Occasional Demons
Language: English
Pages: 496
ISBN: 158767095X
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Since his first novel, Moondeath, was published in 1980, Rick Hautala s novels and stories have entertained millions of readers around the world.
Now, as a companion volume to Bedbugs, his first career-spanning collection of short stories, Cemetery Dance is proud to present Occasional Demons.
And once again, like Bedbugs, award-winning artists and Cemetery Dance favorite Glenn Chadbourne has illustrated every one of the more than twenty-four stories, which include collaborations with Matthew Costello, Jim Connolly, his sons Jesse and Matti, and someone named A.J. Matthews.
In the midst of normal life, whether it s a tree house in a small Maine town, a fog-shrouded lighthouse, or a darkened tavern on a rain-swept night in October, there are demons. Some of them lurk in the darkest corners of a house. Some of them lurk in our hearts and minds. We might, on occasion, catch a glimpse of them, but all too often it s too late to save ourselves...
And they re all gathered here. In fact, within these pages, you ll find a demon for just about any occasion.
where did Moses’ spirit go?” Lorraine asked, feeling a terrible chill creep up her back. “Into the scarecrow, of course,” Hellboy said simply. Before he could say more and before Lorraine could ask him to explain that, the bar door suddenly flung open so hard it slammed against the wall with a resounding bang. Lorraine’s first thought was that the Farrow brothers had returned, maybe with guns or knives to settle their score with Hellboy. She turned around quickly, surprised to see a tall, thin
weatherproof facemasks everyone wore. Sheila caught only fragments of what they were yelling. “Repent now, sister!” “Respect the life that’s been given to you!” “It’s not too late to save yourself!” “Hell is for sinners—like you, bitch!” Sheila grew dizzy as she focused on the throng of glistening face masks that ringed her. They looked like some horrible undersea invasion. “Miss Dobson...?” a uniformed officer said. Standing in the shelter of the doorway, he looked up from his
not too late now, is it—?” she asked, hearing the tension in her voice. “What? To change your mind?” Doctor Scott said, frowning with concern. “Oh, no. Not as long as I haven’t given you the second shot. We can still—” “No, I mean for me to be doing this,” Sheila said groggily. “Tin-pan Man, a friend of mine on the street, told me that—you know-that an abortion’s kinda dangerous...especially when the pregnancy is this far along.” “Oh, certainly not,” Doctor Scott said with a sympathetic smile.
cold spot right here.” “Yeah...sure,” Fred said as he stepped out into the hallway. He moved out of sight but then stuck his head back into the room when his partner didn’t follow. “You comin’ or not?” “Yeah,” Jack finally said. He shook his head as though just waking up. “It just feels so...strange.” “There’s nothing strange about it!” Vernon yelled in exasperation. “There was a murder here! A young woman was killed! The psychic residue is as thick as morning fog. You can’t touch it or carry
had done something to you—something that was going to kill you. Are you saying it was Devin who tried to hurt you?” Unable to speak for a moment, I grimaced. Then I sighed and nodded. “Maybe,” I said. “What did he do?” “I...I’m not sure, really.” I was trembling terribly inside. “It—it’s all...everything’s just a big blur. All I remember now is Arlan telling me not to worry. That was just before he...disappeared.” “Disappeared?” Phyllis echoed, frowning deeply, obviously confused.