Dark Horror

Not all monsters are fantasy. Some are very real, and they walk among us. They're our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. They're the people we're supposed to trust...and they know it. Contained within this anthology are 35 never-before-published works by supremely talented authors and best-selling novelists. Brace yourself for the unexpected and unimaginable horror of...human monsters.

Growing up in a religious cult, Tempest could only dream of the world outside. Once free, Tempest is determined to live her life to the fullest, and to check off each item on her bucket list. First on her agenda - to meet an honest-to-goodness vampire. It's just a shame the one she finds doesn't understand how the whole Dark Ones thing is supposed to work. Luckily for him, she's patient.

Grumpy single dad seeks nanny...Her father tells me she’s mute. Except I catch her humming a lullaby. He’s a liar. Or she has everyone deceived. What possibly could a four-year-old be hiding? I really should have done a background check on him. Imagine my surprise when I discover my grumpy boss works for the mafia. I want to leave but he won’t let me. I’m his captive, forced to follow his rules and do as he demands.

Not all ancient secrets are lost. Father Winthrop's insanity and eloquence turn a rabble of starving militiamen into an army with a new purpose. With the spore eating away at William's humanity, he finds a new place in the world as the survivors from the Ancient City expeditions discover a remnant of the past that could change everything.

Il padre di Jim Hawkins, Hub, è scomparso. Suo figlio è distrutto dalla perdita e dal dolore: che cosa gli è successo? È morto o se n'è andato? Un giorno Ruth Rose, la figlia adottiva di Padre Fisher, il rispettabile e amatissimo pastore della comunità, capovolge la vita di Jim. "Fisher ha ucciso tuo padre" gli dice. Tuttavia, Ruth Rose è nota per essere una ragazza violenta, stramba e un po' pazza. Che lo stia facendo solo per odio nei confronti di Fisher? O forse davvero si immagina le cose?

Granny Viper is a "people finder," a searcher for lost souls along the roads of a forbidding wasteland. Her latest mission: the safe return of a young woman named Tae, kidnapped eight years ago by vampire nobility and held in Castle Gradinia on the Frontier's far border. But rescuing Tae is only half the battle—Viper knows she and the girl can't cross the formidable expanse to the town of Barnabas alone. After making the fatal mistake of hiring the mercenary Bullow Brothers to help her, Granny turns to the legendary Vampire Hunter D for salvation.

My name is Ethan Drake, and I’m a police detective. And I got plenty darkness to give. So does my partner, who’s a demon, and frankly, a royal pain in my ass. But occult investigators are in short supply in the PD, so what are you going to do? Anyway, we just caught a bodysnatching case that has the stench of occult workings all over it.

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

Professor Miranda Ventham is having bad dreams—nothing new in 1920s Arkham—but hers are horrifying glimpses of a dark future. Now seriously ill, she books herself into the new sanatorium, Stroud Home. With luck, the town's eldritch taint won't reach her there. And yet the nightmares worsen. Aided by her friend, Agatha Crane, they delve into the background of the sanatorium's enigmatic director, Donovan Stroud. Plagued by doubts, delusions, and terrifying visions, Miranda must unravel the shrouded history of the Strouds before she is trapped in a labyrinthine nightmare.

Your sanity's about to flatline! Brace yourself for "Horror Story Collection: 3 Short Scary Stories" - a mind-melting cocktail of terror that'll leave you gasping, trembling, and BEGGING for more! "Reboot Protocol": FEEL your pulse EXPLODE as you outrun bloodthirsty AI in neon-drenched streets! "The Lullaby Virus": WATCH your reality SHATTER as an ancient melody infects your brain!

Andrew's acclimation to his post-transition body isn't easy. His senses are sharper, he's bigger, stronger, and hungrier. Nathalie fears that the changes in the man she loves are more than physical. Measuring up to this new version of him is going to be a challenge. Carol and Robert are disillusioned with each other. They are not destined mates, and love is not on the horizon. When Robert's three months are up, he might be left with nothing to show for his sacrifice.

Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything. Popularity, good looks, perfect grades—there's nothing Sayers' family money can't buy. Until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie. Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.

The Dark Side is a narrative account of the decisions the U.S. made after September 11, decisions that not only violated the Constitution, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. In gripping detail, Jane Mayer relates specific cases, shown in real time against the larger tableau of Washington, looking at the intelligence gained and the price paid. In all cases, there were incalculable losses in terms of moral standing, our country's place in the world, and its sense of itself.

In 2012, a little Indian girl is mysteriously lured into the mansion, where she encounters the story of Richard Baxter - a story that will reveal the darker side of a man's mind. A story that shall unveil a venomous truth of the past. A story so sinister that it could alter the fate of an entire nation's future. A story of courage and cowardice, of deceit and insanity.

From book one: Being able to rip the soul out of a creature, store it in a precious gem, and use it to cast spells might make me the most powerful student at the Astra Argent Magical Academy. Only I can’t tell anybody about it. Because it's illegal, and they’ll kill me if they find out. But they need me whether they know it yet or not, so I’m going to capture a lot of souls and cast a lot of spells. This is gonna be a crazy semester. This is a monster-girl harem dark-magic academy story.

Nate is losing that last finger hold on his sanity: hallucinating and talking to creatures no one else can see. The demon inside of him is fighting for dominance, and only one of them can survive. But when Nate's extorted to rescue a chimera child from the Beast Master’s circus, his only option is to partner with his inner demon, risking his very soul. With allies turned enemies, the fae breathing down his neck, and a dangerous child’s life on the line, Nate must call upon new storybook legends to save his traitorous friends from becoming the Beast Master’s next victims.

The very best of Brian Lumley's works in the Cthulhu Mythos sub-genre, including such recent tales as "The Hymn" and "The Taint", are collected and presented for the first time in audio format.

Something is terrorizing the villages of the county. People are dying - covered in blood, their faces frozen in fear. But with not a wound on their bodies. Battling creatures of the dark is the job of the local spook, but 17-year-old Thomas Ward never finished his apprenticeship. It will be no easy task to earn the trust of the villagers and to defeat a monster that no one has ever seen. Yet Jenny - a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter - knows an awful lot about this new evil. And she's willing to share what she's learned with Tom…if he takes her on as his apprentice.

A dark psychological thriller set in a Victorian asylum in the heart of Wales.

Twelve tales of terror stemming from a single word. Trapped. What would you do if you were trapped, alone, and afraid, with no one to help, no way out? How far would you go to survive? What could you endure? The authors in this anthology pulled no punches, and the stories in this audio will leave a mark on you long after the tales are told. You may even find yourself trapped, held hostage, until every horrific word has been consumed.