Chills & Thrills Anthology

Spooky September | Winners

The following were the top entries from our Spooky September contest in conjunction with Paranormal. Congratulations to all our winners!

The full list of entries can be found here.

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PROMPT

In 200-300 words, write about the moment when your nightmare becomes a reality.

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WINNING ENTRIES

#1

GlennKoerner

Detective Mackenzie looked at the papers spread across his desk and tacked to the bulletin board on the wall beside it. Pieces of red string linked various pictures and files to indicate a correlation between them. In the center of the bulletin board was a single photo. The image was grainy and out of focus, but it was the only picture they'd managed to catch of the killer.

For three months, the mysterious figure in the hood had been hunting down people at will, seemingly appearing and disappearing at will with no trace left behind. No fingerprints, fibers, DNA, nothing. More than a few detectives thought Mackenzie was crazy as no one person could've committed so many crimes without either being caught or seen.

He leaned on the top of his desk, staring hard at the picture. He thought it might have been his tired eyes, but he could've sworn the image had moved. Suddenly, a pale white hand reached out from the picture as if through a window. Resembling an octopus slipping through an impossibly small hole, the killer pushed its way out of the photo and into Mackenzie's office.

Draped head to toe in a white hood and cloak, only the claw-like fingers protruding from the front were visible. The face was concealed in shadow, making the hood appear an empty void.

"Hello, Detective," the killer said in a raspy voice. "I understand you've been looking for me."The phone ringing woke Mackenzie, and he took several steadying breaths before answering, trying to brush away the nightmare.

"Mackenzie," he answered. His blood went cold as a familiar voice spoke.

"Hello, Detective," whispered the killer through the phone. "I found you, and this time, you won't be able to escape me by waking up."

The phone line went dead.

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#2

missh1

Scritch, scratch.

There it was again, the sound of nails scratching along her hallway. When she first bought this place, she wasn't aware of the grotesque incidents that happened behind its closed doors just years earlier. By the time she found out, it was already too late. She was left with no choice but to move in.