Haunted Halloween: Story Contest Voting Round 1

It is now time to vote on the story entries! Thanks to everyone who entered! We really appreciate you all for sharing your stories with us! We do hope that everyone takes time out to read each story before voting for their favorites! You have until this Friday, the 22nd to vote.

Voters:

Jessica and I will both be posting the stories.
PLEASE ONLY CAST YOUR VOTE ONCE!
The form is the same on both blogs so duplicates will be deleted.
To vote, put your email address and the number of the story you like into the form.
Email addresses are only used in order to check for duplicate votes.
If you are participating in the comment contest, leave your email with the comment for it to be counted. Same as with the other Haunted Halloween posts.
If you voted, say "I voted!" in the comment and you will get an extra entry into the comment contest.
Vote for your favorite!

Participants:

Feel free to post about the voting starting. Please encourage people to vote for their favorite.
You can cast a vote for your own story, but only once each round.

Rules:

This is Round 1 of voting. It will end Friday, the 22nd.
Round 2 will begin next Sunday, the 24th. It will end Friday, the 29th.
8 stories will continue onto Round 2!
The winners will be announced on Halloween!

For this contest we will be posting excerpts from each story in the order that they were received. If a story grabs your attention, click on the link below to read the rest. The link will take you to the blog post where the story can be found.

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Story #1 - Found

"Hello my love." Came a horribly familiar voice. I slowly turned around and there he was. My worst nightmare. The last time I saw him he was covered in my blood. My knees felt week and I didn't know if I had the strength to keep them study. He smiled that same dark smile that he had the day he tried to kill me. I thought I had escaped, I thought it was over. As he reached for my hand I knew it would be soon. "How I have missed you." He said as our hands met. I felt a tingle run up my arm as he touched me. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, everything that I had worked for, to get past the memory of him was gone. All there was in the world was him and his hand upon mine. I couldn’t bring myself to run or to scream. I was lost in his murderous eyes.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #2 - Invisible

Gotta find the exit. I just have to. I don't want to die I am too young. He told me that it wouldn't end like this that if I just give him what he needed then he would leave me and my family alone. I have been running for nearly three days and every time I think I am safe I see his shadow again. It all started back when I met the new kid in school. He was gorgeous nonetheless. Always seemed so perfect and mysterious. Apparently my judgment was correct except for the perfect part. As I grew closer to him the more I drew away from school, friends, and even worse my family. There seemed to be something pulling me deeper into his world, something that was turning me almost invisible to the world around me.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #3 - Sun and Moon

The obsidian building towered high into the thunderous clouds, and was surrounded by a large iron-wrought fence. Erus, a grim and depressing boy for his age, stared at the bleak view before him: This was to be his new home: The Orphanage.
Erus picked anxiously at his raggedy blue sweatshirt. His dark black hair obscured his vision, but gave him a sharper look. The pale skin of his face often made others think that he was dead, maybe a vampire. Maybe he was, no, he most definitely was. Due to the monumental hunger he felt building up inside him like carbon in a soda bottle. Every sense in his body became more acute, and human blood sang beneath luscious skin.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #4 - Ghost girl

This was when I was around 17 years old. My parent move us in to our first house after living so long in an apartment. The house had 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. I was sharing a room with my sister, she was 16 year old . My two brother were sharing the room next to ours. my parents room was across the hallway. My room had the only window a/c unit. Our bedroom was the smallest bedroom and we only had a bunkbed an old tv, those old one that had the wooden box arround and with the big knobs. After a week I was watching tv late one night and the tv out of nowhere turn off. I thought the tv had a short and went to sleep. The next week weird things started to happen.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #5 - The Blood Spirit

1920
It was in the small town of Ashbury, New York that the rumor became.
“Oh, Mary, I’ve missed you so much!”
“Hahaha, well, I told you I’d return didn’t I, silly boy.” The girl’s sweet voice filled the room. It was like a drug to Everett and he wanted more. He had long awaited her return spending night after night staring longingly into the mirror on his dresser, until she had finally appeared that night.
“I thought… maybe you had moved on.” Everett’s voice tried to cover his emotions at the thought of losing his beautiful Mary. Mary, the one that had saved him from all the darkness in his life and now he could barely stand to look her in the eyes because of her beauty. They had shown with understanding, but that was all a mask to help cover up the thing she really was.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #6 - The Current-Day 1900's Spiderman: A Little Boy's Tale

A shaggy haired two year old boy with wide eyes watched the hall of his newly built home. Not only was his puppy barking at it but both pet cats were hissing as well. His mommy turned to the hall then back at the display in front of her calling their attention. The little boy dropped his multi-colored duplos and looked to his mommy, his eyes glistening with a look she never seen before, then pointed to the short hall between the living room and the playroom saying one word. “Man.”

The appearances of 'man' didn't stop that one quiet night..

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #7 - Friendly Fire

Fire. One word. One very short word. And yet, for Kaylee it was the most important word in the world. It was the last thing her mother ever said to her. As a child she had been hurt that her mother hadn’t spoken words of love and encouragement in the last moments of her life, it was only when she was older that she understood the true power behind that one word.

Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #8 - Stranger in the Night

"We should dance," Brady smiled. Prom night.

I heard a voice. "Excuse me," someone said from behind.

"Sorry, sorry" Brady muttered.

Me, I couldn't speak. It was his eyes; they smoldered. I had never seen a guy with black eyes before. Taking one look at his face --pale, chiseled, eerily handsome-- I was totally, totally lost.

"Stephanie," he grinned. I parted my lips, but couldn't speak.

"Stephanie?" I couldn't hear Brady. I couldn't even tell he was still there. Everything was a big, buzzing blur; his hand at my waist, it wasn't even there. I swear it wasn't.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #9 - The Good Mother

Our lake is haunted.

Long ago there was a Mother who fell asleep by the water. While she slept her child crawled into the water and was lost.

The Mother, unwilling to accept her child’s death, dove beneath the waves and disappeared.

Supposedly, she searches for him still. Children roaming near the lake on the night her child disappeared will disappear too. She waits to wrap them in her watery embrace.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #10 - Blackbird Sing

They say the beautiful song of the blackbird makes it a symbol of temptations. For the most part, I have been a fairly responsible adult during the course of my life. I live in control and in restraint; I have no weakness.
When I approach the enormous tree with the bare and scraggly branches, I see it is full of blackbirds. I should think something is not right. But with a sensible head resting atop my shoulders, omens never affected me. I could shatter a thousand mirrors and still live in good health and in good luck.
My phone shrills in my pocket. I do not want to pick it up. Instead, I gaze at the still blackbirds, with their graceful feathers and beady eyes. Nothing is wrong. Just a tree full of silly birds. I see them all the time.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #11 - The Mattress

Kasey never liked hospitals. They just made her feel uncomfortable. Everything smelled like hand soap or old people, and everything was so...sterile. She especially hated it at night when her room's light was turned off. The hallway would still be brightly lighted -- yes, even in the middle of the night -- but even the small sliver of light that she could see under her door wasn't comfort enough. Being in the dark scared her, and being in the dark alone was even more frightening.

She had had three concussions in the past spring from playing rugby -- three too much. She had spent week after week in hospitals attempting to recover, missing school, missing her friends, missing life. She hardly knew what sunshine felt like.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #12 - Lifeless Love

Her breath raced as she ran down the hill. Sweat glistened on her face in the light of the half-moon. Her pursuer was not far behind, his long arms flapping limply at his sides. She turned right and hid behind a trash can and prayed he would pass her by.

“Chloe,” He croaked. “Come out. You know I won’t hurt you. How could I hurt you? I love you.”

Silent tears slid down her face. How she wanted to believe those words. But she knew now that he was lost to her.

Footsteps were heard receding into the distance; he was gone, for now.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #13 - Whisper

Damien was filled with dread as he crossed the threshold of Milton Manor. Fear emanated from his every pore, clouded his vision, and burned its way through his lungs with each breath.

Then the whispers began…

Get out! You don’t belong here. This is our home!

With each whisper more and more voices joined in, bringing the words to a crescendo, reverberating around Damien’s head and bombarding his mind. The voices began screaming at Damien, commanding him to leave.

Leave now or we’ll kill them all!

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #14 - Howl at the Moon

The sharp ululation had my head snap back. Shivers shot up my spine, the harsh wind causing my cheeks to sting. They were coming for me. I tried to cover my scent with the dirt and foliage around me, but it didnt work. They had super noses, and hearing.

I tripped over a root and landed on my knees and hands. I muffled a cry. I quickly got up, ignoring the globs of blood appearing on my knees. I could almost here them approaching me. My blood ran cold, my limbs grew stiff even as I stumbled my way through the forest. My breath thickened, blood tricked down my legs.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #15 - The Secret Ball

Louisiana, 1862 I could hear the carriage roll on the damp stone path. The path where what had mattered most was silently taken from me. I saw men in white masks embellished with jewels and lined with intricate black lace. The men who took Dylan, my love.
Who were they? Why didn’t I panic?
“Olivia Preston,” I remembered hearing the husky voice say with invisible lips, “thank you. You’ve done well.”
Unfortunately, it’s simple to know who I am. I’m the daughter of James Preston, the wealthiest man in New Orleans.
Was Dylan taken because of this? Because of where I come from?

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #16 - Strange Things Are Happenin.

Emily walked towards the sound of the music. Her friend, Mel, and she were on their way home from school when they first heard it, and they had followed it all the way until they came to the source: Shay Manor. Shay Manor had been abandoned for so long that no one could even remember when someone had lived in it last or why they left. The only people who went in the supposedly haunted mansion now were teenagers looking for a scare on the weekends.
“Emily! What the—” Mel started, coming up behind Emily.
“Shh!” Emily hissed. “Do you hear that?”

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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Story #17 - Under the Bed

I folded my arms and did the infamous mom stare in front of my little sister.
“Jessie, I thought you were old enough not to believe in this stuff anymore,” I said, shaking my head.
“I am a big girl,” my five-year-old sister whined. “But this time it’s different, something is under my bed!”
“Look it’s one thing that I missed the biggest Halloween party ever to take you trick or treating, but it’s not fair I have to do this."
For a moment, just from the pleading in her tiny blue eyes, I believed her.
I shook it off and let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, Kylie, I’ll go look. But just one time. Ryan is coming over in ten minutes and we’re watching a movie.”
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, biting her thumbnail nervously as I entered her room.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

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*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry!

Please read full entry rules HERE.

If you vote include "I VOTED" in your comment for an extra entry in the comment contest!