North East England-based lover of crime fiction and horror, looking for guidance and advice for that next step into improved, regular writing.
North East England-based lover of crime fiction and horror, looking for guidance and advice for that next step into improved, regular writing.
His head was in turmoil. Pain and regret etched onto the lines on a face that had seen too much. That had done too much.
Staggering, almost falling into the lonely house that had stood abandoned over many centuries. This house had long seen or heard the steps and breathing of human life but here, amplified in both of those actions, came the man. Tears streamed his mud-encrusted cheeks, produced ...
“Now that was magnificent,” I thought to myself, as I savoured that last bite of my cheese and pickle butty. When I go lone hiking - my very own head space time - it has to be a cheese and pickle butty accompanied by a packet of beef flavoured crisps.
Just as I was about to open the crisps, I had that feeling you get when you think somebody was watching me. And as I looked up, there they were. B...
“So you’re going to kill me yeah? What with, your kebab or your finger?”
The drunk wavered in front of me, greasy kebab in one hand with an accusing finger pointing in my direction. “See you pal, you’re a fuggin’ idiot,” he stammered, clearly three sheets to the wind. The finger remained a constant whilst the kebab slowly lost its contents on the pavement. Unlucky pavement. “An I’m gonna fuggin’ ...
It seems like years but thanks to advanced space travel technology, it was mere weeks. The mission seemed straightforward: pilot the team to the frozen planet of Krader in the Dormacian District, two days of searching for the signal that had pinged us hourly for months now, extract and return.
Having travelled the stars for approaching twelve years, I was a highly regarded member of Star Fleet, e...
Why I wore a bright yellow waterproof jacket is anybody’s guess. What an idiot! And here’s me thinking it would be the perfect crime. I say crime loosely, as stealing a few eggs from the local duck farm is hardly bank robbing. But robbing is robbing yeah? And now I’ve landed myself right in it.
It all started with a bet from Rob, my so-called best mate who loves to do his ‘man challenges’. We tes...
I’m absolutely fuming. I’d say this is the 5th time I’ve been stood up. ‘Use a dating app,’ they all say. What a load of shit. Time wasters the lot of them. Oh yeah, a few have turned up (probably in the hope that my profile picture really does match what’s in the flesh, which it does) and then when they talk to me and see I’m an awkward, nervous wreck with no confidence, it’s over.
‘I’ll see you...
God I’m sweating, I honestly don’t think I’ve been this nervous. Ever! And this is somebody that’s tackled great beasts of the ocean (and I’m not talking hammerhead sharks or schools of conger eels here! Think of Godzilla or the Loch Ness Monster and you’ll have an idea). I’ve took on infernos engulfing towns and cities. Broken dams about to wash away thousands of innocent people. Hell, I’ve even ...
It’s always difficult to say goodbye. Whether it be that sad looking favourite t-shirt you’ve vainly hung onto all of these years, or that favorite tea mug that’s gained more chips than the average golf course does in a year, it’s an emotional bind.
Obviously, it’s even more difficult if the thing you are saying goodbye to is a living thing. Your beloved pet is a huge bind, often becoming integr...
It began with the mound of dishes, festering in the sink since the morning from two sets of family meals. Hardened beans and paint-like egg yolk glued to the porcelain, the father attempting to vainly remove them with a filthy scouring pad that had long lost its intended purpose.
“Julie? Sam? Trish?” Davey frustratingly called out the names of his family, ensuing silence echoing from around the h...
The weatherman. That’s what the kids call him anyway. Always with an umbrella, come rain or shine. Prowling the streets of South Shields, often seen around the fairground and the pier, directionless with his odd scuttle and nervous twitch. He is always well dressed, some would say fit for a gent of the 1930s with his long dress coat and pointed leather shoes. A pocket watch swings precariously fro...