Natalie Gray
Bio
Welcome, Travelers! Allow me to introduce you to a compelling world of Magick and Mystery. My stories are not for the faint of heart, but should you deign to read them I hope you will find them entertaining and intriguing to say the least.
Achievements (8)
Stories (186)
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Pathogen, Ch. 8
With Bianca on board, Julian's plan should have been smooth sailing from that point on. Keyword: "should". All things considered, it wasn't that hard for Bianca to move her hybrid luxury SUV into the alley, or for the three of them to stuff Zombie Trevor into the back of it. Luckily he didn't put up much of a fuss, and there weren't too many people around to see what they were doing. The few people Marnie saw walking past the alley didn't seem to notice them, presumably because it was already dark out and they were in a hurry to get home.
By Natalie Gray11 months ago in Horror
Jailbreak
Jack paced back and forth in front of the bars, rattling them every now and then to test for weak spots. He'd been in solitary so long now, he was starting to lose it. Still, he couldn't let the warden see him crack. It was one thing to put a man in a cage for the rest of his natural life, but another matter entirely if that man was innocent. And Jack was as innocent as they came.
By Natalie Gray11 months ago in Fiction
The Price of Eternity. Top Story - March 2025.
"Welcome to Drax Industries: the Home of the Future. Please enter your State identification code to begin." Kaylie shifted her weight and wet her lips, staring at the prompt on the holographic screen for a while longer. Her fingers hovered over the number pad, but she couldn't bring herself to do what it asked. It wasn't like she didn't want to. After all, who wouldn't jump at the chance to live forever?
By Natalie Gray11 months ago in Fiction
Pathogen, Ch. 6
"Pistol?" Julian called, scaring Marnie half to death. She was so locked into her staring contest with Zombie Trevor that she forgot Julian was even there. Zombie Trevor's head cocked sideways at the sound of Julian's voice, breaking eye contact with Marnie at the same time.
By Natalie Gray11 months ago in Horror
Pathogen, Ch. 5. Content Warning.
In hindsight, faking a potentially deadly illness was neither Marnie's smartest nor proudest choice. The minute an EMT tried to stick a needle in her, she rose up off her bed, stunning everyone with her sudden, miraculous "recovery". Mrs. Snopes was suspicious from that moment on, but the school nurse was as gullible as ever. Despite her protests that she felt so much better than before, he insisted she be taken to the hospital with her peers for a full check-up just in case. At least Julian was given permission to go with her, making the experience marginally less awful.
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in Horror
How My Brain Works. Honorable Mention in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
As a proud owner of a Bachelor's degree in creative writing, I'd like to think I have a basic understanding of the editing process. On paper, it seems fairly easy: you write, you look for flaws in what you've written, you revise. Below is an excerpt from one of my college assignments, which may look familiar to some who know my work. I've since uploaded it here, as the prologue to a series I've named "Aidan and the Forest of Enq."
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in Critique
Laundry Day
Paul had been dragging his feet for two weeks, but there was no beating around the bush anymore. He'd worn the same pair of boxer shorts for three days in a row, after turning them inside-out of course. Also, he wasn't sure his boss would deem a pair of polka-dot Bermuda shorts - the only clean pants he had left - work appropriate. Even his bedsheets could do with a wash. With great reluctance, he stuffed the entire contents of his hamper into an oversized drawstring bag and hauled it down the five flights of stairs to the laundry room in his apartment complex's basement.
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in Humor
All My Love, Buford McClaine. Runner-Up in Love Letters Through Time Challenge.
July 4th, 1861 To my Darling Rebecca, Not a day goes by that I do not think of you. Right now, I wish with all my heart that I could be there today at your uncle's plantation. My mouth waters at the thought of all I will be missing at that barbecue. I can smell the pit now, with those hogs all dressed and sizzling away on it, just about ready to eat. Were I not a gentleman, I might insist that you try to save some for me, and send it up here in a basket. The mail around here is awful slow lately, however, and some of the boys running it get powerful hungry. If you ask them, though, they will blame the half-open care packages they give us on mice. Such was the fate of that sponge cake you tried to send me on my birthday, which I am told was delicious.
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in History
Pathogen, Ch. 3. Top Story - February 2025. Content Warning.
Marnie walked around in a kind of trance the rest of the day, unable to process what she'd learned in first period. Trevor Kennedy couldn't be dead. There was no way. Based on everything she knew about him - which admittedly wasn't much - he was healthier than a horse; tall, funny, good-natured, and captain of the varsity basketball team. Captains of high school basketball teams did not just drop dead like fruit flies.
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in Horror
The Diary of Katherina Minola
February 26th, 1593 My new husband, Petruchio, has once again found our dinner “unfit” for consumption. This maddening behavior has persisted for several days now. As I write, I feel quite faint, and I fear I may not stay awake long enough to finish this entry. He vexes me so; with his foul odor, rough manners, and appalling sensibilities, I feel most days that I share my marriage bed with a filthy, flea-riddled cur! We have yet to consummate our marriage, simply because I cannot bear the thought of him defiling me so. It makes my skin crawl even to think of it!
By Natalie Gray12 months ago in History
