Occult

A debut collection of stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties.

Originally documented in the Discovery Channel’s A Haunting: The Forgotten, Harvesting Shadows delves into the aspects of violent hauntings and discarnate intelligences that prime time reality television and pop-culture ghost hunters ignore or refuse to discuss.

There was something about the small house in the Indiana woods that wasn’t quite right. At first Cathy Ballard thought it was the size. But she and her husband were soon to learn it was something beyond earthly dimensions. Like the bulging doors...the taunting voices...the heart-wrenching vision of a hollow-eyed, spectral boy...the rapacious monsters in human form. The house was haunted by angry, restless ghosts—both the victims and the perpetrators of past, unspeakable acts.

On a dark New England night, Cassie Stevens startles awake–something’s in the room with her. Something she can’t see or hear, but feels in the icy air, and the weight of unseen eyes watching her from the darkness. Ever since surviving a near-death experience in a crash, Cassie’s been haunted by this malevolent presence. She sees brief flashes of it from the corner of her eye and in the subtle stir of shadows in dark corners. It’s coming for her, invading her mind and thoughts with dark, grotesque horrors and madness

One year has passed since a string of vicious murders shocked the quiet block of Goshen Street. While deep scars remain for the survivors, William Parson lays in his hospital bed tormented by the murders committed by his hand, but not of his will. Completely paralyzed, he has no means to communicate. Thought to be in a vegetative state, and utterly despised, he is deprived of music, books, movies or even a single soul to speak to him.

Zhenia is adrift in Los Angeles, pregnant with a baby her husband doesn't want, while her Russian grandmother and favorite person in the world is dying on the opposite coast. She's deeply disconnected from herself and her desires when she gets a strange call from Paul, a psychic medium who usually specializes in channeling dead pets, with a message from the other side. Zhenia's great-grandmother Irina, a Russian Revolutionary, has approached him from a cloud of ancestral grief, desperate to tell her story and receive absolution from Zhenia.

In the heart of a dense forest stood a solitary cabin, forgotten by time. Within dwelled Eli, a recluse obsessed with an ancient cricket trapped in a gilded cage, believing it held the key to immortality. Neglecting his well-being, Eli conducted dark rituals in pursuit of power, until one stormy night, he performed a forbidden ritual, binding his fate to the cricket's.

Retired Marine, Shane Ryan, knows all about war. He’s fought in the toughest hellholes on the planet, and he has the scars, both physical and mental, to prove it. As the world’s foremost ghost hunter, Shane has defeated supernatural evil beyond imagination. But this time, the fight is personal.

Reginald Lympton collects dollhouses, and now that he's acquired the rare Patten Dollhouse, he can boast the most preeminent collection in the world. But after visions too abominable to reckon and nightmares blacker than the most bottomless abyss, he discovers in short order that his acquisition is not a prized collectors item at all but a diabolical thoroughfare designed to serve the darkest indulgences of the King of Terrors.

When multiple acts of violence committed by a stranger leave everyone afraid, Chief of Police Brock Lowery finds himself in the middle of something much worse than he anticipated. He is forced to question whom he can trust as people he's known his entire life turn against him to serve this mysterious figure. Can Lowery save the town and the people he's sworn to protect, or will he fail against the monster that has brought evil down upon Rappahanok Falls?

In a small town, Emily awakens to a surreal scene: a crimson-hued sky, the sun rising from the west, and a sense of foreboding gripping the air. As she ventures out, she discovers that she's not alone in witnessing this eerie phenomenon. Panic and confusion grip the townsfolk, and Emily's quest for answers leads her down a dark path, where she confronts a secretive cult and faces a choice that will determine the fate of humanity. Amidst haunting memories and sinister forces, Emily finds the strength to make the ultimate sacrifice, banishing darkness and restoring light to the world.

Demon-wrangling mortician Tennessee England plays detective. When a corpse shows signs of foul play, Tennessee's on the case! Cats are missing. People are drowning. Could the cozy beach town of Saint James have a cat-nabbing serial killer in its midst? Catching a killer should be as easy as embalming a corpse, right? Wrong. The town is stewing in mystical mayhem. It's infested with demons! And the culprit is hiding in a sea of quirky locals.

Alex has her hands full with a Freshborn Gabe. His memories are gone and his squeamish demeanor has her wanting to shove him back into the Sulfur Pools. Gabe questions whether or not he is better off without his memories when a secret about Alex is uncovered putting their partnership at risk. If that wasn't complicated enough. Gabe must make a choice. Go against the direct orders of Judas and risk losing himself to powers so dark Heaven and Hell combined cannot stand against them, or listen to Judas and refuse to interfere in the evil destruction raging across the Earth.

All Tommy Nolan wants is some peace to enjoy his family. He’s been to hell and back, and now he needs a break. But evil doesn’t need to take a breather, and now the Vatican is back on his doorstep asking for help. A nearby monastery has been desecrated and the exorcist monks murdered in the most brutal ways imaginable. A legion of demons is gathering for something big, and Tommy’s the saint they need to help.

They are part of our daily lives. We watch them from our kitchen windows and backyard decks as they scurry over the branches of our tall oak trees. We laugh at their antics as they furiously bury and unbury their precious acorns. Yes, they are part of our lives and, though, sometimes a nuisance, we generally enjoy and tolerate them. But what happens when something goes wrong?