The sound of muted, muffled screaming ripped Joseph from his sleep. The heavy clock that hung on the wall stuttered, its echo bouncing off the plain walls of Holy Innocents Home and School for Children. Joseph opened his eyes, a familiar blanket of darkness welcoming his rise. He blinked into the dark, allowing consciousness to […]

Poison. Pain. Burning. Unbearable fucking burning. Rapids of lava raced through my veins. My skin … my skin was too hot … too tight around my flesh … I panted with anger … so much fucking anger to keep inside … stabbing at my brain, driving me insane … Rip someone apart, I snarled in […]

His heart beat like a drum—fast and hard and loud. His breath blew strong like a windstorm, his chest contracting with his harsh pants. Fear seeped from his bones, from every cell of his being, his hands shaking like a leaf and sweat dropped from his hot skin. “Welcome to hell, boy.” These four words […]

House of Abandoned Children Fifteen years ago … Three hard raps on the door downstairs startled me from my sleep. I squinted my eyes to look at the clock on the wall. The other boys in the room didn’t move, but that didn’t mean they weren’t awake. We all knew what those hard raps meant—they […]

I stared into the fire. The flames grew higher and higher, crawling up the stone chimney. I felt the blistering heat on my forehead and cheeks, felt my eyebrows begin to singe. I leaned in even closer. I wanted to know what it felt like when the flames licked my skin. I wanted to know […]