The Black Rose Collection

By Justin Wamsley

"The Black Rose Collection" is a gripping selection of short stories written throughout the year 2020 in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These stories are masterfully written and influenced by the author's real-life experiences.

From the foggy woods to the Arabian desert, these stories take the reader on an unforgettable adventure. Each story in this collection is unique but shares a common theme that becomes evident at the conclusion of the book. If you like dark, edgy, and thought-provoking stories, then this book is for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098380618

Book preview

Decay

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SECTION 1: BETRAYAL

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TRAPPED

Our story begins in the woods, but not just any woods, these woods are very black and gray filled with dead trees. Unwanted children are sent there and left to die. It is believed that those who enter the woods still hear the screams of ghost children crying through the night, those who enter never come back the same. At the edge of the woods lies an old house that looks like it hasn't been lived in for a hundred years, with the wood rotting away and branches poking out of it like nature is reclaiming its territory. But you'd be mistaken if nobody lived there, for legend has it that the hag of these sacred woods resides there, and she keeps a lost child prisoner in the basement.

The boy was fair-haired and slender like a pencil. He had piercing blue eyes that were almond shaped as they stared into your soul. He lays on the floor covered in blood and dirt. He once had a name, although his name was irrelevant to the hag, so he hadn't heard it in such a long time that he has forgotten it. The hag comes down and regularly beats the child so there are lash marks covered all over his back, legs, and arms. He huddles up into a ball at the corner of the room to keep warm and waits as he hears the wood from above him creaking as steps slowly approach the stairsteps. You see, the boy was found by the hag a long time ago, a bastard child born outside of wedlock, so he was left to die.

He knows what's going to happen next as he holds his breath and clenches his eyes trying to push through his fear. Suddenly he hears a loud slam as dust flies everywhere. At the end of the room is the hag who has dark black hair cut down to shoulder length, she has a long pointy nose, thin lips, eyes that are completely black as if she's possessed by the devil, and she walks with a hunch.

No, please, no more… have mercy, pleaded the boy.

NEVER, said the hag, you belong to me with my pleasure to do as I wish. Nobody can save you, not even your God. You're worthless and weak; consider yourself lucky that when I found you, I didn't let the wolves eat you alive.

She pulls her bull whip and proceeds to beat him mercilessly with every lash tearing away flesh and bone until almost all of his flesh is ripped off. She's been doing this for years, so she knows the places to hit him without killing him. Every time he screams and squeals