Itch
By Shane Jiraiya Cummings

It begins as an idle rub. A calloused palm. Friction and hair. A lingering heat like a Chinese burn... Scratching an itch can be like a bad high: the satisfaction comes at a price; the itch is appeased but the damage is done. Sometimes, scratching a persistent itch can make people go to bloody extremes and lead to nasty surprises.

Download Itch here.

About the author:

Shane Jiraiya Cummings is positioned at the centre of the web of Australian dark fiction. He is the Vice President of the Australian Horror Writers Association, Managing Editor of HorrorScope and Black: Australian Dark Culture Magazine, and winner of two Ditmar Awards. He has spun more than sixty tales that have found publication in Australia, North America, and Europe, many of which have been threaded together into his collection Shards (Brimstone Press). Shane's post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novella Phoenix and the Darkness of Wolves will be published in the US in December 2009, and he is presently working on a series of Japanese fantasy novels.

Shane can be found here.

Itch was originally published in 'Shards' by Brimstone Press in 2009.

The fantastic art for Itch (and everything else in Shards) was created by the very talented Andrew J. McKiernan.

The Grinning Idiot
By D. A. Jackson

With such a bleed-happy anus, Harry's the kind of guy who should have so many stories to tell - if only he could remember them. For Harry, it's nothing worth worrying about. Sure, he wakes up surrounded by the visceral smears of John's experiments but it puts money in his pocket, which puts cigarettes in his lungs and coffee in his gullet. Pretty sweet deal if you can get it.

Download The Grinning Idiot here.

About the author:

D. A. Jackson is a low budget filmmaker and comic writer based in Melbourne. His disgusting films and filthy comics rarely leave the arenas of horror or black comedy. Jackson is the editor and head writer for comic anthology Modern Gentlemen and recently co-directed Cannibal Suburbia, a horror feature film.

Visit D. A. Jackson here and here.

The fantastic artwork was created by Pierre Lloga.

Orange Crush
By Michael Dhillon

A no-hoper stumbles through his ephemeral life, never quite forgetting the whimsical nostalgia of his past. A bizarre series of events leads him on a path toward a change in outlook - even purpose. You could call Orange Crush a bizarre meditation on life, or a vaguely existential think piece, but neither description really does it justice. Just download and enjoy it.

Download Orange Crush here.

About the author:
Michael Dhillon's short stories have been published in the UK and
North America. His debut novel - The Cuckoo Parchment and the Dyke -
was published in 2009. He lives and works in London, UK.

Visit Michael here.

Milk
By Andrew Gallacher

A man witnesses a horrific accident while driving on a freeway. When the even more horrific events leading up to the accident are revealed, a ripple effect takes place that sheds light on the latent absurdity and darkness that exists within human nature.

Download Milk here.

About the author:
Andrew Gallacher is an emerging writer and cartoonist from Melbourne, Australia. His work often deals with themes of sexual and mental entropy with a hint of horror and sometimes humour. He contributes comics to the Modern Gentlemen anthology and has also appeared in Beat Magazine, and held several art exhibitions around Melbourne. This is his first story published outside of the comic format.

To contact him email: gallacher2@optusnet.com.au

Professor Samuel Hoffman is a dedicated botanist and all around eccentric. His plants are his children and he'll protect his children at any cost.

Download Hoffman's Creeper here.

About the author:
TROST is an emerging writer from Brisbane who is dedicated to concocting disturbing tales that mix a strong dose of mystery with a hint of familiarity. His stories have been published in the Brimstone Press anthology Black Box, the Australian Horror Writers Association's Midnight Echo #2 and in various e-zines including The Beat, Shadeworks, Australian Reader and AntipodeanSF.

Visit http://trostlibrary.blogspot.com for the latest news.

Welcome to a tale of excessive melodrama. A tale where a simple blink becomes so powerful that it can cause mild injury. Can a blink this devastating also be used for ultimate good? The answer to this question (and several more you didn’t ask) can be found within.

Taken from Matthew Revert's upcoming 'A Million Versions of Right', Power Blink is bound to make you consider the potential power of blinks.

Download Power Blink here.

More info on 'A Million Versions of Right' can be found here.
Matthew Revert can be found here and here.

The Birthday Present
By R. Frederick Hamilton

Vaughan is a lonely, socially inept anti-ladies man who wants only one thing in life – to make Rebecca happy. Having spent far too long watching Rebecca make poor relationship decisions, it’s time for Vaughan to step it up and express his love the only way he knows how.

From perpetual newcomer, R. Frederick Hamilton, comes a charming little tale that compliments his book 'Spare Key' very nicely indeed.

Download The Birthday Present here.

More info on 'Spare Key' can be found here.
R. Frederick Hamilton can be found here.