FLASH OF THE DEAD: SPACE
Anthology of Horror Stories in Space
The void between stars is not empty. It watches. It waits. And now, it whispers…
Wicked Shadow Press invites flash fiction horror writers to journey beyond the safety of Earth’s thin atmosphere for Flash of the Dead: Space (Expected release: May/June 2026). the new anthology of terrifyingly short tales where the horror comes not from within the confines of this earth, but from the cold, infinite expanse of space itself.
We want stories where the cosmos is the enemy. Where the terror is extraterrestrial in origin, be it ancient alien totems, sentient nebulae, space parasites, dead gods drifting between galaxies, particles that thinks, or signals that should never have been answered. Your protagonists may be astronauts, colonists, probes with fading consciousness or unwitting receivers of a deep-space transmission. The horror must be visceral, existential and rooted in something beyond our world.
The submission deadline is May 2, 2026.
Feel free to come up with your own storyline or get started with one of our WRITING PROMPTS:
- A solo astronaut on a year-long mission discovers a second set of ship logs that shows a parallel version of him takes over the ship while he sleeps.
- Upon hearing a distress call from an abandoned space station, a starship answers the call, only to find an unholy force of nature lying for them in wait.
- An intergalactic team of archaeologists stumble across the remains of a civilisation who used to worship a mythical beast that they locked up in an underground dungeon.
- A ship with exhausted fuel drifts into a region of space inhabited by invisible beings of an unknown dimension, kept alive by pure rage and hatred.
- A probe sent into a wormhole sends back images of an interdimensional war more horrific than any war humanity has indulged in yet. And then one warship notices the probe and follows its path back through the wormhole.
- Stuck in a time loop around a peculiar pink sun, a crew develops blind devotion and forms a cult around the star they begin to believe is alive… and hungry!
WE ARE ACCEPTING
Flash Fiction: (between 100-1500 words) Please send no more than TWO flash fictions
We are considering TRANSLATED WORKS as well. Submission of translated works must be accompanied by a statement declaring that the translator has obtained the author’s permission and their publisher’s, if required.
Simultaneous Submissions are welcome but the author must inform us by e-mail as soon as the submitted piece is accepted elsewhere. Pieces cannot be withdrawn once Wicked Shadow Press informs the author of its acceptance for publication.
We consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are exceptional. Please mention in the mail body in case your submission is a reprint.
At present, we are unable to pay our contributors. Each contributor shall receive a COMPLIMENTARY DIGITAL COPY of the anthology as soon as it publishes.
Manuscripts should directly be sent to WickedShadowPress@gmail.com
Please write Submission for SPACE in the subject line of your submission email.
Please submit your files in the following formats: .doc /.docx /.txt. DO NOT submit PDFs.
Wicked Shadow Press uses non exclusive rights to publish in its anthologies. Authors are free to republish their work anywhere else once it has been published.
Please submit only original pieces. Wicked Shadow Press or the editor/s of the anthology shall not be responsible for any disputes arising due to plagiarism or copyright infringement.
Each piece MUST be attached with a short bio of the author, preferably within 100 words, and if possible, a photograph of the author to go along with publication.
NOTE: We typically reply within a month after receiving submissions. However, replies can be delayed under unforeseen circumstances.
