Dark Corners by Michael Bray

What lurks within the darkness? What crawls outside of our perception? What happens when the world as we know it stops making sense? When reality isn’t what it seems, and the rules no longer apply…

Dark Corners is a 5 star collection of twelve interlinked short stories plotting the darkest reaches of the human psyche.

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Observation Room 5:
Not a zombie story, but a zombie type story. A man makes a very wrong decision while on the train to work, and sits next to a homeless looking & smelling man. This man is going to convince him that The End Is Near.

No Rest for the Wicked:
A serial killer, The Demon Dismemberer, gets a strange visitor during his last hours on death row. The visitor has a very strange offer – a job opportunity. This ss also has the first mention of Monde.

The Prank:
An elderly man unburdens his soul to tell the story of what he did with his friends that fateful day so long ago. The day that they killed Snoddy in that house. Just a prank gone wrong – but that doesn’t matter anymore.

Yurple’s Last Day:
Yurple needed to be taken seriously, but that’s a tall order when it comes from a clown. But, Yurple is taking steps to assure that TODAY, his last day, will be the day he gets his wish.

Tina:
The second appearance of Monde, a figure who, I suspect, will be making numerous stops in the upcoming stories. This ss is Tina’s relationship with Monde, as told through the detective interview with her regarding the deaths of two close friends.

That Gnawing Feeling:
Danny is living the plot of The Serpent and the Rainbow, and he’s kinda pissed. Sara and Jim screwed him, and for what? Money? Psshhh! Screw them. But, to be fair, he’ll give them a fighting chance – more than they gave him…

No. 5 Sycamore Street:
Alex had tried to forget his past. He worked at the church, and had asked his God for forgiveness. But, the past came flooding back to him when he paid a seemingly innocent visit to #5 Sycamore Street.

The Box:
Terri Browning wishes she could erase the events in her life that lead her to the path she’s on today. But, when an opportunity to do just that arises, she is wary of the consequences.

Every Little Helps:
Steven Grimes is trying to keep up with the Joneses. This time, his envy is for their compost heap. The envy grows when he thinks he knows what the decaying matter is. Recycling, huh? Well, every little bit helps.

A Strange Affair:
Harry is depressed after moving across the globe for a job – just to be let-go in fewer than three months. Adding to his blue days, his wife Maggie is spending less and less time at home. He worries that she might be having an affair, but in his softer moments – he also worries about her well being, since there’s a serial slasher on the loose.

Victor:
An authentic family restaurant, a meeting of mobsters, and an offer on the table that one of them CAN’T refuse.

The Last Man:
A magician tells the story of how the world came to an end, and how he came to be the last man on earth.