Nightmare Magazine 36: September 2015

NIGHTMARE is an online horror and dark fantasy magazine. In NIGHTMARE's pages, you will find all kinds of horror fiction, from zombie stories and haunted house tales, to visceral psychological horror.
This month, we have original fiction from Vajra Chandrasekera ("The Sill and the Dike") and Gwendolyn Kiste ("The Pied Piper Syndrome"), along with reprints by Richard Christian Matheson ("Third Wind") and Reggie Oliver ("The Skins"). We also have the latest installment of our column on horror, "The H Word," plus author spotlights with our authors, a showcase on our cover artist, and a feature interview with the creators of Dapper Cadaver, one of the best sources for creepy props and Halloween supplies.
"Grandmother died when I was seven and aliens raided the village. Their long guns fired out of nowhere, shattering walls and smashing bodies. Father threw me to the floor, shielding me, and I didn’t see Grandmother die, didn’t realize Mother was missing until the raid was over. Father got up and looked outside the house, cautiously; there were shouts of dismay and distress everywhere, and my ears were still ringing from the gunfire. The whole world seemed wreathed in smoke, blurred. My eyes stung. Father gathered up a handful of dirt and brought it to his face, muttering over it, then he cast it down. The smoke oriented, shifted toward him, settled like grey wings. When he walked out, it went with him. There were more screams. I crawled to the door and peered out, but couldn’t see anything."