She came into a clearing in the twisted thicket, watching her feet to keep from getting her boots caught in the gnarled, wicked roots that weaved and whipped through the dirt-packed path. The wind seemed to die. And even the ominous sounds of animals lurking just at the shadows of her vision quieted. A fog settled in front of her and revealed the massive structure, just as twisted and out of pl...

Gray. The only description for such an old, decaying, dead house. Shudders cracked and peeling off the frame like the bark of a dying tree. The siding warped and paint chipped to reveal an even darker foggier gray. The weather didn't help to brighten the scene with thick dark clouds looming low and close enough together that the sun ceased it's existence. Amongst the gray was a tan brittle an...

“I love you.”

The words hit me like a train. I felt my heart flutter. I felt my face grow warm. I’d always imagined this moment, since I met him during Freshman orientation at college. He was hot, charming, a little rough on the edges, but who wasn’t. Even so, he never showed even a hint that he was interested in me. We never even hung out outside of class. We didn’t run in the same circl...

Statement 3E

Emma sipped at the cup of coffee she nursed in one hand while she flipped through a thick dusty file in the other. The small interview room which had become her make-shift office was a mess with similarly thick folders stacked high all around her, adding a musty smell to the once sterile atmosphere. She set her mug down and leaned forward over the folder, furrowing her brows. “Hm...

There is a man-made lake on campus. It’s a small thing. You can see clear across it even on the foggiest of days. On the warmer days, you can find a fountain fixed in the middle of it, the stock fish swimming up to it eagerly, only darting away when the geese take to the water to torment them. You can see all manner of activity on the tiny lake at the heart of the university—people skipping ro...

Statement 2E

“Yep, right there. Be gentle now, some of these have to be at least 100 years old.”

“Be gentle? Some of these are heavy as sin.” Deven scoffed. Deven carefully entered the room carrying a stack of dusty file boxes, each labled by year. Emma did her best to guide him, though he was having trouble seeing over the mountain of files in his arms.

“You can set them over there–watc...

A flame flickered unevenly above Kevin’s thumb. He snapped his fingers and the flame went out, plunging his attic room into darkness. Amused, he snapped his fingers again and brought the flames back, the light dancing in shadows against the walls. He felt the warmth of the flame upon his thumb and forefinger, the heat singing him now and again, but the flame waved weakly, bringing him a calmnes...

Sometimes my fridge sounds like a blizzard. I can hear it howl at night when the room is dark and the world seems quiet. I've always felt something melancholy about the way it howls. I can't help but let my mind wander about it. I am quite sure it's just a fridge, but perhaps there's a person inside, trapped in a blizzard

You can hear other things too. Every creak and crack. My old house ...

“Take your shot, stranger. You’ll only get one.”

Sariah held her gun with both hands to try to hide how she was shaking. A scowl was fixed on her face, but deep down she was terrified. And he knew it. The tall man, dressed in a fine black vest, coat-tails flowing in the wind. The rain had soaked them both head to toe. She held the gun firm, her finger on the trigger. She had the shot. He...

The door creaked open, revealing a long-forgotten hallway. Dust and cobwebs filled the musky space. A foul odor wafted from the passage way on a stale wind, kicking dust up into Kevin’s eyes. He coughed and fanned the air, turning back to the rest of his remodel crew.

“This certainly wasn’t on the master floor plans,” his coworker Ralph remarked.

“No shit,” Kevin quipped, turning on the lig...