimmy jumped to their feet. George put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder to hold him back. “No! You stay here. I’ll check and see what’s goin’ on!”  
 ”But Poppa!”  
 ”No boy, ain’t no place fer ya. I’ll come and git ya when it’s time. Just sit here fer now.”  
 George took a few steps avoiding the dried brown stains on the porch, and opened the door. Doc and Mrs. Ingram looked surprised when he walked in. They looked guilty as if they were the ones responsible for the state of the twins. His jaw dropped, and he moved a few cautious steps forward. Horrified, he looked at the infants. Confusion chiseled into his features as he shook his head, defiant that this was really happening.  
 The twins writhed and gurgled as they were cleaned. Individually they were normal, though one twin was larger than the other, and both were fine. Fingers and toes in the right places. Arms and legs are suitable sizes. All was correct, except for their heads. Their faces were normal, or at least not deformed. They were attached just above the ears; the skulls collided together in a mishap of nature that marked them permanently as freaks. The shape was all wrong, too, as if their heads were welded together then pulled slightly apart like taffy, each face looking forward.  

  
 They were wrapped now, looking like a mummified wishbone, cooing as infants do, natural, soothing. George now understood the reaction of the midwife. He felt it too but choked down his aversion to not alarm his son standing behind him, despite his father’s stern words. Satisfied with the swaddling, the midwife looked to the father with misty eyes, full of shame and sorrow for the man.  
 ”Do you have names for these the boys?” she asked while adjusting the awkward bundle. George’s eyes widened as if he was reacting to a cruel joke. “No. No names.” He turned to look at his son. Jimmy, so strong and handsome, reliable… normal. His son… His only son. His face hardened as he clenched his fists.  

“Take them. Adoption, whatever.” He glanced at his wife’s lifeless body, covered in a shroud of bloodstained linens. “Take them! Those things, take them away from me!” He turned his back, not wanting to look at the abominations any longer. Jimmy looked on and then took his father’s hand in agreement.  
 ”But George, there is nowhere to take them. They’re alone and helpless. They need you.” Mrs. Ingram pleaded with him.   

“No. They need a mother, who they killed. They need someone that will be able to deal with them.”  
   

In the months following their birth, Mrs. Ingram did what she could for them. Did what she had to do. Kept them alive. She tried to care and feel the maternal impulse that she would have felt for any other child and had felt for others. All she could feel was shameful revulsion. She knew what she should feel; she knew that it was not their fault. That was the root of her shame, and that also brought on its own indignant self-loathing.  
 She noticed the handbills during her daily trip to the market. At first, one or two, here and there, and the closer she got to town, they seemed to be everywhere. Bright red and yellow bill posters of “The Great Cirque De Lune Rouge” plastered on makeshift billboards, announcing its arrival in two weeks. It didn’t take a thought. Her decision was made at the first glimpse of the advertisement. Only two weeks, and she would be rid of them.  

Continue to part 2