Sometimes, the dead do come back.  Sometimes, they crave your flesh...and sometimes, they desire your very soul, but they aren’t the only thing you have to fear.

You don’t believe in what you can’t see, yet something is there, watching, waiting. You can feel its unholy intentions deep down in the marrow of your bones. You don’t know where it came from, but you know with every fiber of your being that it is not from this earth, and as you feel its gaze searing through your skin, you know the end just might be near.

It took its last breath, you watched the dirt being shoveled onto its coffin, yet there it is, standing before you, staring you down like you’re its next meal. It’s vicious and it’s evil and even though you know—you’re absolutely positive—that the abomination before you should be dead, somehow it’s not, and its ungodly eyes are focused on you.

The Otherworldly and Undead are out there and they are coming for you. When you run—and oh, will you run—you don’t need to be the fastest…you only need to be faster than the person beside you—at least until there is no one else left. Join us for the most terrifying stories of Otherworldly and Undead beings as they stalk and torment the living, feeding off their souls and their flesh before recruiting them to eternal damnation.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by Renee M.P.T. Kray, Jeremy Megargee, Scotty Milder, Steven Pajak, Barry Charman, Red Lagoe, Richard Clive, David A. Anthony, Kristal Stittle, Scott Harper, R.E. Sargent, LP Hernandez, and Bridgett Nelson.

Foreword by New York Times Bestselling Author Richard Chizmar.

Insanity has me by the throat. I wish it’d squeeze a little harder.

They call me crazy, but who are they to judge? I’m not crazy. They are. I’ve tried to reason with them, but they won’t listen. Yet. One day, they will hear me, and one day, they’ll be sorry.

This is no way to live, being locked up like an animal. And I’m surrounded by lunatics. The scary girl in the corner who hears voices, the burly bald guy who lashes out with violent tendencies, the quiet redhead who lights fires, or the Rob Zombie look-alike that is rumored to have murdered his entire family. Is this real or one sick and twisted nightmare I can’t wake up from?

Institutionalized is the latest anthology from the creators of The Better Off Dead series. This installment brings you stories of the mentally unbalanced, the damaged and disturbed, and the criminally insane. Some are locked up. Some are not. We recommend you sleep with one eye open.

With stories by Richard Chizmar, Ronald Kelly, R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, Rebecca Rowland, Mike Duke, Scott Harper, Jill Girardi, Richard Clive, Jeremy Megargee, Janine Pipe, LP Hernandez, Scotty Milder, Renee M.P.T. Kray, Brandon Scott, and David Rider.

Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of Shallow Waters—Where Nothing Stays Buried.

With 20 Dark Fiction & Horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.

Shallow Waters is the official monthly flash fiction challenge hosted by the multiple award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing (including the HWA’s Specialty Press Award). Every month a new challenge is issued online and via our newsletter. The best submissions are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page (an exclusive behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner every month.

What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include the winners as well as the most popular of our finalists. Stay tuned for more volumes in this series, or find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to enter or vote on future challenges.

Volume 8 includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
Prior to Slaughter by AJ Franks (winner)
A Quick Trip to the Liquor Store by Denver Grenell
The Boohag by Linda J. Marshall
Monsters by Justin Boote
Mr. Giggles by Nikki R. Leigh
Natural Selection by Mark Allan Gunnells
The Riverfront by Jay Bechtol (winner)
Allie’s New Crayon by Red Lagoe (winner)
Roadside Believer by Ben Norris
Heart’s Break by Jonathan Winn
Dance Faster, Carmelita by Sunni Ellis
Hello by Karen Bayly
#Camping by Lee Smart
Gone Fission by Amanda Hard
Reaching Out by Jeremy Megargee (winner)
Double Feature by Denver Grenell
Preparation by Claire Brown
A Cunning Plan by R. B. Wood
Wifely Duties by D.C. Phillips
All We Endure by Grant Longstaff (winner)

Come Dive Beneath the Surface!

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.