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Daniel R. Hayes

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2020

Stories (82)
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1059 Followers
1035 Following

82 Stories

7641 karma pts

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The Great Pumpkin Massacre

Submitted to Contest #117

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, Spooky terror.) It’s Halloween once again, and soon the kids on Dead Wood Street will be out trick-or-treating. The night will be full of imagination and wonder as sweet treats are handed out. The old can be young again as they watch the little ones stagger around in costumes of fright and glorious splendor. Indeed, All Hallows' Eve is a night of spooky pleasure and merrymaking. It is believed that ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and demons can walk among the living on this day. Others thi...

33 likes 9 comments 9
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Schizo

Submitted to Contest #115

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, Language.) Some wounds will never heal. That’s why I carry a roll of duct tape wherever I go. I’ll just bleed out until there’s nothing left of my soul. Sure, you could make changes like using super glue instead, but in the end, you realize that you control nothing in life. Yeah, I know I sound like a complete narcissistic ass for saying that, but you don’t know the whole story. When I was born, a Voodoo Man saw fit to place a curse on me. My mother told me all about it when I was just th...

28 likes 10 comments 10
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The Bright Ones

Submitted to Contest #112

In the beginning, before all things, there existed only darkness in the void. Then suddenly, as if a gift from the Gods, there was light. The light was just a flicker, no more than a candle flame. It pulsed like a beating heartbeat. For a millennium, the flame burned bright, keeping the darkness at bay, and all was well. Tranquility could not last forever, for there must be balance. The darkness fought back with a deafening silence. A cataclysmic event between the light and dark forces changed everything.  BOOM! The peaceful tra...

42 likes 2 comments 2
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The Travelers

Submitted to Contest #110

(Content Warning: Blood, gore, mild language, some crude humor.) Wallowing through the darkness at sixty-five miles an hour on rural I-79, Bethany’s eyes grew heavy. She had been driving for the past three hours, and fatigue was starting to set in. In a desperate attempt to stay awake, she cranked the radio volume to the max, hoping the noise would keep her senses alert. It helped for a few miles, but Bethany needed something more. She rolled down the window and let the cool air coast over her body. Goosebumps appeared on her arm...

24 likes 7 comments 7
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Hope Rising

Submitted to Contest #109

(Content Warning: Some mild violence.)She falls like a ghost lost in the endless void. Light-as-a-feather, yet heavy as a concrete brick, she falls. Her eyes point to the sky as the wind whips through her golden locks, so vast, so beautiful. The blue floral dress that she spent so much time contemplating whether or not to wear that morning flapped in the updraft of gravity.There were no tears to cry. What would be the point of sobbing anyway? Her life would soon be over with a bloody splat on the pavement below. People would glance at her li...

36 likes 30 comments 30
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Pixie's Great Adventure

Submitted to Contest #108

An eerie wind blew through Spring Valley, delivering the smell of salt and dangerous trespassers. Pixie was gathering up a bundle of carrots when the putrid odor caught her attention. She wiggled her nostrils and flared her whiskers. Gone was the sweet aroma from the honeysuckle flowers that normally filled the air with lovely fragrances.Senses alert, Pixie carefully traced the vegetative terrain. She noticed the birds had ceased their chirping, and the bees were no longer buzzing. Strange voices echoed in the distance. There was no denying ...

43 likes 26 comments 26
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Crimson Butterfly

Submitted to Contest #106

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, some crude language.)The monstrous heat is unrelenting, a good sign for things to come. I desperately stare out from the apartment window and notice my reflection smiling back. I never realized that I had such a wonderful smile. It suits me. I’m not used to smiling, but I think I can get used to it after what I just did. I glance up at the sparkling moon and bask in its afterglow - a radiant light that fills me with emotion.This is a night of rebirth—a new beginning. Frank will never be able to hurt me ...

51 likes 26 comments 26
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The Golden Beauty

Submitted to Contest #103

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, some mild language.)Let’s get one thing straight here people, I am not an American Picker. If you don’t know what a Picker is, why don’t you google it because I don’t have time to explain it to you. If you were to call me something, I guess you could call me a sign collector. All my life I have been searching for a highly collectable 1950’s Chevrolet Bel Air Dealer sign.There are two versions of this sign. One is an indoor poster that dealerships would display in their stores. The only problem with this poster ...

34 likes 8 comments 8
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Perfection is Ignorance

Submitted to Contest #101

TW: gore, murder   In Carson City, the savory smell of Italian spices permeates the air as hungry customers scarf down their favorite meals in Georginio’s Italian Restaurant. Never one to be late, Alex arrives thirty minutes early, and is seated at his private balcony sixty feet high overlooking the beautiful city. He sits with his head held high and brushes his jet-black hair with his fingers; making sure that every strand is in place. Feeling satisfied, he reaches down, and triple checks his brand-new silk tie to make sure it’s p...

56 likes 31 comments 31
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Afterglow

Submitted to Contest #99

Slivers of sunlight radiated through Mary’s window casting a warm glow throughout her entire bedroom. The sultry smell of freshly cut grass blew in and tickled her nose. She woke up with a thundering sneeze and subconsciously cursed the neighbors for mowing their lawns so early in the morning. Letting her eyes adjust to the light, Mary yawned like a ferocious lion ready to devour the day. Stretching her arms high above her head, she was ready to get up.   Off and running, Mary took a quick shower with warm vanilla sugar body wa...

58 likes 44 comments 44
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Eleven Q

Submitted to Contest #97

For Emma… (This story is dedicated to all 11Q children and everyone who has a disability.)     I’m strong, smart, and beautiful, so why am I sitting here in my wheelchair staring out from a broken window? Well, the answer to that question is a bit complex. You see when I get angry I can’t communicate that frustration, so I tend to throw and hit things. I can’t talk, at least not like you. I try to say things, believe me, but the only thing that comes out of my mouth are grunts and yells. Today, I noticed...

31 likes 30 comments 30
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One Last Dance

Submitted to Contest #96

(Content Warning: Suicide contemplation.) In the mornings I like to jog through the bustling city not knowing if it will be my last time. It’s kind of exciting if you think about it. I’m in my mid-thirties, and the possibilities for catastrophes are endless. I could get hit by a speeding car, get run over by a bike messenger, or I could fall down into the sewers and get eaten by the overgrown rats. Those are just environmental accidents, don’t get me started on the endless hazards my vivid imagination can come up with.  When ...

55 likes 39 comments 39
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Aboulomania

Submitted to Contest #95

(Content Warning: violence, and a lot of insanity)I can’t believe I’m finally ready to tell Doctor Regal my deepest darkest secret. I tap my toes impatiently inside my brown Kingston shoes and twiddle my fingers. Maybe I should have gone with the black ones instead. I think they would have matched my brown skirt a lot better. My belt is black, so black shoes would have been the better choice. Why did I choose the brown shoes? Damn this indecisiveness! I’ll just have to accept the fact that I look tacky today. At least my shirt is p...

49 likes 42 comments 42
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Infinity

Submitted to Contest #95

Approximately 4.25 light years from Earth, in the southern constellation of Centaurus, a small habitable planet called Proxima was discovered. This Earth-like planet rotates perfectly in the habitable zone away from the sun at 1.3 astronomical units. Scans have revealed that the planet has liquid water on the surface, and a clean atmosphere that will support life. With just the right amount of greenhouse gases, Proxima can support the same temperatures as our own planet.  The discovery was made in the European Southern Observatory ...

51 likes 34 comments 34
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Not Broken

Submitted to Contest #92

(This story is a follow up to "Broken")My name is Peter Anderson, and I’m... broken. I’ve always wondered about my father because I never met him before. The only time I hear my mom talk about him is when he misses a child support payment. She cusses him up and down completely forgetting that I’m only eight years old. Kids shouldn’t hear those kinds of words. I know what you're thinking, what does an eight-year-old boy know about child support. Well, I know that if my mom doesn’t get it, she takes her anger out on me. It’s not my fault....

44 likes 27 comments 27
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