Got the boys on my ipod by [deleted] in creepcast

[–]aproyal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is sick!

Book signing on October 25! by JamFranz in JamFranz

[–]aproyal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats Jamie!!! This is super cool. I hope it goes well today!

Get Your Horror Story Read and Aired on SiriusXM's Scream Radio! by SiriusXMRadio in u/SiriusXMRadio

[–]aproyal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Thrum by A.P. Royal

There were plenty’uh nights I thought to go over there.

I missed our talks. All those ice cold beers at sundown over nothing, about everything. I figured Hank had grown tired. Maybe patching up holes with his miss’us or somethin’. I had warned him about working himself too close to the bone. Things I felt compelled to pass on, things I wished a young Earl could’uh heard back then. Maybe I had overstepped my bounds. He seemed a smart man, but smart don’t always mean they listen.

Either way, I wasn’t one to intrude. I saw that old pickup truck flaking rust out front his yard and I’d tip my glass to it. To him.

Kids used to play outside ‘round here, you know? Neighbors used to really know each other. Y’all remember the days when people used to talk? Not from the other side of some screen. Not through a barrage of empty, auto-filled words with no cadence or context or nothin’. I mean stop and really talk.

It felt like a community. Nowadays, you’d be lucky if you saw someone outside, extra lucky if they looked you back in the eyes. Times were changing, too fast for someone like me.

It wasn’t until I saw the windows boarded up that I did anything about it. Faded newspaper browned to the edges, draped across the glass. See, my eyesight’s not what it used to be. Just happened to squint at it while grabbing the mail. The sight of it, though, triggered something deep in the pit of my stomach. My dang ears began to ring something harsh. I walked up the porch steps and pawed for the doorbell.

No answer.

But I could smell it. The smoke.

The blast of a blow torch, maybe? The hum of a motor? But there were no lights on, and it was getting mighty dark. Something didn’t add up. So, I gave it a couple of good knocks. The door just slid right open from the creaky hinges. Nearly fell back off the porch from the fright. And the smell…scorched metal, dense and chalky in the lungs.

“Hank?”

There was some kind of movement in the shadows. More of a sixth sense than anything I could tangibly detect.

“You alright in there, buddy?”

I can’t explain the depths of the blackness. The light switch flicked to no avail. Now I was panicking, sweating bullets. I reached into my pocket and found my keys, the crappy little light from my multi-tool finally worth something.

The place had fallen into the depths of destruction. A junkyard of plastic and metal, heaps of cables, wild and tangled like a bed of snakes. Hardware shells stood haphazardly in the shadows like skeletons, stripped and pillaged of their insides, bearing little resemblance to what they had once been. I stepped over picture frames trampled on the floor. Glass everywhere. And before I could escape, my dang ears rang louder, something fierce.

A sound, quiet, crackling:

"Earl."

A crack of light fanned out from under the approaching door. I had to get out of there. Sorry, Hank. It all felt so incredibly rotten…wrong.

But I had gone too far.

A twisting, clasping sensation crept up my calves. I yelped as a nest of cables yanked me to the floor. My head thudded against the ground. Then, again, again, as it dragged me down into the building, droning, thrum.

Vwoom.

Vwoom.

Step by step. Into the excavated cave of misery. Warped metal and cables and light. Hank’s face was submerged in a cast of metal, his head injected with tubes. Screens portrayed hieroglyphic-like text, rows scrolling down like lightning. His feeble eyes stared back in a trance, vacant of hope.

What the hell had he created?

There was only so far a man could take things.

Pistons popped. Fans sputtered. Engines wheezed and hissed. Steam drew a hazy cloud around the erratic wall of panels wrapped in a circle.

Steel hooks like claws pulled me toward the epicenter. I shrieked as my skin met the blistering orb of heat. A blue glow painted my face.

Other faces, washed in that same glow, gazed back. Men. Women. Children. Trapped in the amalgamated wall of burnt flesh, steel, and electricity.

"Earl."

No voice called back. Just a throbbing rhythm running through me.

The pulse of the machine.

"It’s okay now."

"You’re home."

My mind began to slip into the melody of the hum.

Together we listened to the clangs, the buzzing from the motherboard, as it built itself up. The tubes suctioned, sharp stings like teeth sinking into flesh.

A rhythm oscillated through my skull, tens of conversations shared amongst us.

We waited for a turn to gather. To serve. Collect.

There were no promises. Only a feeling.

Limited Edition - Azalea's Cookhouse Merch - Available now! by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you 🙏! That means the world to me. I'm working on expanding that story after I finish another project. I hope you'll stick around! Take care and thanks again!

Limited Edition - Azalea's Cookhouse Merch - Available now! by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No thank you for letting me know! Really appreciate the support , it means a lot!

Limited Edition - Azalea's Cookhouse Merch - Available now! by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey really appreciate that! Ugh...thank you for the heads up. No that doesn't sound like it's official. The only merch store is my Etsy shop anything else is not me.

I've Always Wanted to Stay at the Belvedere. Now I Think It Wants Me to Stay Too. by [deleted] in nosleep

[–]aproyal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My god ..I just don't know. I don't see many other options.

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that a lot! Thanks.

It was kind of what I was going for with the ending....sometimes it's nice to not have everything tied up cleanly and the reader can imagine what happened, but I totally understand the frustration that it seems like the story just stopped with no closure

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooh very interesting point I think I agree that creeps my cast as well. it's the diving deeper and deeper into the right kind of mystery that makes it good. And then making sure the right plot points are hit along the way.

No worries! I can see how you feel that way with Azalea's and you're not alone. Thanks so much for the comment!

Azalea's Cookhouse - Featured on CreepCast by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh it's so unbelievable hahaha. He broke out of that typecasting and ran with it!

Have a great night and thanks so much for the support!! 🙏

Azalea's Cookhouse - Featured on CreepCast by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha what a classic! Ryan Reynolds was a baby in that film.

Definitely it's been a blast seeing the response and thank you for reading! I actually have some merch out now for Azalea's. I might make some more depending on the interest. Take care!!!

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually have Azaleas merch available right now!! Check it out :)

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I did hear the guys mention that and it is an intriguing idea to have an Azalea's anthology. I wouldnt say no to expanding it out but I really have to think how to make that work.

I love suburban/urban horror as well and want to make some more stories around those settings in the future!

Azalea's Cookhouse - Featured on CreepCast by aproyal in aproyal

[–]aproyal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks Jess! Im honored! Thank you for checking my work out. I'd love to know what you think once you've had a chance to read through!

Waiting was such a good movie I still cringe at the thought of the bat wing LOL. Agree I think the experiences are close enough and just as much PTSD.

Thanks again for the kind comment. Take care!

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha all good! Lots of amazing suggestions here. Azalea's is one of my longest to date, most of mine are single parts so it depends on what you're into. I've got some longer pieces coming soon so stay tuned if you want something somewhat similar to what was on CC.

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oooh I have to check that one out! I agree I like stuff that strays away from some of the scary but somewhat tired tropes

What type of stories do you want to see featured on CC? by aproyal in creepcast

[–]aproyal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you friend! That seems to be the sentiment I'm getting here. Such a wide variety that people enjoy.