Two boys discover an unholy presence hidden behind a concealed door. Lester Farnsworth battles to the death with an unknown deity that possesses an Indian doll. A modern day witch seduces and entraps men with the help of her army of cats. And a vampire confesses his grisly deeds to a young priest. That's just four horrifying tales within the pages of Seven.
Excerpt
CHICAGO, 1963
Tommy opened his eyes and found himself alone, stranded in the dark. It was a darkness that relinquished nothing and possessed no limits or boundaries. Logical reasons for this startling phenomenon escaped the boy. What manner of desolate place he dwelled in he could not even begin to imagine. He took a breath and swallowed. Feelings of intense dread and abandonment escalated within him.
It occurred to Tommy that perhaps he had died, killed at only twelve years of age. As his Catholic upbringing had taught him, he could very well be trapped somewhere between heaven and hell in a place known as Limbo where his soul would wander aimlessly until Judgment Day.
The boy shuddered and forced his feet to move. First his right and then his left. They felt like lead weights. He inched along within the blackness, listening to his heart pound like a jackhammer.
Then, through the darkness, he spied a distant glowing. It appeared to be a light and he crept toward it. But as he approached, the object became clearer: it was a door, an immense, metal door. The details of this unexpected discovery were still hidden by remnants of the clinging darkness.
Tommy felt hope surge through his body. The glow that had guided him was escaping from the space between the bottom of the door and the floor. Perhaps he had found a way out. His heart raced all the more.
As he struggled closer, his legs fought each step of the way. He shuddered as the next thought crept into his mind. What if the door did not lead out? What if there was something behind it, something that possessed a craving for death and destruction?
At that very moment, Tommy heard a low, gasping utterance—a voice so hostile and malignant it chilled his blood and unnerved his mind and his body. It beckoned him, even dared him. From just behind the door he heard it bellow "RELEASE ME!"
A hand suddenly reached through the darkness and clutched his shoulder. "Tommy, wake up."
The boy lunged upward in his bed. Beads of perspiration clung to his face. "What?"
"It's time for school," his mother announced.
A wave of relief rippled through him and his racing heart eased a bit. "Okay," he managed to croak.
She frowned and sat on the edge of his mattress. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
He exhaled and nodded.
Leaning forward, she appeared concerned. "Do you remember it?"
Tommy glanced to the foot of his bed. During the course of the night he had kicked his blankets into a disheveled heap. "Yeah, it was about a door."
His mother's concerned expression changed to a puzzled look. "A door? What's so scary about a door?"
As hard as he tried to fight it, a cringe still swept through him. "I think there was . . ." he paused, swallowed, and murmured, ". . . something evil behind it."
Available for purchase:
AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
Excerpt
CHICAGO, 1963
Tommy opened his eyes and found himself alone, stranded in the dark. It was a darkness that relinquished nothing and possessed no limits or boundaries. Logical reasons for this startling phenomenon escaped the boy. What manner of desolate place he dwelled in he could not even begin to imagine. He took a breath and swallowed. Feelings of intense dread and abandonment escalated within him.
It occurred to Tommy that perhaps he had died, killed at only twelve years of age. As his Catholic upbringing had taught him, he could very well be trapped somewhere between heaven and hell in a place known as Limbo where his soul would wander aimlessly until Judgment Day.
The boy shuddered and forced his feet to move. First his right and then his left. They felt like lead weights. He inched along within the blackness, listening to his heart pound like a jackhammer.
Then, through the darkness, he spied a distant glowing. It appeared to be a light and he crept toward it. But as he approached, the object became clearer: it was a door, an immense, metal door. The details of this unexpected discovery were still hidden by remnants of the clinging darkness.
Tommy felt hope surge through his body. The glow that had guided him was escaping from the space between the bottom of the door and the floor. Perhaps he had found a way out. His heart raced all the more.
As he struggled closer, his legs fought each step of the way. He shuddered as the next thought crept into his mind. What if the door did not lead out? What if there was something behind it, something that possessed a craving for death and destruction?
At that very moment, Tommy heard a low, gasping utterance—a voice so hostile and malignant it chilled his blood and unnerved his mind and his body. It beckoned him, even dared him. From just behind the door he heard it bellow "RELEASE ME!"
A hand suddenly reached through the darkness and clutched his shoulder. "Tommy, wake up."
The boy lunged upward in his bed. Beads of perspiration clung to his face. "What?"
"It's time for school," his mother announced.
A wave of relief rippled through him and his racing heart eased a bit. "Okay," he managed to croak.
She frowned and sat on the edge of his mattress. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
He exhaled and nodded.
Leaning forward, she appeared concerned. "Do you remember it?"
Tommy glanced to the foot of his bed. During the course of the night he had kicked his blankets into a disheveled heap. "Yeah, it was about a door."
His mother's concerned expression changed to a puzzled look. "A door? What's so scary about a door?"
As hard as he tried to fight it, a cringe still swept through him. "I think there was . . ." he paused, swallowed, and murmured, ". . . something evil behind it."
Available for purchase:
AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
