Stories by Marc Selby

“My name is Bradley, it is December 13th and as of writing this I am thirty-four years of age. “ A man read aloud to his two companions, pausing to look to them to make sure they were listening. “I am writing this so no one else will end up like the Richardsons. So everyone can know that their fears were real, and no one has to make the same mistake as I have. I purchased this cabin last winter and when the snow thawed in the spring I moved in. What I did before this I will not go into here, just that I have been here for a little over 8 months. Everything was wonderful, spring up here on the ridge is great, peaceful. Plenty of wildlife and gorgeous scenery, it is truly magnificent. Then, once the initial supplies and food began to dwindle I decided it was time to do some hunting. Maybe bag a nice deer, grab a few rabbits, might as well fish as well, there was a small lake, nearly a pond, nearby that was lousy with big mouth bass. I’d gone out, rifle slung over one shoulde...

Lower East Side -- 8:05 AM Jersey was not a happy man. He had been woken up in his little hole in the wall studio in some heap of an apartment complex in the lower side of town. It was early, his alarm wasn’t set to go off for another hour, but someone was banging on his door. He threw back his blankets and peeled himself out of bed, yelling to whoever the hell it was waking him up. “Yeah! I’m up! A second!” This seemed to be good enough for whoever was at the door and Jersey grumbled obscenities their way as he wiped his face with his hands. He grabbed at some pants he had lying near his bed and put them on before grabbing his phone. He turned it on and saw a text from Nathan, which was normal, and a missed call from Erica, the Pack Leader, about three hours ago. She didn’t leave a message though, so it must not have been terribly important. He half-stumbled across his room to the door and stood there silently a moment, sniffing the air. Whoever was on the other side ...

They came upon us suddenly and quickly. We barely had any time to react. Some of us screamed and ran, while others of our city stood ready to fight. In the end it didn’t matter. These...aliens had monstrous ships, and the aliens themselves towered over us. They did not kill us, there was no battle, and it was over in a matter of minutes. They had long sharp tools they used to cut long and deep chasms into the ground around our territory of land. Then, suddenly, we were in the sky, and we were moving fast, only to be dropped into a glass chamber. Now we reside in a giant “Observation Area” as someone put it. We’re in one of their ships I believe, everything looks strange and synthetic. Were surrounded by glass that they peer at us through from time to time.We scream and beg to be released but they don’t seem to hear us. When everything first settled and after we had some time to sort through all the confusion we took in our surroundings and found our new land had no vegetation, noth...

There’s a monster under my bed. It used to live in my closet, making clacking noises and calling my name, but last night I heard it moving, and now, tonight,  there’s a quiet chuckle coming from under my bed. This happens a lot. Every place I have ever lived has had a monster in my closet, under my bed, at the top of the stairs. I know how to deal with them though, I just have to remember what my mom always told me when I was a kid. I remember. I was seven, maybe eight, and I was scared of a monster under my bed. It only came out at night when the light was off, but it was as real as the bed I slept on. I was sure of it. My mom and dad were tired of it, and one night, after calling to them for the third or fourth time, my mom taught me a little saying that will make the monsters go away. To my surprise, it worked, and has worked every time. “I’m not scared of you.” I said, laying in my bed, covers pulled up to my chin. “I’m not scared of you.” I say again, slowly sittin...

Ida Holst sat on her chestnut colored warhorse and looked to the gray skies as her and her warriors left the small village they had ransacked. None looked back at the now burning village that trailed thick black smoke into the sky and towards the mountain where things that would forever haunt their memories lived. They had come to raid the village, spill some blood, and move on, but after the tragedy of the night before they were riding for home. Ida and her men rode slowly, them and their horses were weary. It had taken every ounce of her charisma to convince her tired and shaken men to still attack the village. That even in the face of horror there could be some silver lining to it all. The hardest part was telling them to burn the village and not let a single soul escape. There could be no survivors reporting that their numbers were so diminished. It would lead to an attack on them before they could get home, and she wouldn't have that, but she would also not threaten a...