Ashes (44 page)

THE
RED
CHURCH
: A novel by Scott Nicholson

2003 Stoker Award finalist, alternate selection of the Mystery Guild

For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of problems: Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant pest, Melanie Ward either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ won't stay in his heart. Plus he has to walk past the red church every day, where the Bell Monster hides with its wings and claws and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer McFall is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend midnight services with her.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red church for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak accident at the church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting to see his brother's ghost. And the ghost keeps demanding, "Free me." People are dying in Whispering Pines, and the murders coincide with McFall's return.

The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls are descendants of the original families that settled the rural Appalachian community. Those old families share a secret of betrayal and guilt, and McFall wants his congregation to prove its faith. Because he believes he is the Second Son of God, and that the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.

"Sacrifice is the currency of God," McFall preaches, and unless Frank and Ronnie stop him, everybody pays.

DRUMMER BOY

By Scott Nicholson

On an Appalachian Mountain ridge, three boys hear the rattling of a snare drum deep inside a cave known as “The Jangling Hole,” and the wind carries a whispered name.

A sheriff’s deputy loses his mind after firing at a mysterious figure in the woods.

An old man who grew up at the foot of the mountain believes something inside the Hole has been disturbed by a developer’s bulldozers.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield, haunted by his own past failures, must stand against a public enemy that bullets can’t harm. A skeptical local reporter hears about the supernatural mysteries and wants to find out about them for herself.

On the eve of a Civil War reenactment, the town of
Titusville
prepares to host a staged battle. The weekend warriors who don their replica uniforms and clean their black-powder rifles aren’t aware they will soon engage in mortal combat. This is a war between the living and the dead, because a troop of Civil War deserters, trapped in the Hole by a long-ago avalanche, are rising from their long slumber, and their mission is far from over.

And one only boy stands between the town and the cold mouth of hell…

THE SKULL RING

By Scott Nicholson

Julia Stone will remember, even if it kills her.

With the help of a therapist, Julia is piecing together childhood memories of the night her father vanished. When Julia finds a silver ring that bears the name "Judas Stone," the past comes creeping back. Someone is leaving strange messages inside her house, even though the door is locked. The local handyman offers help, but he has his own shadowy past. And the cop who investigated her father's disappearance has followed her to the small mountain town of
Elkwood
.

Now Julia has a head full of memories, but she doesn't know which are real. Julia's therapist is playing games. The handyman is trying to save her, in more ways than one. And a sinister cult is closing in, claiming ownership of Julia's body and soul . . . .

FLOWERS

By Scott Nicholson

Contains the Writers of the Future Award grand-prize winner "The Vampire Shortstop" and other tales of fantasy and mystery. Contains 13 stories, a bonus essay, afterword, and a previously unpublished story from Nicholson's teen-age files. An ebook version of Scott Nicholson's first story collection THANK YOU FOR THE FLOWERS from 2000, with additional material.

MAHKO’S KNIFE

By John O’Dowd

Take Jason Bourne, give him Apache blood, threaten his family, and drop him in the Southwestern desert, and you'd have Mahko.

When crime boss Juan Martinez kidnaps two teenagers in revenge, Mahko Anaya tracks them to the Copper Canyon of Mexico. Mahko, a former Army Ranger, pits his military skills, ancestral spirit, and endurance against a band of ruthless killers. One of the teenagers, Mahko's son, has been a good student—and between the two of them, they unleash a fury as cold and cunning as a pack of wolves.

THE FIRST

By Scott Nicholson

A collection of 15 dark fantasy stories from award-winning author Scott Nicholson. From futuristic fantasy to supernatural suspense to dystopian exploration, these stories visit undiscovered countries and shadowy avenues of the heart. Includes two bonus essays and Nicholson's first-ever published story, in addition to the four-story Aeropagan cycle.

Copyright

The Horror Of It All copyright 2008 by Jonathan Maberry

Timing Chains of the Heart copyright 1998 by Scott Nicholson

Dog Person copyright 1998 by Scott Nicholson

The October Girls  copyright 2002 by Scott Nicholson

Murdermouth copyright 2001 by Scott Nicholson

Sung Li copyright 2003 by Scott Nicholson

Silver Run copyright 2007 by Scott Nicholson

In The Family copyright 2005 by Scott Nicholson

The Night Is An Ally copyright 2007 by Scott Nicholson

Work in Progress copyright 2006 by Scott Nicholson

The Endless Bivouac copyright 2008 by Scott Nicholson

She Climbs A Winding Stair copyright 2006 by Scott Nicholson

Watermelon copyright 2005 by Scott Nicholson

The Meek copyright 2001 by Scott Nicholson

The Rocking Chair copyright 2008 by Scott Nicholson

The Weight of Silence copyright 2005 by Scott Nicholson

The Hounds of Love copyright 2002 by Scott Nicholson

You’ll Never Walk Alone copyright 2003 by Scott Nicholson

Penance copyright 2002 by Scott Nicholson

Sewing Circle copyright 2008 by Scott Nicholson

Scarecrow Boy copyright 2001 by Scott Nicholson

Last Writes copyright 2006 by Scott Nicholson

Thanks for reading!

Scott

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