Follow the terror and drama in five short stories that will bring you gravely close to your fears. The winds are howling, can you hear the screams? WARNING: Not the famous Stephen King from Maine.

    The town’s peace is shattered when a young boy is taken by a strange creature, and a distraught father goes on a desperate hunt only to uncover a valley that shouldn’t exist. A world where dinosaurs roam hunting prey. A world better left hidden.

    

    'I lost control of myself, ' he says. 'I couldn't get the thought out of my head!' Panicking and unable to dispose of the evidence by himself, he calls on his long-time friend John Kasper for help. Kasper is horrified and hesitant to help at first, but he can't abandon his friend during his time of need. Max's family and future are at stake. Together, they devise and execute one plan after another, hopelessly trying to hide Max's crime...But how do you make a dead body disappear from the 29th floor of a busy hotel?Jon Athan, the author of Lovesick and The Groomer, invites you to spend a night with Max and Kasper to explore the human body in this extreme psychological horror novel. Do you have the guts to check-in?WARNING: This novel contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

    It ended in murder.In present day, Adam Tate is in a rush to build his wife’s dream home. She’s ill, and he lives with the looming fear that her days are numbered in months rather than years. As he digs the foundation for their new home, he makes a chilling discovery-long-buried skeletons. On impulse, he hides the grave and pushes it from his mind.When Adam and his wife Holly move into their new home six months later, it becomes clear that Adam has awoken something that will not be silenced.Step into a story of betrayal, murder, and voices from beyond the grave.

    An apocalyptic storm. Whispering voices in the air. She was right to fear the worst-case scenario. Amy Burnett has been buried in her work as a security expert. She likes it that way—her dark past can’t invade her thoughts as long as she stays holed up in her office. So why the heck has she ended up at a gothic mansion’s doorstep in the middle of the night? It’s because Craig Foster summoned her there. Amy’s company built the sealed chamber in his basement, for any worrisome worst-case scenario, but now the safe room has presented a scenario of its own: Craig’s daughter is trapped inside. It should be a quick fix. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen when a stranger arrives at a remote mansion on a stormy night? An impossible mystery? A haunting? A visit from the lurking strangers in the woods? Surely not all three—that would require extraordinarily bad luck. Unfortunately, Amy’s been short on luck lately. Three Incidents at Foster Manor will keep you guessing until the end with a twist-filled, fast-paced, genre-blending mix of mystery, ghost story, thriller, and cosmic horror that will chill you to the core. This is a standalone story, but also acts as a sequel to P.T. Phronk's previous mystery, The Arborist. "Full of interesting characters, twists and scares, it will keep you off-balance all the way to the end!" —Franny "I'm always down some ghostly fun but then the fun dial twisted and wow." —Amazon Reviewer "If you like reading stories somewhat reminiscent of The Twilight Zone this is for you." —Alanna Patterson

    But on her first evening alone with him, Elijah asks her for money to give to a man that Emma had never heard of. Brushing it off as the child's imagination, she obliges. Later that night, she hears men talking in the kitchen. Terrified, she looks in the kitchen, only to find no one there. Over the next few weeks, the occurrences become so terrifying that she tells Elijah's mother, who does not believe her. As evil prevails in the mansion, Emma has a horrifying encounter with an evil apparition who will stop at nothing to possess those who live in his mansion. Once Emma discovers the mansion's horrific past, she vows to never go back - or meet the same terrifying fate as those others so many years ago.

     An Above-Top-Secret project brings military brass, elite commandos, ice-drilling experts, and abducted scientists to investigate a 100-mile-long 'gravitational anomaly' half a mile under the West Antarctic Ice Shelf. Their target: a spaceship buried for millions of years, home to a menagerie of alien and prehistoric horrors that could be unleashed on Earth and end every life on it.

    What should have been an idyllic vacation - a week of snowboarding at one of Canada's most beautiful ski resorts - becomes toxic when his wife tearfully confesses her infidelity. Overcome with grief, all Shane wants is to get away, but a freak storm has closed the roads, and it seems there will be no escape from his torment until the weather clears. Yet when Shane snaps and tries to leave the resort against all advice, he soon discovers that there is more on the mountain than just snow and trees.And things can always get worse...

     "Please, Daddy... I promise I'll be a good girl..." That's what she told me. And you know what she did? She broke her promise. Good girls get cuddled. Bad girls? Spanked. Fiona's curvy little butt is mine now. She has a body that's just begging to be dominated, bent over my bed, while I tell her what a naughty girl she is. The problem is I can't promise I'll be good, either. We're both so wrong for each other in all the right ways. We both need this, but there's no way we can find our happily ever after together. Daddy's Little Angel: After Story is what happens when a good girl who aims to please meets an over-the-top alpha male who will stop at nothing to make her his. Not even if she's his little sister's best friend. Neither of them could stop even if they tried, and once you start reading their story you won't want them to...

    Down on his luck and desperate to make quota, Jacoby happens upon a “cherry rock”. The kind that wouldn’t just meet his quota but put him into a sizeable financial bonus. But there’s a problem. A scan shows a sizeable hollow cavity inside, and company procedures are clear: voids must be drilled and tested for potentially explosive gases. That would mean handing it over to a specialty drilling team, and thus, kissing his payday goodbye. Refusing to hand his financial future away, Jacoby ignores his terminal’s warning and stakes his claim. Except, his saw cuts into more than just rock.Something was inside… something alive. Jacoby quickly learns that some rocks are hiding more than just precious minerals and trace metals. And when some things are set loose, there is no putting them back.Mankind will never be the same.

    The question is: How do you stop something that you can't see? AN ANCIENT DISEASE re-emerges in the heart of New York City—a deadly bacteria that gave rise to the Black Death. Maggie De Luca, an epidemiologist who is fighting her own demons, works to uncover clues to contain the disease, but is always one step behind—her fate determined by the flip of a coin. Microbiologist Michael Harbinger believes he can make a vaccine that can stop the disease, but to do so would require an elusive plant that only grows in a remote region of the Amazon. With the help of J.D. Stallings, a paleoanthropologist, and Samantha Boutroux, a bacteriologist, they set out to find the plant that holds the key before the Red Death pandemic grips the world—or has the First Horseman of the Apocalypse, Plague, already opened the gates to our final annihilation? The mother of all plagues is back . . . Let the death toll begin . . . “RING AROUND THE ROSIE, POCKETS FULL OF POSIES, ASHES . . . ASHES . . . WE ALL FALL DOWN.” Praise for The Red Death"The Red Death is a bone chilling look at a worst case scenario plague outbreak. You’ll want to keep some hand sanitizer and a medical mask nearby as you enjoy this pandemic medical thriller." --Jennifer Jackson, Indiestoday.com*"It is a story that is chilling because of how easily we could see this happening today. Excellent read." -- Terri, Mayhem and Magic*"The Red Death is a thrilling tale of a deadly pandemic. Recommended." --Robert D. Yee, Monster Librarian*"What scared me the most about this book was that it could happen in real life. There is always a threat of a pandemic sweeping the country and then the world — scary stuff." --Jolie, Read With Me *What Amazon reviewers are saying:*"Even better than the first part of The Stand." *"Gripping"*"This is the best pandemic novel I have ever read."*"A very plausible story line! SCARY!"* "Read this, you won't be disappointed."*"It was hard to put down." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"Loved every minute of it."*"That the book is extremely well structured only adds to the intensity."*"This book had engaging characters, lots of action and a good plot."*"The characters were believable." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"I will be looking out for more by this author."*"...expertly written characters and a story structure that keeps the reader on edge."*"If you like books of this genre I am sure you will enjoy this one."*"...being invested in the characters and wanting them to live is what drives a lot of the reader's drive to keep going to the next chapter."*"Pulls you into a story of people, and life. ."*"The first instances of the spread of the disease were unusual and gave the start of the book a slightly different twist." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"...Birgitte Märgen is able to write each person with a distinct voice and personality so no two people feel the same; no matter how long the reader spends with that individual." * Plague, Medical Thriller, Pandemic, Thriller, Fiction, Medical Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Action & Adventure

    The War on Terror provides the backdrop for the novella that introduces the roots of ultimate antihero, Max Ahlgren.Captain Max Ahlgren is proud to be one of the first team commanders in the Marine Corps' nascent MARSOC detachment. Finally, the Corps' elite warriors are working alongside those of other branches, battling insurgents, not on the front lines but behind them. After his first mission, however, Max learns he will be replaced as team commander.The new commander, Major Whitbeck, comes from 8th and I: Marine Barracks, Washington DC. His late father, a revered general, died in a terrorist car bombing. The commander is in Afghanistan for vengeance--and redemption.When the team infiltrates the ancient desert fortress of Kazindrak, hunting an elusive Al-Qaeda terrorist, Whitbeck reveals his ineptitude in combat. Max's fury grows as the body count rises. When the actual nature of the mission is revealed, Max gets a good look at the sordid underbelly of the War on Terror and sees first-hand what monsters men can become. If he is to survive, however, he may have no choice but to become one.Sometimes the greatest enemy is within...

    Bigger, stronger and more cunning than any other predator in the woods, this murderer has only existed in legends and the nightmares of the few to survive an encounter … until now. Dr. Jake Sanders, world-renowned expert on predators and predatory behavior, is on a quest to find the monster that did far worse than wound him. Deputy Julie Reed, a strong, beautiful and lethal enforcer of justice, fearlessly pursues a violent adversary unaware of the twisted path destiny will lay before her. Simon Standing Elk, a recovering alcoholic well on the road to atoning for past sins until a terrifying encounter that now threatens not only his life, but his soul as well. Three different people. Three very different backgrounds. One secret organization. This is the story of events that brought them together and, if they’re not careful, could destroy them all – or worse.

    She's married to the love of her life, she has two beautiful kids, and they just bought their first house. To Claire it's a dream come true. But in reality nothing is ever as perfect as a dream and the house comes with disappointments. Her neighbors are all old women who have lived in the same houses for decades, she continues to make little headway with her moody, introvert stepdaughter, and to make the house livable they sink every last dollar they have into the place. Claire takes these in stride, knowing their problems are shared by millions of other average Americans. But what these other average American home owners don't share with Claire is a malevolent spirit that already resides in the house when they move in. An ancient evil that wants something from Claire in return for it's hospitality. Will Claire be willing to pay the price and make the ultimate Covenant?