“So, you don’t believe in vampires?” I shrugged nonchalantly: did he really expect me to believe in vampires? This was the 21st century. “And do you believe in God?” The old man was getting tiresome. This job was going to be more tedious than I’d anticipated. “No I don’t believe in God and I don’t believe in vampires.” “Yet you seek them out?” He turned and patted one of the two bloodhounds sitting by his side. “I’m interested in contemporary cultural phenomena. I’m a journalist, doing a story on cult groups, hence my interest in your Primave Society, Mr Faust.” “I see.” I took out my notebook and pencil. “Does Primave have a meaning? Is there some Italian connection?” “All things have meaning, young man.” “And is Nero Faust a pseudonym? It’s not your real name, is it?” “Names are just convenient labels. And all names are chosen, the only question is by whom. Take your name, for example. A famous, dare I say, notorious one: Mr William Van Helsing.” “I inherited my name, Mr Faust. It’s useful: my editor lets me write about all things spooky, weird and wonderful.” “Yes, the name intrigued me and I must confess it is why I accepted your request: we do not in normal circumstances allow outsiders to partake in the gatherings of the Primave.” He paused a moment. “So, are you the grandchild of the famed Professor Abraham Van Helsing?” “Grandchild? A great, great, great grandchild, I think. He’s been dead a hundred years.” And then Nero Faust did something strange: he leant towards me and with a long fingernail moved the hair that hung down over my forehead to one side, and started at me intensely. “Yes, I see the resemblance...”

If the public don't have the discipline to watch what they put into their mouths then the state is just going to have to do it for them...

Looking for a fresh start, Maison moves to a remote country village. But instead of finding the peace and tranquility she'd hoped for, she discovers something rather more sinister in the shadows of England's green and pleasant land.

Some things are better left unfound. After weeks working offshore and away from his wife, a man waits to be reunited with her in a hired cottage. However, she's running late and into the void of her absence comes a feeling that something is wrong, and a persistent chill that won't just leave him be.

The partition doors. The other side scored with a frenzy of deep, narrow lines. Like the scratches of lunatic hypodermics. The message. That insane message.

A date from hell; a camping trip with freshly-caught meat on the menu; a Spanish lesson concerning the futility of life; an alcohol-fuelled dream or was it reality?; a secret assignation at a graveyard; the nosy neighbour who found more than he expected; the hair of the dog that wasn't a cure; the effects of the moon on a near-empty beach; exploring an alien landscape - a new collection of nine stories with a theme of horror running through them.

A macabre tale inspired by the haunting artwork of Andrew Kinsman.

Ted Woods awoke, perspiration pouring from his brow. He quickly looked around the bedroom, nothing had changed. The room was as it was before he went to sleep the previous night. It was seven in the morning, too early to get up, so he turned over and went back to sleep. It was then his nightmare began....

A flash fiction - a man is ominously pursued. What is he fleeing from? What is following him? Will he manage to escape?

A daughter's loyalty to her family is tested.

Little did Mark know that a walk along the dockside would take him back to the bad old days in more ways than one. This is a tale of loneliness and retribution.

When you were a child were you told to be good or the bogeyman would come and get you? Susan was, and it left a great impact on her life. Now she has to clear her dead mother's house and face up to her childhood fear. This story shared Third Prize at the Ingrid Pitt Queen of Horror Festival, Hastings, in 2012.

A young girl goes missing; by nightfall the operation to find her is called off, but one friend cannot rest and what she finds will chill you to the bone...

A bad day at work gets out of hand.

It was Cormley Crag's gruesome history that kept the faint-hearted villagers away. All stayed tight-lipped on the subject - except old Norman.

A macabre and dark psychological thriller, ‘The Shadows’ tells the story of Jack, a young and disturbed mobster, living in a hellish world where he is fighting to find answers, fighting to find out what happened in a past that he dare not speak of. With rivals wanting him dead, and his grip on reality ever weakening, Jack must seek to save his life and save his mind before he descends into madness or is buried in his grave. “This is not a normal time, and this is not a normal place . . .”

Have you ever attended one of those popular ghost hunting events? You might think twice after reading this little tale of paranormal retribution, especially if you are a councillor.

A landlord takes a special interest in the new tenant of a Highland croft.

A man walking his dog on a stormy beach hears a cry for help. Or is it?

The search for a lost book changes lives forever.

An old-fashioned ghost story, stranded by heavy snow, a group of friends at a village pub pass the time telling stories.

They had always said that when one of them died the other would go to the funeral. nothing would stop them. When her first love dies prematurely she fails to keep her promise. Or does she?

What if zombies weren't all mindless brain sucking monsters? What if zombies had thoughts? Even memories? What if zombies were much the same as you?

A girl takes a shortcut through the woods, but soon feels she is being followed.

Amber didn't like the house. The frontage faced north and two large conifers cast a sterile shadow. The beams were faded, the chimneys pointed to the sky like accusing fingers, and the roofing oppressed the aged dormer windows that sat in their rimless sockets gazing out a shadowed world through leaded frames. Yet she'd never really had a particular reason to dislike it, until that is she saw the woman with the baby at the window and heard its feeble, sickly cry.

Tom keeps on seeing them. But are they real? What do they want with him?

A couple of runaway teenagers create a secret world... in a suburban cinema.

The darker side of creative writing circles...