Strange Murmurings Vol. 1

STRANGE MURMURINGS (Volume One) — Brent McGregor’s debut short story collection — is a trilogy of horror tales that delve into the supernatural and the weird. In these 3 tales, we see a small town that is plagued by a strange persistent hum (“The Hum”); a first-year law associate who meets a beautiful yet mysterious stranger on New Years Eve (“Until Midnight”); a team of paranormal researchers investigate the infamous Poynter House (“The Eye of Anunreshka”). A fascinating exploration into the world of the terrifying and the macabre. Read if you dare!

Here’s an excerpt:

The darkened stores along Main Street appeared vacant and cold, however, the neon sign of the tavern shone bright, and the streetlights blinked on as if to signal my passing.

The welcome sign on the outskirts of town got me thinking of my ex-wife. We had moved from Santa Fe six years previous, for the change of pace and the sense of community. But, living in San Alma wasn’t what it cracked up to be. It was different from city living. San Alma is a small town, remote, isolated. There’s no Starbucks, McDonalds, or even a Taco Bell. There’s no movie cinema or shopping mall. It’s quiet. If it weren’t for the occasional tourist taking the wrong exit off the highway the town wouldn’t get any visitors at all.

I was tired, thinking about dinner, and was reaching into the glove box for a breath mint when a convoy of trucks shot past, overtaking me on my right. They were hauling ass as well as freight, stirring up billows of dust as they went. Where’s the emergency, I remember thinking.

Switching on the radio, I dialled into the nearest station.

“Silver wings shining in the sunlight…”

Merle Haggard sang over the airwaves.

I let myself be hypnotised by the broken centerline and the sound of the tires on the tarmac. It’s beautiful out there at night. The town is bounded by the imposing Sierra Malvado Mountains. It’s desert country — which means big skies, and stars, lots and lots of stars.

“Don’t leave me I cried, don’t take that airplane ride.” continued Merle.

That’s when I saw it.

I thought it was a rain cloud at first, moving and shifting on the horizon, but as I got closer I realized it was a giant flock of birds. Hundreds if not thousands of birds. The sky was thick with them, flying overhead in a whirling ever-changing pattern, a great dark mass of wings and feathers.