Your Terminus for Dark Comics

"The Worst is Yet to Come" (reprint, coming soon): Best New Zombie Tales, Volume 2      His father had cautioned him against playing in things that could trap him, like ancient refrigerators. When the old man had been drinking, such cautionary tales were often punctuated with a backhand across the face or a kick to the shin. But this was different. The door of the large black safe was heavy, and the way the whole thing was canted backwards in a shallow cleft of soil, he didn’t see how the door could possibly close on him. Besides, it probably wouldn’t lock even if it did shut. All he wanted was to peek at the world from inside the thing, try it on for size.

"A Fisherman's Tale" (summer 2010): While the Morning Stars Sing      How do I convey a sense of what rose up out of those waters before me, or the mingled feelings of dread and wonder it stirred within me as I watched? Scaly she were, and black as poured pitch, but with an iridescence that added beauty to her fearsome looks. Up she come out of those calm waters, hooked through the cheek but no longer bein' fought. She brought up both arms, as if to stretch after bein' cramped for too long, and I could see a gauzy web under each arm. Gills, too, she had, and they labored in the cool evenin' air, until at last her great mouth stretched open in a mournful gasp, revealin' two gleamin' rows of sharp, fishy teeth, the incisors long and curved, as though she might have been a vampire of the deep.

"Slipknot" (July 2010): The Zombist: Undead Western Tales (also available from CreateSpace)      “What did that city slicker call it?” Deputy Hapford asked. Leroux looked back at the jailhouse entrance. Hapford leaned against the jamb. In the shade of the awning he was indistinct. Leroux squinted even more. “The fella who was out here last fall,” Hapford continued, “looking for a place to set up his printing press.” ... "Said it was a wraith town,” Leroux replied. ... "Yup, that’s it. Wraith town. Not quite a ghost town, he said, but working day and night to get there. Goddamn right."

"Crossing Lake Serene on a Dare" (July 2010): Black Ink Horror #6      Soon he was in the kitchen. Less sunlight fell into this part of the house, but the smell of a recently cooked meal gave it away. He couldn’t think of anything from a kitchen that might prove he’d been here. He stared across the room. There appeared to be a small table, a few chairs set around it. And a strange pattern in the wallpaper. He took a step closer and realized it wasn’t wallpaper he was seeing. It was the silhouette of a man occupying the far chair.

"Holy Is as Holy Does" (May 2010): Night Terrors (also available from Barnes & Noble)      “The path to righteousness is not a gilded path!” he shouted to the dozen or so members in attendance at the prayer meeting. “Nor is it lined with fine-smelling flowers. That path exists, if you haven’t the stomach for the one true calling. Take, if you want, the beautiful and easy path that leads to an ocean of flames. I’ll take the uneven, bramble-strewn way that leads me unto the glory of God!”      As the barn filled up with the exuberant praise of its worshippers, Daniel wondered what it would feel like to get a similar reaction from a crowd of fifty or more.

"Decisions, Decisions" (Feb. 2010): Night Chills #1 (also available directly from CreateSpace)      As it slunk over the hill that separated the village of Blysedale from the river, there was something uneven in its gait, something forced about its posture. Instead of arms, Simon noticed with a gasp, it had two clusters of writhing tentacles protruding from bulbous sockets. By the time it crested the hill, its shape and height seemed to have shifted several times, as though it were trying on different appearances.

"Silvertip" (Feb. 2010): Champagne Shivers 2010      "This wasp will do your bidding," the old man had said, stroking his elegant beard. "It will obey only you." Here he had smiled unpleasantly. "Of course everything has its price. Silvertip is no exception." "The Patience of Adam" (Feb. 2010): Champagne Shivers 2010      "Would it kill you to spend some time with the child? Maybe rock him once in a while?" ... "Kill me? Oh, no. If it were that simple I’d have patty-caked my way out of this sorry affair long ago." ... The child was looking at her, daring her to broach the subject that sat in her throat like a souring egg.

"Quickening Pandemonium" (issue #1 in the comic book series The Devil's Own, a collaboration with artist Brian Beardsley, Jan. 2010): published by Night Rail Press. You have a choice to make this time around, folks. This brand-spanking-new issue comes with two covers. Cover A was done by Night Rail Press's very own Brian Beardsley, while cover B is the work of Matthew Dow Smith of Doctor Who fame (not to mention the graphic novel adaptation of F. Paul Wilson's The Keep). The images seen here link you to IndyPlanet, where you can order print issues of "Quickening Pandemonium" (cover A and cover B). Alternatively, digital editions from My Digital Comics are perfectly priced to give you a sense of whether or not you want to spring for the print books. Thanks for your interest! Claudia: We'll have to acquaint Pedro with the library. Dominic: Yes, better he should know what to be careful of. He's still bound to that third wish, too. Pedro: He's also sitting right here and doesn't mind being spoken to directly. I didn't ask for that wish, but I'm not about to throw it away, either. I think I'll sit on it for a while. But wait! There's more! Brian and I have decided to kick off 2010 in style. Not only is the brand-new issue #1 available, as mentioned above, but we've gone ahead and re-issued #0, which now includes not just "The Long Divorce," which kicked off The Devil's Own last year, but also "Welp's Tale," which until now existed only as a Web issue on the Night Rail Press website. The refurbished issue #0 is currently available for download from My Digital Comics and as a print comic book from IndyPlanet. "The Long Divorce/Welp's Tale" (issue #0 (with bonus story!) in the comic book series The Devil's Own, a collaboration with artist Brian Beardsley, Jan. 2010): published by Night Rail Press. From "The Long Divorce":      "I want this jerk out of my life, Mr. Felsenstein!" ... "Trust me, it won't take an act of God. One more day of her bitching and I'm liable to lose my head." From "Welp's Tale":      "Father of lies! It’s a second harrowing. I’ve never been on the receiving end of a desecration before."

"The First Supper" (December 2009): Zombonauts: Undead in the Universe (also available from CreateSpace)      The view from the navigation deck was spectacular. Clusters of far-off stars and planets swirled across the cosmic sky. Nothing was close except for the treacherous surface of the Tantalus asteroid, which loomed a mile beneath where Tam sat. Everything else seemed impossibly far away, as if she and Ellik and the asteroid were at the center of a vast, empty stage and all the glittering things of space were their audience.

The Wintrose Chronicles (novelette inspired by Charles Beaumont's "The Howling Man," November 2009): Encounters #1 (also available directly from CreateSpace)      Coming over the lip of rock that put him on the same level as the abbey was like stepping into a dream. Though his tired legs threatened to buckle under him and his arm ached from cradling the box mile after lonesome mile, Brother Wintrose paused in the deluge to behold the holy place that bore his name. It had never looked more perfect to him than it did now, with heavy clouds sailing in and out of the moon's persistent glow, rain lashing at its walls and steeple. On this side of the abbey, the mountain dropped down into woods, which in turn gave way to a sprawling valley. The other side was almost butted up against the final rise of the peak. The monks of Wintrose Abbey couldn't have have found a more ideal location, or done a more impressive job on the architecture and construction of the edifice. They'd steadily grown in number over the years, it being easy to recruit men to dwell high on a mountain when the lowlands were every day crawling with more of hell's effluvium.

"Zombie Killer" (June 2009): Dead Worlds: Undead Stories Volume 2 (also available from Barnes and Noble and Powell's)      This one had been dead a while, no doubt about it. The reek of decomposition was strong. Marie’s lunch of dry biscuits and bottled lemonade threatened to come up. She couldn’t deny that it would be satisfying to puke in its face, but the action would weaken her, and her family would likely be doomed.

"The Worst is Yet to Come" (May 2009): Potter's Field 3      But Lyndon didn’t buy it. He had a feeling the first thing out of Duffer’s mouth had been the truth, and he suspected there were other children lying at the bottom of the pond, less fortunate than he was … feeding the fish. His stomach churned at the thought that the water currently chilling him to the core might have microscopic bits of human flesh in it.

"Welp's Tale" (issue #0.5 in the comic book series The Devil's Own, a collaboration with artist Brian Beardsley, March 2009): published by Night Rail Press as a Web issue. DISCONTINUED. Please see above regarding the re-issue of #0 with "Welp's Tale" included!

"The Long Divorce" (issue #0 in the comic book series The Devil's Own, a collaboration with artist Brian Beardsley, Feb. 2009): published by Night Rail Press. DISCONTINUED. Please see above regarding the re-issue of #0 with bonus material!

"Fulfillment" (online until included in a forthcoming print anthology): Killer-Works.com      The vermin have arrived in great numbers. At first I only heard them chewing beneath the floor, but they soon got into the walls and ceiling. Their scratching got so bad I went a week straight without sleep. Now they've got into my living space. Not all of them yet, but I've seen five or six racing along the floorboards, diving into shadows.

James Award-nominated "The Interview" (Jan. 2009): Champagne Shivers 2009      He stepped into the vise-like heat of another southern Arizona day in midsummer, crossed the melting parking lot to his sun-faded coupe, and started down the frontage road to the main highway. But after several miles, he skidded the car to the shoulder at an angle, squirting pebbles and dust into the parched air. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Again and again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back sobs, even before his body began to shake. His haughty pride melted into an open display of sorrow and grief. He threw his arms across his chest, hugged himself as tears streamed out of his eyes, and rocked slowly back and forth. "A Pound of Flesh" (Jan. 2009): Champagne Shivers 2009      Any pretense of amusement fell away from Walter Comstock’s expression. He was all business now as he pushed himself to the edge of the sofa, his toes barely sweeping the floor, and leaned forward to pop the thumb-operated clasps of the briefcase. It opened maybe a quarter of an inch, and he seemed happy to leave it at that for the time being.

"The Singular Talent of Nisqually Joe" (Dec. 2008): Aoife's Kiss #27      Her hands shot to his throat. He tried to pry them away, but her grip was iron strong. He bowed backwards over the railing as she applied more pressure and leaned into him. For a moment she wasn’t sure if she intended to strangle him or send him over the edge for gravity to deal with. Nature stepped in to decide for her.

"The Tree Mumblers" (summer 2008): Doorways #6—a Black Quill Award-winning publication!      Then, without warning, he rotated his head in my direction. His eyelids flashed open, revealing not eyes, but orbs of blue luminescence. The blue light seemed to envelop me, but it also entered me—and not just through my eyes. It poured into my ears, nose, and mouth, filling voids I didn’t know I possessed. The light gave me vigor and focus. I was becoming … one of them.

"Such Bitter Business" (Jan. 2008): Potter's Field 2—a New Covey Award-winning publication!      She drew in breath to begin hollering for help, in case a neighbor was able to hear. But she stopped herself, remembering the dead. It was odd, but she didn’t want to disturb them, as if she were in a room full of slumbering children and was fearful of rousing them.

James Award-nominated "The Truth about Irises" (Jan. 2008): Champagne Shivers 2008      They left the coffee and tray behind and squeezed into a narrow pantry, where Michele paused to pick up a large hammer before proceeding down a steep flight of stone steps. Vanessa followed.

"View from the Cliffs of Abernath" (poem, Nov. 2007): Black Petals #41 (final print issue)      He has slaughtered the creature, / Not for meat, but for the thrill of it. / Blood lust is in his eyes now. "The Desecration of Wintrose Abbey" (Nov. 2007): Black Petals #41 (final print issue)      I saw a terrible thing some nights ago. And now, even after only jotting down a handful of words, I realize that I will not be freed of the image.