"And it has been one hell of a year.

I have worn the seasons under my sleeves, on my thighs, running down my cheeks.

This is what surviving looks like, my dear."

Michelle K.

#TBT

This is a perfect story for this time of year when everyone is making resolutions and promises for the future.  Enjoy every minute of it...(this story and this life)

#CreepOn

#ReadOn

#PassItOn

Burn With Me
Nightmare  #189

A whisper tickled my left ear.
I adjusted my pillow.

Another murmur resonated in my thoughts.  It was low and throaty and I could barely make out the words but I was damn sure it was part of my dream, part of my unconsciousness.

Burn... me.

Hardly awake, I shifted the covers over my shoulder and basked in the warmth from the blanket.

Burn.  With.  Me.

I sighed heavily. A low grunt of my own wiggled in my throat.  Go away, I thought.

Burn.  I heard a voice growl louder.  The word echoing through the room like some club remix.

Burn-burn-burn-burn-burn-burn-burn-

I opened my eyes.

A lady stared back at me.

She had the darkest brown eyes I'd never seen, like chocolate.
And hollow.
And empty.
And I could somehow see through them.

I maneuvered some sort of karate kick under the blankets - that went no where near the threatening figure - and mixed it with a barely audible scream.

I was definitely awake now.  The haze of some forgotten dream lingered faintly in my mind.  I blinked the film from my eyes.  The bedroom was dark with a slight haze of a streetlight that poured in through the crooked blind.  The hour was unknown, but I guesstimated I had to be lost in the darkness closer to dawn.

I shook the remnants of slumber from my head and was certain the lady was gone, just a leftover morsel of a bad meal.

But I could feel her somehow.  Knew she still lingered.

My eyes darted about the room as I grabbed for some sort of weapon on my nightstand.
Noisily, I clunked around it contents and ended up holding a bottle of eye drops.

Nice, I thought.  Then out loud, "Yeah, that will scare her."
I waved the tiny bottle of salt water ferociously as a blade.
"Get outta here," I called out.  "Just go."

She popped up from the corner of my bed.

I screamed.  Very loud.

I could see the lady clearly now, as she stood standing...
floating...
lingering...
near the corner of my bed.  And she seemed to mock my screams by tilting her head and forcing a confused facial expression.

I got a better look at her now.  She was easy to make out in the darkness, her body glowing brightly as if stuck under a black light.  Her skin radiated a bright white, with the bluest of veins and purple hues.
Her lips glistened the most perfect shade of pink; but were lined with black cracks and bloodied scabs.
A thick heap of silver hair matted her face and through it emerged a pinkish hue.

Her head was seeping blood.

I screamed again.  Then, I stared.  My mouth hung open, and I shivered from fear, waiting for some sort of death to come over me.  I questioned myself mentally, wondering why she just floated there, not attacking me like so many horror movies I had watched in the past.

I was petrified at the silence;
at the stillness of the scene;
at the anticipation.

I tried to push another scream through my open mouth - believe me I tried - but could not force one.
I had fallen just as silent.

Then, I heard it.

Burn.  Burn.  Burn with me.  She moaned through cracked lips that now dripped a blood to match that which fell from her hairline.

I gasped, certain I was having a nightmare; certain I only had to wake myself up.  So, I started shaking my head, violently.  I must have shook my head a dozen times.

But she was still there;
still bleeding out;
still wishing me to burn...

Then, I smelled it.

All that shaking must have jarred something loose and my senses came alive.
All of a sudden, I could hear the flicker.  My nose breathed in the smoke.

I threw the blankets off my body, slithered across the bed (away from whatever she was that was blocking the other side) and swung open the door.  I ran into the hallway.

Flames licked the walls.

Fire swooped across the ceiling, drinking the plaster as it danced.  It was making it's way from one end to the other, and I was in its path.

Why the hell isn't the smoke alarm ringing its lungs out?!?!

I spun around to confront my intruder.
The lady who surely started this inferno.
The one who wanted me dead.

But she wasn't there.

She was no where in the room.

I knew I didn't have time for this bullshit.
I ran to the window, flipped the lock, slid it open, popped the screen and shimmied out into the crisp night.

As my bare feet felt the cold, January ground, I spun around to see the severity of the situation.  It was a complete inferno that was consuming the house and it grabbed chunk after chunk of the place like a hungry orange monster at a buffet.

I silently thanked God that I lived alone and that I made it out; I cursed myself for not grabbing my cell phone; and I wondered if any of my books would survive?  Maybe just one of them?

But as I watched the flaming monster devour every square inch of my now former residence, I doubted anything would survive its fiery vengeance.

The building was crumbling now and near collapse.  I could hear sirens in the distance.
I saw a silhouette move past my bedroom window.  The lady slid the blind to one side and stared out at me ~ her skin still glowing, her head still leaking blood.  She almost seemed to smile.

Then, it hit me.
I gave her a nod.  A sort of thank you gesture.
A feeble attempt at some gratitude for waking me;
for scaring the shit out of me;
for getting me moving at such an hour.

Don't waste it.  I heard her creepy voice in the back of my mind.  And with that, she nodded back; folded her hands in prayer and stepped backwards, disappearing among the blaze.

"I won't," I whispered back.  "I won't."

~by: Deevious~

My Book...

I am so proud to announce that my short story  

has been approved for publication with the NOOK press.

Meet Meredith 

     (Just follow the above link to purchase a copy for yourself.)

#ReadOn

#CreepOn

#MeetMeredith

Unconditionally

Image found here

....that is all I ask. ❤

Holiday Wishes.

From Night Lights Cast Shadows to your holiday home...

Find this GIF here

Merry Christmas you filthy animal.

#CreepOn

Need a Break?

Not celebrating the holiday?

Refusing the yuletide cheer?

Need something to pass the time?

Then check out these Nightmares and Creep on Creepin' on.

💀

#ShortStories

#ScaryReads

#ForBookNerdsOnly

#TBT

This is one of my favorite pieces I wrote a few years back.
Any thoughts, Creepsters?


Color Scheme - Nightmare # 32
The red-brick house sits among the yellow flowers and the green grass
under a blue sky with white clouds
and an orange sun that shines its rays
down upon the purple lilac bushes ~
heating the black-tar driveway
and ricocheting off the silver car
where underneath runs a trickle of scarlet liquid
beside a tan body
now limp
with blue lips and fingertips.

~Deevious~

Poetic Rhetoric

***Update***
Thanks to one of our Creepsters we found out this verse belongs to
Andrea Gibson.
Great words, Andrea.  Thank you for them.
And thank you, Creepster Matt, for the info.

I love these words.

Anyone out there know the author?

I would love to give them props for this amazing verse.

Image found on Pinterest

When Words Haunt...

So, I am currently reading a collection of short stories and most of these stories are at least a century old or more.  And I love the writing and the language and actually find myself having to look up words and terminology from the day.  It's been quite the adventure.  Anyways, I wanted to share one of my favorites passages from one of these shorts.  It's about a storm brewing and the uncertainty behind it.  I hope you find the words as haunting as I did...

"Then would arise the great clamour of the storm,

sweeping, sighing, and groaning in the distance,

as if all the invisible powers were seeking and calling on one another in the darkness,

while living things hid themselves, sitting in corners, in order to escape a fearful meeting with them."

~ Erckmann-Chatrain ~ 

(The White and The Black)

#ReadOn

#CreepOn

#BookNerds4Life

My Shadow's Shedding Skin...

Do you know this one, Creepsters?
Maybe recognize the movie?





#MusicMonday
#RockOn
#CreepOn

Scary Reads

💀Need a literary fix?
Then, here's something for your weekend.
For all my Creepsters out there, check out the following Nightmare Link for some scary short stories.

My Nightmares 

#ReadOn
#CreepOn
#PassItOn

TBT

I think I have edited this piece about twenty times.  Only because I know there is so much more of a story here yet to uncover.   As I continue to read and rewrite it, I know I will come back to it someday and create more of a world for Johnna and her monster.
Keep an eye out for more of this one in the future, Creepsters.

House For Sale - Nightmare #41:

It wasn’t until the third mortgage payment, that Johnna knew for sure.  She knew things had to change.  That’s when she began to work longer hours; leave the lights on all night; pray a bit more.

After six months in, Johnna knew she had to move.  There was no more denying it.  She realized this when the ceilings cracked and splintered without cause; when the various power outages could no longer be explained; when the shadows started to play peek-a-boo.

She could feel the eminent danger swelling up in that haunted house like hot air in a balloon.  So, she called the realtor and made arrangements.  Then, she called a friend and packed what she would need for the next couple of weeks.  She went to bed that night, pleased that she would be free of this awful place by morning’s light.

Hours later, Johnna awoke with a jolt.  She sat upright in bed, surrounded by darkness, unable to focus.  Her mind wrestled with a faded dream; or nightmare; or noise?

What happened to the lights?
Or her backup lanterns?
Everything was on when she fell asleep.
Everything was working then.
Was there another power outage?
Maybe a storm?

She knew better.
But what was it that woke her up?

What was it that got her attention? 

An odd, gurgling sound answered her.  This awful sound filled up the room, sounding like an army of bullfrogs by their pond.

Johnna gasped.

The noise stopped.

A minute of silence passed.

She heard it again.

The gurglings were back and this time they were closer to her.

Johnna’s heart raced, smacking against her chest like a hammer to a nail.  Beads of sweat trickled down her hairline and before she could grab for the flashlight on the nightstand, it grabbed her.

A hand - from out of the darkness - took hold of her forearm.  Its grasp on her was firm and cold - freezing, in fact - as though someone had placed a frozen slab of meat against her skin.

Johnna shook her head furiously, like a child refusing to eat vegetables, hoping to rid herself from the nightmare.

But this was no dream.  She was awake now, wide awake, and she was not alone.  Whatever lived here before her wanted her gone.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she screamed into the darkness.  "Just let me go."

She struggled, trying to pull her arm free of the cold grasp.

Johnna whimpered.
She begged.
She cried.
She pleaded for her life.
Through her tears, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.
The beginnings of a scream gathered in her voice box, as a huge, decrepit figure came out of the wall behind her.  It was an enormous creature with hollow eyes and a jelly-like form.  It spoke not a word out of its drooling mouth. Rather, it reached around her shoulders with its numerous, bony arms and placed one of its hands over her mouth to keep her from releasing that scream. 

~Deevious~

Busy, Busy, Busy...

I am working on my ebook today, Creepsters.
Uploading and editing and researching and overthinking everything.
As soon as I am up and running, I will post the info for you and you can share in my story.
Till then, Creep On Creepin' On.

Embrace It...

“....That unless one wants to live a stunningly boring life, 

one ought to be on good terms with one’s darker side and one’s darker energies.”

~ Kay RedField Jamison ~

Your Question Answered...

Why do I do #MusicMonday on this blog?
Because music is life. 
The songs I post on here - more often then not - have a dark vibe to them, or maybe contain a bit of poetry, or house enough F-bombs to make me feel alive.
But the real reason that I do a #MusicMonday is because music is a part of all of us.
It connects us.
It is Life.
It is Death.
And it is everything in between.

So, please, Creepsters.
Be part of our community here.
Be part of our darkness and our soul-searching.
Be part of our story.
And be part of our #MusicMonday, because we all rock.


Without further ado, this is what I'm listening to today...




#MusicMonday
#RockOn
#CreepOn

A Stranger Things Christmas

If you're a fan of the Upside Down, then you will definitely enjoy the humor here...

#TBT

I had a lot of fun writing this piece.
It was a great adventure in creating these characters and seeing where they would take me.
I hope, you too, enjoy the journey.


The Caretaker
Nightmare #34

Her name was Evie.
She walked into my dim, dreary office at the end of the workweek.
She had long legs, short hair and an insatiable taste for acoustics.
She preferred pastels;
looked good in blue jeans;
and smelled like sugar cookies in December.
She lit up the room.

And for this she would have to be punished;
Banished;
Sent away, forever.

After all, I could not have my darkness disturbed -
the spell broken.
I could not have a single shred of light puncture my shade.
And she definitely looked like someone who would want to extinguish the night.

It made me sick for what I had to do.
I didn't want to snuff out her light, but I had to do it.
I had to prove myself;
Show my worth;
Send a message to the others in my profession.

You see, my work is not some menial task.
No, my work is essential.
It's for the corporation.
Thy corporation.
The ones who determine where our souls go to either rot or to flourish.
I could not be interrupted by her lure;
By her sparkle.

So, I accompanied her into the night.
Took up her offer of drink and dance until the wee hours of the morning.
I knew I could poison her drink;
Maybe con her into some dark alley;
Choke out her glow.
And the remorse, well, it would only be temporary.
After a day or two, I would forget all about Miss Evie and carry about my business as usual.
That's the nature of things and I've had to do so in the past;
Had to put many precious flowers to rest.
But that's part of the job ~ the one I agreed to years ago.
Hell, maybe it's been eons now, but I made my pact with blood and I must honor my side of the bargain - and I hate to admit it, but it's quite a rush to have such power; such influence.
I try not to abuse the skills I possess, but sometimes it's hard not to show off my talents;
To flaunt my carving skills;
My relevance.

You see, I am of a specific importance to the underworld.
I make the decisions - the important ones - of who gets to live forever and who gets to be forgotten.

I am the collector of souls; the keeper of spirits; the night watchman.
I consider myself upper management, if you will.
I make or break people.
And even though I would've loved to be stronger than my own will and not have taken Evie to bed with me that morning, I am still only a mortal and quite weak.
And I'm a sucker for long legs.

As I look back upon it now, I can see where I made my mistakes -
when I lost the upper hand.
It was somewhere between her legs and the melting sunrise that spilled into the room.

And to be honest, it didn't hurt as much as I had imagined.
Maybe she was being kind - perhaps she had a soft spot for me as well - or maybe she was just more of a professional.  Whatever the case, the puncture to my abdominal hurt only for a minute, and then it went dark.

And as I examine all the information left in my head, I realize that I was replaceable all this time - that the pact wasn't for eternity, but rather, for a lifetime.
And that I, too, would have to pay for my sins;
Be charged for my debt;
Succumb to my fate.

And even though my fate is not what I had imagined for myself,
I must admit that those last minutes of mortality were the best I had felt in years -
The warmth of the morning sun upon my back;
That taste of burnt liquor that lingered on my lips;
And that sweet smell of cookies...

That makes it all okay.


 ~Deevious~

December Contest

***This contest is officially close.***

Congrats goes to Creepster Stacey for the win!

The Night Lights Book Club has picked 

A Christmas Carol 

as December's Haunted Read.

Win it now...

Just be the first Creepster to correctly answer the following trivia question...

In what year was this book first published?

Good Luck, Creepsters.

And as always, 

please read our Contest Rules 

before you agree to participate in any of our contests.

 #CreepOn

#ReadOn

#WinIt

Give the Gift of Books

Looking for some great holiday gifts for that booknerd in your life?

Do you know someone who has a good heart and a dark soul?

Or a good soul and a dark heart?

Then look no further than Evil's Library.

Check out our Book Club's list of evil reads for the Creepster in your life.

There are some wicked suggestions over there.

#CreepOn

#ReadOn

#BuyMoreBooks

Book Club Pick

The Night Lights Book Club has chosen this classic tale for December...

A Christmas Carol is a timeless piece of literature that does not disappoint.

The language is enchanting;

The story line is impeccable;

The characters are unforgettable.

(And the ghosts are cool as shit.)

Charles Dickens was definitely a writer for all times and all ages.

Enjoy this holiday season and spend some time revisiting some old friends in this haunting read.

(Or at least check out the movie.)

My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤ 

(because its Charles fucking Dickens, that's why)

#ReadOn

#CreepOn

#ClassicRead

#BookClub

#Booknerds4Life

The Super Moon

I hope you are enjoying that beautiful full moon out there tonight, Creepsters. 

I like to think that so many of us are looking up at it at the same time. 🖤

#CreepOn

Book Club Business...

Happy December, Creepsters!