Feature Fiction || Double Barrel Horror #3

Welcome to the blog tour for Double Barrel Horror Volume #3, a collection of thrills and chills by six amazing authors! Hold onto your pants folks!

Publication Date: March 22nd, 2020

Brace yourself for another two-barrel blast of unrelenting horror and suspense. Volume 3 of the ‘Double Barrel Horror’ anthology series delivers two chilling tales from each of six talented authors for a 12-story onslaught that will blow you out of your sneakers. This time around, your fate lies in the hands of Christine Morgan, Mark Matthews, Theresa Braun, Calvin Demmer, Glenn Rolfe, and Robert Essig.

The Guide by Glenn Rolfe

Declan watched the new arrival make his way through the valley of homeless folk littering the alley. He watched closely, curious as the man navigated those scraping the bottom of discarded canned foods and crumpled Styrofoam containers. A child in a tattered green sweatshirt looked up as he grazed past her. She was the only vagrant to note the newcomer’s presence. Not surprising since the young tend to be able to sense such things. Declan stood, a shadow among all these breathing ghosts, a silent witness. The man sought an empty corner in the alley and hunkered down. Tucking his knees to his chest, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Declan allowed him a moment to rest or cry. Some did both, while others just stared off slacked-jawed and weary, unaware of their new place in this world. After a few moments, Declan made his way over to introduce himself.

“Hey,” Declan said. “Boyo.”

The man raised his chin and stared. “Hi, can I help you?”

“Yeah, you can tell me your story.”

The guy waved him off and lowered his head. “Sorry, man. I’m trying to get some rest.”

Declan sat next to him. “Rest, eh? Well, you’ve got plenty of time for that. What’s your name?”

“Fuck, man,” the guy said, exasperated. “Go find your pot of gold somewhere else and fuck off.”

“You don’t know, do ya?”

“What? What are you going on about?”

Declan laughed, hearty, with his gut. He hadn’t laughed since, well, since he was alive, he reckoned.

“Jesus,” the guy said. “My name’s Bruce, okay? Now, go bother someone else.”

Declan wiped at tears that never fell and looked Bruce in the eye. “You’re a ghost, boyo.”

“What the hell are you on?” Bruce asked.

Declan pulled his shoulder-length gray hair back in a ponytail, ran his hand over the permanent gray stubble of his face and stood. “Come with me, then.”

“I told you, I need some goddamn rest.”

“And I told you, you’re dead. Now, get up and walk with me.”

He watched as Bruce’s eyes and face loosened, his confidence wavering.

“I promise ya, boyo. It’s no lie. No trick. Sometimes, it happens this way. You don’t even realize. Not until you try to touch someone. Try and talk to someone.”

“I’m talking to you—” Bruce began, but must have caught on midway through. “You’re a ghost.”

Declan nodded.

Blog Tour Schedule

May 11^th

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

Kim Knight (Spotlight) http://kimknightauthor.wordpress.com

Literary Dust (Review) https://literarydust.wordpress.com/

May 12^th

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

The Scary Reviews (Review) https://thescaryreviews.com

Cats Luv Coffee (Spotlight) https://catsluvcoffee.com

May 13^th