American Horror

From New York Times best-selling author Seanan McGuire, a haunting urban fantasy short story in the Carniepunk anthology - for fans of all things circus, supernatural, and mysterious.... It's been 17 years since the last time Ada's carnival passed through her father's hometown in Alabama.... and no one is expecting the reception she gets.

Having just quit Julliard, disillusioned fiddler Melanie St. James finds herself as part of a group of traveling musicians en route to an OtherFolk carnival. Eager to break the chains of a lifetime of conformity, Melanie throws caution to the wind and enters a reckless bargain, plying her musical skills for the chance to win a violin that can open Doors to the CrossRoads. But the competition turns out to be far more than she expected.

Max and Amy Jones wanted a fresh start following the loss their child and an injury ending Max's football career in the UK so they set off to experience the American Dream. As they settled into the Cul-de-sac they now called home, a weekend of pampering was approaching for the ladies of Vernon's Place when they headed off to the Belle Vue Hotel & Spa leaving the men with a brand new barbecue and plenty of beers. The fun soon turns into a nightmare as the mysterious man in black begins killing the men off in a gore driven game of who's next.