First published 2010
Benjamin Kane Ethridge gathers eleven dark tales that explore the space between first breath and final exhale. A starving doll seeks its next meal while ghostly children wander through shadows. College students discover that wickedness carries consequences they never imagined. Zombie hordes surge through familiar streets as survivors fight for another day. In the sewers below, beautiful fish swim in waters that hide terrible secrets. Each story pulls readers deeper into moments where ordinary life fractures and reveals something hungry waiting underneath. The morgue attendants watch and wait, knowing that comfort is temporary and replacement is always possible. These tales refuse to stay buried, breaking free from whatever held them back before. They find new life in this collection, ready to visit readers who think locked doors provide safety. Death waits at the end of every tunnel, but these stories live in the moments before that final darkness arrives.
Genres: short-stories, horror, supernatural, dark
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, psychological-thriller, supernatural
112 pages · Paperback · Belfire Press
Content warnings: body-horror, death, gore, graphic-violence