M. Anne Avera

M. Anne Avera

M. Anne Avera is the Chief Editor of The Dread and a lover of all things horror.
05
Mar
FEATURE: “High Strung” by Katherine Pickett

FEATURE: “High Strung” by Katherine Pickett

The attic bedroom was a pleasant enough place to sleep in fall and spring. Less so in summer and winter.
8 min read
25
Feb
FEATURE: “The Silence Between” by Ria Cabral

FEATURE: “The Silence Between” by Ria Cabral

It started with the faucet. Not the one in the kitchen, the one in the bathroom—the one Anna had
7 min read
19
Feb
FEATURE: “In A Vegetative State” by Bob McWilliams

FEATURE: “In A Vegetative State” by Bob McWilliams

As I remember it, a mean, ugly April rain hammered us for three straight days. It was the kind of
11 min read
18
Feb
FEATURE: “The Little Visitor” by Vincent H. O’Neil

FEATURE: “The Little Visitor” by Vincent H. O’Neil

It wasn’t even Ted’s cat. It belonged to his wife Wendy, who had been staying at her mother’
19 min read
01
Feb
JANUARY 2026: Sounds and Music

JANUARY 2026: Sounds and Music

So sorry this is late! We have had some issues with our domain host and some scams coming in that
31 min read
14
Jan
FEATURE: “Shrieks and Giggles” by Anselm Eme

FEATURE: “Shrieks and Giggles” by Anselm Eme

Preface  The Gwari people once said: “Inyamiri nà zoo, òmùkpà na-ama jijiji.” (When the stranger comes, the roots tremble.) Long
19 min read
09
Jan
FEATURE: “The Road to Bitter End” by Justin Carlos Alcalá

FEATURE: “The Road to Bitter End” by Justin Carlos Alcalá

We sped along a dark highway chained down by somnolent villages and crooked woods. Mellony sat drunk on borrowed dreams
4 min read
28
Dec
FEATURE: “Performance Review” by Nathan Pasko

FEATURE: “Performance Review” by Nathan Pasko

I was an hour early because to be even one minute late was to face automated retirement  at the hands
4 min read
18
Dec
December 2025

December 2025

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of
24 min read
11
Dec

DOUBLE FEATURE

Apothecary’s Tale by Robin Hickson Death doesn’t scare you. Only the pointlessness of a bound existence could do
34 min read