October Nineteenth
It's dark and cold out, and ghouls roam the land. Warm yourself in our crypt as we attempt to survive TWELVE NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN.
First up, a double feature: Addison Zeller takes us on an Ohio death trip in SHADOWBOXLAND, and Michael Edward Diaz conjures a demon in "SUMMONING":
SHADOWBOXLAND - Addison Zeller [fiction]
"SUMMONG" - Michael Edward Diaz [poetry]
October Twentieth
After only one night, supplies are running low in the TWELVE NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN crypt. We sent out two of our party to find provisions, but they returned with stories instead. They won't fill our bellies, but after reading them, we've lost our appetites anyway:
TWO TALES - Colin Gee [fiction]
WITCH - James Callan [fiction]
October Twenty-First
On the THIRD NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN we explored the depths of the crypt, finding an unlit chamber nonetheless awash in a crimson darkness. We lost track of time in there, unable to find the exit. When we finally escaped, we could only mutter two words:
"DEADMANBOY" and "MOTHER":
DEADMANBOY - Christian McDonough [fiction]
MOTHER - Maximiliano Guzmán [fiction]
October Twenty-Second
On the FOURTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, our minds are filled with nightmares, writhing in our skulls like snakes, after our incursion into the red-dark room.
For our final double feature of this slate of cryptfire tales, we present two of those nightmares:
FUTURES and PRODUCT OF FEAR:
FUTURES - C. Hightower [fiction]
PRODUCT OF FEAR - Natasha Mardare [fiction]
October Twenty-Third
On the FIFTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, we heard a cackling outside, piercing enough to cut through the howling winds that enveloped the crypt. One intrepid member of our party, Noam Hessler, ventured out to investigate. When they returned, they told us "ALL ABOUT HER":
"ALL ABOUT HER" - Noam Hessler [poetry]
October Twenty-Fourth
Like decomposition, derangement begins at the cellular level, but by the time we realized this, on the SIXTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, the hour was far too late for us.
In a last ditch effort to save our sanity, Ryan Bry led us in prayer with PARALLAX CINEMA: FEAST OF ST. RAPHAEL:
PARALLAX CINEMA: FEAST OF ST. RAPHAEL - Ryan Bry [fiction]
October Twenty-Fifth
On this SEVENTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, in the throes of our cellular derangement, we descend through visions of rapture, where a millennia of Eros and Thanatos disintegrate and re-coagulate.
During our descent, we "DISSOLVE" with Logan Berry:
"DISSOLVE" - Logan Berry [poetry]
October Twenty-Sixth
On the EIGHTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, we awake in a field, the crypt a distant memory, or nightmare. All around us, pumpkins the color of dried blood grow, skulls carved into them, emitting a strange light.
Jennifer Ostopovich picks one up and guides us through with THE LANTERN:
THE LANTERN - Jennifer Ostopovich [fiction]
October Twenty-Seventh
On the NINTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, after devouring the pumpkins, our hunger is satisfied but our thirst remains unquenched.
Karter Mycroft set out to find water. When he returned, he could only repeat three words: "Kill the pupfish...kill the pupfish...KILL THE PUPFISH...":
KILL THE PUPFISH - Karter Mycroft [fiction]
October Twenty-Eighth
On the TENTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, a structure emerges from the fog that shrouds the field of pumpkins: a derelict, yet operational, rollercoaster.
ZH Gill, our resident rollercoaster expert, insists we go for a ride, perhaps our last, and so we climb aboard the WINGED VICTORY:
WINGED VICTORY - ZH Gill [fiction]
October Twenty-Ninth
On the ELEVENTH NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN, we fear we are being watched from above. We scan the skies, squint to try to see through the fog, hoping that we see the airborne predators before they see us.
In the meantime, Daphne Dhalgren gets under our skin with TERRORHAWK:
TERRORHAWK - Daphne Dhalgren [fiction]
October Thirtieth
And on the final night of TWELVE NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN, we are gone. Those of us who have survived, and what's left of us, are no longer human. We are voids that have taken on person-like shapes.
With BALLTISM UP TOP, Gwen Hilton attempts to exorcise the demon that infects us all:
BALLTISM UP TOP - Gwen Hilton [fiction]
