"In the Rundown" by Joe Hill

Wyatt saw the slash in his throat first, a glistening black line in the approximate shape of a fishhook.

Wyatt works at a video store with a girl named Kensington. The two of them do not get along, and when Wyatt says the wrong thing to the girl, he ends up walking home earlier than he had anticipated. On his way home, he notices a car parked in a strange location, and he recognizes the car as Mrs. Prezar's, a snobby rich woman who Wyatt once mowed lawns for. He recognizes the vehicle easily, as he had seen the car at the hardware store across from the video store only hours earlier. Mrs. Prezar had been acting strange when Wyatt watched her enter the hardware store and then briskly exit only a few moments later, which makes Wyatt feel unsettled as he approaches the car. As he gets closer,  Wyatt sees Mrs. Prezar's baby in the back seat, but something is wrong. Then, as Wyatt moves towards the open driver's door, he sees Mrs. Prezar herself...

I really enjoyed this short story, because I felt that Joe Hill did an excellent job of utilizing surprise. As the story progressed, I never expected Wyatt to encounter Mrs. Prezar in the way he did, but all of the details leading up to the event made sense once he did. Even as the intense segments of the story occurred, Joe Hill made me question the motives of the characters involved, to the point that I am not sure if certain characters are actually good or bad. This possibility for dual interpretations might leave some readers dissatisfied, but I found it refreshing. The story wraps up nicely, as it ties in earlier themes, but leaves that opening for interpretation without making the reader feel like there were loose ends left hanging. Joe Hill is definitely an author that I will look forward to reading again after reading this strong short story.

"In the Rundown" can be found in the short story collection 20th Century Ghosts, which consists of short stories written by Joe Hill.

"The Man in the Room" by Joe Hart

"What's that?" the man whispered from the darkness.

This short story is about an old man named Henry, who wakes one night to find a man standing at the foot of his bed. The man is bathed in darkness, so we are not sure who he is, or what he wants. We do find out quickly, however, what his relationship to Henry is...

This story is incredibly short, coming in at only six Kindle pages. Joe Hart does a solid job of creating a creepy scenario, and even offers us a twist or two. The fact that the story is quite succinct makes it easy to be surprised by the twists, as there is not much time to think them out before they are actually happening. However, I feel that this tale would have benefited by being slightly longer, as Joe Hart would have been able to draw the reader further into the chilling scene that he begins the story with.

Overall, I enjoyed this short story, but don't know if it would be strong enough to bring me back to Joe Hart's work. Luckily for Mr. Hart (or is it luckily for me?), I have an entire collection of his on my Kindle, meaning that I will most likely give another of his tales a chance down the road.

"The Man in the Room" can be found in the collection Midnight Paths: A Collection of Dark Horror, which is composed of short stories written by Joe Hart.

"Catfish Gal Blues" by Nancy A. Collins

"You ever seen one of them catfish gals, Sammy?"

This is the first story written by Nancy A. Collins that I have come across, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Collins shares with us the fate of Hop Armstrong, a ladies man who reluctantly begins fishing the Mississippi for dinner at the request (although direction might be more accurate) of his current companion, Lucinda. Upon Hop's arrival at the muddy river, he meets Sammy Herkimer, who tells Hop about the history of Steamboat Bend (where the fishing docks are located). The story involves an old paddleboat, and details how it was sunk many years ago by the creatures that dwell in the river...

Some of what Sammy tells Hop seems like an urban legend, but as Hop continues to fish the docks each day, he soon finds out that there may be something to the legend of Steamboat Bend. Hop is more interested in playing his guitar than he is in fishing, and his musical talents soon help him to discover that there might be more than just catfish in those muddy waters.

Collins paints an excellent portrait of a poor southern town, and her pacing throughout the story is excellent. The action progresses without feeling rushed, and events unfold quite naturally. Though I have never been to the Mississippi, I could picture the muddy waters and the dilapidated docks. Characters with names like Sammy and Hop, as well as a town named Flyjar, complete the southern feel nicely. Though I have never read any of Nancy A. Collins' other stories, I would definitely recommend her work based upon this short story.

"Catfish Gal Blues" can be found in the anthology 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense, which was compiled and edited by Al Sarrantonio.