Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Madhouse
    Madhouse
    Madhouse
    Ebook88 pages1 hour

    Madhouse

    By Miguel Estrada

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    • Survival

    • Fear

    • Family

    • Escape

    • Parent-Child Relationship

    • Dark & Stormy Night

    • Creepy Basement

    • Hero's Journey

    • Absent Parent

    • Determinator

    • Haunted House

    • Escape From Captivity

    • Child Protagonist

    • Final Girl

    • Cat & Mouse

    • Desperation

    • Darkness

    • Growing up

    • Childhood

    • Death

    About this ebook

    Don't Talk To Strangers...

    Faced with his parents' divorce, eleven-year-old Lucas runs away from his house in the hope that his family will get back together to find him. On his way walking through the empty streets, he is picked up by a mysterious woman who offers to take care of him and provide him with a loving family.  

    The boy then wakes up in handcuffs, confined to a bed in a decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and will have to face his deepest fears in order to survive in his new home. 

    Join a little boy's a desperate attempt to get back to his family in Madhouse, the first published horror-thriller book from author Miguel Estrada.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMiguel Estrada
    Release dateOct 23, 2017
    ISBN9781386826651
    Madhouse

    Read more from Miguel Estrada

    Related to Madhouse

    Related ebooks

    Horror Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Dark Tales

      Dec 2, 2021

      Dark Tales
      6 min read

    • Article

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Deadly LOVE

      Sep 2, 2021

      Deadly LOVE
      2 min read

    • Article

      Terrify Yourself with These Ten Horror Novels

      Jun 19, 2019

      A list of books so scary you definitely won't keep them on your nightstand. The post Terrify Yourself with These Ten Horror Novels appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Other people’s SEX LIVES

      Jul 15, 2019

      Other people’s SEX LIVES
      8 min read

    • Article

      Ice cream DREAMS

      Jul 28, 2021

      Ice cream DREAMS
      8 min read

    • Article

      Breaking The News

      Jul 30, 2021

      Breaking The News
      6 min read

    • Article

      How Dementia Saved Mum & Me

      Mar 31, 2021

      How Dementia Saved Mum & Me
      5 min read

    • Article

      Finding Joan (again)

      Aug 8, 2024

      Finding Joan (again)
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mr. Leith

      Jul 1, 2020

      Mr. Leith
      5 min read

    • Article

      What the Tornado Gave Us

      Jul 1, 2022

      In part 1, Rosica tells the story of how she and her family moved from Mexico to North Carolina to join her father, who works as a roofer and has been sending home money. Adjusting to a new school where they didn’t know the language was easier on her

      9 min read

    • Article

      King Of The Castle

      Dec 28, 2023

      King Of The Castle
      5 min read

    • Article

      You’re All Mine

      Aug 8, 2024

      You’re All Mine
      5 min read

    • Article

      Shanda

      Jan 1, 2024

      Shanda
      13 min read

    • Article

      Our Secret

      Oct 19, 2023

      Our Secret
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mum’s Simply The Best!

      Apr 25, 2021

      Mum’s Simply The Best!
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Gift

      Jun 15, 2020

      ‘What happened to your first love? During this uncertain time, more and more people have been looking up their old flames.” It was the magazine article that did it. It took Susie back to when she was 15 years old. The day her mother had read her dia

      5 min read

    • Article

      You’re The Dirty Rascal

      Apr 6, 2023

      You’re The Dirty Rascal
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Quiet Boy

      Jan 28, 2019

      The Quiet Boy
      29 min read

    • Article

      Under Covers

      Mar 1, 2023

      Alejandro Puyana is a Venezuelan writer living in Austin, Texas. His work has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2020, New England Review, American Short Fiction, Tin House, The Idaho Review, and other publications. He is at work on a novel. My

      18 min read

    • Article

      Overnight I became Mum and Dad

      Jan 12, 2021

      Shoving my phone in my pocket, I raced downstairs to find my mum Anita, 53, about to serve my favourite cheese-and-potato pie. ‘You’re not staying for dinner?’ she frowned as I headed for the door. ‘Save me some,’ I called, the delicious smell of Mum

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Workbench

      Dec 23, 2020

      The Workbench
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lucy’s Tall Order

      Feb 8, 2022

      Lucy’s Tall Order
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sketchbook Of Secrets

      Jun 9, 2022

      Michelle Pujol, 43, Essex Sitting cross-legged on the living room floor after school, I giggled away as I watched my favourite cartoons. But as I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, my laughter suddenly stopped. ‘Come sit with me, ’ my stepdad wh

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Madhouse

    4/5

    17 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I you're here, then you read horror and I recommend this one!
    • 5/5
      The book reminds me not to leave children alone. Very great experience ?
    • 1/5
      If typos make you bonkers, this book isn't for you. I was unable to read more than a couple pages.
    • 5/5
      Really fun read! I like short stories and this one was great.
    • 5/5
      Short & sweet, I like it, easy to read & done in 1 sitting

    Book preview

    Madhouse - Miguel Estrada

    Want a free book?

    Click on the following link to get a FREE copy of Miguel Estrada’s horror novella, Shifter at http://www.miguel-estrada.com/signup-page

    ––––––––

    If you enjoy this book that you’re about to read, please consider leaving a review.

    1

    At only eleven years old, Lucas would live in the flesh the horrors of which the human being is capable of. He waved goodbye to his friends as he got off the school bus. The evening air brushed his cheeks and ruffled his brown hair. He walked a couple of blocks to the porch of his house, the smell of freshly pruned lawn filling his lungs. The flowers that decorated the entrance shone thanks to the summer warmth.

    Lucas decided not to enter through the main door. He liked challenges. From time to time, especially when he was bored, he would find ways to enter without being seen, like a sneaky cat that came and went as he wished.

    He used to play hide and seek with his father and friends all the time, and he was always the best. Not only because he knew what the best places to hide were, but he also found ways to circumvent them and change his spots frequently. However, those days were gradually falling behind, especially now that he was in his last days of primary school. By the end of the summer, he would start middle school, so he had to take advantage of the little childhood he had left.

    He went around the house to find the backyard, and found that the kitchen door stood wide open. Too easy, he told himself. Besides, he ran the risk of bumping into someone. He went on to find a window to the living room. He tossed the trashcan next to him, used it to climb and peek inside. Nobody home. Perfect!

    Lucas had to enter slowly to make sure not to fall headlong into the ground. He put both hands on the rug, and little by little, he introduced the rest of his body into the living room. Mission accomplished!

    The boy heard voices coming from the kitchen, and was glad that he hadn’t come through there. Lucas slid like a shadow to the source of the noise, hoping to jump out and scare the hell out of his parents.

    He leaned back against the wall, moving toward the dining room door. There was something strange in their voices. They sounded angry, as if they wanted to scream, but talked in whispers instead. He could barely catch snippets of the conversation.

    What are we going to do with him? his mother, Mary, asked.

    What do you mean? We'll tell him, Tom, his father, replied.

    Not yet. I don’t think he’s ready... I'm not ready...

    I don’t care if you're not ready. He's my son!

    Both yours and mine.

    Well...

    Oh, let's not go there, please. Not now.

    Lucas came closer. They were obviously talking about him, but what was it that they couldn’t tell him?

    I still cannot believe you're throwing the towel so easily, his dad said. After all these years and all the shit we've been through.

    It's not like we haven’t tried, Tom. We've been trying for years, but I'm afraid it's not working.

    I know, I know, but still...

    Let me ask you a question, and I want you to be as honest as possible. Are you happy?

    Tom remained silent for a moment before answering.

    Of course.

    Let me rephrase the question. Are you happy with me?

    This time, his father did not answer and Lucas understood what they were talking about. He left his hiding place, trying to hold back the tears.

    No! he shouted at the top of his lungs, which made his parents jump in surprise. You can’t split up! We are a family!

    Mary put her hand on her chest with wide eyes and approached him carefully, as if afraid of hurting him.

    Lucas, honey, let me explain...

    No! There's nothing to explain!

    Lucas stepped back, moving farther away from his mother. Tom just stood there with his arms crossed, nothing to say. He surely knew there was nothing he could say that would calm Lucas at that moment. After all, the boy’s world was falling apart.

    He had no uncles or cousins, and he hardly saw his grandparents a couple of times a year. He’d always been an only child, his only company, apart from his friends, used to be his pets, which he no longer had. He only family had his mom and dad - the pillars that kept the house together and happy. Now, they were leaving each other.

    Lucas had heard the horror stories from his friends whose parents had divorced. Normally, they would live with their mothers through the week, and they would boring questions and babble for a while. Their dads ended up moving to some small, shabby apartment and could only be visited on weekends.

    Lucas didn’t want any of that; instead, he wanted to greet them both every day, to dine together at the table and watch TV with them.

    Lucas... This time it was his father, holding out his hand.

    The boy turned and ran straight to his room. He slammed the door behind him and threw himself onto the bed, his face directly on the pillow. He stifled his sobs, without knowing for how long.

    Once his eyes had dried out, he sat up on his bed. Lucas would teach his parents a lesson. If he were to run away, they would realize how much they love him and that they cannot be a family unless they are together, all of them. Only then, Lucas would return, and everybody will be happy again.

    The boy stared motionless at the wall for hours as he waited for the night to set his plans in motion.

    2

    You know it has nothing to do with you, right? Mary asked in a soft voice that caressed the ears, it was the tone she used when she apologized for something.

    Lucas didn’t answer. He was lying down with his gaze fixed on the wall; she sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his hair.

    "It's... it's a grown-up thing. Your dad and I still love each other, and we love you too. It’s just... it's complicated.

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1