Skullworm

By Joseph D'Agnese

(Note: Skullworm is a short story.)

Love hurts. Breakups hurt more.

When Hank Headley gets dumped, he’ll do anything to forget his girlfriend. His high-pressure career depends on making clear, rational decisions.

Some lovesick people turn to booze or drugs. Hank does them one better: He rents a hideous creature specially bred to nibble his cares away.

It works like a charm.

But some things are hard to shake loose, once they get in your head.

* * *

Skullworm is a 7,500-word short story, just one of six short stories in the Arm of Darkness collection.

The full collection, available separately, contains six short stories of horror: Skullworm, Roadhouse, Glow, Kin, Sunshine Lady, and the origin story, Arm of Darkness.

Author Joseph D'Agnese is a frequent contributor to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph D'Agnese
• Release date: Dec 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310162183

Joseph D'Agnese

Joseph D’Agnese is a journalist and author who has written for children and adults alike. He’s been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Discover, and other national publications. In a career spanning more than twenty years, his work has been honored with awards in three vastly different areas—science journalism, children’s literature, and mystery fiction. His science articles have twice appeared in the anthology Best American Science Writing. His children’s book, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, was an honoree for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children’s books. One of his crime stories won the 2015 Derringer Award for short mystery fiction. Another of his stories was selected by mega-bestselling author James Patterson for inclusion in the prestigious annual anthology, Best American Mystery Stories 2015. D’Agnese’s crime fiction has appeared in Shotgun Honey, Plots with Guns, Beat to a Pulp, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. D’Agnese lives in North Carolina with his wife, the New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan (The Girls of Atomic City).

Book preview

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