EYE SCREAM
In 13 Deliciously Terrifying Flavors

Word Count:  24.7K
$2.99 e / $7.50 p


 
Stories include:

CHOCOLATE - Chocolate can kill a dog. That gave Weston an idea.

BUTTER PECAN - It's been a long time since Iris indulged in her favorite flavor.

PISTACHIO - Mr. Finchner swore he had to eat pistachio ice cream every day...or else.

COOKIES 'N CREAM - Claudia accepts a last-minute babysitting job.

VANILLA - Fr. Barnabas is called to an orphanage to discover which child has been possessed.

ROCKY ROAD - Lyle risked visiting that one house on Halloween.

STRAWBERRY - Three close friends go looking for a night of fun.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH - Revenge is a dish best served cold.

BIRTHDAY CAKE - Tad has a unique way of celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday.


BUTTERSCOTCH - They were a perfect match in every way.

NEAPOLITAN - Her future depended on which flavor she chose.

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP - All because of a million- dollar life insurance policy.

COFFEE - She couldn't remember why she'd forgotten how much she loved that flavor, until it was almost too late.

Excerpts:

CHOCOLATE

When they arrived at their apartment, she checked him again for a temperature, this time using a thermometer. She frowned when she checked it. “Still no temp, but you look like crap.” She ran a hand through his hair. “Why don’t you go lie down for a while? I’ll wake you when the pizza gets here.”

He agreed and turned to go into the living room. She stopped him.

“Why don’t you go lie down in your bedroom?”

Weston narrowed his eyes at her. “I feel safer in here.”



BUTTER PECAN

She fetched the final two bags of groceries, plus the bag of kitty kibble, kicked the car door shut, and carried the items into the kitchen where she dumped it all on the table in the breakfast nook. The cat continued to make its needs known, and Iris snickered.

“I know! I know! Hold on! You’re not starving. Trust me.” Chuckling, she retrieved the pint of ice cream and started to place it in the bottom freezer section but stopped. Checking the clock on the microwave, she noticed it was a little after five. “Oh, hell. Why do I have to wait? I deserve this.”

COOKIES 'N CREAM

“And I appreciate your mother suggesting I hire you to babysit so I can join them!” Mrs. Barker expressed. “Like I said, it’s difficult to find someone willing to deal with an invalid. And when the lady I’d originally hired for tonight called me at the last second to let me know she couldn’t make it…” The woman sighed deeply. “You have no idea how grateful I am that you offered to come. Now…” She turned to her daughter. “You be a good girl for Claudia while I’m gone, all right? You behave, and don’t give her any trouble. Any trouble, understand?” The last was said in a menacing tone that Claudia found odd, if not a bit disturbing.

VANILLA

“It started about a week ago. Sister Ruth took the children out to the playground, when she realized she’d forgotten her whistle. When she ran back inside the classroom to get it, she discovered… Well, see for yourself.”

Pausing in front of a door, she produced a key and unlocked it. Pushing it open, she stepped aside to allow the priest to enter first. “We haven’t touched the place since the incident,” she informed him.

 

PISTACHIO

Mina made an attempt to console him. “Why don’t you go check Shrouder’s Grocers over in Bullerton? They might have some pistachio ice cream.”

“They don’t! They don't carry it! I’ve gone over there and looked! Even if they did, I’d never make it there in time.” Bending over, he moaned loudly, almost pathetically. “No, no, no, no, no! It’s gonna happen! It’s gonna happen!”

Rounding the counter, Kally took the man by the shoulders. “Are you okay, Mr. Finchner? Why don’t you sit down?”

The man continued to moan and wail. “It’s too late! It’s too late!”

 

ROCKY ROAD

Britt made a disparaging sound. “Go ahead and try it, loser. But don’t come crying to us when she drags you inside and turns you into some kind of hideous freak.” Hitching his Dracula cape over his shoulders, he took off down the sidewalk. The others in the group gave Lyle sad eyes as if this was going to be the last time they’d ever see him alive, and hurried after their leader.

Penny remained behind, choosing to stay with him, and he wondered for how long.

“I’m going in. Coming with me?” he halfway invited.

“No. I’ll stay here. If anything happens to you, I’ll go get help,” she offered. It was clear she was afraid, and he really didn’t blame her. He was starting to get butterflies in his stomach, too.

STRAWBERRY

“I take it you’re a Dracula fan.”

“I take it you’re a Halloween fan,” the guy countered.

“Oh, yeah.” Alonzo pointed out his two best buds standing a few away. “Freddie and Carlos and me, we call ourselves the perfect trifecta of slashers.”

Mr. Dirk nodded. “Then I guess you and your friends are aware of the number of policemen attending this party.” The man was funnin’ with him. Alonzo decided to play along.

“Oh, yeah. But it’s not us they’re interested in. They’re looking out for the Hangman.”

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH

Since the participants for all the entries were kept incognito to prevent the judges from showing partiality, Sheriff Park had to find out who had brought the peanut laden ice cream. Of course, Dottie had had no choice but to admit she was the creator. She’d gotten a severe tongue lashing, but fortunately no charges were filed, even though she tried to point out the obvious fact that a recipe called “Peanut Brittle Cheesecake Ice Cream” would contain peanuts.

From that year on, everyone was required to include a list of all the ingredients for each dish, which was given to the judges. Although her name wasn’t listed identifying which ice cream was hers, Mona and the other two knew which one it was. They always knew. And now they made sure she never won.

BIRTHDAY CAKE

Emmie walked up behind her and laid her chin on Georgia’s shoulder. She let out a long sigh. “Can you imagine waking up next to that every morning?”

“I try not to,” Georgia admitted.

“I wonder whose birthday he’s celebrating this time? For that matter, whose were all those other birthdays he celebrated?”

“Probably family members and friends. He’s probably so busy, he can’t go celebrate with them in person, so he makes this little symbolic gesture in their honor.”

BUTTERSCOTCH

She unobtrusively watched the man accept his order. When he turned away from the counter, she swiveled around in her chair so he wouldn’t discover she’d been eyeing him. Dipping her finger in the whipped cream, she began spreading it down the sides of both scoops.

“Get. Outta. Town. No way!”

She glanced up to see the man standing next to her chair. The smile on his face was as bright as the twinkle in his eyes.

“What?”

That was when she caught sight of his cone. Or rather, the whipped cream smeared around his scoops. He stuffed a cream covered finger into his mouth, sucked it clean, then pointed to the empty chair across from her.

NEAPOLITAN

It didn’t hurt if she didn’t move. Cyndi kept her head bowed and her eyes closed as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She couldn’t call it sleep. Sleep entailed having dreams, and there were no more dreams to be had when she was in the middle of a living nightmare.

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP

The sign over the money slot read FORTUNES TOLD $1.

“That’s a bargain.” Reaching for his wallet, he pulled out a single, smoothed out the creases, and slid it into the slot. The swami’s eyes lit up and it waved mechanical hands over the glowing crystal ball in front of it.

“You have a very eventful future in front of you,” the pre-recorded voice intoned. “Take your fortune, keep it with you, and heed it well.”

COFFEE

She sat in the chair across from the baby to observe her eating, when a movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. The darkness remained just inside the playpen’s interior. A form the shape of…

Tandy’s breath caught in her throat, her body frozen in fear as the baby’s shadow oozed between the bars of the playpen and slowly made its way across the floor. It was clear the entity intended on reconnecting with the baby.