The stories in Then She Said Hush were written with a campfire in mind. There is nothing so delightful, or primal, as gathering closer to feel the heat and the light on your face while the darkness gathers at your back, and tell tales. Everything is spookier when there’s nothing but open emptiness behind you, and the ancient dread of the unknown creeps down your spine. You force yourself not to glance over your shoulder into the inky darkness. Is there any moment quite so frightening as when somebody freezes and whispers: What was that?

Cordelia Kelly shares seven chilling stories of survival, darkness, and a hint of witchcraft in Then She Said Hush, including award-winning post-apocalyptic tale “Unfreeze.”

Enjoy. And bring a flashlight.