Nightmare“At the Periphery” by Benjamin Peek
“Sometimes Boys Don’t Know” by Donyae Coles
“Gordon B. White is Creating Haunting Weird Horror” by Gordon B. White
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are three first published stories in the 106th issue of Nightmare, one of which was flash fiction. Overall it was an entertaining collection.
“At the Periphery” by Benjamin Peek
Ali is hiding out in a small town in this engaging horror short. She’s working at The Periphery tavern when a man comes in looking for Eleonora, the same name she used five years ago before killing her warlock teacher and running away.
Ali senses the man has come for her to avenge the warlock’s death. She has put her roots down in this town and is more than willing to fight to keep it in her life.
This character-centric story was almost a novelette length and passed quickly, making the reader wish they had read by a winter’s fireplace, wrapped in a snug blanket.
“Sometimes Boys Don’t Know” by Donyae Coles
The school’s star athlete approaches Bonnie in this flash horror. She never imagined he’d be interested in her, and in a swoon, she lets him lead her away. He says he’ll walk her home, but then he turns the corner into an alley with an abandoned building.
This was the type of plot that is just right for the flash format. It was nicely structured and … highly entertaining.
“Gordon B. White is Creating Haunting Weird Horror” by Gordon B. White
In this short horror story, the protagonist signs up for Gordon B. White’s monthly short horror stories. But he gets a postcard each month with a spooky image and an even spookier description on the back. It is hardly worth the monthly subscription, so he cancels it.
The subscription payments end, but the cards keep coming. He feels each of the ghosts described on the postcards invading his home and wonders when it will stop.
This story snippet was written in the dreaded second person and worked well. As the story progressed, it grew on the reader.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com