Search Worlds Without End

This short story originally appeared in Lighspeed, September 2017.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed Magazine.

A spellbinding collection of short fiction explores the dark imaginations and experiences of the human mind in spine-tingling tales of horror and suspense.

Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers) - essay by Brandon Massey
• 1 - Resident Evil - (2004) - short story by Zane
• 18 - But Beautiful and Terrifying - (2004) - short story by Robert Fleming
• 30 - He Who Takes Away the Pain - (2004) - short story by Chesya Burke
• 37 - Bras Coupe - (2004) - novelette by Kalamu ya Salaam
• 66 - Hair Dreams - (2004) - short story by Joy Copeland
• 81 - The Track - (2004) - short story by Lamar Giles
• 100 - If the Walls Could Talk - (2004) - short story by L. A. Banks
• 120 - The Fourth Floor - (2004) - short story by Ahmad Wright
• 125 - Empty Vessel - (2004) - short story by LH Moore
• 133 - I, Ghoul - (2004) - short story by Christopher Chambers
• 147 - Dreads - (2004) - short story by D. S. Foxx
• 152 - Plaything - (2004) - short story by Terence Taylor
• 171 - The Power - (2004) - short story by Linda D. Addison
• 191 - Red - (2004) - short story by Rickey Windell George
• 210 - Siren Song - (2004) - short story by Francine Lewis
• 219 - Granddad's Garage - (2004) - short story by Brandon Massey
• 232 - Wild Chocolate - (2004) - short story by Patricia E. Canterbury
• 245 - Cum Onn, It'z Lovely Whether - (2004) - short story by Anthony Beal
• 265 - The Gray Riders - (2004) - short story by B. Gordon Doyle
• 276 - Danger Word - [Carriers] - (2004) - novelette by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due
• 301 - About the Contributors (Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers) - essay by uncredited
• 308 - About the Editor (Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers) - essay by uncredited

From the untamed wilderness of ancient times to the concrete jungles of today, these sixteen excursions into nightmares will keep you awake long past the midnight hour--and praying for daylight...

Beyond The Shadows...

...they linger, showing themselves only to those brave enough to perceive them...willing to see beyond human existence and into the heart of darkness. Feel the racing pulse in the primal desire of werewolves. Embrace the aura of two gifted women as they unleash power beyond imagining. Savor the aroma of otherworldly flora planted in a unique patch of earth.

They Walk The Night...

...prepared to face terrors humans were never meant to confront. Chant with an African mystic as he protects his people from an entity of unbridled malice. Ride the dusty trails of the Old West in pursuit of monstrous legends. Sail on a ship of damned souls as it languishes in the depths of forbidden waters.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Voices from the Other Side) - essay by Brandon Massey
• 3 - Harlem - novelette by Eric Jerome Dickey
• 31 - Breath of Life - short story by LH Moore
• 39 - The Share - short story by Terence Taylor
• 59 - Sucker - short story by B. Gordon Doyle
• 71 - Wilson's Pawn & Loan - short story by Lamar Giles
• 87 - The Light of Cree - short story by Chesya Burke
• 95 - Deadwoods - short story by Brandon Massey
• 115 - Smoked Butt - short story by Brian Egeston
• 123 - Our Kind of People - short story by Michael Boatman
• 131 - Natural Instinct - novelette by L. A. Banks
• 163 - Lord of All That Glitters - short story by Anthony Beal
• 169 - Leviathan - short story by Christopher Chambers
• 187 - The Arrangements - novelette by Patricia E. Canterbury
• 209 - Good 'Nough to Eat - novelette by Rickey Windell George
• 235 - Milez to Go - short story by Linda D. Addison
• 253 - Black Frontiers - short story by Maurice Broaddus
• 269 - Upstairs - short story by Tananarive Due

Whatever you do, don't turn off the lights...

Cross the threshold into one man's tortured mind, haunted by the mocking voices of his youth. Quench your insatiable thirst for terror at a bar where the drinks are abominable and the patrons never leave. Relive the harrowing Middle Passage that brought millions of African slaves to America--but this time with a spellbinding twist. Meet the malevolent entities that feed on human misery in the midst of a hurricane's wrath. Endure a sweltering summer on a swamp inhabited by predatory spirits. From pulsating ecstasy to unspeakable tragedy, submit to the irresistible pull of the unknown in nineteen stories that will illuminate the horrors within--and without...

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Whispers in the Night) - (2007) - essay by Brandon Massey
• 5 - Summer - [Gracetown Lake] - (2007) - short story by Tananarive Due
• 27 - Scab - (2007) - short story by Wrath James White
• 41 - And Death Rode with Him - (2007) - short story by Anthony Beal
• 63 - Are You My Daddy? - (2007) - short story by Lexi Davis
• 85 - To Get Bread and Butter - (2007) - short story by Randy Walker
• 93 - Dream Girl - (2007) - short story by Dameon Edwards
• 113 - My Sister's Keeper - (2007) - short story by Chesya Burke
• 123 - The Wasp - (2007) - short story by Robert Fleming
• 137 - Hell Is for Children - (2007) - short story by Rickey Windell George
• 147 - Flight - (2007) - short story by LH Moore
• 157 - Hadley Shimmerhorn: American Icon - (2007) - short story by Michael Boatman
• 173 - Nurse's Requiem - short story by Maurice Broaddus
• 189 - Wet Pain - (2007) - short story by Terence Taylor
• 215 - The Taken - (2007) - short story by Tenea D. Johnson
• 227 - Mr. Bones - (2007) - short story by Christopher Chambers
• 237 - Rip Crew - (2007) - short story by B. Gordon Doyle
• 255 - Power and Purpose - (2007) - short story by Lamar Giles
• 281 - The Love of a Zombie Is Everlasting - (2007) - short story by Tish Jackson
• 295 - Ghostwriter - (2007) - short story by Brandon Massey
• 309 - About the Contributors (Whispers in the Night) - (2007) - essay by uncredited

A royal enchantress is torn between a magic legacy and a shattering destiny....

In a world of treachery and magic, a warrior princess must face an unknown future -- while her past comes back to haunt her....

Fair Isle was once a lush and lovely land, renowned for its wealth and elegance. Now its fields lie blackened by barbarian Ghebite conquerors who despise its traditions of female freedom -- and fear its captive young empress, Imoshen.

One of the last pure T'En -- legendary for their subtle enchantments and fearsome beauty -- Imoshen's magical nature is just beginning to emerge as this new era dawns on Fair Isle. Now, pregnant with Ghebite leader Tulkhan's child, she must battle to save both her land and her new union from being torn apart by suspicion and fear.

Despite their clashing cultures, Tulkhan stirs in Imoshen a quicksilver passion, an all-consuming attraction that trembles on the brink of love. But as Imoshen tries to resist the urge to give in to this powerful longing, an older bond -- and more sacred lust -- tempts her. For she cannot forget her youthful betrothal to her kinsman Reothe, the last T'En warrior, a proud and sorcerous renegade who now seeks to reclaim Fair Isle -- and Imoshen as well.