Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine

by J.W. Donley, P.L. McMillan (Illustrator), Clay Vermulm

So, we’ve survived through two issues already. Which is exciting. Wasn’t issue #2 awesome?! It was a bit spicy in comparison both to issue #1 and the issue you now hold in your hands. But do not worry, this issue is wonderful for it’s own reasons. Where #1 was cosmic and comic horror, and #2 was erotic horror and splatter, this issue is something different. This one carries the horror of the real world pressing down upon us, but in different ways. I am proud to present to you two brand new short stories by P.L. McMillan (yes the extremely talented creative who has done all of the zine covers so far) and Clay Vermulm of Crevasse fame as well as a poem by Brianna Malotke and a new movie review from Leslie Edens. The centerfold this time around is from Bruno Pagliarulo, an artist I met at an event in Kent, WA a couple years back. Let’s all ring in the new year with some awesome horror!

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

J.W. Donley—HWA and HOWL Society member—lives in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea.

J.W. is the author of the novelette Cats of the Pacific Northwest and the brand new 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction with contributions from John Langan, Carlton Mellick III, Shane Hawk, and many more.

His short stories have appeared in anthologies from Dim Shores, HOWL Society Press, PIT, Chuckanut Editions, and on Creepy, a Horror Podcast.