Tales of Horror on Halloween Night @SamieSands

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"Don't get cocky,
Happy Halloween."

Rob Shepherd
Victoria Pagac
Rick Eddy
Linda Jenkinson
Kyle Flak
R.M. Gibson
Brandon Swarrow
Justin Coke
Kevin S. Hall
Dean Kuch
Dave J. Suscheck, Jr.
Samie Sands
Georgina Price
Nicholas Boving
K.C. Finn
Anthony Pugliese
James Harper
Andy Lockwood
Amy S. Pacini
James Bryant
Cecilia H. Doldan
Manus Tor

Tales of Horror on Halloween Night Sample

Funeral by Samie Sands

My eyes dart around the room, wondering how exactly I got here. I shake my head trying to find a memory in there somewhere, anything will do. Nothing, just a blank darkness. I try to work out what is going on. By scanning the room, I realize everyone is sat on wooden seats, wearing black and crying. Oh. That doesn't exactly suggest anything fun now does it? In fact, it makes me feel positively morbid.
I try and locate anyone I know, thinking that will help jog my mind. I feel like I sort of recognize everyone, but I don't know where from. I squint my eyes, turning away from the blinding sunlight that is streaming through one of the stained glass windows, just to be faced with a priest at the front, giving a speech of some kind. I try to listen to his words, but there is a buzzing in my brain that is louder than anything else.
I want to stand up, to get a proper look at everyone, but I can just sense that would be extremely inappropriate and I don't want to draw any attention to myself. An elderly lady is sat next to me; I look at her for a little while, drinking in her appearance. She looks friendly enough, I'm sure if I quietly ask her she won’t yell.
“Hey, um...I just wanted to know what we're all doing here. Sorry I know that's a bit...”
I don't know how to finish my sentence, so I just let the words hang in the air. She turns to look at me, she stares right into my eyes for a moment, a strange expression crosses her face, before she is too overcome with grief and she starts sobbing loudly. I am embarrassed by her reaction, and turn to see if anyone is looking. I can feel the blush running right through my body, but everyone else is too consumed in their own thoughts to care.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, wondering how long this will all go on for. The longer I'm here, the more annoyed I'll become. Luckily, it's only moments later that everyone stands up and begins to exit the building, which I am now absolutely certain is a church. I follow along, unsure of what else to do. I try and meet people's eyes as they leave, but no one looks up from the floor, even for a second.
A chill runs right through me as the coffin passes where I'm now stood, and the buzzing that was bothering my brain before becomes and all consuming whisper. I push my hands over my ears, trying to block it out, but the more I try to ignore it, the clearer the words become. Soon I can't focus on anything else.
“Filius meus es opus in inferno. Venite ad me.”
I don't have any idea what the words mean, but I desperately want them to stop. I don't know what it is about the strange language, but it feels evil. I look around to see if anyone else can hear it, but worryingly it appears to only be me. I rub my head angrily, wondering if I'm going insane or something.
As soon as I set foot outside the building, it's as if the volume turns down. I can still hear the low gravelly voice murmur, but only very lightly. I can concentrate on other things at the same time. We walk out into the graveyard. Surrounding by head stones, I really start to panic about why I am here, and why I can't seem to remember a single thing of my entire life before entering the church today. It doesn't seem right.
The priest says a few words and then a woman goes on to make a eulogy to someone named Kate. This name doesn't ring any bells at all. I'm starting to think I really don't belong here. I would just sneak off if I have any idea of anywhere I could go. The only thing that keeps me rooted on the spot is that this is the only place that I know.
Until my memories come back, this could be the only place in the world as far as I'm concerned.
Suddenly a girl, about my age steps into my peripheral vision and I am knocked backwards with a memory. It's only brief, and it tells me nothing, but it is so powerful it hurts my chest. We were arguing, screaming in each other’s faces. I don't know when or what about, but we were really going for it, people surrounding us chanting something over and over. I wonder what that means? Is she an enemy? A friend who I had a falling out with? She looks so serene now, but the anger in her eyes that I saw in the memory, keeps repeating through my mind.
And just like that, other faces begin to send visions into my mind. It's like a film playing, showing the scenes only to me. A flash of a young girl tugging the head off one of her dolls, a pre-teen kicking a dog that won't stop barking and always lots of screaming, lots of shouting.
I stagger backwards in shock. If the girl I could see is really memories of myself, then it appears everyone here truly hates me. But why? What did I do? Maybe I should get out of here before I manage to cause another row somehow.
“Actum est abunde! Tu surge, et vade prius venire ad me cogor.”
The voice screams in my ear so loudly that I jump and yell out. When no one comes to my aid, or even glances in my direction, I quickly realize. It hits me so hard I can't believe it has taken me this long to figure it all out. This is my funeral. I must be Kate. My chest constricts tightly as I struggle to get air down my throat. I'm dead? But why? How?
I look around at all the faces until I locate the one I am searching for. That woman, the one who spoke before, she must be my mother. So why don't I recognize her? Surely, out of everyone my own mother would be a face I know?
I walk over to where she is sat, getting very close to her, studying her face in great detail. Now I am certain no one else can see me I am no longer afraid of what I do. What is the worst that could happen to me? I'm already dead after all.
Nothing comes to mind at first, in fact I almost start to doubt my theory when she looks up at me and meets my eyes. It's almost as if she can see me, right into my soul, and she doesn't like what she sees at all. In fact she looks positively livid. That's when another image violently enters my brain, stopping me in my tracks. It's one of this woman, chasing after me, screaming and crying, before a man behind her overtakes, a baseball bat in hand. She is screaming at him to stop, screaming profanities at me. None of it makes any sense. I can't work it out at all, what is any of it supposed to mean?
I look around wildly trying to locate the man who was chasing me, but can see no sign. I am disappointed because I would have liked to finish that vision. I would like to know exactly what that man did to me with that baseball bat, and why. Wait a minute, is that why I'm dead? Did that man really kill me? Why did this woman, my mother, allow that to happen to me?
I step back from the crowd, overwhelmed and trying to work out the truth. Was I really murdered? I guess that would explain why I died so young. More importantly, why am I still here? Surely I should have 'moved on' by now? Surely it's only souls with some sort of 'unfinished business' that stay behind? I don't even know who I really am, how could I have something left over that I need to do?
“Iter facientem non vestrum me canis, utere atque officere circa finem. Ibi vere non vis venire.”
That voice again. What is going on here, seriously? It's all starting to piss me off a bit now. And terrify me all at the same time.
“What do you want?” I scream at the top of my lungs. I just need this hell to be over with now. “What do you want from me? What am I supposed to be doing here? I don't even know any of these god damn people.”
That's the moment that the tears start to flow, and once they have begun, I can't seem to find a way to stop them. It's one thing to just discover you are dead, it's quite another not to recognize anyone at your funeral. And on top of that I may have been killed? It's all too much to take in at one time.
I detect breathing behind me. I spin around; wanting to know who else has broken from the crowds like me, unable to cope with all of the raw emotion. It is a small woman, she in hunched over as if she is trying to disappear completely. I move over to her, entranced by her presence. She has an aura about her that I can't help wanting to be close to.
She is sniffing, but not crying like the others. I try talking to her, just as an experiment. For some reason I feel connected to her and I thought for a second that maybe she was just like me. ‘In between’—whatever that means. When she looks up and I see her eyes for the first time, the most powerful image of all racks through my body.
This woman is on her knees, holding on to my bleeding, broken body. She is screaming and wailing uncontrollably. “Why Donna, why? If you hadn't of done all of those awful things....”
I look at her confused. What awful things does she mean? And who is Donna? Then I see it. More vision, but these are much more sinister. Me, slicing the arm of a much younger boy with a razor blade. Me, with my hands around the neck of a girl who is sobbing and pleading with me to let her live. Me, pushing an elderly man from the top of a cliff, all for no reason.
“No, no, no!”
I cry out, backing away slowly. This cannot be happening, it just can't. Someone is putting these images in my mind, they must be. They aren't real, I am nothing like that, there is just no way. If I was a cold blooded killer, I would know about it wouldn't I?
I fall to the floor, overcome. I can now see with clarity that this woman is my mother, and that I'm Donna, not Kate. Who the hell even is Kate? I look towards the crowd, where the coffin is being placed in the ground and finally see the oversized photo of the girl who this funeral truly belongs to.
I'm transported to somewhere strange. The knife is in my hand, covered in blood and I laugh loudly. The feeling I get from this sight is overwhelming, it's a rush that nothing else will ever match. I have tried other vices; drugs, shoplifting, casual sex. None of them carry the same orgasmic rush as watching someone’s life slip away from them by my hands. Taking this precious gift away from someone is the most powerful a human can get. It takes you to an almost god-like status. I look down, at the bloody mangled body that lies at my feet, and give it a kick for good measure. I hear the door swing open behind me and even though I know I'm about to be discovered, I don't care. The eyes are so familiar. The eyes are of the girl who is in the coffin today.
My heart stops beating at that moment. It's all true, all the horrible things I saw myself doing are real. I'm evil. I have killed and maimed so many. What the fuck is wrong with me? Where did I go so wrong in life? What would posses me to become that monster?
I look up to my mother, but she is already gone. Probably hiding away from the shame of having a murderess daughter. Now I understand why that man, Kate's father, beat me to death with a baseball bat. He isn't here because he is most likely in prison. Locked away for giving justice to the bitch that killed his little girl in cold blood. What a mess I am.
“Si non possumus.”
These are the last words I hear, before a deafening crash rings out. A claw digs deep into my shoulder and I yell out in agony. What the fuck is happening now? I look behind me to see a hideous demon with a sinister smile bearing down on me. All the images I have ever seen of the devil and it's minions in my life, do them no justice. Being in front of one is a truly horrifying experience that can never be recorded on paper. It's long, black, rancid tongue reaches over and licks me, filling me with disgust and terror. I try to stand up, desperate to run away, but more and more of its clawed tentacles wrap around me, making it hard to breathe.
“I warned you.” The thing hisses at me. “I told you that you didn't want to make me come for you. You really are the worst.” It lets out a belting, evil laugh. “You've really done it now little girl, you have angered him. You're eternity will be spent in the worst parts of hell.”
I scream, I yell, I beg, I plead. It all falls on deaf ears. This monster doesn't want to hear it. It wants to cause me pain and misery. Maybe that's all I deserve, maybe I am just getting what was always going to come to me. Then, on that revelation, everything goes black.

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Swallowed by the Beast @SamieSands

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Delve into the belly of the beast with some of the most talented horror authors around! Read short stories by Robert Tozer, Arnaldo Lopez Jr., Carey Azzara, June Lundgren, Anthony V. Pugliese, Amy S. Pacini, Danny Campbell, Lila Pinord, Dave Suscheck Jr., Linda Jenkinson, L.H. Davis, Alex Winck, Joanne Magnus, James Harper, Kamalendu Nath, Debbie Johnson, Samie Sands, Kevin S. Hall, Stefan Vucak and June Rachelson-Ospa.

Swallowed by the Beast Sample

Carnival Carnage by Samie Sands

God damn 4th of July. It’s such a farce!
Every year it’s the same old tosh. We have this massive celebration which begins with all the nearby family coming around to ours for a barbeque at lunchtime. This is followed by a good couple of hours with us all pretending not to totally hate each other like we do the rest of the year. Then, when all the adults are suitably drunk and things could descend into chaos, we pack up and head out to the carnival in the town square.
That bit actually has the potential to be quite fun, if I didn’t have to spend the time babysitting my two bratty five-year-old cousins Jack and Jill (nope, not even kidding! Who calls twins such ridiculous names?) and hang about with Daniel. He’s the same age as me, but such a loser. He loves all sorts of geeky shit and just has absolutely zero social skills. I do not know what he does with his time. Luckily, we don’t go to the same school. He’s far too embarrassing to have around my mates, so I end up spending most of the time trying to avoid everyone I know.
Don’t judge me, I actually have a good reputation around here, but as we all know, popularity is a fragile thing. Hard to build up, but any little thing can knock you right off the social ladder, straight back down to the bottom. I refuse to have that happen because of my idiot family.
If I’m totally honest, the worst thing of it all is that my bloody mother always, without fail, forced me to wear a dress. I have to “Look like a girl for once”. She is so God damn old fashioned. People don’t wear dresses anymore—that’s why jeans were invented for Christ sake! I stare at my unfamiliar reflection and huff, tugging at the hem uncomfortably. This just isn’t me in any way. I need this day over with so I can go back to my real life.
Mid-morning brings with it a flurry or grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins. I can’t even begin to keep track. I keep the fake smile plastered across my face, even though inside I am screaming profanities and cringing. The afternoon passes slowly, very slowly, but without too much drama. It’s surprising really, that all these people can bear to be around each other. After all, they spend the rest of their time bickering over money, child rearing and other pathetic issues. Why must they pretend now? It’s so dumb. I’ll never understand the politics of adulthood.
The television blares out the political speeches—another 4th July tradition, but I tune out, unable to bear listening. This day is dragging on and I feel so uncomfortable in the swishy, short dress it’s unreal. The station finally flickers onto the news, and mum immediately silences it. As I watch the fading black, the inane chatter starts surrounding me again. Why is it that when adults get drunk, they just get louder and more stupid? Seems absolutely ridiculous to me, which is why alcohol has never tempted me.
I finally free myself to shove on some jeans and a plain t-shirt, as we are getting ready to leave for the carnival. The whole facade is embarrassing enough, without being seen in a dress. My parents are suitably out of it now, so I guess they’ll never notice. The walk to the carnival is as awful as expected, the twins are screaming top note and running riot around me, and Daniel is blabbering on about Star Trek or Star Wars or something else I don’t understand. They’re all driving me nuts; I’m just about at the end of my tether. Glancing down at my watch, I can’t help but wonder how much longer do I have to suffer this?
Before I know it, the familiar carnival music is blaring out so loud; I know we must only be moments away. I feel a sense of foreboding as I turn the last corner, almost as if I can sense something bad is going to happen. And then predictably, it does. I run smack into Kelly who is lip-locked with Kyle.
I’m too stunned to be humiliated, too angry to move. Kelly is my friend, my closest friend. I mean, I’ve always known that she was untrustworthy, we popular girls normally are, we have to be to survive the jungle of high school, but to do this? She knows how long I have been after Kyle—I have literally liked him forever.
“Bitch!” I spit the accusatory word out before I can regain control of myself before I realize that I am supposed to be incognito. A loud gasp followed by giggling ensures the knowledge that the twins have heard the profanity. I spin around to see them in fits of hysterics, with Daniel blushing brightly. I am too full of rage to think rationally. All I can focus on is a red mist that has descended around me. Kelly and Kyle have pulled apart.
At least they both have the decency to look embarrassed, but the wetness of their lips is too insulting for me to feel any forgiveness.
Angry tears sting my eyes, but I pinch my nose to stop them falling. I refuse to let them have that effect on me. Kelly starts stammering, explaining, but I can’t help but notice she doesn’t let go of Kyle’s hand even once. He keeps a smug grin on his face the entire time. Why do boys enjoy girls fighting over them so much? It’s just weird. I don’t want to hear anything these two have to say, nothing will make their betrayal less painful, this horrible day any better. I instinctively turn and run off, back the way we came. Away from them, from everyone.
Monday at school is going to be unbearable. Any sort of drama draws everyone in, especially a bitch fight between two very popular girls—supposed best friends at that! I can’t go through all this crap again. I know it sounds old and boring, but now we’re so close to graduating, all I want to do is get my head down, try and achieve something so I can actually go to college. I’ve started to realize how important this whole education thing is way too late, I have so much to catch up on. This is the last thing I need.
I suddenly notice voices and footsteps running behind me. I whirl around, expecting an immediate confrontation with Kelly or Kyle, but no. It’s just my cousins. The three people I least want to see in the world. “Just...go back.” I pant, trying to stop the steady stream falling from my eyes. “I’ll be there in a bit. I just need...” After a few seconds of silence, Daniel pulls me down to sit on the ground. The hardness of the floor pulls me back into reality and the tears become sobs that rack through my entire body.
Finally, I’m pulled out of my self-pity stupor by the twin’s concerned chatter. I really shouldn’t worry these kids; they don’t understand the harsh reality of life yet. They have plenty of time to suffer all that I’m going through. I force a weak smile, and even though all I want to do is go home, I suggest going back to the carnival. I know they’ll all want to; sitting with a crying girl will not be in any of their wish lists this holiday.
We walk back, me nervously behind the others. I’m frightened I’m going to see them again. One heartbreak a night is enough for me. As we turn the dreaded corner, my heart in my mouth, the sight before me is not what I expected.
High flames. Blackness. Grey smoke.
Everything is on fire. What the fuck is happening? Is this arson? I mean, I know I wasn’t exactly looking forward to enduring this hell, but I can’t imagine anyone going this far. I stand frozen as I watch the firemen shoot jets of water onto the flickering flames, creating more smoke and confusion. Where is everyone? What about the rest of my family? There must be an assembly point somewhere. We should go and find them; they’re probably all panicking about us. They’ve got no idea where we are.
Grabbing hold of the others, we run off. We circle the area, looking for anyone and don’t manage to stumble across a solitary soul. I start to feel like I can’t breathe. I’m not sure if it’s the smoke or the panic. What if everyone died in the flames? Is that possible? That means...
No, forget it. That’s just an unbearable thought.
I finally find a fireman to ask. He looks at me confused before shrugging his shoulders, talking quickly and frantically at me in a foreign language. Frustrated, I shout after all of the firemen. But they ignore me, starting to leave. Aren’t they supposed to make sure we are safe or something? I walk forward into the black and grey smoldering mess. The others follow I can hear their footsteps and breathing behind me. The twins are whispering to each other. I don’t know how much they understand about what’s happening and I have no idea how to even begin to explain anything.
Nothing. No one.
I turn to Daniel, my confused expression mirrored in his. What do we do? A noise to my left causes me to spin round. Someone to ask, finally. “Hey!” I call out to the shadowy figure as it moves slowly forward. I shield my eyes, trying to get a clearer view. “Hi, um…We just need some...” I trail off as the person becomes clearer. Kelly. That bitch. She looks a bit banged up, possibly burned, but she’s walking around, so must be fine. I turn and stalk off in the opposite direction, refusing to deal with her right now.
The others stay close behind me, obviously unable to make any choices for themselves. Much as they’re starting to annoy me, I’m more consumed by relief that at least someone else is here. I wish we knew where to find everyone else. I’ve tried ringing mum, but I guess my network is down. Typical. Phones never seem to work when you need them to most.
The silence rings out, deafening in my ears. My sight is restricted to just in front of me. So, when a loud, high pitched scream, full of terror, pierces the air, it induces immediate terror. “Daniel? Jack? Jill?” I question quietly so as not to disturb the obvious mass murder that is about somewhere, trying to bump everyone in this town off. I push forward, reaching in front of me, trying to hold onto one of them. My hands shoot relief through my body as I touch hair. I almost let out a relieved giggle.
The hair is matted and wet, almost like someone has been swimming in the ocean. It must be Jill, she must have done something when I wasn’t looking. I move closer, inhaling. The scent of ash and burnt meat makes me gag, fires seriously stink! I pull Jill in close, inexplicably scared. Growl. I snap my head down towards the little girl. Why is she doing that? Suddenly a hot radiating pain takes over, starting in my wrist. I want to scream out, but my mouth feels like it has been sewn shut. I want to move, but my feet feel like lead.
When the mist descends from my eyes, I see a sight before me, which makes no immediate sense, but spells danger to my brain all the same. A woman, not a girl, certainly not Jill, who is covered in blood and pus, her clothes all torn, a bone sticking out from her leg, has her teeth sunk into my arm and seems to be relishing the taste.
I tug my arm back ripping off a chunk of skin as it drags against her mouth, and force my legs to run. I try to block out the pain, try not to let it get to me just yet. Isn’t shock supposed to set in at some point, taking over everything else? Distracted, I somehow manage to run smack into a tree, the motion sending me flying back to the ground. The radiating agony in the front of my head blacks everything else out for a single moment.
When I finally come back around, I can feel and see a red sticky liquid running down my face. Blood. Well, that’s just great. Just another problem to add to the long list. I look around, confused by the eerie atmosphere. Seriously, this seems like some kind of nightmare. If it weren’t for the excruciating pain over all of my body, I could almost let myself believe that this hideous day hadn’t even begun yet. That I’m still in my bed. Waiting.
I stagger upright, trying to work out what I should do next. My brain is all...fuzzy. I wish there was some around I could ask for help. If I get back to the smoldering embers of the carnival I might be able to find Daniel or the twins. I think back to my reluctance to be seen with them only hours before, now I’m desperate to see a familiar face, especially one of theirs.
I see in the mist ahead of me, moving shapes. It looks like people, but they’re moving weirdly. Sort of jerky and very slowly. I speed on, wanting to find someone, wanting to know what happened here. I reach the group. There are eight people here, but they aren’t really...human. They’re covered in blood and rot and they smell like gone off barbeque meat. What’s with these people? I walk up close to them, wanting an answer. One of them snarls and snaps their teeth at me, before sniffing the air and turning away. I get up in one of the girls faces. Her curious eyes follow me and send shivers up my spine. Her irises are completely white. In fact, all of them look like this. I try and speak to them, but am met with low growls and groans.
They circle around me, staring at me, half disgusted, half curious. I’m sure my expression is the same. One of them is dragging a bloody stump behind him where his leg used to be. He doesn’t even seem bothered by this. Nor does the girl who has an obvious stab wound in her stomach—that must hurt like hell. She must be all sorts of tough!
Suddenly a gunshot rings out in the distance. As my head snaps around, searching for help, so does all of theirs. Quickly they are ambling away, any interest in me waning. I follow behind, unsure of what else to do. At least they might lead me somewhere safe. Twelve more gunshots ring out, keeping us all on the right track. I wonder what the significance of the thirteen shots is. A boring history lesson flicks into my mind, somehow familiar, but it is gone before any particular memory can click into place.
As we amble, I can feel my body getting heavier, my mind getting more sluggish, my emotions becoming null and void. What is happening to me? The bite mark on my wrist has, somewhere along the line, turned completely and utterly black—what does that mean? I think I need to get to the hospital. I don’t panic though like I normally would. In fact, I feel weirdly serene.
A noise distracts my trail of thoughts. I look up to see the group I was following, all knelt to the ground looking at something. I move in closer, curiosity getting the best of me. I quickly see blood splattering everywhere, which confuses and intrigues me equally.
Vomit fills my mouth when I realize exactly what they’re doing. They’re eating someone. Cannibals. That could quite easily have been me. These people are sickoes. Unless, could this be some kind of zombie apocalypse prank? I think I remember someone doing that in the UK a while ago; someone won a few million on the lottery and created a zombie-infested town to trick his mates. Is this what’s happening? Then why did I get bitten, that’s a bit much, isn’t it? Weirdo! Why aren’t I in on the prank? I wish I knew for certain because everything is getting a bit much for me now. All I want to do is cry—and that isn’t like me at all.
* * *
I feel like I haven’t seen anyone for days. I have no idea how long I’ve been wandering about but my emotions are flicking rapidly between despair and frustration. I need some help. I’ve got to find Daniel and the twins at least. Then we can all head home to see if we can find the rest of our family. Then I’m going to sleep this shitty day off once and for all. Next year I’m not doing a single thing to celebrate 4^th July. I’m staying indoors, locked in my room.
I slump down onto a rock, my body refusing to carry on. I think I must sleep or blackout. I have no idea how long for, but when I awaken, the sight before me pushes my mind to its very limit. A dead body lies at my feet. I push back, eyes flicking around, worrying about my own life. Why would those cannibals have eaten this guy and not me? In my haste to move, I nick my wrists, causing black goo to seep from the wound. Could it be this that stopped them? A newfound gratefulness for the woman that bit me overtakes.
I move away as fast as my ailing body will let me. But as I’m going, something inside me shifts, a new emotion takes over. It’s hard to describe, even to myself. It sort of feels like a blinding, blackout rage. Suddenly, I don’t want to run anymore. I want to stop, to turn, to fight. I don’t though because I know it isn’t rational, my brain is at least allowing me that much common sense. I keep running until I come across an unusual, intriguing sight.
People. Hundreds of them, all crying, wrapped in blankets, some burnt, badly hurt. Instead of feeling sad, like I know I should, or happy that I’m no longer alone, I feel a rush of something different. Excitement? Lust? Before I know it, I’m charging forwards, bearing my teeth. I don’t care anymore about what is right and wrong, all I want to do is copy the cannibals and feel some flesh against my teeth. It’s not hunger driving me, more a desire to cause harm, pain, to inflict fear. I want all the people to be pushed to the brink of despair. I want them to experience emotions they didn’t even know they could feel.
A loud scream explodes and people fly in every direction. I am slower than them, but the fear I inflict stiffens some of them, allowing me to grab hold. Sinking my teeth into tissue at every opportunity, a rush of euphoria running through me every single time, just to chew on it and spit it out. Once I have bitten a person, they become nothing to me. I have no further use for them, so I toss them aside onto the next.
I hear a voice; it’s calling out a name. A stirring of recognition inside causes me to stop. Is that...my name? I turn, feeling a sense of déjà vu, of familiarity, blood dripping down my chin. A group of people behind me, all nervously stepping in my direction, chattering incessantly.
My family. I look at them curiously. What are they doing? I edge closer to them and they rile backward, afraid I realize. They don’t need to be frightened of me - I know I attacked others, but I love them, I wouldn’t do it to them. Good old Daniel bravely comes closer, the twins cowering behind. He’s speaking to me, but I am too transfixed on the saliva glistening on his lips to hear any words. His arms outstretched, wishing me forwards. I step, willing myself to play this cool. If I’m ok with Daniel, the others will trust me and accept me again.
I lean into him, nestling into his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. I smile as I eventually pull back, pleased with myself. I have proved that I can do this. It’s only when I stare into Daniel’s tearful eyes, his open mouth, that the familiar metallic scent of blood wafts into my nostrils. I realize I have a massive chunk of his neck in my mouth. He falls to the floor, the weight of his body too much. The others run away bellowing out screams. I spit the dirty flesh on the ground. That moment was a game changer. Now all I can focus on is my need to devour them all.
* * *
Hours later, everyone in the entire town is either an unfortunate casualty or just another member of the shuffling army that I seem to be leading. I don’t know why everyone has turned to me, but I am relishing the power and position. Almost as if it’s my destiny to be in charge. I look around and try to grin at the familiar faces I have spent the day with, including many members of my delightful family, but my jaw is slack and destroyed from the battle.
We move forward slowly, but with avid determination. None of us know exactly what happened to our little town carnival this Independence Day, no one is even sure why we’re like this. The only thing we collectively know now, is there are no humans left here for us to infect, to recruit. We need to move on; we need to take over the next place. Nothing will stand in our way.

Lottie Loves Sample @SamieSands

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“Will you marry me?”

Four words I’ve waited my whole life to hear. Four words I was sure would change my life forever…and they did. Just not in the way I expected.

Finding out my extremely gorgeous rock star boyfriend was about to propose had the complete opposite effect I thought it would. Rather than catapult me into a future I’ve always wanted, it plunged me back to a past I tried to forget.

Now I can’t get him out of my head. I can’t help but wonder what could have been, how our lives would have ended up if he didn’t leave me behind, a shattered mess.

All these memories are dangerous. They’re bringing my past back to ruin my future. And worst of all, they’re taking me right back to him, my childhood sweetheart, my first love…my biggest regret.

Lottie Loves Sample

Ring, ring.
I yanked my phone angrily out of my pocket, not at all in the mood to talk to anyone, least of all the name that I saw plastered across the screen.
‘Danny’.
I rolled my eyes, almost stuffing the phone back in my pocket, really not wanting to speak to him. My mum had put me in the worst mood, and for the first time ever I wasn’t excited to talk to the man that I loved.
Just as my hand slid into my jeans, my heart pounded uncomfortably against my chest, and I rapidly changed my mind. I couldn’t ignore Danny, not when he’d done nothing wrong. Just because I was all shook up and pissed off, it wasn’t his fault. Plus I had no idea when he would call again, so I shouldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Hi...” I started, but Danny jumped in almost instantly, not letting me get a word in edgeways.
“Lottie? Are you okay? It isn’t true I promise you. I didn’t...it isn’t what it looks like...I...” He sounded panicked and stressed, which meant he wasn’t making any sense, causing everything within me to halt in shock. Danny was a pretty laid back person when it came to most things, so to hear him like that meant that something really bad had happened. I just couldn’t work out what it was...
“Woah, slow down,” I tried to sound calm, but even I could hear the hollow twinge to my tone. “What the hell are you going on about?” I stood outside the front door to my home, unable to even think about hunting through my bag for the key when something so potentially life changing was about to happen.
“You mean you haven’t seen it yet?” He gasped weakly, his words cracking painfully with emotion. I shook my head silently, waiting for him to continue. “I...I thought you hated me already. I thought you knew.” He panted a few times, and I noticed my breaths becoming as ragged as his, as if my body was trying to prepare me for what was to come next. “The newspapers...they’re saying some things. Some awful things...but they aren’t true I promise you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, everything swirling around inside of me until I almost felt sick with it all. My brain wasn’t quite processing any of Danny’s words, but my body had already come to its own, very unwelcome, conclusion. “What the fuck are you saying Danny?”
“At the industry party last night...there was this girl...”
My heart sunk right down into my feet as I heard the words that every girl dreaded the most. I had certainly never been in that position before, but I knew many other girls who had—particularly the girls dating Craig—and I’d always looked on with a distant sympathy, not even slightly knowing what they were going through. I always knew without any uncertainty that the papers were printing the truth, yet when I found myself on the wrong end of it, I had no idea what to think.
“She...it wasn’t...it’s all lies Lottie, I swear.”
His words trailed off while he waited sadly for me to respond, and I really wanted to. A million and one things flew through my mind, but none of them felt right. None of them expressed exactly how I felt at that moment. How was I supposed to tell him that he’d just whipped the foundation of my life out from under me, and that I now felt like I was freefalling into some crazy abyss?
I couldn’t.
I didn’t know what to say.
So instead, I clicked my phone off, and I allowed it to drop to the ground with an intrusive clatter.
A numbness quickly overcame me as I slumped to the cold, hard floor beneath me, as if my body had just given up. Had Danny really cheated? Had that actually happened? Maybe we had spent such a long time coasting along happily that it had finally come crumbling down around us.
Or maybe Danny was innocent, and I was jumping onto something because I needed something negative about him to grasp on to. Just to justify my uncertainty about his proposal, and everything that had come after.
The proposal...what the hell would happen about that now?

Extinct - The AM13 Outbreak #Zombie #Boxset

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The deadly AM13 virus is taking over the world, creating hordes of zombies and turning the few survivors into the hunted…

Survivors can only watch humankind dwindle to extinction.

They fight to protect their loved ones, to reach sanctuary, to keep their sanity as civilization is destroyed around them, never knowing if their next breath will be their last.

Will the person they fought beside soon be a flesh-hungry corpse, or even worse, their own prey?

Read the bestselling series by author Samie Sands, now available in a complete box set!

Extinct Sample

I still, even now, can’t believe this has actually happened! In the beginning, back when people weren’t taking the whole “health scare” thing very seriously—before people saw the evidence of the AM13 virus—I had all kinds of stupid shit said to me.
“It’s like you’re living in your very own scripted movie, you must be so pleased!”
“Your books have come true!”
“At least you’ll have a lot of practice with this whole thing.”
And it was always teamed with this stupid, innocuous laugh that drove me crazy. I mean, what the fuck, guys? Seriously? Yes, I’m a zombie author, but that doesn’t exactly mean I ever wanted to end up living within the pages of my books.
I actually have a very successful series of young adult apocalyptic novels—five to date—and there was even talk of a film at some point, but that was fantasy. I didn’t want this to happen—no one in their right mind would.
The only reasons my books were as popular as they were is because I used my imagination to write them. I didn’t base them in any kind of fact or predictions or anything. When I think about me sitting there, revelling in putting my fictional characters—that despite popular belief, I do actually love!—through such hell, it kinda makes me feel sick. My readers, fans, whatever you’d like to call them, have sent me a lot of online…opinions…bordering on abuse over time as each new book came out, and more characters that they’d come to adore and root for, died. I know it was harsh; I tried to tell them as much. But you just don’t get through a zombie apocalypse without losing a few people.
And now, we’re living through it for real, and I’m seeing for myself how true that really is. I think it’s safe to say that it isn’t fun, and no, not even I’m finding it exciting. 

Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: AM13 Outbreak Series Tour and Giveaway

Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: AM13 Outbreak Series Tour and Giveaway: AM13 Outbreak Series: Books 1-3 by Samie Sands Genre: Zombie Horror The deadly AM13 virus is taking over the world...