The Bloody Valentine Horror Event: Wedding Day

It's that time of year again, the time to embrace the bad side of love: the rejected lovers, the spurned spouses, and the generally lovelorn. It is a celebration of everything anti-valentine and down with romance. It's time for...

The Bloody Valentine Horror Event!

This is my annual Facebook/Blog Event for everything anti-valentine. This is an open posting extravaganza so anyone can join in on the macabre fun. And today's blog portion is a horror tale of the wedding from Hell...

Wedding Day

Noah remembered the nightmare. The stone room. The monstrous creatures.

The pain.

He remembered screaming.

And now... the soft comfort of his bed.

I’m awake. I’m awake. It’s over.

He lay in his bed, his heart racing, and stared at his bedroom ceiling. He counted the grooves in the cornices and the decorative plaster roses until his breathing eased and the fright subsided. Then he turned his head, and glanced at the window; slivers of the morning sun crept past the half-open drapes. His new wedding attire hung carefully on a rack beside the casement. Ready. Waiting.

I’m getting married today.

He smiled. Becky.

He sat upright, and then climbed out of bed. As his feet touched the ornate rug, pain stabbed into his back and he tumbled to the floor. Agony sliced through his body and he shrieked, his eyes shutting tight. His body spasmed, and then curled into a ball. He felt a cold hand stroking his cheek, and Becky’s voice whispered, “Don’t fight it. Let the pain take you. Let go...”

The words chased him into oblivion.

Noah heard voices.

“Get him up. It’s time.”

“He’s ready?”

“He’s been prepared. Anymore and he might die.”

“You’re right. These humans are so fragile.”

Humans? Who’s talking? What’s happening to me?

Noah didn’t want to open his eyes, but he did.

Fangs, horns and red eyes stared at him. Clawed hands held his limp body upright. His noticed his shirt was missing, and his skin... what he could see of his body was covered in arcane tattoos.

What have they done to me!  

Noah screamed. He thrashed in the strong grip of his captors.

“Hold him still! Pin his arms! We need to deliver him on time!”

Noah fought, but he had no strength. He could not prevent them from dragging him from his cell.

“Please let me wake up,” he mumbled as unconscious darkness claimed him.

Noah heard music. He opened his eyes.

He stood in front of an altar in his wedding suit. Becky walked down the aisle towards him.

It was just a nightmare. I’m getting married. To my sweet, adoring Becky.

He smiled as his bride stopped in front of him. She lifted her hand and stroked his cheek. He couldn’t stop staring at her.

Noah heard a voice say, “Do you take this female to be your wedded wife?”

“I do.” he replied.

“And do you take this male human to be your wedded husband?”

“I do.”

Noah’s heart raced.

“Then I pronounce you bonded in unholy matrimony! One in blood and in fire for eternity!”

Wait that’s not right. Why would he say that? Noah’s hands trembled, his body shook.

Becky stroked his cheek once more. “Shut your eyes, Noah. And remember.”

Noah dutifully closed his eyes.

Pain shuddered through his body.

Becky’s voice commanded, “Open your eyes, Noah!

His eyelids snapped open. The church, the music, the beautiful wedding, disappeared. Replaced by him tied spread-eagled to iron spikes, encircled by fire and monsters.

But Becky, his beautiful Becky, still stood in front of him.

Still dressed in her wedding... the light shifted, her face changed. Became— Noah gasped.

No, no! That’s not Becky! Red skin, horns, fangs... That thing can’t be... but it has her eyes, her beautiful green eyes.

“You can’t be Becky!”

“Oh, but I am. The very one you fell in love with. And married, only moments ago.” The thing that was Becky stepped closer, and stroked his cheek, her claws scratching his skin. “But it is nice to finally show you my true self.” She smiled, her rows of razor-sharp teeth glistening in the firelight. “Hello, husband. Time to kiss the bride.” Noah nearly gagged as she kissed him, her forked tongue flicking down his throat. As she withdrew, the same tongue licked across his lips. Noah shuddered. “No, no, it can’t be.” The whisper resonated in the air, like a mocking chuckle. “We were—this isn’t—the church—our wedding...”

“Sorry, love. All illusions conjured by your mind. You’ve been here for months, my dear."

“Here?”

“Hell, of course. Since the day you asked me to marry you. Or rather asked that human skin I fabricated.” She traced a claw over his tattooed skin. “It takes time to make a human ready.”

“Ready?” Noah’s voice trembled. “Ready for what?”

“To wed a demon.” She smiled, her tongue licking his neck, her claws scraping across his chest. “These symbols bind you to me, bind you to Hell.” She pressed her face next to his; he felt her hot breath wash over his skin. “You are mine, Noah. Our little ritual will bring me great power, and you great pain. Welcome to married life, my love. Welcome to unholy wedded bliss!”
Noah felt something sharp stab into his abdomen, his agony ripping a shriek from his throat. He glanced down to see his wife's claws piercing his body.
"Does that hurt, husband? Too bad, for what wedding would be complete without a feast? Shall we start with your spleen?" She sliced open his stomach and extracted his organ. She took a bite and ate it slowly while he watched. "Very tasty. Perhaps the liver next?"
"Please, please, no!" He moaned, pleading for mercy.
"Shh, shh, Noah." She stroked his cheek and he shied at her touch. "Don't worry, my love. Nothing I do here will kill you. That's what the binding is for. I will eat your insides piece by piece and fill your hollow shell with Hellfire. Then you will be one of us. Won't that be fun?" With a smile, she reached back inside of his abdomen. "Yes, I definitely think the liver, next."

Noah’s unending scream echoed on the trail of her laughter.

© A. F. Stewart 2017 All Rights Reserved 

And for more fun check out Facebook:

The Bloody Valentine Horror Event 

This Is The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop!

Welcome to the Bloody Valentine Horror Hop!

The place where Valentine’s Day is celebrated with heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, and where you find out what happens when the rose petals die, the candy melts, and lovers are looking for payback.

The bloggers that signed on are offering many delights in romantic misfortune, and you can check out the full list at the end of this post.

First up, though, is my contribution:

• A creepy little story about lingering too long in a relationship
• Some poetry — two poems written by me and another penned by special guest poet, Sean Theall

So read on…

Leaking Out

Drip, drip, drip.

The sound dances with the sunbeams streaming through the bedroom window. It’s a rhythm, a mind numbing vibration of liquid striking metal. Such a strange sound to hear in the morning, the drip, drip, drip of the tap.

Or is it the tap?

Maybe it isn’t a leak. Maybe it’s something else. Blood flowing through the veins of the house. Drip, drip, dripping someone’s life away. All oozing out over the sink. Or the floor.

I wonder why I thought that?

I smell coffee.

I’m in the kitchen.

How did I get here? I’m not sure. My memory plays tricks these days. Or maybe time is playing tricks. Either way, I’ve gotten used to it. Mostly. But the dripping noise is gone. Maybe it never was. Maybe it was in my head. Probably was. Too many things are in my head.

But I still smell coffee. And toast. He made breakfast. He always made breakfast when we were first married. Or maybe I did. No, that’s not true. He did. He was sweet in the beginning.

I don’t think he’s here anymore. I think he left. But I don’t know why. Why would he leave? None of this feels right. All I know is the house is empty. Shut up tight. It’s so quiet.

And there’s no breakfast on the table. Just dust.

We were happy.

I thought we were happy.

I must’ve been wrong.

Something must’ve been wrong.

Our happiness had cracks.

He didn’t love me.

Or he wouldn’t have… no, I won’t… he didn’t… couldn’t have… he left me?

No.

I left?

Drip, drip, drip.

I can hear it again. The wet noise.

It isn't coming from the kitchen. It sounds like it’s coming from the bathroom.

But it may not be coming from anywhere, except my head. It’s hard sometimes to know.

I’m standing outside the bathroom door now. But I was just in the kitchen. Wasn’t I? I think I was. Maybe not.

I don’t want to be here. Why? Why do I want to run? Something happened in there? I think it did. My hand is shaking.

I’m afraid.

But I can still hear the dripping.

I open the door.

The room is empty. A cheerless room.

I look down.

The stain’s still there. It’s been scrubbed and scrubbed, but it wouldn’t come out of the tile. Where the blood dripped into the widening pool of red. Bright, bright red. The stain’s more pink now.

It’s even kind of pretty. If I forget what made it.

Blood. Too much blood.

Painted on my memory. Scarlet and screaming, and all jumbled with questions. Whys and how’s. I don’t have answers. I’m not sure I want answers. I might not like them. I’d rather forget. I like it best when I don’t remember it at all. Those are the best days.

But that’s not today. Today’s not a day when I don’t remember.

Today I know what happened.

Someone died.

No, someone was murdered.

I remember.

My husband murdered me.

~*~

Though I Be A Fool…

Though I be a fool, I shall weep

for you, and what will never stay,

my fleeting, broken love so cheap.

Though I be a fool, I shall weep.

And I mourn, my grief wide and deep,

as the sun dims, and clouds grow grey.

Though I be a fool, I shall weep

for you, and what will never stay.

~*~

Murmur’s Echo

A fume of glacial breath

beside you,

in the graveyard

Ephemeral vapors wafting,

far adrift

across the moonlight

Prickles teasing at your ear,

spinal shivers

One voice whispering

Stay with me…

Stay with me…

For Eternity

~*~

And Now For Our Guest Poet...

The Last Commitment

Here my lovely let us have one last meal.

one more chance to be together and

tell you how I feel.

Upon the table in a vase

is a half-life rose, this meeting

is to see if we still have a pulse

and where our future goes.

Steak or chicken your personal

choice. recite your order in

that sweet tiny voice.

Trying to get a emotional reading

from your laugh and smile.

taking my emotions placing

them on a railroad track

with a train coming, and

still expect love back.

All you really want is my

blood and my heart, do away

with my husk a brand new start.

Not to mention the green

my leather case. will this lunch

end in death by broken vase?

I would like to attempt to

beat you to the punch, wanted

to see what we could salvage

this was the idea behind this

lunch.

It appears we must take on

different roles. I as the mongoose

and you as the snake there is only

so much of that hidden evil smile

I can take. dancing around the

truth maybe realizing too late

we can't live under the same

roof.

One final gesture from me

silently holding my breath.

handing you a glass of red wine

nervously waiting for you to

take sip and end our jointed

time.

Feeling lightheaded or woozy

my angel? let me put you to

bed. sleep off your hangover

and fall quickly to your death.

The authorities will not suspect

a thing. all they will see is

you sleeping soundly in bed.

only I will know the truth,

you are finally gone;

stone cold dead.

Copyright 2011

Sean C. Theall

~*~

About the Hop, and the Blogger List

We also had a last minute entry not on the official list, but well worth the read:

http://timetravel21217.blogspot.ca/2015/02/a-bloody-good-time.html

The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop 2015

Once again I've decided to host a dark, blood dripping Valentine's Day blog hop on February 14th. This year's hop has a tweak though, with a slight name change.

It will now be christened: The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop. 

Now on with the introductions.

The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop

The premise of this hop is to be the antithesis of Valentine's Day. There's no sweet romance, or lovey-dovey stuff allowed. It's down with the idea of candy and flowers. For one day writers and bloggers will dispense with the sappy romance, and showcase the bad side of love.

We will be celebrating heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, hopefully with that little splash of humour and blood. At the Bloody Valentine Horror Hop you will find out what happens when the rose petals die, the candy melts, and lovers are looking for payback.


Hop Rules:

• Sign up for the hop (see below) 
• Write a story, a poem, views on the bad side of love, basically any type of post celebrating the horrors of "love gone wrong" (that means no happy endings, no sweet romantic stories) 
• Add the list of participating bloggers or a link back here to this blog. 
• Add our lovely logo to your post (feel free to copy or download it) or create your own logo (just include the title: The Bloody Valentine Horror Hop) 
• Post on Valentine's Day

Note: Contests are optional, but can be included in the post and are welcome.

All you have to do, if you like to to be one of our bloggers and add your blog to the Bloody Valentine Horror Hop list, is click the "add your link" button below and sign up. Note: after signing up you should be able to grab a copy of the list code to add to your post here:  get the InLinkz code 
If you have a problem, let me know I'll be happy to send you a copy of the code.

So, join the fun and mark it on your calendar!

CLICK THE BLUE BUTTON TO SIGN-UP

The Bloody Valentine Blog Hop Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, February 14th, the disturbing and deadly aspect of romance takes center stage with the darkly delightful, blood dripping, Bloody Valentine Blog Hop. This Valentine's Day blog hop combines horror with romance, where it's down with the idea of candy and flowers. For one day twenty plus writers and bloggers will dispense with the sappy romance, and show you the bad side of love. 

We will be celebrating heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, hopefully with that little splash of humour and blood.  On the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop you will find out what happens when the rose petals die, the candy melts, and lovers are looking for payback.

So come back here on Valentine's Day where we kick things off, and then continue hopping on through the trail of broken hearts...

Join the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop 2014

Again this year, on February 14th,  I'll be hosting a darkly delightful, blood dripping, Valentine's Day blog hop where it's down with the idea of candy and flowers. For one day writers and bloggers will dispense with the sappy romance, and show you the bad side of love. 

We will be celebrating heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, hopefully with that little splash of humour and blood.  On the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop you will find out what happens when the rose petals die, the candy melts, and lovers are looking for payback.

All you have to do if you like to to be one of our bloggers, is scroll on down to the bottom of this blog to the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop list, click the "add your link" button and sign up.
Then on Valentine's Day you simply post your story, poem or views on the bad side of love, adding a list of participating bloggers or a link back here to this blog. You can also add the lovely logo seen on this post if you wish.

So, join the fun and mark it on your calendar!   

Welcome to the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Bad Side of Love, as you join in with the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop.  On this day of romance, hearts, chocolate and flowers, a stalwart few writers and bloggers have banded together to celebrate the darker shades of the Valentine.  You'll find no tender affection, no happy endings, as you wander through our morbid maze of love gone wrong, for we will be breaking hearts and trashing romance....

Here's a list of the participating bloggers.  Please visit as many as possible and join them in amorous mayhem.

Love, Romanian Style |   plagueofdissent.wordpress.com |  Dean Harrison-Horror Author
A Diamond In The Dark |  A Bloody Kind of Lust | Keith Pyeatts Horror with Heart Blog
The Cult of Me |  Bestiary Parlor: The Musings of a Zoologist |  Sheila Deeths Blog
Yours in Storytelling |  Bertrams Blog | Laughing for a Living
Worldbinding | Pagan Spirits |  Exile on Peachtree Street | A. F. Stewarts Blog

Here's my little contribution to the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop. 

Bring on the romantic misfortune and Down with Love!

First up, to whet your appetite, is a little Twilight parody:

Rod Serling Meets the Sparkly Vampires

Submitted for your approval.  One teenage girl with severe self-esteem issues being stalked by a conflicted love-sick vampire.  Next stop Twilight Zone...

“Oh, why doesn’t Ned like me enough?  Why does he keep pushing me away?  Oh, Ned, Ned, Ned!”  Ella throws herself onto her bed in a melodramatic huff.  “Maybe I should just forget about drooling after hunky vampires and chase after Jack, my dreamy, supportive, best friend werewolf instead?”  She groans spectacularly, as if in pain.  “Oh Ned, oh Jack, Ned, Jack, which one should I chose?”

Thirty thousand sighs later, she’s pacing the room moaning about Ned again.  “Oh Ned, I love you so, can’t you see that?”  The wind flutters the curtains and she turns to the window.  A shadowy figure sits on her sill, a silhouette in the moonlight.

“I do see that you love me, and I can’t resist you anymore.”  Ned enters her bedroom and crosses the floor to sweep her into her arms.

“Oh, Ned,” she gasps breathily.

“Just remember, you wanted this.”  In a flash, Ned strikes, sinking his fangs into her neck and eagerly he drains her blood from her body.  When he’s had his fill he carries her limp form to the bed and lays her down tenderly.

Ella’s eyes flutter open.  Knowing she is dying, her hand reaches out and her lips part, whispering, “Why, Ned, why?”

“Really, Ella, what did you expect?  I’m a vampire, it’s what we do.  Besides,” he said with a blood-smeared grin, “haven’t you heard, you always hurt the one you love.”

Now follow the decaying scent of the dead roses and read a few morbid tidbits from my new book of poems, Reflections of Poetry:

What Stays Behind

The lingering scent,

memories of rose petals,

drift in the silence

of an empty room

full of fading ghosts.

Alone again,

with cracked dreams

and a broken heart

thumping, an echo

of that slamming door.

Sitting in the shadows

with disappointment

and the promises dead.

Any hope out of reach,

lost this time, forever.

Tea and Tears

The hourglass runs its sand

as the tea pours; her hand, it shakes

in grief, for her heart breaks

with pain, her spirit aches, adrift.

She fills her cup, his gift

Their tea set, bought from thrift, by love,

flaws ignored, prized above

the chip on the edge of the spout.

She drinks, the bitter doubt

gone; her candle burns out in haze.

Somewhere a soft flute plays,

to echo soul’s malaise, so grand.

Spanish Melody

A sweet song in the night

of past love, adrift.

A mournful, raw lament

for the defeated heart.

On the wind it ascends

as the coo of a tender dove,

evoking gentle memories

across the mountains.

The harmony swirls regret, ache

through the swaying trees.

Even the iridescent moon weeps

with the forlorn singer.

Faded

A faded red silk ribbon

tied around an aged box

full of tattered love letters.

Regrets from a past youth.

Tucked away, overlooked,

but still there, dusty, waiting.

Someday fingers will unfold

the pages of pale memories.

~

Reflections of Poetry

Go through the looking glass into the world of verse and discover this eclectic collection of poetry. The poems range from musings on Celtic heritage to embracing emotional turmoil. Throw in a little moonlight, the soothing sounds of the sea, and mix well with some sci-fi and fantasy for a lyrical medley of reading enjoyment.

Available at:
Smashwords
Amazon 

And now, if you've made it all the way to the end, you get to read about my contest.  If you'd like to win a free Smashwords ecopy of both my new poetry book, Reflectons of Poetry and my short story collection, Killers and Demons (complete with a story of a very bad Valentine date) just leave a comment telling me which of the poems in this post you liked the best.  The more morbid and outrageous the reason, the better.  I'll pick my favourite as the winner.  Good Luck!

Come Join the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop!

This February 14th I'm hosting a trash Valentine's Day blog hop. For one day writers and bloggers will dispense with the sappy romance and show you the bad side of love. Come be part of the fun!

We will be celebrating heartbreak, love gone wrong, romantic mayhem and tragedy, hopefully with that little splash of humour and blood.  There will also be prizes to be won, so sign up to be a participant or mark it on your calender.  

If you wish to be one of our bloggers, please click over to the Linky List and sign up. You can also put the list on your own blog by getting a copy of the code (it's the easiest way for people to find all the hoppers come Feb 14th).


The Hop is Now Ended.
Here's a List of the bloggers who participated:

Love, Romanian Style |   plagueofdissent.wordpress.com |  Dean Harrison-Horror Author
A Diamond In The Dark |  A Bloody Kind of Lust | Keith Pyeatts Horror with Heart Blog
The Cult of Me |  Bestiary Parlor: The Musings of a Zoologist |  Sheila Deeths Blog
Yours in Storytelling |  Bertrams Blog | Laughing for a Living  | Worldbinding
Pagan Spirits |  Exile on Peachtree Street | A. F. Stewarts Blog

Poems for Valentine's Day

Two poems with edge.

For a not quite sweet celebration of Valentine's Day:

Love

Sometime it lingers for just a summer...

Sometimes it stays until the end of winter...

Passion, ardour, tenderness.

It is plump with caprice and surprise,

often gentle, warm, in understanding.

It can explode like one thousand suns

radiating through your every pore

with such fiery intensity and fusion.

Or it can die, a sharp excruciating pain,

ripped from your cold, shattered heart.

A metamorphosis of miracle, changing

its face from intimate to envy to passion,

a silver spider web of diamonds and lace.

Heartbreak

Smashed, like glass across the floor

broken bits ground into nothing.

Once whole, now destroyed.

There is no repair, no glue,

no mending the parts back together.

It’s gone.

Love Letters for Valentine’s Day

A Book Review of From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War by Jessica James:

From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War by Jessica James is a fascinating glimpse behind history, into the lives of individuals that lived and died during the American Civil War.

The non-fiction book is a collection of love letters written during this era, by people famous and not so famous, with explanatory tidbits by the author regarding these people and their circumstances. It is a short read, but a captivating one.

There are several sets of letters featured, including ones from Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, and not only do you get insight into the writers of these letters, but also into the time in which they lived. They paint a vivid picture of a culture and values far different than what we know today. The book also brings an intimacy and a poignant touch to a war that many know only through harsh facts and statistics. These letters tell the story of the human beings involved, what they sacrificed and sometimes lost.

It is a gem of a book for a history buff, and a great read for all.


From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War is available at Smashwords

And on Amazon Kindle: