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Hella Weird
There was fire. There was ice. There was darkness. As humanity faced extinction, no saviors or heroes stepped forward. Life, however, didn't end. It just got weird...
A short story.
A short story.
17 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2024
5 people are currently reading
1147 people want to read
About the author
Calvin Demmer
85 books502 followersCalvin Demmer is a South African author of horror, dark fantasy, science fiction, and crime. His books include the flash fiction collection The Sea Was a Fair Master and the short story collections Dark Celebrations, Her Heart Beats for Ancient Beasts, Through the Ravenous Night We Ride, Duel the Darkness for Nightmare Rule, and The Town That Feared Dusk. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.
You can find him online at calvindemmer.com or sign up for his newsletter to stay up to date with his latest projects.
You can find him online at calvindemmer.com or sign up for his newsletter to stay up to date with his latest projects.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 19, 2024
Creepy and weird short story!
July 6, 2025
Calvin Demmer never disappoints. His short stories pack such a huge punch every single time—and in so few pages!! How does he do it?! This one was quite unique and I loved it!
November 2, 2024
I love the stories of Calvin Demmer, what a fun little read this was!
October 21, 2024
*Huge thanks to Calvin for sending me a digital copy of this one!*
If you read horror and love short stories, and haven’t yet read anything from Calvin Demmer, you’re doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Demmer is easily one of the best short story writers churning work out right now and between his collections and his singular releases, he has a ton of work for you to dive into.
I went into this one fairly blind, though, judging by the A.A. Medina cover, I assumed something involving an apocalyptic-type event would be involved.
What I liked: Clocking in at roughly seventeen pages, Demmer shows you exactly why he’s a master at the short fiction craft with what he accomplishes within. We get a fully formed world, two engaging and fully formed characters, and we get creatures, tension, and a horrific reveal. Par for the course for Demmer. And, he’s worked within the post-apocalypse world before (not this one specifically).
We follow Hella, a woman who is working with fellow survivor, Hunter, as they navigate a world filled with creatures, mutated people and survivors scavenging for scraps. Hella is strong, but also reserved, befriending Hunter, but only to a certain degree, not letting him fully know her.
It’s this underlying tension, where Hunter asks questions and Hella gives short answers that ultimately builds these two up far more than should be possible within such a short page count, but it’s what pulls us along, knowing soon, the shit will hit the fan.
And when it does, Demmer does what he does best – shatters the readers expectations and predictions. The ending was dark and perfect.
What I didn’t like: It’s a short story, so obviously the biggest short coming is that this is only seventeen pages. I always want more, longer, Demmer stories, but he does such a wonderful job of creating things in micro-doses that you also understand why he attacks it like this.
Why you should buy this: Demmer fans will be all over this, and if you’re looking for a deeply unsettling slump buster, this short story will be the perfect answer for you. Demmer demonstrates once again that his short fiction is second to none. Phenomenal.
If you read horror and love short stories, and haven’t yet read anything from Calvin Demmer, you’re doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Demmer is easily one of the best short story writers churning work out right now and between his collections and his singular releases, he has a ton of work for you to dive into.
I went into this one fairly blind, though, judging by the A.A. Medina cover, I assumed something involving an apocalyptic-type event would be involved.
What I liked: Clocking in at roughly seventeen pages, Demmer shows you exactly why he’s a master at the short fiction craft with what he accomplishes within. We get a fully formed world, two engaging and fully formed characters, and we get creatures, tension, and a horrific reveal. Par for the course for Demmer. And, he’s worked within the post-apocalypse world before (not this one specifically).
We follow Hella, a woman who is working with fellow survivor, Hunter, as they navigate a world filled with creatures, mutated people and survivors scavenging for scraps. Hella is strong, but also reserved, befriending Hunter, but only to a certain degree, not letting him fully know her.
It’s this underlying tension, where Hunter asks questions and Hella gives short answers that ultimately builds these two up far more than should be possible within such a short page count, but it’s what pulls us along, knowing soon, the shit will hit the fan.
And when it does, Demmer does what he does best – shatters the readers expectations and predictions. The ending was dark and perfect.
What I didn’t like: It’s a short story, so obviously the biggest short coming is that this is only seventeen pages. I always want more, longer, Demmer stories, but he does such a wonderful job of creating things in micro-doses that you also understand why he attacks it like this.
Why you should buy this: Demmer fans will be all over this, and if you’re looking for a deeply unsettling slump buster, this short story will be the perfect answer for you. Demmer demonstrates once again that his short fiction is second to none. Phenomenal.
October 9, 2024
What a skillfully crafted and bone-chilling short story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 21, 2024
um im not really sure what to say since its so short but its a good storyline, would be an interesting read as a full length book too.
October 21, 2024
I wish it had been longer!
November 13, 2024
Spooky Short Story
For a 17 page Story, SOOOO much happened. I really enjoyed it and was actually impressed. I would like to see this in longer depth in a longer novel!
For a 17 page Story, SOOOO much happened. I really enjoyed it and was actually impressed. I would like to see this in longer depth in a longer novel!
November 20, 2024
Pardon?
December 20, 2024
Hella Weird was hella fun. Calvin has perfected the art of a short story. The characters, imagery, plot, the twis are all chefs’ kiss. This is hands down my favorite of his stories to date.
October 12, 2024
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another great short story for spooky season!
October 12, 2024
It's the world after. There are very few survivors, most of the humans have turned into monsters. In an abandoned world, is where Hella lives. She has one friend and one huge secret.
The world has been deserted, the few left are either monsters, or fighting them, but the line between the two is very thin.
The pace is super fast and the vibe is perfect. The story just oozes the creepiness. I was sucked right in!
That ending though, that was something else! :)
The world has been deserted, the few left are either monsters, or fighting them, but the line between the two is very thin.
The pace is super fast and the vibe is perfect. The story just oozes the creepiness. I was sucked right in!
That ending though, that was something else! :)
November 5, 2024
Great short read.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Had a little bit of everything crammed into the story.
From sci-fi, to apocalyptic, to grotesque creatures, to the surprise ending.
And fast.
Did I mention fast?
Highly recommended for a quick horror read.
It did not disappoint.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Had a little bit of everything crammed into the story.
From sci-fi, to apocalyptic, to grotesque creatures, to the surprise ending.
And fast.
Did I mention fast?
Highly recommended for a quick horror read.
It did not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews