Excerpt from Killers and Demons II: They Return

My latest horror story collection, Killers and Demons II: They Return, launches tomorrow, and here's an sneak peek at what to expect...

Family Trait

Sarah sat in a coffee shop, staring out a window. She didn't want to think about what happened with Jason, about why she was single again, or why he was gone. Sarah thought she found her home with him, that they belonged together, but it fell apart so badly. She wanted to act as if it were just another breakup, except this time things were different.

“God, I acted like a crazy freak. I bet Jason thought so too before…” Sarah closed her eyes, blocking the memory of that night.

That’s why she sat here drinking a latte instead of going home. She didn't have to face her troubles here, just stare out the window and pretend. In her apartment, the reminders lingered.

“I know I’m going crazy.” She whispered her fears into her half-empty coffee cup. “I’m turning out like Mom.”

Sarah could still hear that phrase in her head.

The strong don’t break; they snap.

That’s how her mother’s problem was explained to a five-year-old Sarah by her Aunt Rachel.

And here I am at twenty, wondering if I've snapped too.

She didn't know how else to explain the things she wanted, the thoughts in her brain, her behaviour for the last few weeks. She drained the last of her coffee and sighed.

Hiding isn't going to help me though. I need to find answers. I just wish I knew where. I wish I had someone to talk to. I wish I didn't feel so alone.

She certainly couldn't count on her mess of a family. Her father moved out of the city last year, but even before, they had never been close, never connected after her mother went away. And her Aunt Rachel drifted out of her life after high school. She was on her own, the same old pattern.

Sarah sighed again. She knew she couldn't put it off anymore. She trashed her disposable coffee cup, left the shop, and drove home.

Inside her apartment, Sarah gazed over the stylish space that used to be her sanctuary, her refuge. She walked across the tile to the kitchen, trying not to look at the pale, scrubbed spot with its still-visible bloodstain. She opened the refrigerator and took out some of the raw meat that used to be her boyfriend Jason. She preheated a frying pan, added a little olive oil and seasoning, and fried part of his arm for supper. After that, she watched some TV and went to bed, dreading the next day.

Check out Killers and Demons II on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MRKCFWM