Authors: J. F. Gonzalez
They (56 page)
Now Tim has become friends with a loose-knit group of kids who have also become social outcasts thanks to other rumors about them by the student elite. With their mutual support, Tim has begun to come out of his shell. He’s going out with them, being invited to parties, and even begins to have a romantic interest in a girl, something he never thought would happen to him in high school.
But all that will change when Scott Bradfield and his friends set their sights on Tim again. Only this time, they need his help. Like most of the student body of Spring Valley High School, they sincerely believe Tim Gaines is a devil-worshipper. And they believe he has a dark power. Now they want to use him and that power for their own sinister plight…
…To bring back the dead homeless man they’d kidnapped and brutally beaten to a pulp in the guesthouse that resides on the Bradfield residence.
They want him brought back not because they’re scared of getting caught for his murder, but so they can savagely beat and murder him again…
…and again…
Something is in search of human prey in the gang-ridden communities of Los Angeles
…
When the member of a notorious street gang is found decapitated and dismembered at the bottom of the LA River, it quickly becomes apparent something is amiss. Detective Daryl Garcia connects it with the murders of six other gang members killed in the same way. It looks like the work of a serial killer, but the gang members don’t think so. They believe the murders are the work of rival gang members.
Someone has a dark desire of the most depraved fetish
…
Detective Garcia becomes determined to find the killer at any cost. Together with Rachael Pearce, a journalist he falls in love with, he searches for the killer through the gang underground and the world of prostitution and drugs. And as suspect after suspect is released with no solid evidence to connect them to the crimes, the search for the killer becomes more urgent as the gang-infested areas of the city reach a boiling point to the brink of rioting. In a community of gang members – who are killers themselves – how does Detective Garcia find the most monstrous killer he has ever encountered?
Madness wears many faces…
Jim Cornell used to believe in God.
But when things went bad – his daughter getting cancer, his layoff from his well-paying job, the strain of his marriage – he began to have no use for God anymore.
When Jim’s forced into a situation that will require his participation in another man’s murder, his faith will be tested. Because while Jim used to believe in God, he’d never given that much thought to the Devil.
Now he’s going to have to. Because, like it or not, Jim is involved with people who have a deep religious faith, too.
Jim is about to discover that where there is light, there must be darkness. There’s more than one kind of religious faith and his is about to be put to the ultimate test.
Michelle Dowling found her dream job. The offer on her desk from Corporate Financial Consultants included a high five figure salary, generous benefits and cushy perks. Finally, after escaping the psychological abuse of an emotionally cold mother and a series of dead-end jobs, she could start planning for a future with her fiance, Donald.
However, Michelle forgot the cardinal rule for any job offer; always read the fine print. She really should have gotten more details about her overtime hours, company policies, and exactly what they meant when they said “Welcome to the Corporate Financial Family”.
Michelle isn’t afraid of hard work. She’s a dedicated employee, the kind any manager would want for his firm. But this Corporation requires much more than just dedication…
You’ve seen her before. Perhaps somebody you know is dating her, getting himself into debt by taking her out to fancy restaurants and buying her expensive gifts. Yet you see her for what she really is.
Elizabeth Weaver saw it in her brother Ronnie’s new girlfriend, Diana. Something about the woman rubbed Elizabeth the wrong way. She refused to get a job and help Ronnie around the house and seemed to bask in the attention and expensive gifts he showered her with. And as Ronnie began neglecting the rest of his family, they finally took notice, only Elizabeth saw what the others didn’t - that Diana wasn’t quite human.
And neither were her children.
Don Grant has tracked the creature for years, ever since it turned his wife into something barely more than a living zombie. He’s traced its history through the centuries. It feeds off our lust for it, the violence it goads us into creating, and it grows stronger and seductive with each new victim. Now Don has caught up with it and he has to stop it fast, or the nightmare will be unleashed on a whole new family.
Mark Wiseman thought he had his curse under control. He thought he’d kept it secret.
He was wrong.
Bernard Roberts is a wealthy, influential man, and he knows all about the curse that runs through Mark’s veins. He knows how Mark’s parents were killed eight years ago. If Mark wants Bernard to keep this knowledge to himself, he’ll have to do what Bernard wants. He’ll have to use his curse to kill.
But if Mark Wiseman begins to lose control of the curse, he will lose everything he has: his life and freedom, and the woman he loves.
Acknowledgements
My deepest appreciation and thanks go to a wide array of people who supported me during the various stages of writing this novel:
My wife, Cathy J. Gonzalez, my daughter Hannah; my parents Jesus and Glenda Gonzalez, my in-laws, Joe and Lucy Becker; my friends Del and Sue Howison, Pete Atkins, Mark Williams, William Relling, Jr., Dave Nordhaus, Richard Laymon, David J. Schow, Gary Zimmerman, Debbie Daughetee, Kurt and Amy Wimberger, Glen & Emily Vasey, John Skipp, Buddy Martinez; to Sylvia Huth and company at Kaiser who kept me employed during the early stages of this project; to Paul at Thunderstorm Books for taking interest in the project and providing great feedback when I was tired of it; editorial peeps: Shane Ryan Staley, Don D’Auria, Jamie LaChance, Bob Strauss, and Tod Clark. To those who provided inspiration and support during the massive rewrite of this novel: Val Gunn, Michael Harrell, Bob Ford, Brian Keene, Cassi Keene, Chet Williamson, Geoff Cooper, Mike Hawthorne, Mike Oliveri, Ace and Jodi Martinez, Perry, Alex, and Carrie Martinez, Jesse Calleja, Richard Christian Matheson, John Skipp, Brian Emrich, Michael Lansu, Steve Calcutt, and Craig Spector.
For my Aunt Irene
Who still loves a good shiver
No part of this book may be used or reproduced, stored into or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other means now known or yet to be invented) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact the author:
www.jfgonzalez.com
.
Translation: no part of this book may be reprinted without prior written permission from the author; that includes uploading digital editions onto file-sharing or bit-torrent networks and/or scanning pages of the paperback edition, creating a digital file, and uploading them to file-sharing/bit-torrent networks. Yes, this does constitute “reprinting”. It’s not the same as checking a copy out at the library or borrowing a copy from a friend. A copy of the book was made; hence, the “copy” in copyright. Committing any of these acts should result in your sudden death if done for financial gain on your part, or on that of the aforementioned file-sharing networks. If done out of ignorance of copyright law, I can cut some slack, and encourage you to either a) purchase a legal copy or, b) donate what I normally would have made had you bought your own copy ($2.99, pay-pal to
[email protected]
). Bottom line: if you do not have it in writing from the author, it isn’t authorized.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events and individuals is coincidental. This book is sold as is and neither the publisher, nor the author, will be responsible for any direct or consequential damages that may arise from the misuse of the information within.
A Signed Limited First Edition of this book was previously published by Thunderstorm Books for collectors.
They © 2011 by J. F. Gonzalez Cover Illustration and Design © 2011 Mike Hawthorne First Midnight Library eBook edition © 2012
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