Shane McIntire

Excerpt from: The Pagoda

“The snow had fallen heavily for days but all was quiet now. The news had suggested it would go on longer, in sporadic fits, yet the last had come sometime before midnight.

“Before that, it fell freely and swirled in the night sky like the darkness of her dreams. Had I fallen asleep, and did I dream again? She shivered a little as she came back into herself, but from the thought, the cold or the darkness of the room, she could not be sure. The distant light of a street lamp lit the room, and poorly at that. The pencil still hung freely in her hand, which was dangling over the side of the chair, resting gently on the floor. The notepad had slipped down beside it. At a glance, she could remember every word. Every word, every nightmare and every sleepless night that had spawned them. Baku, the eater of dreams, the rarest of Gods, so ominous yet so beautiful, had not visited her tonight.”

Excerpt from: “The Graveyard on the Hill”

“Upon returning to the body lying in the bottom of the hole, he began to feel a queer chill. The excitement and shock of the evening were beginning to wan, he knew at once. The realization of what he was actually doing in the early morning hours just off Highway 95 in the middle of the desert was finally sinking in. James rested for a moment just against the rock, near the light. Leaning back, he shut his eyes. He did not fear falling asleep, his heart was still beating much too fast for that.

“Then he heard another audible crunch.

“The crackling of rocks. Someone else is here. He ripped the flashlight from its hold, and clicked it off. Standing still, heart beating ever faster, he glanced around quickly. Left to right, right to left. He saw nothing. Only darkness. The crunch came again. Much slower this time, less of gravelly sound. Yet this was far more sinister. James knew, at once where he had heard the sound coming from. He lurched towards the hole, clicked the flashlight on again and looked down.”