Afflicted: A Crypsis Collective Short Story

by Evan Couchot

"I didn’t have the heart to do what most people do."

Graham wakes in a room of sterile, suffocating silence. His vision is blurred, his memory is a fractured mess, and he is bound to a plastic chair by heavy leather straps. He isn't alone—a voice from behind a tinted window is watching his vitals, waiting for a reaction.

Afflicted is a haunting, short-form psychological thriller from Crypsis Press, designed to be read in a single sitting with the lights on.

Hungry for more? Members of Evan Couchot's newsletter and The Crypsis Collective receive stories like this one for free. Visit CrypsisPress.com to join the inner circle and claim your copy.

7 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2026

About the author

Evan Couchot lives at the intersection of what we know and what we fear. From the quiet streets of Mason, Ohio, to the laboratories of Boston, his work is defined by a fascination with the natural world and the mechanics of life.

As a biotechnology professional with degrees in Biology and Biotechnology, Evan brings a high degree of technical realism to his fiction. His stories—spanning deep-space science fiction, folklore mystery, and pharmaceutical-themed thrillers—are rooted in a deep understanding of the living world. Evan currently lives and works in Boston, where the city’s history and innovation provide constant inspiration for his next mystery.