I still remember the feeling of finishing the first story I ever wrote. It was a horror short titled The Good Neighbor. That moment kicked off my writing journey, and ever since, horror shorts have had a special place in my heart. Even as I explored other genres and longer works, I could feel them calling to me again.

As a reader, horror has always been my favorite—especially short horror. There's something about the quick escalation, the creeping dread, the way a short story can leave you unsettled long after you’ve finished it. That itch to return to horror shorts had been festering for some time.

Which brings me to Side Effects May Include.

Where did the idea come from? Originally, it grew out of a novel concept I had called Clown Apocalypse—a bizarre mashup of horror, dark comedy, and action. Imagine something like Zombieland meets It—chaotic, unsettling, but with a twisted sense of humor. As fun as it sounded, Clown Apocalypse always found itself pushed to the back burner. The idea was just too wild to tackle at the time.

Then came Dreadful Delights, my collection of slow-burn horror short stories. As I started outlining and drafting stories for that collection—dark tales of monsters and ancient evils—I found myself thinking about Clown Apocalypse again. I wanted to play in that world, but without the assault rifles and punchlines. I stripped it down, reimagined the concept with a serious tone, and added a layer of corporate deception and psychological horror.

And that’s how Side Effects May Include was born.

Once I started writing, it didn’t take long to slip into that darker, more cerebral mode. The premise—already chilling—only got more intense as I peeled away the absurd and leaned into something far more unsettling: deception, domestic trauma, and the slow psychological unraveling of someone caught in the gears of power.

It was one of the most fun—and disturbing—stories I’ve written in a while.

But there was a problem.

Side Effects May Include didn’t quite fit the tone of Dreadful Delights. That collection focuses more on traditional horror elements: ancient evils, forgotten monsters, creeping dread. Side Effects is more of a thriller, grounded in the real world, and driven by suspense rather than the supernatural.

Still, I loved the story. And I didn’t want it collecting dust.

So, I decided to share it for free.

Even though Side Effects May Include doesn’t fit perfectly within Dreadful Delights, I believe it still hits many of the same dark notes horror fans appreciate—slow-burn tension, an undercurrent of dread, and a look into the darker corners of human nature.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Give it a read—and if you do, let me know what you think! You can find me @EvanGrantAuthor on X.

Download your FREE copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FC2Q411C