Annabelle Morton didn’t scream when she snapped—she just lit a cigarette and started stabbing.
For 52 years, Annabelle has played the part: dutiful wife, quiet neighbor, reluctant cleaner of recliners coated in chip crumbs and spilled beer. But when a mysterious child sets up a yard sale in the dead of night next door—and strange, sermon-slinging figures begin crawling out of the shadows—Annabelle starts to feel something cracking.
Maybe it’s her patience.
Maybe it’s reality.
Maybe it’s her husband's skull if he doesn’t stop snoring.
As mysterious visitors arrive bearing gifts, sermons, and blood-soaked truths, Annabelle discovers the terrible power that comes with reclaiming her life… one cigarette, one corpse, one gardening tool at a time.
Early Birds Pay Double is a suburban descent into madness soaked in black comedy and creeping dread, it is the tale of a woman who’s done being overlooked—and is ready to make her husband pay double for it.
Tim Kulp (writing as T. Kulp) tells eerie tales rooted in small-town life, blending the mundane with the macabre. Influenced by Poe, Lovecraft, Tolkien, and King, he explores gothic, folk, and cosmic horror. When not writing, Tim contributes to AI and VR publications and spins stories at the D&D table. He lives near Baltimore with his family, a sweet dog, and a possibly sinister cat.View all by T. Kulp
