Horror and Wholesome
I had friends. Kind of. Well, I had people that I could play video games with and talk to about the simple, fluffy parts of life; what I'd done that day, the kind of movies and music I liked, what I was going to do that weekend, that sort of thing. Going any deeper, trying... Continue Reading →
Mrs. Grady was the first to go. Then Mr. O’Toole and Mrs. Shafford. One after another, starting just after my night shift began at 10. I only knew because Bill, one of the nurses, came in with an abundance of bedding and towels. Being in the laundry room, I was usually one of the last... Continue Reading →
The internet is great for a lot of things, like keeping up with the news of getting help with a research project or finding that one song that keeps playing the only line you know over and over in your head so you can learn the rest of it. I thought it would be a... Continue Reading →
I thought I knew what it was to be afraid. I thought I knew it when I was ten and realized I didn't like girls in the same way all the other little boys seemed to. I thought I knew it when I was fourteen and had my first kiss with Stacey Andrews behind the... Continue Reading →
I hadn't wanted to go out that night. I was tired and grumpy after a long week of work, but Angie convinced me. "A few beers, some dancing, you'll feel all better!" "I really think I'd rather stay home." I told her. "I'm already halfway there, so hang up, get ready, and put a damn... Continue Reading →
I was eleven and the world was safe. It was four o’clock on a Wednesday in April. I was the only person home, same as most weekdays. And, same as most weekdays, I was leashing up our lhasa apso, Bumble, for his walk. He was big for his breed, although still a small dog, and... Continue Reading →
If I don’t see them, they won’t see me. If I don’t see them, they won’t see me. If I don’t see them… It was my childhood mantra. I’d repeat it to myself whenever I was alone and afraid. It helped keep the monsters at bay. No one else seemed to know they were there.... Continue Reading →
I messed up bad It was the first thing I'd heard from my younger brother in over a week. When the screen lit up with his text notification, though, I just rolled my eyes and pushed my phone further away. He was prone to sending me that kind of message as a lead up to... Continue Reading →
Whenever I see a shoe lying off to the side of the road, I think of my grandpa. He was terrified of them. During the school year when I was a kid and my parents were working, Grandpa would be the one to drive me in. We lived a few miles outside of town in... Continue Reading →
Some people, I thought, are just meant to be filler. Background characters only created to decorate the world for the main players. We work, we have a few hobbies, a handful of friends, we exist, but we don't matter. It was true for me, anyway. Every day, I'd wake up at 7 am, shower, have... Continue Reading →
Stories By S.H. Cooper 