From Shallow Graves

Beneath the black waters off Gallaway Bay lies the wreck of the Saint Elmo—a cargo ship swallowed whole by the deep. When diver Marcus descends to salvage its riches, he finds more than treasure waiting for him. Among the drowned crew and shattered crates lies something older… something alive. As his air runs thin and the pressure closes in, Marcus learns the ocean doesn’t give up its secrets for free.A tale of isolation, curiosity, and the unknowable depths below.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!

Simon has spent the last ten years in a hospital bed, unable to move or speak—his world no larger than the space between the door and the window across from him. When a cruel nurse gives him an experimental injection meant to “bring him closer to the Pattern,” Simon’s long quiet life collapses into darkness.What follows is a descent into the infinite, where horrors whisper in the dark and a spider offers him a terrible bargain: accept, and walk again.But acceptance comes at a cost—and some worlds are small for a reason.A tale of confinement, madness, and the thin line between faith and fear.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!

In a quiet farming community nestled near a haunted hill, the children are given names. So are the pigs. And when the time comes, some of those names are crossed out.Every winter, the draw is held. Sixteen families. Sixteen straws. One red. It’s not just tradition—it’s survival. For nearly a century, the people of Hollow Mound have kept their silent bargain with the beasts beneath the earth. But this year, something is different.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!

Annika Truski was once known for sculpting beauty—perfect faces, soft smiles, art that looked too smooth to be human.But beauty is a lie. And pain? Pain tells the truth.After a dental procedure gone wrong, Annika discovers a disturbing new muse—her own agony.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!

Isha has made peace with her death. Her body is failing, her time is short, and she only hopes to go quietly in the arms of those she loves. But when a familiar shadow steps through her home one final time, Isha is faced with a terrifying truth: death might not be the end. And some spirits don’t knock before entering.A Southern Gothic tale of tradition, grief, and the dangerous rituals we don’t realize we’ve inherited.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!

Gulliver Pratt wasn’t born wicked—just unlucky.Cursed, his mama said. Marked by the blood moon and followed by misfortune ever since.Alone and hollowed by years of grief, Gully finds comfort in the arms of a stranger passing through Ponderosa.But some comforts come at a price.And some touches take more than they give.© Smug Rust Studios, 2025. All rights reserved. Do not copy or distribute without permission.If you enjoy the story, please like, share, and subscribe for more chilling tales. Your support helps keep the nightmares alive!