1. Like mother, like daughter

“My mother used to curse at me and hit me in front of other people.

At night she would burn me with cigarettes and make me eat out of the cat’s litter box.

She’s been gone for 10 years now, and I have three small kids of my own.

Now I know that she was doing the right thing, and my kids are learning the hard way.” — Ihavenocomments

2. Wax statues on display

“‘What a beautiful statue,’ they say as they walk past.

‘This museum is just wonderful,’ they gush to the tour guides.

‘Oh dear, the wax is melting,’ one woman says.

She doesn’t realize those are tears running down my face.” — Fallen_Empress

3. Body found underwater

“It was just another diving operation, body recovery.

As I was searching for the victim, I heard my diving partner say via radio, “Here, we found the body, still in the wet suit.”

I was about to go over, but I felt paralyzed.

That’s when I realized that my partner had attached the hoist to my body.” — Tinfoil_ninja

4. Hit and run

“‘Just a pothole,’ she told herself, her car weaving away through the twilight.

‘Just a raccoon,’ she decided, squinting at the bloody undercarriage in the darkened driveway.

She scooped up the paper early the next morning, idly skimming headlines: “Crane Collapse Injures 5,” “Hit-and-Run Kills Child,” “First Day of Spring Brings Record Temperatures.”

She went inside, made coffee, and went to work… it was just another day.” — merganzer

5. Murder of an infant

“There’s a soft knocking at the door, and I know who’s on the other side.

When she was a baby, she’d never stop crying.

One night I couldn’t take it anymore, so I put a pillow over her tiny face and I held it down until her legs stopped kicking.

There’s a soft knocking at the door, and I know who’s on the other side.” — Ihavenocomments

6. Stranger hidden among us

“I’ve done a headcount of the car three times.

Looked every one of them in the eye.

How can this be?

How can there be more people than we left with?” — The_Antagonist

7. A deadly reflection

“I raise one hand.

The mirror reflects; I smile at the childish game.

It raises the other.

I numbly mimic.” — [deleted]

8. Mouth sewn shut

“‘Hush little baby don’t say a word…’ sang the unfamiliar voice of the elderly woman.

Jennifer had awoke, paralyzed, blindfolded and bound.

‘And if that mocking bird don’t sing…’

She felt the white hot pain and desperation as the needle pierced both of her lips again, followed by long sickening draw of the thread as it was pulled through for another stitch.” — ashenfield

9. Someone’s in the house

“It was a stormy night, and a power outage had left the house dark.

She couldn’t help but feel that if her ex-husband was going to come after her, it would be on a night like this.

As she snuck quietly through her house to get her candles she stepped on a wet piece of floorboard, and froze.

Still and quiet, she could hear from around the corner the dripping of water onto the floor.” — Rhamni

10. Buried alive

“Please stop.

I can still see you.

I can still hear you.

Please don’t close the coffin.” — [deleted]

11. Hidden in the basement

“I awoke with a strange sense of dread.

I cautiously made my way down the hall to the basement door and slowly opened it.

There I saw a hideously twisted creature crouched below me; its wicked electric eyes and huge grin peered up at me… almost playfully.

The ensuing anxiety and absolute terror I felt cannot be described because… I’ve been blind since birth.” — sciomachy

12. An inhuman creature

“I’ve been sitting on this couch for too long.

I turned the tv off hours ago.

That’s when I saw the reflection of the face right behind me.

His smile is too big to be human.” — Ninjacobra5

13. Misery after the miscarriage

“It was always late at night when her stomach began to rumble.

A deep rumbling that seemed to push through her intestines to her crotch.

One night she awoke to the rumbling to feel two tiny hands grabbing at her thighs.

It had been 7 months since the miscarriage.” — silvius13

14. Losing control

“Last week I noticed the fourth reflection on my infinite mirror lagged behind the others, a thousand copies of myself stretching away, but the fourth me moves a second after I do.

Yesterday I tried to show it to a friend, but the fourth me was dead on time not a moments hesitation.

Today I tried playing with my fourth reflection, but he was ahead of me, playing with me.

I’m worried about what it might make me do tomorrow, because even when I can’t see it, the me in the mirror won’t let me smash him.” — Lichenthrope

15. Decapitated heads everywhere

“They searched the crawl space under the house.

To the left, fifteen headless bodies were found.

To the right, fifteen bodiless heads.

The heads didn’t match the bodies.” — PseudoFake

16. An imitation wife

“You crawl into bed behind your wife to lay down for the night, nuzzle up behind her, kiss her shoulder.

The bedroom door opens.

Your wife walks in; she had just gotten up to get something to drink.

You hear her shriek as a cold pressure pierces through your chest, your hearing and vision fading before you can see who is laying beside you.” — Centias

17. Dying in my arms

“‘S…sophie,’ he man mumbles as he dies in my arms.

I squat on the puddle of crimson red that stains my soles, confused, anguished.

At the corner of my eye, I see a woman rush towards me, her eyes pitch black and her lips curled into a wry smile.

The last thing I see before the lights flicker and go out was the name tag that read Sophie pinned on her collar.” — Amerphose

18. Someone’s following me

“I am walking in the rain all by myself.

Wet ground squelches when I step on it and the rain wets everything around me.

I stop to enjoy the foggy scenery.

Squelches continue.” — Hopeitse

19. Cannibals in the closet

“A hand, an eye, it creeped.

From the closet door it peeked.

A child in bed, with dreams in its head.

Oh! What a scrumptious feast.” — WhiteEraser

20. Suicide

“I decided I do want to stay.

I decided I do want to keep going.

I decided I’ll give it another chance.

But I already jumped.” — chitown_biryani

21. The alley behind my house

“Every day I passed the empty, decaying house in the alley behind our house but it wasn’t until the roof had mostly collapsed that I dared to venture inside.

I stumbled into a small closet where all of the toys from my childhood that had been lost over the fence were aligned neatly on a shelf.

In a moment of panic I knocked them from their perch while sprinting out the door.

The next day I gathered the courage to enter one more time, the toys were in a perfect row.” — dinosaureatstrains

22. Permanent damage

“It’s a very rare condition, ‘mam.

Your husband suffered an aneurysm in his sleep, and now he’s unable to wake.

We’ve intubated him, and he will need permanent care.

We’d also like your permission to sedate him further — he keeps thrashing and begging someone to ‘please stop.'” — FloobLord

23. Missing memories

“The pastor said I married her 50 years ago, but I don’t remember.

The man says I fathered him, but I don’t remember.

The others say I laughed with them, but I don’t remember.

The nurse says I love them, but I don’t remember.” — [deleted]

24. Clones in the bedroom

“I went in to kiss my son goodnight.

He was wrapped in blankets, and I leaned in and hugged him tightly and kissed him.

My eye caught something move under the bed and I went to check.

I looked and it was my trembling son who whispered, ‘There’s someone on my bed.'” — [deleted]

25. Seeing ghosts

“My neighbor died yesterday.

I saw him breathe no more.

They lowered him slowly into the ground.

So why is he at my door.” — pelesaysnoway

26. Razor sharp

“You go to brush your teeth during a power outage.

Grab your toothbrush and start to brush.

Power comes back on.

You realize you are holding your razor.” — crho85

27. Death of a child

“The blood on the floor indicated the baby was dead.

Then it started to cry.

No words can describe the look of horror on the doctors’ faces though.

Everything was wrong.” — lawjr3

28. In the attic

“As with every spring, I go up into my attic to check for mold, walking over of the old boxes, the dusty records, and all the other paraphernalia I’ve collected over the years, finding that the only things covered in mold are the old mannequins.

Later that night I hear a shuffling upstairs, followed by the sound of my attic door opening.

That’s when it hits me.

I don’t own any mannequins.” — iamColeM20

29. Transforming

“Your first transformation hit while having dinner with your family.

Your children were so concerned.

Then horrified.

The part of your brain that was still human knew what you about to do but couldn’t stop it.” — BraffZacklin