Authors: Al Sarrantonio
Halloweenland
HALLOWS EVE
“Imagery as crisp as the first bite of an autumn apple.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A very talented writer.”
—Washington Post Book World
“A true creative wonder. An artist.”
—Thomas F. Monteleone, Author of
The Reckoning
TOYBOX
“Gems of weirdness.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Will linger long after you’ve closed the book.”
—SF Chronicle
“Each and every one a gem.”
—Joe R. Lansdale
“These stories sneak up on you, then slam down on your head when it’s too late. . . . A dark treasure chest full of incomparable horror fiction.”
—Edward Lee, Author of
House Infernal
“A writer of great stories.”
—Raymond E. Feist
“Jack, is that you?”
“No.”
The sound of the voice, suddenly loud and deep and distinct, sent a bolt of ice through her. She clutched the sheets to her like a life jacket.
“Who—” she began, her voice trembling.
“Someone . . .” the voice said, and now the form took on more edges, moved out of the corner toward her. The pale oval appeared and disappeared again, cut with a slash of red at the bottom: a mouth.
The figure stopped at the foot of the bed. Now the face became wholly visible: a pale oval the color of a dead fish, two empty eyes like cutouts of darkness, a red bright slash of a mouth like a wound. He was enfolded in a black cape that swirled and snapped as if it were in a stiff breeze.
The temperature in the room dropped; dropped again. . . .
Other books by Al Sarrantonio:
HORRORWEEN
HALLOWS EVE
TOYBOX
KITT PEAK
WEST TEXAS
A
L
S
ARRANTONIO
Dorchester
Publishing
DORCHESTER PUBLISHING
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Halloweenland
copyright © 2007 by Al Sarrantonio
Part one originally appeared, in a different form, as
The Baby
,
copyright © 2006 by Al Sarrantonio.
A Short, Curious History of “The Baby”
copyright © 2007 by Al Sarrantonio.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Trade ISBN: 978-1-4285-1781-3
E-book ISBN: 978-1-4285-1782-0
First Dorchester Publishing, Co., Inc. edition: October 2007
The “DP” logo is the property of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Visit us online at
www.dorchesterpub.com
.
To
Kate, Richard, and Emma:
Boo for Halloween.
ONTENTS
PART TWO: ORANGEFIELD FIVE YEARS LATER
A S
HORT
, C
URIOUS
H
ISTORY OF
“T
HE
B
ABY
”