Tag Archive for: L.J. McLeod

Bad Medicine

/by

by L.J. McLeod

“Mummy’s sick.”

The girl’s face barely cleared the counter. Deep, purple circles stained the skin around her eyes.

“Your medicine didn’t work! You said it would!”

Her voice was hoarse from crying. The pharmacist took the bottle the girl pushed forward, peering at the label.

“Hmm. The dosage must not be concentrated enough. Take a seat and I’ll mix you a stronger batch.”

Seated under harsh fluorescent lighting, the circles around the girl’s eyes could almost be mistaken for bruises.

“Your medicine is ready,” the pharmacist announced, handing over a new bottle. “This time I promise it will kill her.”

 

L.J. McLeod

 

PUNK

/by

Punk—steampunk, cyberpunk, biopunk, dieselpunk—stories where technology is the main focus.

Read more

A Quiet Word with the Boss

/by
by L.J. McLeod

 

The blood was still warm where it coated her skin. Crimson beads dripped slowly from her hair. She had even gotten some in her mouth; it tasted salty and metallic. When Tegan had seen her boss’s light on, she had only wanted to have a quiet word with her.

There was no one else around. It was the perfect time to bring up her completely reasonable complaint. But the woman was so stubborn and pig-headed! A soft noise made her turn, the scissors still gripped tight in her hand.

“Enjoying the Purge, hey?” the night cleaner asked.

“Enjoying the what?”

L.J. McLeod

L.J. McLeod lives in Queensland, Australia. She works in Pathology and writes in her spare time. She has been published in several anthologies and has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award.  In her spare time she enjoys diving, reading and travelling.  

 

 

In the Dark

/by
by L.J. McLeod

 

Dark. Cold. Her breath comes in shallow gasps. The air tastes stale. A hint of rot tickles at her nose. There is no movement, everything is still. She closes her eyes and opens them again. There is no change in the infinite blackness. Her hands are trapped, her feet bound tight. The feel of walls presses in all around her. With an effort she pulls herself back, away from the vision she has seen in her crystal ball. She looks across the table at the eager, young tourist. He leans forward expectantly.

“So, what do you see in my future?”

 

L.J. McLeod

L.J. McLeod lives in Queensland, Australia. She works in Pathology and writes in her spare time. She has been published in several anthologies and has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award.  In her spare time she enjoys diving, reading and travelling.

 

Where the Dead Things Are

/by
by L.J. McLeod

 

Wendy hated the morgue. As the hospital’s night cleaner, it fell to her to keep it spotless. But that didn’t make it any less creepy. The silence felt heavy and the smell of cold corpse hung in the air as she mopped. Tonight’s storm only made it feel more oppressive. Lights flickered periodically and she could hear the thunder rumble through the walls. Her heart began to race at the thought of being trapped down here in a power outage. Sudden darkness filled the room, making nightmare reality. A cold hand seized her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You’re never alone here.”

L.J. McLeod

L.J. McLeod lives in Queensland, Australia. She works in Pathology and writes in her spare time. She has been published in several anthologies and has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award.  In her spare time she enjoys diving, reading and travelling.

Black Dog

/by
by L.J. McLeod

 

He’d heard other truckers talk about the black dog, but this was ridiculous. The fluffy mutt between him and his truck could’ve fit in his hand. It cocked its head to one side, eyes filling with white light. As it started towards him, he wondered where it had come from. Those eyes seemed to keep getting bigger. The light was mesmerising. It broke into a run, so close that those eyes were all he could see. Its mouth opened and a loud honk rang out. He woke up just in time to see the other truck bearing down on him.

L.J. McLeod

L.J. McLeod lives in Queensland, Australia. She works in Pathology and writes in her spare time. She has been published in several anthologies and has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award.  In her spare time she enjoys diving, reading and travelling.

YEAR THREE

/by
Read more

YEAR FOUR

/by
Read more