The Hollow Space
Carly BlackWelcome to In The Cards, a twenty-two author collection of standalone thriller and horror short stories. In this series, you’ll find stories inspired by the meaning of a specific Tarot Card, thoughtfully written with that thread woven through. Whether you’re a Tarot Card lover or not, you’ll find thrillers and horrors that will creep under your skin and into your thoughts. *Knowledge of Tarot Cards is not necessary to read or enjoy these stories.*
The Hollow Space is based on the High Priestess Tarot Card.
Some families pass down heirlooms. Hers passed down a curse.
On the night she turns thirty-five, librarian Tess Davis discovers a hidden book concealed inside her library’s antique shelves. The journal tells an impossible story—one that traces back to 1855, when a desperate mother bargained with a demon to save her child. The price was blood. Every woman born into the family would live long enough to raise a daughter, then die at thirty-five.
Tess has one lunar month to uncover the truth hidden in books her ancestors left behind. As the demon’s influence grows stronger, reality fractures. Time slips. Reflections move on their own. The line between madness and truth disappears.
The answer is terrifyingly simple and devastatingly final. To save her daughter, Tess must destroy the library that anchors the curse—burning history, reputation, and her own future to the ground.
A haunting, emotionally driven horror short story about inherited trauma, motherhood, and the terrible cost of survival.
Make sure you come back and check out the other 21 stories, because you never know what’s In The Cards.
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Jen S.
The Hollow Space by Carly Black straddles the line between thriller and horror. The author builds an intensely eerie atmosphere as Tess uncovers supernatural clues, racing against the clock to solve a mystery before time runs out. Tess is a highly sympathetic protagonist, making it easy to root for her and stay invested in the unsettling narrative.
Because it is a short story, I expected the pacing to be a bit faster, but it settles into a solid medium pace, leaning more into a creeping dread than a breakneck speed.
While I didn't love the ending due to a personal stylistic preference, it was handled exceptionally well and made perfect logical sense for where the plot needed to go. Overall, it’s a highly atmospheric, genre-blending read that succeeds at being both suspenseful and spooky. This feels like a great book for a thriller reader who wants to ease themselves into the world of horror.
Crystal O.
Tess is a wife, mother, and a librarian who just turned thirty-five, the same age as her mother was when she died of a heart attack. Instead of family heirlooms, Tess's family passes down a curse that every woman in that family dies within a few weeks of turning thirty-five.
Tess must race the 28 days before the curse and demon take over and find a way to end the curse to save herself, her daughter and the future female line.
Carly Black is a phenomenal writer and this is no exception!
About the Author
Whether she's unraveling a chilling mystery, exploring the dark corners of the human mind, or crafting a slow-burning psychological suspense, Carly brings emotional depth, layered tension, and unforgettable characters to every page. Her stories blend gripping plots with atmospheric settings and just enough dread to keep readers up past midnight.
When she’s not writing, Carly can be found buried in true crime documentaries or hunting down the next indie author to read. She believes the best stories are the ones that linger long after you’ve turned the last page.