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Issue Details: First known date: 2015... 2015 Quarter to Midnight : Fifteen Tales of Horror and Suspense
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Contents

* Contents derived from the
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Australia,
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:
Candlebreak , 2015 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Lights Out, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'On a cold winter morning, a delivery truck backs into the loading dock of a popular shopping mall. Inside are eight boxes waiting to be picked up by Jodie, the store manager. But something's not quite right about the delivery. Jodie can sense it as soon as she touches the large, coffin-shaped crates: something unnatural and dangerous is stored inside.

'Almost as soon as the crates are brought into the store, things start to go wrong. Customers seem reluctant to linger. Clothes are thrown off the racks during the middle of the night. And Jodie's co-workers stop answering their phones.

'As a deadly storm grows on the horizon, Jodie begins to realise just how dangerous the unknown can be.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 1-54)
Crypt, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'In 1965, a young child went missing while he and his brother explored a disused cemetery. When his body was found floating in the river three days later, his older brother insisted the death wasn't an accident. That something dark and deadly lived in the cemetery's crypt. That it would kill again.

'More than fifty years later, Sara finds herself facing the gate to the abandoned graveyard, with the story of the dead child ringing in her ears. She's there with one specific purpose: to uncover the decades-old secrets of the crypt.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 61-90)
Whose Woods These Are, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'There’s something in the woods…

'It’s been ten years since Anna’s parents last took her camping in Morrow Woods. This trip is a final pilgrimage for her, a chance to visit her father’s much-loved forest on the anniversary of his death.

'At least, that’s what Anna planned. A lot has changed in the last decade.

'A fence has been constructed around the wood’s perimeter and the campers’ parking lot has been closed. Inside the forest, Anna finds trees that have been scarred with deep gashes, almost as though they’d been attacked. As she pushes deeper into the woods and daylight fades, she starts to hear strange and horrific animal calls… and the creature that calls the woods home begins to stalk its prey.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 91-118)
The Mannequin, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'When Mark agrees to rent the basement, he knows it has problems. It's dark, has no mobile reception, and is cluttered with storage boxes. But it's cheap, and there's no lease – which is perfect for a student who's been kicked out by his ex-girlfriend.

'Well, nearly perfect.

'There's a mannequin hidden behind some old boxes that gives him the creeps. Sometimes it throws its dust cloth off. Sometimes he feels it watching him when his back is turned. And sometimes it moves while he's asleep...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 129-156)
Sub Basement, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'The Basement Run is the most feared job in the office. When you’re sent to retrieve files from the abandoned, lightless, decaying Sub Basement, you’re likely to come out with a story or two. Rats, strange noises, and perhaps something much, much worse lurk in the building’s deepest level, and the longer you spend down there, the stranger your tales become...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 175-198)
Crawlspace, Darcy Coates , single work short story horror

'There's something in the walls...

'Erica's parents were delighted at how cheap their new house was. It's a large stone building in a nice part of town, but for some reason its occupants never seemed to stay for long.

'When Erica discovers a door hidden behind the wallpaper in her room, she assumes it's a small crawlspace. There's nothing unusual about it... except for the quiet tapping noise she can hear late at night.

'As she learns more about the house's dark history, Erica realises her family might have bought much more than they'd bargained for...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 219-246)
Station 331, Darcy Coates , single work short story science fiction horror

'It wears our skin...

'Station 331, situated on a remote moon near at edge of the known system, isn't a prestigious place to work. Its three-person staff has one basic job: kill the plant-like lifeforms that come off space rubble and meteors.

'Jen just wants to get through her eight-month shift without going crazy from the tedium or her co-workers' bickering. That plan crumbles when Carly discovers a strange lifeform during a routine patrol.

'The small, fluid creature nestled in the base of a crater doesn't match any of the entries in their database. Protocol says they should call for backup, but Carly insists they can deal with the lifeform themselves.

'It's a simple choice for Jen, but her mistake will unleash unimaginable horror...

'...and the nearest help is three days away.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(p. 269-312)
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