The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Holding a Candle by Donna J. W. Munro  The candle she lit in his bones was just for show. His ribcage, picked clean a fortnight before, shone bright against the darkness of the sooty chapel walls. So many flames. So many bones. He’d left her at the beginning of summer. With promises of riches and glory, he’d held the pike he’d never learned to use and wore a shoddy tin helmet looking almost as smart as those who’d prepared and practiced.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Sparkle by Nina D'Arcangela It looks glamorous, doesn't it? The shine and sparkle. The soft filtered non-reality of what could be me. But that's not the world I come from. My world is… different. A place of cuts and bruises, shaved heads, grime smeared faces with no placid smiles to be had. It's a pretty facade, but a facade nonetheless.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Petrified by Death by Nadia Corin Through all the lonely nights Alice suffered, the sharp cold of solitude kept her solidified in mourning. Edgar had been laid to rest nearly a year, but still she could not bear the light of day. She drew all the shades, and remained in parts of the house where there were the fewest windows.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! What Remains by Lee Mitchell Just look at him now. So peaceful. I can hardly believe it. The ache deepens in my chest, and I remind myself to breathe. I steady my hands by balling them into tight fists, crossing my arms in front of me along the wooden banister as I lean in and look down at the remains.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Projection by Elizabeth H. Smith The reels began their spin and the film followed their motion. Projected light brightened the darkness, and moving pictures came alive against the living room wall. Emma watched the silent film with curiosity, wondering what it was about. The movie began in the middle of a scene, the lack of color and high frame rate gave her a guess as to its age.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Results May Vary by Kendra Smart Wake up. WAKE UP! Rebecca screamed at her form from the crystallized version looking out. The ethereal screaming at reality. Such a beautiful lie to hide behind, to escape the demons of the everyday. Rebecca had thought that the pills would help, deeper more restful sleep had been what the ad had promised.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Maiden in the Crypt by Alyson Faye Jacob stretched out a finger to stroke the maiden’s marble breasts, but Joss pulled his arm away. ‘No don’t,’ she whispered. ‘Just look. Don’t touch.’ Joss knew they shouldn’t be here in the Fairbourne family crypt, despite Jacob being an offshoot. She knew too that the evening was spiralling out of control and that Jacob was high, buzzing, ready to crack open.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Girl Below Us by Marge Simon  She lives in the compartment below us with the potter. She is not his wife, she’s much too young for him. Many nights I hear her screams. I try to block them out. I keep to myself, as is the way of all good citizens. Last night it went on too long.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Understudyby Naching T. Kassa “CUT! Lila, you missed your mark—AGAIN!” Lila Dubois glanced down at the floor and then up at Auric McMillan as he strode toward her. Everyone on set stood frozen, eyes on the director. Many had gone pale, their eyes wide. Lila’s understudy, Sarah Masters, was one of these. She watched as Lila glanced down at her feet and then up into the man’s furious face.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! No More Sleepby Kim Richards Autumn closed her eyes and let the September breeze ruffle her hair and the weakened sun kiss her face. She knew what must be done but it never came easy. For the others, sleep felt good, comfortable, and welcome. For her it was cold, lonely, and dark after a joyous season full of color and change.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Shackled Lords   by Kathleen McCluskey The chamber was hushed with the steady flicker of candlelight. Its glow clung to a figure of a woman in flowing stone robes. Her head bowed. Her beauty caught somewhere between mourning and serenity. Behind her loomed the carvings of tormented figures, twisted in an eternal struggle. Their eyes wide in silent agony.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Weird Man by Terrie Leigh Relf "Mamma! Mamma! Come quick! That weird man is here again." Elie's mother ran out on the porch where her daughter and Katya were playing. She grabbed the girls close and looked into the distance where they pointed, but all she saw was shadows, all she heard was a faint rustling of oak leaves.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! In the Smokeby R.A. Clarke  “Welcome to my smoke reading tent. Shall we get started?” Says a dark-haired woman, looking like she stepped straight out of the 1800s. Me, my buddy Jake, his fiance, and my newest fling, Dara, all sit down. Taking Dara's hand in mine, I squeeze and smile, acting excited for this oh-so-otherworldly experience we’re about to have.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! This Little Light by Alex Grehy The Rievers are here. Their touch is spider-soft on my back, walking their fingers up my spine to tease my hair. An unseen hand grasps my shoulder and I feel lips pressed to my neck. They whisper of forbidden things, of blue skies and warm sunshine, of running on spring grass, of laughter.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Monstrous by Amanda Worthington She learned to bear his angry words in silence Drown her fears in work and wine Turn her need for violence on herself And for some reason, unknown to her at that time She flooded pages with her words Like some vengeful god summons devils from the deep And her fever dream of retribution…

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Uncle's Room by Elaine Pascale Minnie finally felt free. This governess position was the remedy for her loneliness. It had been two years since her husband had walked out on her and she was ready to engage with the world again. The bright colors and joyful toys of the elaborate nursery were like a salve to a wound and, as she was given the tour of the rest of the home and grounds, Minnie could imagine herself fitting in very nicely.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Retribution by Wynelda Ann Deaver You’re too sensitive It’s just a joke Tiny barbs hurled With the precision Of a sledgehammer. Cruelties small and large, Meant for shattering, For breaking For annihilation But you did not submit You did not cower in shame Instead … You rose, glittering in Glass shard armor, stitched together with…

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! What Did You Do?by Melissa R. Mendelson The blood would not come out from underneath his fingernails. Little, red flakes decorated his pants. Dirty, harsh nails scraped again, this time drawing his blood. “Damn it,” he said as droplets splattered across the cement floor. “I feel like I’m reliving Shakespeare.” He stuck his finger into his mouth but then spat on the floor a moment later.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Summer I Got Away by Christina Persaud “Come back home, okay?” I nodded, forgetting Dad couldn’t see me through the phone, and that it was an odd thing for him to say. But my bags were packed, and I had my ticket and passport. The next day, I boarded a plane for Spain.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Red Light by A.F. Stewart I huddle in my box, listening, while the projector plays dirty movies for the patrons. Over the whir of the machine, grunts and groans and moans drift into my space; a repetitive soundtrack of little men’s fantasies. The movies are warming them up, stirring their desires. The opening act before the real show.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! He Said I Was Pretty by Rie Sheridan Rose He said I was pretty When I met him at the bar. He sure was. I had never seen so beautiful A man in all my life. His hair glowed like sunlight— Almost too bright to look at— And his eyes were sapphire blue.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! The Woodsman Needs Skin by Christina Persaud  The year I turned thirteen, I made the error of accepting a dare. It was a silly, stupid thing to do, but I was young and had much to prove. So, when Susie McMullin challenged me in front of the class to enter the woods since I claimed that nothing could hurt or scare me, I took her on.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! A Halloween Mystery by Terrie Leigh Relf Our wooded, mountain community was no stranger to legends of unusual creatures. So, when one evening toward the end of October as the neighborhood was just beginning to decorate their homes, businesses, and the village square, an odd skull appeared in the crook of our celebratory gnarled tree.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! I Still See Them... by Rie Sheridan Rose It’s funny…after all these years, I still see them. I didn’t know if I would. If I had been sure, I would have skipped this reunion. I really don’t need this. It’s taken me almost fifty years to forget that night. To learn to live with it.

The Ladies of HorrorPicture-Prompt Writing Challenge! Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Rie Sheridan Rose I stand at the bottom of the bare concrete steps and brace myself. I know this time won’t be different, but I allow a tremor of hope to shudder through me. Maybe… …but in my head, I know better. Look at the decrepit state of the walls—all traces of whatever paint or wallpaper once covered them long vanished.