Fear: A Collection Of Horror Short Stories: Fear, #1

By Lee Jones

A spine chilling collection of five horror short stories. Scarecrow, Blood on the Bayou, The Forest, The Undead:Outbreak, and The Dark Side of The Moon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saturn Publishing
• Release date: Oct 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386629986

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Five short horror stories are in these compilation. The first four were previously released and the final one is exclusive to this book. Each story has a unique story and change of setting and theme.

Scarecrow Reaping is set during the 1930’s in rural America on a farm during the great depression. Blood on the Bayou is a modern telling of a cannibalistic cult on the Louisiana Bayou. The Forest is about the haunted spirits that occupy the suicide forest in Japan. The Undead Outbreak is the first in the Outbreak series. It tells of a viral epidemic turning people into zombies and four strangers must band together to make it alive to the safe house. Lastly, The Dark Side of The Moon is about an astronaut who lands on the dark side of the moon only to discover he is not the only life form.

          There have been some edits from the previous releases for Scarecrow Reaping, Blood on the Bayou, The Forest and The Undead. This book will be updated with new editions with additional short stories.

            SCARECROW REAPING

THE BEGINNING

It's the 1930s during the depression. The Johnson family has lost all their crops on their farm. The soil is dry and dust blows in the wind. A windmill, a barn and a farm house occupy the property but nothing else is seen for miles. What used to be a field of corn, has now all but dried up and welted away. A stretch of dirt road leads to a 2 way highway. Every once and a while cars will pass by but most of the time there is no traffic on the highway.

Bill Johnson is a middle aged farmer with a wife and two children. He is the 3rd generation farmer in his family and the farm has been in the family ever since. He has been working on the farm since a small boy and nothing else. All their fortunes are tied into the business however the past couple of years have proven difficult. Due to a drought, his corn has been dying till this current year there is nothing left to reap.

They have been living off of savings. Bill frustrated with the current conditions of the farm has been seeking a job in town 30 miles away. However, there has been no success. No one is hiring right now. The wife and children help around the farm with the few chickens and cattle grazing on the property. It’s their main source of food and occupies them most of the day.

It’s the early mourning and Bill is reading the newspaper at the kitchen table. He reads and stories tell of the current conditions in the country. The country is in an economic downturn. Melinda Johnson the wife, walks in with a grim look on her face and fresh eggs in her hands. We're running pretty low on cornmeal to feed the chickens, says Melinda. I know, replies Bill. What do you want me to do? replies Bill in a stern voice. Well you can get a job cause these corn ain't growing with this soil! replies Melinda. Ain't my fault I've done everything I could! says Bill.

The last few nights Bill hasn't slept. He has been thinking so much about his current situation and it worries him

deeply. Bill and Melinda have been at odds bickering with each other the past few days. Melinda knows the crops are not growing but feels like Bill he could be doing more to help. So much is weighing heavy on his mind. He feels depressed. He looks over to the bottle of shine on the night stand and starts drinking. The first sip burns and taste like crap but washes away his worries.

The next mourning Melinda and the children are outside in the chicken coop collecting fresh eggs for breakfast. They also milk the cow for fresh milk and come back to the house. They find Bill drunk has a skunk passed out on the kitchen table. Go outside and play I need to speak with your father Melinda tells the kids. The kids run outside while Melinda places the eggs and milk on the counter. Bill wake up! Bill looks up in with one eye red. His face is sobering and grim. He hasn't shaved. His hair is uncombed. Their is a bottle in one hand with just a few sips of shine left. Other bottles liquor on the floor beneath him.

Your not going to help us by drinking! Melinda says. Melinda I can’t do this anymore, replies Bill. We have nothing and there is nothing we can do about it. In a slurred speech Bill raises his head and says, This farm has been in the family since my great grandfather and I let it go. Melinda reaches for the bottle of shine in Bill's hand but Bill quickly swipes away at her. Leave me alone! as Bill yells in anger! Melinda is quickly startled and moves quickly out of the house. Bill slams the table and throws the bottle at the wall and smashes it.

A few days have past. A scarecrow over looks an empty cornfield. The wind blows dust. The situation has gotten worst. Bill has been drinking everyday. His fits have grown more often and Melinda become increasingly worried. She has tried to intervene but Bill has gotten physically abusive. Last night she received a shiner to her left eye.

A NIGHT OF TERROR

It's nighttime. Cooler then it has been so far this fall. It's October. There's a calm in the air. Crickets are heard all around. A gentle breeze blows. The

children are in bed upstairs and Melinda is asleep. Bill was not able to sleep and is in the barn. A small candle lights the interior. His breath is seen in the cold as he coughs. He is drinking more shine.

Bill has an anger growing inside of him. Why him? Why now? What did I do to deserve this? Bill thinks to himself. Bill stands up and throws the bottle of shine