Fright Feast I

by Brian James Lane

You find yourself wandering down a cobblestone street in an unknown village, lined with shops of all sorts and styles. It would be quaint and inviting were it not for the fact that there are no people on the walkway and a storm brews on the horizon. Nobody is outside, and you wonder why. Perhaps the threatening weather is keeping everyone inside. A lonely wind moans forebodingly, blowing newspaper and other debris through the empty streets as the storm approaches. This is a strange place, you think. Why would you come here? In fact, you can’t even recall how you arrived or exactly where “here” is. Then it hits you – this must be a dream. In the dream, you’ve noticed that you’re hungry and must address that incessant grumbling in your stomach. Someplace that serves food. Ahh, then you notice it. A neon sign in the window of a shop. It flashes on an off in a deep ruby red, illuminating the sidewalk in front of the shop in a rhythmic fashion. It beckons you. “Pizza”, the sign proclaims. Lunch, you consider. You stumble into the bizarre pizza parlor, grateful to be out of the coming storm. The interior is dark and creepy in both atmosphere and clientele. Here, there are people, but not the sort you would want to associate with under normal circumstance. This is anything but normal. You try not to make eye contact with anyone, for fear of instigating any hostility. Instead, you focus on the surroundings with your head down and decide where to go. Some of the patrons aren’t even human. To your left, you notice what can only be described as a monster devouring a slice of pizza crawling with maggots. To your right, a one-eyed waitress serves a pie swarming with cockroaches to a man whose head smiles from the seat next to his body. All around you are inconceivable and horrific sites. This isn’t a dream, you realize, it’s a nightmare! You see an empty place in the corner; it offers relative isolation from the other patrons. A plastic checkerboard tablecloth covers a round table, with an old Chianti bottle serving as a candlestick holder. From it, wax coats the glass surface in frozen rippling waves. You take a seat in an old aluminum and vinyl covered chair. The soft glow of the candlelight reveals eerie lunch specials. Thirteen toppings of terror come standard with the cheesy delight, including stories • A memorial statue of a Civil War Colonel comes alive to seek revenge • A baby is born with a strange disfigurement resembling a wolf each time the Canis Major constellation rises in the night sky • An ancient order of monks guards a secret, which must be fed live prey. It looks like your meal is going to be a feast of frights. You shiver as you reluctantly give the one-eyed waitress your order. “Bon Appétit!” she says with a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2012

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

An excellent group of short stories that are just the right size to keep your interest while giving you the extra oomph that scares you.

[Grampy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was reviewed by Lee Ashford for Reader's Favorite.

“Fright Feast I” by Brian James Lane is an all-new collection of some very juicy horror shorts. The first volume in a series of three “Fright Feast” books (so far) is loaded with 13 original tales to make your heart stop and your imagination run wild. Brian is gifted with a mind unlike “normal” humans.

Some of the stuff he thinks up should prevent him from ever getting a decent night’s sleep. Frankly, I would NEVER want to go camping with this guy; if he told tales like these around the campfire, I wouldn’t get a decent night’s sleep, either. Every little sound in the dark, real or imagined, would have my heart pounding loud enough to actually be heard from the next tent over.

The tales in this book are some of the best horror shorts I’ve ever read, anywhere, by anybody, period. Brian is destined to become known as an author who belongs in the same horror circles as King, Koontz, Lovecraft, Hitchcock, Poe, and others of their ilk.

The 13 tales in this book range in focus from a civil war hero’s statue which comes to life seeking vengeance, to a swamp witch who can make people disappear with bogwater, to zombies, an oddly deformed child, a fish story, and a “thing” from time immemorial come back to life. Plus 7 others as varied as these, and just as heart-stopping. Even Brian’s Prologue is frightening; that’s just one more example of how good he is.

If you are a fan of horror short stories, and you think you can handle it, you have got to have this collection. You will remember these stories for the rest of your life… even if that may be only a few more moments.