Evan Bond's Blog, page 5

A Flash Fiction Story

It was dark and creepy in the gas station bathroom when I walked in. We had been driving for almost five hours and I really had to pee. The only gas station we found was a rundown looking place off the side of the highway. It looked like it saw one customer a week, tops. But it was good enough for me. I told my husband to park right outside the bathroom door to make sure no creepy guy followed me in. I don’t think I had been ready for the dirty surfaces and flickering lights, though I probably should have expected it. 
 
I decided to use the larger stall. You know, the one meant to be wheelchair accessible? I wanted to spend as little time in this bathroom so the stall with everything in one would be perfect. I could pee, wash my hands, and run out of this bathroom. There was such a creepy vibe in there and I didn’t like it.  

The stall in the farthest corner was pitch black. The light above it had gone out and draped it in darkness. There was no way anyone would want to use that stall. I didn’t understand why the attendant didn’t replace the bulb. But they probably didn’t have many women using the bathrooms out here so maybe it was far down on his to do list.  

I stepped into the stall and placed one of those seat covers down. Normally, I’m not a germophobe, but the condition of this bathroom looked like a staph infection waiting to happen. Just looking at the metal surfaces made me feel like I would get tetanus. This vacation would not start with me getting sick because I couldn’t hold it another ten miles.  

As I sat on the toilet and started to relieve myself, I heard a noise coming from the opposite side of the bathroom. I was certain it was the pitch-black stall. At first, I wondered if someone had been in there the whole time, but I remembered seeing the door slightly open. Would someone really use this bathroom without latching the door? Unless the stall door was broken. That was entirely possible in this filthy place.  

But the sounds didn’t sound human. More like a strange clicking noise. I would have thought some sort of bug or animal had nested in the dark stall, but it sounded way too large. The clicking echoed through the entire bathroom and started to grow louder. The noise started to freak me out and I wanted to rush from the bathroom. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite finished with my business. I tried to push harder, hoping it would help me pee faster. I just wanted to get out of this place.  

The clicking stopped at the same time I finally finished peeing. I wiped and stood up as fast as I could. While I pulled my pants back up to my waist, I tried to press the flush lever down with my foot. Nothing happened. I pressed harder but it still wouldn’t flush. I no longer cared if I left a mess in the bowl or not. The clicking sound had returned followed by a strange tapping. It sounded like a sharp fingernail on one of the stall walls.  

Without bothering to wash my hands, I darted from the stall and headed towards the front door. Behind me, I could hear a stall door creak open and I froze in horror. Ever so slowly, I turned my head to glance behind me. From the darkened stall in the corner, I could see movement. Something tall, gangly, and pale crept out of the darkness. It wasn’t a person or even an animal. At least, not like one I had ever seen. My hands shook at my sides as I stood there looking over my shoulder. The creature moved slowly on all fours. It’s arms and legs sprawled out like some sort of four-legged spider. It had the features of a person, more or less. Arms, legs, torso, head. But all were exaggerated and elongated. Its face was nothing more than a gaping maw of teeth and a long tongue.  

It had no eyes which meant it couldn’t see me. The tongue flicked through the air like a snake’s and I realized it was tasting a scent on the air. It crept closer and closer to stall I had come out of. Then the disgusting reality hit me. The urine still in the toilet had attracted it.  

Even from this distance, I could make out the pinholes in the side of its head. No doubt they were ears. I didn’t know how good its hearing was, but I was afraid to make a single sound. The beast was large enough to take two strides and be on top of me in no time. There wouldn’t be time to open the creaking door before it pounced. I had to stand there and wait for this disgusting creature to enter the stall I had come from.  

Drool dripped from the razor filled mouth as it clicked its nails on the tile floor. My heart beat so fast in my chest I thought the beast would hear it and lunge. It stopped for a moment outside the stall and moved its face closer to the inside latch. I watched in disgust as its tongue licked the latch, leaving behind a sticky residue. Then, it proceeded inside the stall. Withing seconds, I heard something splash into the toilet followed by a terrible slurping sound. I nearly vomited as I thought about that creature enjoying my urine as a treat.  

I hoped the sound of the sloshing toilet bowl would cover my escape as I reached out for the door handle. When my hand touched the metal, the slurping stopped. I swear my heart stopped with it. The clicking noise returned and I realized something horrible. It had caught another scent. As fast as I could, I ripped the door open and flung myself over the threshold. I heard nails clacking on tile as the creature ran towards the door. It let out a strange screech as the bathroom door shut behind me. A second later, and I would have been dead. I was sure of it.  

My husband was still sitting in the driver seat of our car when I climbed in. He smiled at me as I buckled. “All better?” He asked. I looked in the side mirror at the bathroom door. The tip of the beast's tongue poked out from under the door and then retreated. I looked at my husband and nodded nervously. There was no chance he would ever believe me. And I didn’t want him going in that bathroom to prove anything to me. I wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.  

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If you liked that story, please consider joining my Patreon page. This was a story shared with my patrons today. I share flash fiction stories like these and many other things over on Patreon so check it out!

Drive West

Happy Hump Day!

Today's writing prompt: 
You find a hand-written note on your windshield that says, “Drive west for 100 miles.”


At first I think it's a parking ticket but then I realize it's only a note. But that has me more concerned. Did someone hit my car? But the note simply reads "Drive west for 100 miles." Some sort of weird prank by a teen, no doubt. I crumple up the note and toss it to the ground. When I get home, however, I realize my wife isn't there. It's odd, but not completely out of the ordinary so I pay it no mind. Until I see her name pop up on the caller ID on my cell phone. "You should have listened to the note" a deep voice says on the other end with my wife screaming in the background. The call dies and all of my calls back go straight to voicemail. 


Leave yours in the comments below!

Smoky Mountains

This past week, I took a trip with my family to the Great Smoky Mountains. It was a family trip and not any sort of research for an upcoming book. Although, there is much inspiration to be had in Tennessee. Such a beautiful place. But I thought it would be fun to talk about a few of the highlights of the trips. If you know me or have been following me for a while, then you know I love camping and hiking. We did a bit of hiking so I definitely want to talk about some trails. Oh, and if you want to hear a brief story about a paranormal experience I may have had, sign up for my monthly newsletter or Patreon page. Only places you will find that story! 

First thing I'll talk about is our brief stay in Senoia, Georgia. We stopped and stayed over night to help break up the drive. And to visit one of our favorite small towns. It doesn't hurt that it was the backdrop for Woodbury in AMC's The Walking Dead. We've visited a few times but there's always something new and exciting to see. And since it's an active filming location still, there's new stuff popping up all the time. Fans of the show would recognize Alexandria which is right across the street. I'll share a few photos at the bottom of the post that you can sift through. 

Of course, the real trip started when we got to Tennessee. You could see the Smoky Mountains from our cabin and the view was incredible. In fact, the whole cabin was incredible. I call it a cabin for lack of a better word, really. The first night, we looked up at the stars and I broke out the telescope to view Saturn and Jupiter. The night sky is so much darker up there than Florida so it was amazing. 

Let's move on to some trails. The first trail we hiked led to a place called Cataract Falls. Not sure the story behind this naming but I bet it's a funny one. The waterfall was a cool sight to see and we were able to climb a few rocks to get a close look. We also hiked a place in North Carolina called Clingman's Dome which is the highest point in the Smokies. A trail called Gatlinburg Trail. And one of my favorites, Metcalf Bottoms Trail. 

Metcalf Bottoms Trail wasn't a long hike. About 1.5 miles round trip. However, it was up a mountain and back down. So it was uphill both ways. That will be funny in a second. At the end of the trail is an old wooden school house and cemetery. The school house was built in 1881. We explored a bit and realized you were allowed inside. Which was great because it started to rain so we took shelter until it stopped. While waiting, we learned that kids used to hike the very trail we had used to get to and from school. Which means, there really are people who can say they used to walk to school uphill, both ways. 

If you've ever been to Gatlinburg, you know it's a tourist city with lots of giftshops and touristy things to do. We didn't spend the majority of our time here but we spent a good amount there. It helps that my wife and I have been to Gatlinburg a couple of times already. One thing that was really fun was taking a ski lift up the mountain to a little mountaintop park. We had some drinks and enjoyed the amazing views before heading back down. 

There was so much we did on this trip that I couldn't possibly sit here and talk about it all without boring you to tears. Everything from enjoying a camp fire to laying out on the ground to watch a meteor shower. It was a fun trip and a great way to get away from everything that's going on right now. I highly recommend taking a trip up there if you haven't already! And who knows, maybe there will be a book based in the Smokies coming soon!

Killer Wedding

Happy Hump Day! 

Today's writing prompt: 
The day of your wedding, you wake up to find every person in your wedding party has been brutally murdered.

The bloody bodies strewn about the room is a sight I wasn't expecting today. Not many grooms would expect the entire wedding party to be massacred overnight. I stand there dumbfounded until I see my bride-to-be standing in her beautiful white dress, now covered in crimson splashes. There's an ax in her hand and a twisted smile on her face. I look at her for a while before speaking. "Oh honey, it's exactly what I wanted!" 



Leave yours in the comments below!

Wednesday Writing Prompt

Happy hump day everyone!
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Let's do something interesting on Wednesdays, shall we? Wednesday always feels like the worst day of the week. Still not close enough to Friday but you feel like you've been doing this week forever. Well, let's have a reason to look forward to Wednesdays. I give you Writing Prompt Wednesdays. I'll drop a writing prompt here and I challenge you in the comments to write your own micro story (4-6 sentences long) or longer if you want! I'll do my own as well. This should be fun! Here we go: 

Today's writing prompt: 
You're home alone when you hear a voice whisper your name from another room. 

As I sit on the couch three hours into an Unsolved Mysteries binge on Netflix, a voice whispers my name from the other room. It's dry and quiet and almost eerie. I pause the show before walking quietly towards the bedroom. When I flick on the light, I see a man chained to the wall. His lips are dry and cracked like he hasn't had water in a week. "Shh," I tell him. "I'm trying to watch a show." With that, I turn off the lights and head back to the couch. 

Death's Bounty Hunter

Hello there readers, 

I wanted to share some news with you that you may have been unaware of. Did you know you can read an exclusive short story featuring the upcoming protagonist in my paranormal thriller? Here's a quick story behind the...uh... story. 

There was a short story contest I entered last year. The challenge was, write a ghost story with a twist. Throw a spin on an old legend. That sort of thing. So, I started thinking about the stories about ghosts like the woman in white. You know the legends. A ghostly woman stalks a stretch of quiet road. She's dressed all in white and hitchhikes rides with her unsuspecting guests. I took that legend and gave it a fun twist. What if the hunter became the hunted? 

Jeffrey Raines is Death's bounty hunter. He reaps souls that wander the Earth and prey on the living. And my short story, Death Loves Her Balance, started it all. The story, unfortunately, didn't win the contest. But I think, in the end, I came out the bigger winner because it gave me my next series idea. And I've been having a lot of fun crafting this world and writing the story. 

If you want to read the story for yourself, all you have to do is sign up for my monthly newsletter. That's it. You'll get the short story delivered directly to your inbox! Click here to sign up. Every month, I share behind the scenes info, first looks, upcoming works, and much more! Sign up today and read that story! And let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Creepy Castillo

The story goes, a secret dungeon was found in 1883 behind a secret wall in the back of the fort. Two skeletons were found shackled to the wall and were identified as one man and one woman. Rumors of a secret love affair between a Colonel's wife and a captain blossomed. When the colonel found out, he had them chained to a wall in the bowels of the Castillo and walled them up alive. Were the long lost lovers found that day? 

Maybe not. But it makes for a good creepy story, right? I've visited the Castillo many times over the years and I've been in the very room which is dubbed "the lover's dungeon" and have never seen this story or heard it from tour guides. There's a lot of haunted history pages online which speak to its truth but it seems like there isn't any true evidence of this secret dungeon. 

The Castillo de San Marcos, however, was used as a prison for a long portion of its history. Many Native Americans were imprisoned there in 1875. Many people died at the Castillo, regardless of the lover's rumor being true or not. 

This haunted history makes it the perfect place for my upcomong paranormal thriller. Jeffrey Raines, Death's bounty hunter. visits this very fort during the first several chapters of my book. I couldn't think of a better backdrop than this. The Castillo is an amazing structure which is well worth a visit if you are ever in St. Augustine, Florida. And if you've heard the story of the lover's dungeon, I'd love to get your take in the comments below. Do you think the story is true? 

The Devil's Journal

What is a blog style story, you're wondering? Well, it's a story told in the form of a blog. Uploaded one week at a time. Interested? Let me tell you what it's about. 

Donna Mitchell finds a journal hidden in her home. It references something called The Devil's Journal. Donna decides to document the events as they unfold on her weekly blog. As she gets further into the journal, strange things start to happen to Donna. Before too long, Donna's world is flipped upside down. She may have stumbled on some dark secret that should have stayed locked away from the world. 

If this sounds like something you would like to read, then consider signing up for my Patreon page. It's going to be an exclusive story for patrons only. Patrons help fund my writing career in a way nothing else can! I've been so happy for the support over on Patreon and I wanted to give my patrons a little something cool that only they get to read. If you want to join this exclusive club and read this upcoming blog novel, consider signing up today. The plan is to release the blog story in October. See you over on Patreon! 

Reader with Benefits

If you're looking to get your hands on some hot, steamy benefits then I've got some news for you! Here are some awesome benefits you can get by becoming a patron over on Patreon. 

Ebooks - Get rewarded with ebooks delivered right to your Kindle or favorite e-reader at certain tiers. 
Paperbacks - Get signed paperbacks delivered right to your door! 
Access to Patron only posts - Things like updates from me and my writing journey, exclusive short stories, exclusive flash fiction, my upcoming blog novel, first looks at covers and excerpts, and more!
Discord server access - Talk to me whenever you want and chit chat about books, writing, or whatever on my Discord server. 
Acknowledgements - Get a shout on in each book in the author's note section for as long as you're a patron. 

There is so many exciting benefits to becoming a patron. Think of it like a monthly subscription box without all the pesky waiting an entire month. You get amazing things every week!

Also, I'm bringing back a limited time perk with a little change. A few months ago, I did something I called Dedicate or Die. Patrons got to choose a death scene in my upcoming book OR listed in the dedication section in the beginning of the book. Well, I'm bringing back the dedication portion of that promo. From now until the end of August, sign up for my Patreon page and you will be listed in the dedication section of the beginning of the book! So don't wait. Head over to Patreon and sign up!

Haunted Fort

Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine, Florida. Named after the river it stands guard over. Fun fact, the Matanzas river gets its name from the Spanish word meaning killings or slaughters because several Protestants were shipwrecked in the 18th century and executed on the spot by Spanish Admiral Pedro Mendez. Seems like a fitting place for spirits to hang out, doesn't it?  

Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in order to control the Matanzas inlet. The inlet was a rear entrance into the city of St. Augustine. The fort was only used once. It fired warning shots to scare away British scouting boats. The twelve ship armada turned around and never attacked the fort. Shots were never fired from Fort Matanzas again. Despite not having seen a lot of action, the small fort is a pretty interesting sight to see in St. Augustine. 

First of all, the admission if FREE so you can't beat that. The only way to get to the fort is by boat which the park rangers graciously provide transport back and forth to. So, best to tip them if you go. Once on the little island which houses the fort, you get the real sense of what it must have been like to be stationed there. Out in the middle of seemingly no where on a river with no communication to the world around you. It's almost impossible to imagine. 

Jeffrey Raines spends some time at this very structure in the opening chapters of my upcoming paranormal thriller. He's there to fight off a wandering spirit as Death's bounty hunter. A certain type of spirit which likes to hide in lonely places such as this has started to prey on the park rangers there. Jeffrey is ordered to put a stop to it. Of course, I won't tell you how the scene plays out or how it ends. You'll have to read the book when it comes out!

If you decide to visit St. Augustine and you love history, check this place out. It's a cool piece of history. Not to mention, you'll literally be stepping into the pages of my book! Stay tuned for more information about this book coming soon! And if you want to read the opening chapter of the book, please consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. This month, readers will get an exclusive look at the first chapter! Not available anywhere else. Click below to sign up. And enjoy these photos I took of Fort Matanzas on my last adventure there!
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