Dark Trails

By Charles Savage

Short horror stories.  Eight short stories of the supernatural and strange.  Stories of Snake People, ghostly revenge, second chances with a different twist.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Savage
• Release date: May 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224688562

Book preview

This is a work of fiction.  All characters and places are figments of the authors imagination.  Any similarities to persons living or dead, events, or places are used fictitiously and are strictly coincidental.

Seriously, nothing about these stories have anything to do with you or anyone else.  Trust me the author does not think that you are that important to make a story about you. 

Copyright © 2024 Dark Trails

All rights reserved.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all of those that never stopped loving horror.  For those that never stopped using their imagination.  For those that walk the dark trails at night just to see what they can see.  To everyone who passes an abandon house and thinks that it has to be haunted and has the unfulfilled feeling of really wanting to go in there to explore everything that it has to offer.  To all of societies rejects that got ridiculed growing just because they loved the nerdy and grotesque things in life.  Last but not least to all of you that were here from the beginning and have supported the Other Dimensions series and American Disgrace.  To the many, many individuals who came to my shows and got an autographed book from me, thank you so much.  It is people like you that keep these stories alive.  Thank you for joining me once again.

Other Books by the Author

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Other Dimensions Volume One

Other Dimensions Volume Two

American Disgrace

Zira: A day in a Puppy's Life

Other Dimensions Volume Three

Other Dimensions Volume Four

Table of Contents

Chapter one:  Haunted

Chapter two:  Lost Souls

Chapter three:  Does it Sting

Chapter four:  Sacrifice

Chapter five:  Jackie

Chapter six:  Lillian Salamander

Chapter seven:  Second Chance

Chapter eight:  So What

Introduction

I have been writing stories for almost twenty years now.  Been a published author for four, starting with my short horror/paranormal series Other Dimensions Volume One.  Unlike those books, this volume is for just about anybody who enjoys this type of genre.  Other Dimensions was strictly for adults.  I found out that most of my readers were from the medical field.  That came as a surprise to me.  I also found that a lot of parents enjoyed those books so much that they allowed their teenagers to read them as well, and that, my fellow readers, is just cool! 

I decided that when I began to write the stories contained in the book that you are holding in your hands, that it should be aimed towards everyone.  I had to tone down the violence, the graphicness, and the freedom of speech that Other Dimensions is known for.  The stories are the same type that you have found before but these ones allow you to use your imagination more to fill in the blanks.  In other words, my goal is simply this, to get a wider range of readers without the fear of getting into trouble for reading something graphic like my other books.  Will I ever return to the Other Dimension series?  You can bet on that.  You can also bet that in this novel there will be references to the Other Dimensions series too.

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Other Dimensions is a short story series where the impossible becomes possible.  It is told by my fictional self, and my Imaginary Best Friend, Demonic Humunculous, and Co-host of this great series. Her name is Julie.  No, I don't, nor have I ever had an imaginary best friend.  I am also well aware that "Humunculous is spelled incorrectly.  Its just the way that I prefer it. 

In this series you will encounter tales that will stretch your imagination to new levels.  Adventures that are not common with todays story telling.  These stories are along the lines of the paranormal, horror, fantasy, science fiction etc.  The endings are often surprising, as well as shocking.  They are quick paced and grasp your attention while leaving you talking about them for days to come.  This volume will focus on story telling without the graphic nature of my previous work.  But, don't worry my loyal readers, it wouldn't be Dark Trails without the twisted shit in it.  This volume will just be different in a way.

I began writing the Other Dimensions series back in about 2009.  I was encouraged to write the nightmares that I was having for some years prior.  It helped.  People seemed to like the weird dreams that I was having.  So, I decided to write them and share them with those around me.  At this time I am about halfway through Volume 9, so Ive got plenty of material that's hand written.  I grab certain stories from all of the volumes and retype them so I can continue to publish this great series.  It's hard when you don't have a lot of time on your hands, but we will get through it readers.  We always do.

I never claimed that I was a good writer.  Nor would I.  Grammar just happens to be my worst subject, and probably always will be.  I apologize for that, I know how it drives some of you absolutely crazy.  The popularity of Other Dimensions is simply from the stories themselves, and not from the proper writing.  The stories are familiar, yet different all at the same time.  They are the types of stories that are often neglected from mainstream trends and other social norms.  I like to tell these types of stories because they are the ones you don't hear of anymore.  They are the ones that I enjoy most in the fictional worlds of make believe.

Todays generation is severely deprived in my opinion.  Meaning, when I was growing up, it was Tales From the Crypt, Twilight Zone, and the X-Files that caught my demented little mind's attention.  Kids today have mindless conversations on social media that makes up the majority of their reading experiences.  They are missing out on good story telling.  And that is one thing that I will claim as well as some others.  My stories are damn good.  Refreshing from the standards of happy endings.  Those who have read the previous two volumes know that rarely is there ever an ending thats warm and fuzzy.  In my endings, something bad happens, and thats why you, the readers, like them.

People often ask me about Julie from the Other Dimensions series.  Is she real?  Who is she? And so on.  No she isn't real.  One day me and some of my military guys were shooting the shit, when somehow the topic of imaginary friends came up.  I've never had one.  But if I did, she would be just like Julie in every way.  Madly in love with me (Which is just about every guys situation when they talk about the girl that they brought home from the bar the other night (Yeah, she was imaginary too). She would be constantly joking around with me, a total badass, and at times wants to take me to the underworld.  I wanted her to be completely messed up.  And she is in a cool way, well at least in the fictional world.  Wouldn't want to meet someone like that in the real life!

Other Dimensions started from a combination of writing short stories for my son when he was younger and a dream log of 163 dreams that I accumulated over the years.  I have really bad nightmares and sleep problems brought on from my time in the Iraq War while serving as a frontline infantryman.  The stories are introduced by me and Julie, everyone's favorite Demonic Humunculous!  Sometimes they are told by the character in the story.  And yes, again, I know that Humunculous is spelled wrong.  I want to be different.  And this volume will certainly be different.

This is a book that my parents would be proud to read along with my fellow travelers.  Hopefully!  I must say that I actually enjoyed telling the stories within.  And would also like to point out that some stories maybe controversial in nature, especially So What.  But it was all just for fun, and like all fiction, should not be taken literally.  I tell stories, and am not a voice for any type of radical movement.  I have to mention that because I have had people come up to me and make these claims that I am secretly making fictional stories to start a revolution of some kind.  I am not.  I simply just tell the stories that I enjoy and hopefully you do too.

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Another note should be made.  I would like to thank all of those who have put up with my incredible nonsense and warped sense of humor for the duration that they have known me.  God knows that my wife has had her share.  So have my friends and family.  I don't know how any of you have ever put up with me and not gone totally insane by now.  I wouldn't have dealt with it.  I think you all know the numerous choice phrases that I would have thrown back at you.  But I get it.  You all are intelligent enough to get me and that means a lot!  For those who are new to any of my books, just remember, it's for entertainment purposes only.

I wish you all good and happy lives and to always enjoy it.  Never get hemmed up on frivolous things in life.  It does you no good.

Haunted

1

Charlie was a rustic dinosaur that was no longer needed in the modern world.  He worked in the government and military all of his life.  He no longer had any real family to speak of.  His wife died 7 years ago (He swears it was from from nagging so much along with walking around the house to find more shit to bitch about), and his son lived a life of drugs and only popped up when he needed money.  His current job required him to be a thinker.  He specialized in being one step ahead of serial killers and terrorist.  Scumbags of all kinds.  What he was supposed to do is think like them, to get inside their heads, to find out how they operated, to figure out what their next move was going to be.

Unfortunately in todays world, thinking, or rather, brain-storming was becoming more and more pointless because the world ran on technology.  Computers ruled everything and what they said was the gospel truth that should never be questioned.  Mankind's new religion was Intel Core Processor.  The worship of ignorance was rampant from birth to death.  Reading books was viewed as something completely taboo, along with education.  If you wanted to know something you asked the internet.  If it was wrong then obviously you, yourself, fucked up.  Charlie was against all of this.  He praised knowledge and capability over anything else.  He looked up to the ones with a purpose in life instead of those that drooled, sitting crossed-eyed  and empty-headed waiting for the next trend to hit so they knew what to do and what to go along with. 

Charlie was the old-school detective in a generation where logic was just a word that was used to down sound arguments by the lesser intelligent ones.  One of those idiots was Charlie's boss, Miles.  Miles had taken a management course online that wasn't even accredited and they gave you the answers to the final exam.  He flaunted this piece of paper like it was something really special and made him  more important than what he actually was, completely ignoring the fact that it took him nearly 4 years to achieve this when the course was meant for 6 months. Fucking pathetic.

Miles was coming out of a board meeting where he was advocating to have Charlie removed, which is corporate lingo bs for shit-canned.  Deep down he knew that Charlie was far more superior in intelligence than he could ever be, but, in his mind, he was the best and anyone that proved otherwise or refused to believe was a threat to Miles' delusion.  Plus he hated the fact that Stephanie, his secretary, fancied Charlie over him and that shit wasn't going to fly at all!  He was supposed to be the good-looking guy in the office that all of the girls wanted.  He had to be the GOAT and the only GOAT!

Plastering on the fakest corporate smile he could manage, Miles strode toward the older man with an equally fake confidence. Hey, Charlie! he said as shitty as possible to the old-timer.  Miles enjoyed talking down to people, especially those that he secretly feared would expose him for what he was, an incompetent asshole.  Charlie was reading a book about some deceased serial killer from the 20th century. When he saw it, disgust showed through the corporate mask on Miles' face for a brief moment before he readjusted his expression .  He hated Charlie even more when he read from one of those barbaric, old relics and he hated the enjoyment on the old man's face as he read them. 

The bosses want to speak with you in the boardroom ASAP!' Miles told him, snapping his fingers to accentuate the urgency. Another slip of the mask fluttered across his face as he continued, You know those books are carriers of billions of disgusting bacteria, right?  Might want to wash your hands before going into the meeting.  Fucking sick." He whispered that last part as he left the office not caring to notice the look on Charlie's face, which, ironically, matched the one Miles always gave him. The one thing these men had in common was that they equally loathed one another.

Charlie couldn't stand the ignorance or arrogance of the younger generation.  He would constantly refer to them as crackheads, fucktards and everything else that was considered to be highly offensive.  He really enjoyed to refer to people like Miles, as having gone full retard before the age of six.  Thirty years ago had anyone ever talked to him like that he would have butchered their sorry ass without a moments hesitation.  No talking.  No waiting to see if they were serious or not.  Just BAM!  And out goes there lights and down goes their bodies hitting the floor.  His dictionary on the shelf at his desk had Miles' picture with arrows pointing directly at the words fraud, jackass and imbecile.

The fuck is the meeting about, sport?  Or don't you know that either? called out Charlie, who loved to antagonize this adversary who somehow became his boss.  Miles' body froze and shuddered at this latest insult that he didn't quite understand.  He turned slowly in the doorway and faced his employee, not making eye contact.

What did you say?  Profanity is strictly forbidden in todays society, you old Neanderthal! hissed Miles shaking violently, not knowing how to handle being talked down to.

"What I'm trying to ask is the nature of the meeting.  What is the topic?  The subject?  And my last