The Horror Megapack_ 25 Classic and Modern Horror Stories ( PDFDrive )

Recommendations

Info

an illustrious house, by whom he became the father of sons and daughtersfamous for their virtues and their accomplishments. Never could he forget Sië-Thao; and yet it is said that he never spoke of her—not even when his childrenbegged him to tell them the story of two beautiful objects that always lay uponhis writing-table: a lion of yellow jade, and a brush-case of carven agate.
BY MOONLIGHT, by John Gregory BetancourtEven by moonlight, the farm looked like a disaster area. The barn had startedto lean, so much paint had peeled off the main building that its walls looked likesun-bleached driftwood, and at least half of the outbuildings had collapsed. Idrove forward slowly, my rental car nosing among the scattered clumps ofrusted-out machinery like a reluctant explorer, until I reached the house’s frontsteps.They say you always come full circle, but it was hard to believe I’d spent thefirst eighteen years of my life here. How long ago had it been now? I thoughthard and couldn’t remember today’s date, not the year anyway. Nineteen ninetysomething. August 14, I thought. Time didn’t mean much anymore.It had been at least fifty years since I’d seen this place.Returning for my father’s funeral had been hard enough; I’d hoped driving outto the farm one last time would be easier. I could have prevented it. I could havemade him one like me. He didn’t need to die.But he would have wanted it this way, him with his unsmiling Christian ways.I had an uneasy feeling, like I’d returned to the scene of some crime I’dcommitted, but of course that couldn’t be true. I’d always been careful to covermy tracks; nobody could ever follow me here. Was it guilt? I could havelaughed. My kind didn’t feel guilt. Nevertheless I had the vague feeling I’dbetrayed someone, left some promise unfulfilled.Shutting off the car’s engine, I climbed out and paused, turning slowly,listening to the wind in the fields and the hum of insects. My darker senses tookin the whole of the land around me, cataloging the living and the dead. A fewgophers, a stray dog prowling the gully behind the house, birds drowsing safelyin their nests, a snake languorously swallowing a mouse…And, farther away, atthe next farm over—Old Man Jessup’s place, but he’d be long gone by now—young lovers sat on the front porch, holding hands, kissing. I could feel therising intensity of their passion.Abruptly I called in my vision. Business first, I thought. I walked up thecreaking old steps to the front door and pulled out the key. The lock clicked, thedoor opened easily, and a musty, stale smell hit me in the face. I wrinkled mynose and stepped in.The carpets were dirty and worn through in places, the wallpaper was peeling,and the furniture looked broken and tattered. Even so, a lump rose in my throat.Less than I’d thought had changed in the years since I’d left.
Page 3 and 4:
COPYRIGHT INFOThe Horror Megapack i
Page 5 and 6:
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHEROver the l
Page 7 and 8:
THE MEGAPACK SERIESMYSTERYThe Achme
Page 9 and 10:
The Murray Leinster Megapack The Se
Page 11 and 12:
silence and barren immensity. There
Page 13 and 14:
things which are unknown to the mod
Page 15 and 16:
THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, by Rober
Page 17 and 18:
Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher,
Page 19 and 20:
believe that the Mediterraneans wer
Page 21 and 22: But I had no wish to escape back to
Page 23 and 24: avenger, tall, bloodstained and bla
Page 25 and 26: lost age. But in what age and where
Page 27 and 28: age. In Aryara’s day they were sc
Page 29 and 30: which she came to be named Pearl wa
Page 31 and 32: thin as the blade of a pen-knife, t
Page 33 and 34: should have possessed me. Let who w
Page 35 and 36: Heron’s first entrance was wonder
Page 37 and 38: I never was so perfectly self-posse
Page 39 and 40: than a self-possessed demon. The my
Page 41 and 42: gloomily enough over my domestic tr
Page 43 and 44: THE WALKING DEAD, by E. Hoffmann Pr
Page 45 and 46: “Don’t!” implored Marie. “H
Page 47 and 48: driven, never pausing to lean on th
Page 49 and 50: disarrayed dark hair, and extending
Page 51 and 52: instinctively trying to draw her ta
Page 53 and 54: Not a sign of life. That blasted br
Page 55 and 56: “Mr. Walt,” the woman explained
Page 57 and 58: She was still screaming when the po
Page 59 and 60: she knew she’d never get lessons
Page 61 and 62: an cloud of enormous bats, their bl
Page 63 and 64: words of Lao-tseu and of the ancien
Page 65 and 66: the mysterious woods. And noiseless
Page 67 and 68: are veritably priceless things, sur
Page 69 and 70: youth of his own age with whom to s
Page 71: the blue emptiness of air; where th
Page 75 and 76: sat there with me. One of them moan
Page 77 and 78: sensed my aliveness behind him. As
Page 79 and 80: Cleaned up, shaved, with hair combe
Page 81 and 82: Nevertheless, I picked up the box,
Page 83 and 84: THE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER, by Will
Page 85 and 86: the three tables that were in the r
Page 87 and 88: sort of thing, your nerve is bound
Page 89 and 90: with the tremendous blaze of the fl
Page 91 and 92: but you all remember the Black Veil
Page 93 and 94: afterward, I heard again the slurri
Page 95 and 96: feel rather queer.“A minute after
Page 97 and 98: morning his wife and child were fou
Page 99 and 100: locked myself in, and managed to ge
Page 101 and 102: regarded as likely to make away wit
Page 103 and 104: some of the anxiety that oppressed
Page 105 and 106: object of envy? Thou wilt. Shall I
Page 107 and 108: “A silver crucifix and chain for
Page 109 and 110: should you trouble me?” he said.
Page 111 and 112: DRACULA’S GUEST, by Bram StokerWh
Page 113 and 114: “What is unholy?” I enquired.
Page 115 and 116: to seek the shelter of the wood in
Page 117 and 118: afford refuge, the deep Doric doorw
Page 119 and 120: “Well, have you found him?”The
Page 121 and 122: Be careful of my guest—his safety
Page 123 and 124:
“For Visions come from a region o
Page 125 and 126:
pace with honesty; “in your explo
Page 127 and 128:
It was only late that night, before
Page 129 and 130:
invited no questions. His whole per
Page 131 and 132:
more or less untutored hand of a co
Page 133 and 134:
coming to see you. I’ve a case th
Page 135 and 136:
speed. “Have they been touched or
Page 137 and 138:
THE CHAPTER OF ADMIRALSIAs Abel Kee
Page 139 and 140:
pipkin and put them into his mouth.
Page 141 and 142:
“To Noah and his sons with himGod
Page 143 and 144:
again. He was at home again, instru
Page 145 and 146:
the head—the waist was now entire
Page 147 and 148:
shapes became three. There was a mu
Page 149 and 150:
course.” From the ardent mouths o
Page 151 and 152:
FEAR, by Achmed AbdullahThe fact th
Page 153 and 154:
And they had longed for human compa
Page 155 and 156:
“Who? I—or—”He had slurred
Page 157 and 158:
considering the dreadful fate that
Page 159 and 160:
lopsided crown, and surrounded by a
Page 161 and 162:
only skirted the edge of our subjec
Page 163 and 164:
well, or should, that all priests w
Page 165 and 166:
warns you I’m not to be ’eld re
Page 167 and 168:
Luciferians, none of us, I think, s
Page 169 and 170:
Damned uncomfortable, but it sure k
Page 171 and 172:
familiar, but still good. It’s a
Page 173 and 174:
—a shiny, new, Goddamn penny from
Page 175 and 176:
and he smelled like he hadn’t bat
Page 177 and 178:
deep recesses of his tangled mind,
Page 179 and 180:
“He babbled for a while after tha
Page 181 and 182:
I thought he was going to faint. Bu
Page 183 and 184:
uncovered grave.Around the walls of
Page 185 and 186:
Asia. All too well did we trace the
Page 187 and 188:
upon me whenever it was dark. One e
Page 189 and 190:
THE DUKE OF DEMOLITION GOES TO HELL
Page 191 and 192:
couldn’t spend the rest of eterni
Page 193 and 194:
JUKE-BOX, by Henry KuttnerJerry Fos
Page 195 and 196:
bookie glanced at Foster’s hat an
Page 197 and 198:
you! I’ll—What did you say?”
Page 199 and 200:
Negative.”“It’s March!” the
Page 201 and 202:
this right over to the big boy. Usu
Page 203 and 204:
“I know,” he said, and pulled o
Page 205 and 206:
Foster went over and opened one. He
Page 207 and 208:
THE MUMMY’S FOOT, by Théophile G
Page 209 and 210:
warm living look so much preferable
Page 211 and 212:
olfactory nerves. The heat of the r
Page 213 and 214:
hither and thither, as though impel
Page 215 and 216:
symbols of the tau and pedum—prod
Page 217 and 218:
“Oh, you everlasting sleeper! Mus
Page 219 and 220:
As he reached her side, she shudder
Page 221 and 222:
Or had the two spectral assailants
Page 223 and 224:
got to find your sister.” She sce
Page 225 and 226:
defenses erected by Vauban—or per
Page 227 and 228:
hear the voice of the damned, O Luc
Page 229 and 230:
himself aside as bullets spattered
Page 231 and 232:
THE GHOST OF TOWNELEY TOWERS, bySea
Page 233 and 234:
the willies just as I was shoving o
Page 235 and 236:
havoc with Procter’s aspirates, a
Page 237 and 238:
won’t revive the poor fellow, but
Page 239 and 240:
“Whatever could have possessed hi
Page 241 and 242:
seven o’clock each morning.The gi
Page 243 and 244:
independent means, was a member of
Page 245 and 246:
which Phillips was hanged. Phillips
Page 247 and 248:
in the smoke house!Turning on his h
Page 249 and 250:
No answer.Once again he hammered hi
Page 251 and 252:
ears and on the blade of a long, mu
Page 253 and 254:
prostrate beside his dying foe, whe
Page 255 and 256:
VI“I say, Towneley, I’ll troubl
Page 257 and 258:
morning and advised them what was g
Page 259 and 260:
SMALL WORLD, by William F. NolanIn
Page 261 and 262:
But he knew he would not. He knew h
Page 263 and 264:
yellowed fashion magazines, looking
Page 265 and 266:
aisles; a damp, leathery mustiness
Page 267 and 268:
continue on a primitive level, know
Page 269 and 270:
continued evenly from year to year,
Page 271 and 272:
this little girl, whoever she was,
Page 273 and 274:
original pranks. Mr. Orth knew noth
Page 275 and 276:
the country’s gift of foot-restle
Page 277 and 278:
then, they haven’t prospered, exa
Page 279 and 280:
was Root. He, so it comes down to u
Page 281 and 282:
hesitated. He pointed out many othe
Page 283 and 284:
not tell him what had been in her t
Page 285 and 286:
desert them. They all need me, if o
Page 287 and 288:
be marrying soon. That will also me
Page 289 and 290:
“The experiment is over,” he sa
Page 291 and 292:
probably see the flicker of the wat
Page 293 and 294:
your laughter is not backed by cour
Page 295 and 296:
indistinct number 4167. The place w
Page 297 and 298:
pages before me, was located in the
Page 299 and 300:
And then the lower door, and the al
Page 301 and 302:
“Cool,” he said solemnly.Throug
Page 303 and 304:
The creature came in a dream to com
Page 305 and 306:
Civil War at some southern gentlema
Page 307:
flowed like water underfoot and the
show all

The Horror Megapack_ 25 Classic and Modern Horror Stories ( PDFDrive )

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?