Whispers from the OUTER SHADOWS, Issue 3
Outer Shadows is Outland Entertainment’s horror imprint, featuring work created by and curated by Cullen Bunn.
From the bottom of my withered, desiccated heart, THANK YOU to everyone who supported the Kickstarter campaign for SWORDS IN THE SHADOWS and RAZE!
Over six hundred backers helped us “raze” funds to get these books into the wild. We reached our stretch goals, allowing us to pay the authors a little more for their stories. I’m so thrilled that the campaign was a success… because that means we’re going to be forging ahead with new projects!
In early July, several of the authors from SWORDS IN THE SHADOWS will be attending Tremendicon in Springfield, Missouri. We plan on doing a signing event. So… the books will be out by then!
In the meantime, I have a bunch of original short stories to write and an RPG session to prepare… and it’s all going to be a lot of fun!
If you missed out on the campaign, have no fear! You can still pre-order RAZE and SWORDS IN THE SHADOWS from the Outland Entertainment site!
What’s next?
Well, the next project on the docket is a revision and relaunch of my middle reader horror novel CROOKED HILLS!
For Charlie and his brother Alex, an unexpected trip to visit their Aunt Mary in the haunted town of Crooked Hills turns into a life-changing adventure, forcing them to confront local bullies, hell hounds, dead witches, and girls with slingshots!
This is a book that’s near and dear to me, and I’m thrilled to see it coming back to life. This is a book for younger readers, yes, but adults will love the thrills and chills, too!
And this is just the first book in a series! I’m working on Book 2 now!
ONE SIMPLE DEADLY TASK by Heath Amodio
I hate my mother’s attic. It’s not that I’m afraid of the dark, or hate how hot it is. The bees don’t even bother me all that much. No, it’s not some childhood fear of the Boogeyman either. What drives me absolutely crazy is the ladder that leads up to it.
The attic is old school. The door is a rectangular piece of plywood within a thin frame. A six inch rope hangs from the door. When one pulls the rope, the door drops down, and swings into place with an audible click. Only the top half of the narrow steps are screwed to the back of the door. You have to pull the bottom half of the steps off of the top, and then hook them into place near the end of the door. Simple and flimsy at best.
The stairs felt like they would give out under me when I was a kid, so one can imagine my hesitancy when my mother asked me to carry a box of her Encyclopedia Britannica's up there tonight. The box weighs a ton. At over one hundred and eighty pounds, I was no lightweight either. Not to mention how poorly lit the attic is. There are only two dull yellow bulbs. One on each end. They leave most of the attic in total darkness, and there are plenty of places where the wrong step can leave you hurtling through the ceiling below.
I set the box aside and reach up for the rope. Pulling the door down, I duck off to my left. One can never be too safe. I had recurring nightmares about the loose steps sliding down, and slamming me in the face as a kid. The stairs stay in place as usual.
Grabbing the bottom half of the steps, I slide it into place, bend to grab the box, and take a deep breath. Lifting my foot, I place it on the bottom stair. Most of my foot hangs off the back of it. I raise my other leg and step on the subsequent step. There is about a foot of open space between each level. The weight of the box presses against my chest. It’s hard to take a full breath.
The creak of the aged stairs fills the room as I lift my right foot. Bowing beneath my heel, the step tips forward, and my foot slips. I rush to raise my other foot to the next step, and regain my composure for a split second. Then I lean backwards. The weight of the box threatens to slam me to the floor behind me. Both hands are occupied, and even if I let go to try and grab for a hold, there’s no hold to find.
Panicked, I take the next step in haste. I push the box away from my chest and high towards the ledge of the attic floor above me. If I miss, we’re all going down hard. The makeshift ladder shifts beneath me and my balance is gone. The box manages to slide onto the attic floor, just barely, seconds before the bottom half of the stairs folds beneath me. I slam down onto the broken ladder steps that lay across the floor.
Something cracks. It’s loud and terrible, but I don’t know if it’s me or the ladder. Pain rages in my neck, and I have my answer. I’m hurt badly. Maybe permanently. I try to yell for my mother, but I can’t take in a deep enough breath to scream out. Then I notice the heavy box of oversized leather bound hardcovers above me.
Did the box shift forward? I know I managed to slide two thirds of it onto the attic’s floor, but now more than half of it hangs over the ledge. It doesn’t make sense. I must have a concussion to go with my broken back. Even if the box had shifted, there’s no way it could just hang over the side like that without crashing down on top of me.
I try to roll to my side, out of the line of fire before gravity realizes it’s mistake. It’s no good. I can’t move, and a sudden raspy laugh from the pitch black attic freezes me in place regardless. My head turns towards the sound despite the fear. Looking into the darkness, squinting to see anything that could’ve made the sound, I’m met with a bright white grin. It’s unnaturally long with far too many teeth to fathom. Countless razor sharp teeth like a great white’s smile. Yellow eyes the size of softballs blink down at me and the box shifts forward again.
The thing waves down at me as if to say goodbye. Then it shoves the box over the side. It rushes at my face and I can’t move. I can’t roll. All I have to do is move three inches to my left or right, but I can’t—
Heath Amodio is the co-creator and co-writer of The Heathens (Aftershock) and the Croatoan with Cullen Bunn. He founded the TV and Film production company Hustle & Heart Films with Cullen in 2018, where they've developed and sold three shows so far.
Heath also co-wrote the short horror film SWUMPWATER with your dear old editor. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should give it a watch! —CB
Here’s what OUTER SHADOWS has in store for you… SO FAR!
SWORDS IN THE SHADOW, a Sword and Sorcery and Horror anthology edited by Cullen Bunn
RAZE, a horror/fantasy novella written by Cullen Bunn
CROOKED HILLS, a middle grade horror novel written by Cullen Bunn
I’LL KILL YOU LAST, a horror anthology fusing 80s action movies with pure terror, edited by Cullen Bunn
CROOKED HILLS II, a middle grade horror novel written by Cullen Bunn
And much, much more…
So Texas Frightmare Weekend is on the horizon. I’m finding myself a little anxious. Why, you ask? It could be because some legendary titans of the genre will be there. Like John Carpenter, Sam Rami and a bunch of the cast from Killer Klowns from Outer Space!
No that’s not it.
I’m from Kansas City! Do you even realize the implications here, people?! BBQ! Texas is the ultimate BBQ rival! I hear those barbarians don’t use sauce! Oh, the humanity! BUT, what if it’s good? What if I like it sauceless? Can I return to my native land of KC? Or will my reputation be forever tarnished and I am banished for the rest of my natural unlife?! Only time will tell.
Mr. Macabre is a freelance boogeyman, Kansas City’s Worst Horror Host, hack comedian, novice writer, semi professional race car driver, and amateur tattoo artist.
Editor’s rebuttal - I usually stay out of Macabre’s ranting, but I can’t just sit idly by for this one. I need him to understand that North Carolina BBQ is, in fact, the best. All others do not compare. —CB
You can visit the Outer Shadows imprint page here.
Visit Outland Entertainment here.
Join the Outland Entertainment Discord Channel here.
You’re just gonna have to have some NC BBQ flown in fresh for me at Tremendicon!