We weren't sure you would come, what with the nebulous way in which you received your invitation, but due to the...delicate nature of our work, we trust you understand our reasons. We can't have just anybody showing up here, you know. Someone sooner of later would see something, or hear something, or suspect something, and then, being the "good person" they are, would be liable to call the police. And no one wants that, least of all the unfortunate soul that's been duped by their better angels. But we can trust you, right? Here, take a seat beside the fire. Dr. Abbot will join us shortly. And then the real fun will begin.

While you wait, please enjoy this discount code to our online shop, good for 20% off everything in the Dark Matter Magazine store.* Don't look at me like that. We may be vile, but we're still a business, after all, and a business needs customers. May I suggest one of our excellent t-shirts? Every finely machined garment is designed by a skilled artisan and... No? Okay, then. If you need me, I'll just be standing quietly over there, beneath the wall of unsettling taxidermy.

*20% OFF DISCOUNT CODE: WORMS20

*Discount code is valid from October 1, 2021, until Thursday, November 4, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Enjoy the Halloween Special Issue, which includes the following fictions

Click on the contributors names below to learn more about the author or artist.

Annihilate Mankind and Impress Your Friends: A Correspondence Course
by Matt Andrew

Annihilate Mankind and Impress Your Friends: A Correspondence Course

A Place for the Dead and the Dying
by P.T. Corwin

A Place for the Dead and the Dying

Caroline
by Aeryn Rudel

Caroline

Fluff & Fold
by Lituo Huang

Fluff & Fold

Freehold
by Josh Pearce

Freehold

Jodie
by Mark Joslyn

Jodie

Lady of the Dullahan
by Anna Madden

Lady of the Dullahan

The Master of the House
by Michael Adam Robson

The Master of the House

Potato
by Ken Altabef

Potato

Purple Spiders
by Taylor Gianfrancisco

Purple Spiders

Queen of the Cloven Heart
by Hailey Piper

Queen of the Cloven Heart

The Devil's Travel Agency
by Alex Sobel

The Devil's Travel Agency

The Last Science Fiction Story
by Alan Vincent Michaels

The Last Science Fiction Story