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The Hour of the Dead

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They Are Real

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Lithobolia: The Stone Throwing Devil

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We Went to a Restricted Area in Brazil's Forest

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The First Generation of Soldiers

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A group of farmers come together to save their community from a rogue group of hunters. Reading time: 5 minutes. The First Generation of Soldiers They were farmers, not soldiers. Their forefathers had given up hunting a long, long time ago. Now they lived in a community, not in caves; they ate self-grown food, not hunted animals. They had discovered trade routes and developed commerce with other communities. The new generation of farmers lived in harmony and believed in peace. It was an age of evolution. They used to be wild and savage; but, now they were benevolent and civilized. Instead of killing innocent animals, they farmed cattle and poultry. Some of them kept canines as guards and small cats as pets. They advanced their craftsmanship. They discovered art, music, and entertainment. Their days would go in hard work like working the fields, catering for the farms, building their shelters, and cooking food for everyone. Their evenings would submerge in the celebration of anot
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Wake Me Up!

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A bizarre experience of a receptionist at a hotel. Reading time: 4 minutes. Wake Me Up! I work at the reception of this five-star hotel. My shifts keep changing, and sometimes I have to work the midnight shift. I hate that timing because I still have to keep myself awake all night, even when there's no one to attend to. Another reason I hate this shift is that it gets super lonely. At times, I am the only staff member available. Sometimes, I literally have to go to a person's room to just open a window or show them how the cable works. I don’t know why I get so scared with all the goddamned light switched on. Maybe, it’s the creepy atmosphere here. When you walk in these corridors at night, you can hear your footsteps echoing throughout and back. You wouldn’t be able to tell if someone’s walking behind you in perfect synchrony or not. It gives you chills just to think about this. Anyway, the bizarre incident that made me quit my job happened months ago. I was working the
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Just a Precaution

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A man confesses on his trial for murder. Reading time: 4 minutes. Just a Precaution The courtroom was silent; no one said a thing. The prosecutor had just summed up his case. The judge has asked the convict if he wanted to say something. The convict had asked for a glass of water. The doorman entered with a glass of water. He walked up to the booth and handed it to the convict, who gulped it down and handed it back. “I did it,” he said finally. Everyone in the courtroom gasped. The judge ordered them to settle down, and the convict went on. “I killed my best friend. I didn’t want to, but he threatened to throw me to the police for murder. Yes, I killed the barman too. It all happened in a spur of the moment.” The convict was lost in his memories. “It was late, and I had been thrown out of three bars consecutively. This was fourth. The barman said they had closed, but I begged him to serve me one last drink. My alcohol addiction got the best of me. He refused, and I lost my tempe
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It's Still a Jungle Out There

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Unconventional methods of an eccentric defence coach. Reading time: 4 minutes. It’s Still a Jungle Out There Tina and Monica were returning home from work late at night. Usually, they’d take a cab, but that day, they couldn’t find one. It was a freezing night in January. No one would dare to come out to face such slow chilly winds. Tina and Monica were involuntarily cluttering their teeth while walking on the sidewalk. They tried to talk and make it bearable, but nothing. It was better if they walked faster and got to their shared apartment. They didn’t think they’d meet or see anybody on their way, but they did. A man appeared at the other end of the street. He was fully covered in woollen clothes. Monica grabbed Tina’s arm. “Relax,” Tina whispered to Monica. When the man got closer, he reached into his front pocket, took out a switchblade and flicked it open. Monica screamed inaudibly and almost stopped. Tina had to hold onto Monica’s arm and drag her. The man probably beg
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Top Stories of XTales.net

The Companion

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A seven-year-old boy finds a doppelganger of him while playing in his backyard, and he does the worst he could've done; he brings him home. Reading time: 19 minutes. The Companion Chapter One — The Changed Plan I had been watching him for a few days now. He was seven. Only child. I had learnt his routine. Six hours in the school, rest in the house, secure and out of reach. The only time he would come out was just a little before sunset to play in his backyard. I watched him play all by himself, alone. I pitied him. He had no one to play with, but that was ideal for me. This was the perfect time to strike. So I made a plan. The next evening, when he was playing in the backyard, throwing around a big ball, I approached him from the bushes. He heard me and got alerted. He was looking in the bushes, and then without any prompt, he threw the ball at me. I caught it. He knew that whoever was in the bushes wasn't an animal. He knew that whoever was in there had hands. He took a f
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Killer vs Killer

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A serial killer breaks into a house. Then begins the chase of cat and mouse, the game of a predator and the prey. Reading time: 12 minutes. Killer vs Killer Chapter One - The Chances T here was something eerie about that evening. The wind was witnessing the gloom that covered the city. The street lights were trying to light up every dark corner. They were afraid if they failed, something sinister might develop. A stray dog was lurking in the street, looking for something to eat. It stopped to smell a piece of garbage beside the pedestrian path. It was trying to decide if it was edible just when its eyes lit, and its head jerked up in response to the sudden movement. I turned on the light of the living room and looked outside the window at the stray dog, who stared at me for a second and then went along to do whatever it was doing. I looked across the street and the hazy sky. It was so calm that one would not have suspected a thing before stepping out of the house. I looked around at
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Masks

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A man, fed up with his life, walks out at night to end it but ends up in a secret place where his life changes forever. Reading time: 17 minutes. Masks Chapter One — Not Allowed to be Normal "S o, got any plans for tonight?" asked Charlie. "Nah, just the usual. Falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV," Stanley replied in a tired voice. "Come on," said Charlie, picking up a king and placing it on an empty slot. He was playing solitaire on his computer instead of working. "It's Friday night, and Halloween is coming. I think it's gonna be twice as crazy out there tonight." "This is Crime City, Charlie. Every night here is Halloween night, and crazy is kinda your thing. I'm good at normal," Stanley said without looking at Charlie, who was sitting on his right. He was instead focused on the report he had to submit before the end of the day. "Exactly, this is Crime City, and nobody is allowed to be normal here. This
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The Bloodsuckers

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The recent disappearances have garnered the attention of a college senior who suspects the involvement of vampires. Reading time: 15 minutes. The Bloodsuckers Chapter One — Halloween A van came to a stop on the bridge in the middle of the night. Two hooded figures dropped out. One of them stood guard while the other circled to the back and dragged out something long and heavy wrapped in heavy-duty plastic. The one who stood guard gave a hand. They picked it up and put it on the railing. The first one then got back into the van and started it just on time to cover the loud crashing of the dead body on the water. Before anyone could notice anything, the van had disappeared. October had arrived. The wind had a hint of the approaching winter. The days had started to fall short. People had not yet begun to react to this change, but the sun went down as early as five o'clock, and it was almost at the horizon that day when Ahmed, Vikram and Nina were sitting in a restaurant, killing t
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Cottage Number 13

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Two young YouTubers go on a life-changing adventure to a haunted cottage in a forest where they get trapped until a mysterious saviour arrives. Reading time: 17 minutes. Chapter One — Poking Around Dead Things "H ello guys, welcome back to our channel Mid-Night Mysteries," said Tammy, pointing the camera at himself. "As you can see, we have finally arrived at cottage number 13. Phew! Honestly, guys, it wasn't easy; the travel alone was exhausting. Back there, you can see Ash unpacking our bags. We are gonna take a good nap before we set up our equipment, but before that, let me show you guys around." He stood up and started pointing his Handycam all around the cottage. It was an old cottage. The dust had covered everything, including the floor and the wooden furniture. The lanterns on the walls were evidence that nobody had rented this cottage for quite a long time. Ash was now lighting up those lanterns while Tammy walked out. "Let me take you outside.
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