Orangefield

The things that live in the Earth...A haunted computer...A fragrant flower that signals the end of the human race...Billy the Kid's killer beginnings - in the womb...In Hornets & Others you'll find a murderous jar of moonshine, a blood-red wind, a green face that commands carnage, a possessed coat that turns its wearer into a psychotic slasher. Plus two brand new stories, about a man made of glass and a horror beyond the stars! And much more...

For untold ages a dark presence has shrouded the small town of Orangefield. In addition to the plentiful pumpkins that gave the town its name, Orangefield is home to the dreaded Lord of Death himself, Samhain. Despite rumors of his existence, and rare, brief sightings, Samhain has long been content to leave the local inhabitants alone. But that's about to change.... When a boy from the town disappears, detective Bill Grant is convinced Samhain is responsible.

After 12 years, Corrie Phaeder is returning home to Orangefield - the last place in the world he wants to be. Orangefield is a town of nightmares, a town where the impossible and the horrific happen all too often, where ghosts rise screaming from their graves, and where trick-or-treating goblins have no need for scary costumes. Something is waiting patiently for Corrie's homecoming. This Halloween, a messenger from a realm of shadows, with the body of a scarecrow and the head of a pumpkin, will usher Corrie into what might prove to be his last nightmare.

In Orangefield, Halloween is never normal - and this year will be no exception. For Orangefield is now the home of Halloweenland, a bizarre carnival run by the mysterious Mr. Dickens. No one who sees the carnival doubts that it's a very strange place, but its real secrets can hardly be imagined. Orangefield is also the home of Detective Bill Grant, who thinks he's seen it all. He's on the trail of an odd little girl, a girl who could hold the end of the universe in her hand.