Horror and Wholesome
I hated camping. My boyfriend loved it. So we compromised and went camping. I put on a brave face, packed my bug spray, and let him do everything else. He assured me it would be great. Fun. Nothing like the disastrous trips of my childhood where my sister wet her sleeping bag and cried until... Continue Reading →
My story, Butch Cassidy and The Scarecrow Kid, opens this year's festivities on The NoSleep Podcast. Won't you join us at the old pumpkin patch? https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s16/s16halloween
Thrilled to announce my short story, From Within, is the opener for Dark Dispatch's upcoming horror anthology, The Dead Inside! The first review has come in and, well, see for yourself what the initial impression is: Huge thanks to editors Laurel Hightower and Sandra Ruttan for including it. More details to come when they're available!
You can find my story, More Afraid of You, included in this excellent anthology, available on Amazon! Werewolves. Berserkers. Kitsune. From the most ancient times, tales have been told of people who transform into beasts. Sometimes they’re friendly and helpful. Sometimes they’re tricksters, playing jokes on their hapless victims. And sometimes, they’re terrifying. Were Tales... Continue Reading →
The last straw was that plant. That little fucking plant. I don't remember what it was, only that it was supposed to be hard to kill, even for me. She'd said it in a joking way when she gave it to me, and I knew, logically, she didn't mean anything by it. Not really. But... Continue Reading →
The rumbling settles into silence. If shock hadn’t numbed me, I might’ve screamed. Might’ve called for help. But I lay flat on my back, knocked down by the falling stones, and all I can focus on is trying to figure out if I’m still alive. Breathing? Check. Heartbeat? Check. Pain? Double check. I start to... Continue Reading →
Growing up in a small town meant a lot of regulars. Places, routines, people. The gas station convenience store was a small microcosm of that greater regular. 6 am, Bill Donner stopped in on his way to the slaughterhouse for cigarettes and a package of powdered donuts. 7:15, the bus stop kids huddled around the... Continue Reading →
I have an addictive personality. It can be a problem. Thankfully I manage to channel it in things that aren’t, on their own, terrible for you. In particular, video games. Not the kind you play on your own, but the co-ops and the multiplayers and the MMOs. The social stuff. It’s how I make friends.... Continue Reading →
I saw my mother for an hour and a half each day. Half hour in the morning, when she’d wake me at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for school, and then an hour at night, just long enough to make sure I ate dinner and did my homework. The rest of the time, she was... Continue Reading →
Midnight jogs helped clear my head. Or maybe they just numbed me to my own thoughts. Run until it hurts. Run until all you can think about is where your next breath is going to come from. Run until you can’t think at all. The emptiness was welcome. Silence was a stranger to me except... Continue Reading →
Stories By S.H. Cooper 