Submission Guidelines for DARK VIGIL

DARK VIGIL

Anthology of Dark Vigilante Fiction

Wicked Shadow Press invites horror fiction submissions for publication in its anthology "DARK VIGIL" (Expected release: March 2026). The submission deadline is January 31, 2026.

"Do not send us heroes. Send us the scarred, the obsessed and the damned. Send us the logical, terrible conclusion of a world that has failed its people..."

For DARK VIGIL, we seek stories where the line between hero and monster hasn't merely blurred, it has been purposefully erased in the name of a higher, personal law. Forget spandex and moral codes. We want the grit, the moral decay, the terrifying conviction of those who have taken justice into their own, often bloody hands. Send us the vengeful who trade their souls for justice, the adjudicators whose punishments fit crimes in ways that would make any court of law recoil, and the broken individuals who find their only purpose in the criminal darkness of the night.

Feel free to come up with your own storyline or get started with one of our WRITING PROMPTS:

1) The journal entries of a shellshocked soldier-turned-vigilante reveals disturbing details of a violent mind baying for blood, while simultaneously exposing an urban society knee-deep in crime and corruption.

2) Tired of seeing his mentor spare their murdering nemesis over and over, a frustrated sidekick of a vigilante goes on a killing spree to do what his mentor should've done all along.

3) In a world driven by AI and boundless human greed, a hacker begins to systemically take down the system by hacking the health implants of the 'immortal elites'.

4) An accountant for the Income Tax bureau tracks down criminals who 'legally' escape the justice system, destroying their finances and leaving them paupers in the world they exploited.

5) A plague doctor, to whom the causes of the plague are simply too obvious, begins donning his plague doctor's mask nightly and murders his prospective patients for refusing to listen to his advice.

6) In a world of high flying superhumans, Joe has the 'minor' power to permanently 'negate' biological functions like shutting down a kidney, severing nerve connections or simply stopping a heart...

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WE ARE ACCEPTING 

Short Stories: (between 1500-8000 words) Please send no more than ONE fiction

Flash Fiction: (between 100-1500 words) Please send no more than TWO flash fictions

We are considering TRANSLATED WORKS as well. Submission of translated works must be accompanied by a statement declaring that the translator has obtained the author’s permission and their publisher’s, if required.

Simultaneous Submissions are welcome but the author must inform us by e-mail as soon as the submitted piece is accepted elsewhere. Pieces cannot be withdrawn once Wicked Shadow Press informs the author of its acceptance for publication.

We consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are exceptional. Please mention in the mail body in case your submission is a reprint.

At present, we are unable to pay our contributors. Each contributor shall receive a COMPLIMENTARY DIGITAL COPY of the anthology as soon as it publishes.

Manuscripts should directly be sent to WickedShadowPress@gmail.com

Please write Submission for DARK VIGIL in the subject line of your submission email.

Please submit your files in the following formats: .doc /.docx /.txt. DO NOT submit PDFs. 

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Wicked Shadow Press uses non exclusive rights to publish in its anthologies. Authors are free to republish their work anywhere else once it has been published.

Please submit only original pieces. Wicked Shadow Press or the editor/s of the anthology shall not be responsible for any disputes arising due to plagiarism or copyright infringement.

Each piece MUST be attached with a short bio of the author, preferably within 100 words, and if possible, a photograph of the author to go along with publication. 

NOTE: We typically reply within a month after receiving submissions. However, replies can be delayed under unforeseen circumstances.