Just Below

Wow! Just Below grips you from beginning to end. Trapped in a dark basement, a man desperately tries to free himself. He hears life going on above him, but he goes unheard, ignored and forgotten. Willing himself to break free, to get to the life on the other side of the door.

A gripping psychological horror that stays with you

From the very first page this novelette pulls you in with strong Black Phone vibes—raw grief, unreliable narration, and a creeping sense of something wrong beneath the surface. The present-tense style takes a tiny second to settle into, but once it does, it keeps the tension tight and immediate. The author’s prose is atmospheric and deeply felt; the way he describes light, emotion, and the small everyday details of family life feels authentic and lived-in. You genuinely connect with the narrator and his fractured family.

The story builds beautifully through Part 2 and lands on a chilling cliffhanger in Part 3 that left me staring at the page. I also want to give a special shout-out to the author’s note at the very end—it’s powerful, thoughtful, and ties perfectly into the themes. Take the extra minute to read it; it’s worth it.

A couple of very small polish items (punctuation and one tiny consistency question) are the only reasons this isn’t flawless, but they’re easy fixes and didn’t pull me out of the story. Overall this is a solid, emotional, and haunting little horror piece that punches well above its length. I’ll be watching for whatever this author writes next.

Highly recommended—especially if you like psychological thrillers that make you think about grief, guilt, and what we bury inside ourselves.

I just finished this book and I’m still processing

Thank you to Inside story and the author for a copy of this book! Wow. This one really got to me. That feeling like you are stuck in a rut. The meaning behind this one really stuck with me.

An easy five stars. The imagery, the pain, the ending, Just Below works on every level. Alaia’s prose is stunning in the most unsettling way, managing to be beautiful and nauseating at the same time. The contrast between horror and reality is razor sharp, and that ending. . . unforgettable. I won’t spoil a thing, but this is a must-read for any fan of psychological horror.

Excellent body horror, confined with the psychological horror of liminal space.
A stunning exploration into repression. The prose are immaculate, allowing just enough to peek through to keep the reader glued to the narrative without giving it all away. There are only hints as to why, but the need to escape is pervasive. Whether taken metaphorically or metaphysically, the emotions conjured are brutal and inescapable.

This story was much more than horror . It carries a very powerful message about stuffing emotions. The end left me flabbergasted I need to know did he use the knife on his family or himself?!

This book was so deep and hits the hard truths but it was so good

The way this begins, puts you right into a scene that leaves you saying wtf. As the story continues, and the scenes change, it becomes clear what is going on. But how you expect it to end is NOT the ending you get. As it is a short story, it is a quick read, but don't let the size fool ya. This one has some thought-provoking moments, as well as some anxiety-filled moments at the beginning and end. Definitely recommend.

Wow—what a story. Dark, gripping, and absolutely exceptional. From the first sentence to the last, it held me completely captivated. A stunning read and a definite five stars.

This story was short, but definitely not sweet. It was chilling in the very best way. Gory while still having beautiful prose. You can see the scene so clearly and feel everything the character is going through. Horror fans will devour this!

First of all: thank you for this ARC.
Second of all: thanks for dragging me back into my own basement. A place I actively avoid. For very good reasons. So. That was rude. Respectfully.

This story doesn’t knock. It doesn’t warm up. It grabs you by the collar and says, we’re doing this now. My brain immediately went feral—What’s happening? Who did this? Why is he here? I lined up theories like a nervous tic. Not a single one survived.

And yes, before you say it—I know. I always say things hit close to home. But this one didn’t just hit. It moved in, rearranged the furniture, and sat quietly in the corner waiting for me to notice it.

Then I read this line and had to stop breathing for a second:
“Forever present but invisible. Existing but not truly living.”
Cool. Casual. Absolutely devastating.

At that point, I still had no idea where this story was going. I just knew it had already left fingerprints on me. So I did the only sensible thing: accepted my fate and kept reading.

Page by page, the space tightens. The dark creeps closer. The air thins. You don’t read this story—you’re slowly sealed inside it. And then comes:
“I close my eyes and listen to the silence and try to remember what it felt like to be whole.”
Which, frankly, felt like a personal attack. I think about that more often than I’d like to admit.

By then, my internal GPS had fully lost signal. No map. No exit. Just silence and the weight of it.

I’m not going to say more. Not because I’m being mysterious—but because this story doesn’t want to be explained. It wants to be experienced. If you’re capable of facing something that feels uncomfortably familiar, something that doesn’t let you look away or dissociate your way out of it… this one’s for you. And I refuse to rob anyone of that impact.

Five dark, locked-in-the-basement stars.
When a short story knows exactly how to pry your eyes open and tear your heart into quiet, jagged pieces—yeah. It earns them.

Personal note from me to you:
Don’t read this unless you’re ready to look at what you’ve been avoiding.
The silence is already there. This story just turns the lights off so you can hear it better.

What would you do if you woke up one day and you were tied to a chair and unable to make a sound? What if your family was just above living their lives like nothing was wrong? To one man, this is is his reality. He must come to terms with his situation and try to get free. But will it be too late?

This was my first story by this author, but it won’t be my last. The ending dropped and it made me wonder what I would do in that situation. The tension had me gripping the sides of my kindle for dear life!

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it!

I am honored to have been given this ARC of John Michael Alaia’s soon-to-be-published novelette. Thank you for this opportunity. We’ve all got basements. Some are pretty scary. I’ve got a basement. Most of the time, it takes some time and some navigation to find a basement. Walking through front door, maybe a hallway, a few steps down. JMA skips all of this and drops you right into the narrator’s basement and it is absolutely scary. Scary because it’s dark, it’s gruesome but most of all, because it’s familiar? In less than an hour of your time, JMA will launch you into a pit of despair and, for some, six inches from the mirror.

Short but INTENSE! This story will stay with me for a while. A must-read, not only because it is a good story, but because it is a story that a lot can relate to.

Y’ALL! If you think a short story under 50 pages can’t completely mess with your head… think again. 😳 Just Below is a quick read with a seriously chilling punch.

A man wakes up bound, mutilated, and trapped in the basement of his own home while life upstairs goes on like nothing happened. His family moves through their day… completely unaware he’s just below them. The realization that the world keeps going without him? Absolutely haunting.

Part of the Deadly Silence collection, this psychological horror story pulls you deep into fear, grief, and the terrifying way the mind can spiral in the dark. The writing is sharp, the pacing is tight, and the tension builds fast.

Short, creepy, and impossible to ignore—this one will get under your skin. 🖤📚

Wow, first book by this author and not my last! we all have basements and that feeling of no self-worth and knowing that Silence is better than fights. This one is going to live rent free in my head for a while. can not wait.to read more by him!

Just Below, a novella by horror writer John Alaia, tells the story of one man’s ‘symphony of pain’ played out under the floorboards of his very own life. While the story’s body horror grinned at me through a ‘tapestry of shredded lips’, Alaia deftly built a crescendo of psychological thrills that not only kept me unraveling the clues to his protagonist’s plight but also had me glancing inward at that ‘vast, oceanic sadness’ upon which we all float. Alaia’s ability to portray graphic immediacy while incorporating strategic symbolism and striking descriptive phrases adds layers of depth to this novella, enabling it to transcend simple genre labels. If you’re looking for a quick read that makes you squirm and think and reflect, Just Below by John Alaia is the perfect choice.

This was such an amazing short story. Make sure you read the author's note at the end. It gives it an added depth and relatability.

This was my first by John, but I plan to check into what else he has to offer because this was really good!

It's a great short read that brings a importance to not feeling alone and that everyone has their inside demons that they fight inside. This was a thought provoking read and and truly well represented. I did not see at first what was happening but as the storyline continued you piece it together. I think the ending was unexpected but good.