Macabre Magazine

Category: March 2025

  • Eldritch Care by B.L. Daniels

    Jerry lay in his bed, staring up at dusty white ceiling panels. The first light of morning shone through large rectangular windows, muted by yellowed curtains. He drew in a deep breath, tasting the mild odor of disinfectant in the air. “Another day in paradise.” He sighed. He’d never get used to that smell. He…

  • A Handful of Flies by Ray Yanek

    Marty flinched under his covers when the door slammed out in the living room, but that slamming door, followed by the muffled cries of his mom, meant that it was over. The curse words, the yelling, the breaking of things, it was over. Marty sighed. Soon, his mom would cry herself to sleep, and the…

  • King’s Table by Tom Scholtens

    The light danced shades of warm and cold on the walls as the lamp swayed slightly in a gust of wind from the open door. The room was cool, damp and anonymous. Hidden far underground. The walls monotonous. He saw the flickering red dots; aware of the recording. In the center of the room stood…

  • Nourish by A. J. Ryland

    I. Steam This dream is always the same, because it’s also a memory. She sits near the end of the dock, her delicate frame perched on a small black cooler, her back to him, her face to the sun. The day is brilliant, early summer light off the water nearly blinding. Charlotte isn’t fishing, but…

  • The Red Light by Justin Sanders

    There is a light out there. A red light in a house so far off the beaten path it\’s bruised with neglect. It should have been forgotten. Was for decades. But that hardly matters now. What does is avoiding the light. Completely. Unless you can\’t. And if you can\’t, I\’ll see you soon. I guess…

  • His Skin by Emerson Bell

    I really liked his grave. The cemetery overlooked a deep lake where birds flew all around. The little grove around the church was also perfect. It wasn’t too thick, too wild, too sparse, or manmade. It felt and looked, well, natural and beautiful. The grounds themselves were pretty well-kept. Most of the other tombstones had…

  • Monkey No Legs by Hyten Davidson

    Damn thing could have sat on the man’s front porch since afternoon the day before, there was no way of knowing for sure. When the days got dark early, the drinking started early and Lou didn’t see sun or sense until the next morning. So that’s when he found it. Laying on his front porch…

  • A Variety of Vermin by Ana Wesley

    By four o’clock, Kris is clean out of fucks to give. It’s the Friday preceding spring break. There’s no aftercare today, no other underpaid employees to push her last few kids off on. The parents either forgot or don’t care. Kris reckons she’s absolved of any obligation to keep them from running wild in the…

  • Anything for My Baby by M. C. St. John

    After turning the washer dial to the heavy soil setting, she shook her head and spoke to the laundry basket at her feet. “I can’t believe this is still happening. At your age, honestly,” she said. “I know, Mama.” Behind her, a shadow shifted in the hall. She could feel him there without having to…

  • The Gold Seal by Kathy Sherwood

    Andre de Corcy cursed under his breath as the charcoal split in his hands, smudging the rubbing of the sarcophagus seal. It was his fourth copy, so the mishap was hardly surprising if still inconvenient. He needed a half a dozen in all, some to be sent back to Paris and other learning centers for…