The witch of Cerro Alto

davel.gomoz | horror | Complete

This is my testimony about the day I discovered the horror that lived in Cerro Alto. I wanted to forget about the matter as soon as possible, but today, I believe my words could serve the world. --- Hello! Davel here. This is a Lovecraftian, short story set in my country (M閤ico). The events of the story take place in the same world as in my story "The dweller under the waters", which you can find here in RoyalRoad

4.23 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 10:38

Amber of Eternity

The Redd Koi | horror | Complete

Your wife is dead, your life is broken. Yet time inexorably marches on, grinding your hopes to dust. Surely there is nothing to lose from listening to the amber light that pervades your dreams. A short horror story about endings, despair, and the refusal to let go.

5.27 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 10:34

Forest Trickster

Elizabeth Tschereda | horror | Complete

Deep in a tangled forest spilled out from a sleeping god live our protagonists, Cassie and Angus. Cassie lives a normal village life; Angus lives a life filled with evil cultists, gods, and magical powers. When their lives collide Cassie is forced to flee the only home she has ever known. Can they work together to make up for the mistakes of the past, and defeat the evil cultists once and for all?

19.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 12:00

The 15th Apocrypha

S.nuffles | horror | Complete

Detective Constable Walker is tasked with following the investigation of a recently deceased oxford academic. However as he unravels the mystery, he finds it to not be entirely human. *** Won the Short Story competition for my year, so I thought it would be worth sharing. If it seems rushed, there was a 1500 word limit. Thanks. And yes, I like the Weeknd if you couldn't tell.

0.90 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:57

Bitterness, Pity, and a Snowglobe

Fay Voss | horror | Complete

Tragic literary horror originally written for a contest. Written in 2nd person.

0.45 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:56

Hubris is a virtue

mau3 | horror | Complete

Roxom is a slumbering god awoken by a great disturbance

2.60 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:56

Night Stalker - A Tome of Bill Adventure

rickgualtieri | horror | Complete

BEFORE HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD, HE JUST WANTED TO SAVE HIS OWN ASS. Bill Ryder has a problem: the vampires under his rule don't respect him. Unfortunately, in the world of the supernatural, that makes him as good as dead. In order to keep breathing, Bill must become someone else &somethingelse. Enter the Night Stalker, fearsome predator of the undead. In this menacing new guise, Bill hopes to strike terror into the hearts of his detractors. There's only one small issue  reading about superheroes and actually becoming one are completely different things. Bill must take a crash course in all things vigilante. Because if he can't convince his coven they need him, his tenure as an immortal creature of the night will be mighty short indeed. -------- Series note: This novella takes places betweenBill The VampireandScary Dead Things (The Tome of Bill - 2) New chapters posted on M-W-F

15.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:26

[Portuguese] Midoriya e sua vida

Satoshy | horror | Complete

Com uma midoriya sem sabre acabou com a vida dele vem muitas reviravoltas e intrigas

2.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 13:17

Rambling Doom

fsarbolaez | horror | Complete

While checking for squatters in an abandoned building marked for demolition, the contractors found a room containing the body of a missing tech entrepreneur, who appeared to have died of natural causes. When authorities were investigating the room, they noticed that the walls were covered in scribblings, scrawls, and old headlines. According to forensics and detective work, the following are all in chronological order:... *A one-shot story (Content Warning: Contains gore and body horror)

0.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:33

The Black Egg

CCMD | horror | Complete

Years ago, a mysterious egg-like shape appeared in deep space. The naturally curious humans constructed a research station to study the anomaly, which is currently manned by a relief team waiting for the next batch of researchers. Simon, the sanitation officer, is obsessed with the egg and hopes it will lead to newfound fame and discovery. What it contains however will change the course of his life forever.

4.16 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:35

BIOME

Alto Watson | horror | Complete

In the aftermath of an alien invasion, Jia and Gerard must navigate a world ravaged by destruction and infectious spores. With Jia's extraordinary healing abilities and Gerard's scientific expertise, they embark on a mission to restore the rainforests and save the planet. Together, they face challenges, discover hope, and shape a future filled with promise and rebirth in the novel BIOME.

14.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:36

No One Like/s Albert

fsarbolaez | horror | Complete

A man lives his life in Boca del Locura County, with no actual social life to speak of, but not exactly by choice. One day, he overhears his supervisor and coworkers talk about something that might be connected to peculiar and disturbing circumstances, which has haunted him throughout his life. This moment of eavesdropping quickly sends him colliding into a confrontation with tragic consequences. (Content Warning: Contains abuse, other traumatic experiences, and a moment of gore)

2.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:36

Abyssal Symphony (A Short Story)

Siohkun | horror | Complete

In the mysterious town of Ravenshade, where ancient woods guard age-old secrets, stands Shadowcroft Manora place whispered about in hushed tones. As the winds carry echoes of mysteries, a scholar named Alex Whitaker arrives, drawn by the lure of the unknown. Little do the townsfolk know that the grand hall of the manor houses a nexus, a bridge between realms that hold forbidden knowledge and cosmic forces. As Alex delves into the enigmatic estate, the cosmic dance between celestial entities and malevolent shadows unfolds. The grand hall, once silent, becomes a cosmic sanctum where the scholar's journey tests the very fabric of reality. Celestial symbols glow with an otherworldly radiance, and shadows, reduced to echoes, attempt a final convergence. The estimated time it will take to read the following story is around 14 minutes.

1.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 13:55

Serial Dater

karenvideoeditor | horror | On going

Over a few months, a woman meets several men and occasionally goes on dates, but then makes a terrifying discovery.

1.53 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:10

Within the Shadows of Sanity

MrSoopy | horror | Complete

Dr. Jonathan Everett is a renowned psychiatrist known for his remarkable ability to navigate the twisted depths of the human mind. But when he is called to Oakridge Asylum, a renowned institution housing the most severe mental afflictions, he finds himself drawn into a web of mystery and darkness.

0.48 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 16:10

Macabre Mysteries

D. L. Schindler | horror | Complete

Anthology of horror stories with a strong focus on murder and death.

23.29 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 17:35

The Lard Bat Slaughterhouse: A Horror Progression

C.J. May (Goddess of Records) | horror | Complete

Feed a bat a special mushroom and what do you get? Bright red lard that burns longer and hotter than kerosene. For those daring enough to eat it, it can lead to superpowers, or even immortality. Feed that same fungus to a child, and well& there's no telling what powers their lard will produce. When Kid's class is abducted by an evil man and taken to the slaughterhouse, she does everything in her power to save them. But how far can she go, when the abattoir descends dozens of levels below the earth? And rumor has it there's something even more monstrous than the man, and it's hungry for more& An unlikely hero, Kid, teams up with Old Man Snaggletooth and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime: to save her class, or die trying.

8.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 17:31

Rend the Flesh

twoheadedcalf | horror | Complete

A vignette about growing up and seizing bodily autonomy by your teeth.

1.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 17:30

Wander West, in Shadow

CloverCloverClover | horror | Complete

BOOK 1 COMPLETED A young wizard journeys west, through dark forests and dangerous lands, searching for something. Accompanied by a wild witch who has secrets of her own, they come across terrible creatures, hauntings, cursed villages, and memories from their past. Who else will they meet along their journey, and to find what he is looking for, how far will the wizard have to wander west? NOTE: The above synopsis is intentionally written to be as spoiler-free as possible. If you would like a more in-detail synopsis, one that contains minor spoilers, please check out the "Synopsis" chapter at the beginning of this fiction. If you read and enjoy, please leave a rating or review! FORMERLY TITLED: THE GLIMMERLING This story was formerly titled "The Glimmerling", because the first part was a short story of that title; it has since been expanded upon, thus the title change. Chapters 1-8 (30k words) are the first 'arc', if you want to get a feel for the story. To give some context on the setting: Magic is a bit weaker in this story than you might be used to, and we start off following some relatively new magic users. For some perspective, being able to light a campfire with magic is considered relatively advanced for someone who is the age of the main character. Magic can become very powerful - and there are some examples of powerful wizards within this story - but it's not where the main characters are yet. Part of the story is about following them as they learn more about magic. Enemies are also very dangerous, and running, hiding, or trying to talk their way out of a dangerous situation is often a better choice than fighting for the characters. While I have added tags for traumatizing content, sexuality, violence, swearing, etc. I try to avoid super-explicit descriptions of these things. But they are part of the story.

228.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:26

Palus Somni

Ohmwu | horror | Complete

It is the final days after the end of the world and you only have one month left before the last sanctuary erupts into chaos. There's a dead body hanging from a tree and cadaverous giants watch you sleep at night. The end is already here, you just don't know it yet. Now rated in the top 3% of all novels on Royal Road! Palus Somni (Marsh of Sleep') is a worldbuilding webnovel about what happens when your God forsakes you. Inspired by gothic horror and mingled with British myth and folklore, join the Alucinari nuns as they struggle with day-to-day life after the world has ended. Every night when the sun sets the monstrous Gol, colossal beings with too many teeth, awaken and roam the marshlands. Only those with a faithful heart will be spared. Young acolyte Wille has never seen the walls fail, but when a fellow nun is murdered within their sanctum the very safety of the monastery is thrown into question. Did the Gol find a way to breach their defences, or is there a human traitor amongst them? The answer lies both far in the past and deep beneath the earth, through the maze of ancient catacombs. With a cast of over thirty different characters, watch as your friends and enemies spiral into inevitable madness at the hands of a callous and unforgiving world. Discover the secrets of Palus Somni through letters, diary entries and notes found scattered across the monastery. Uncover the mystery of the grotesque giants that stalk the night and bring your challenge to the Gods themselves. Each character has their own handmade pixel art, and every update includes a music recommendation for a dark atmospheric dungeon synth album that you can listen to while you read. Slice of life meets cosmic abomination: Palus Somni is a collection of intertwining stories, some chapters are stand-alone tales while others feed into the overarching narrative. It is an exploration into a community, and rather than focusing on any one character the story meanders through the convent, exposing the hopes and fears of its inhabitants. Story updates every full moon.

83.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 10:57