Unhinged - Tales of Darkness and Terror

by Ronald Kelly

It usually happens by chance. You are alone in a deserted parking lot or at an interstate rest stop, when a man approaches you out of nowhere. An average-looking fellow with a good-natured smile; a man who, in your opinion, certainly couldn’t harm a fly.
Then, in a flash, it happens. The pepper spray, the duct tape, the forceful imprisonment in the oily darkness of a car trunk. You lay there and listen as the car tires hum on the smoothness of asphalt, then the crackle of gravel, then the rutted instability of a lonesome dirt road. Above the noise you can hear your abductor humming a familiar tune cheerfully to himself… The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”. It is at that moment that you realize that his grin was anything but good-natured and that his brain – and dark intentions – are as twisted and slimy as a nest of squirming nightcrawlers…

In Tales of Darkness and Depravity, Southern Horror author, Ronald Kelly, explores the blackest recesses of the human psyche in eleven chilling tales of dark suspense and terror. Serial killers, mass murderers, and other no-account folks stalk these pages, donning the mask of mediocrity and normality, until the masquerade comes abruptly to an end and the abominations lurking beneath are laid bare and unbridled. And, by then, it is too late. There can be no escape… for the one who has possession of your body and soul is hopelessly unhinged…



Introduction
Breakfast Serial
The Winds Within
Fluid
Yea, Though I Drive
Diary
Romicide
Depravity Road
Mass Appeal
Scream Queen
Wood Shed
Exit 85

Genres: Horror

Nook

First published February 27, 2011

About the author

Ronald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own superheroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels. To date, he has had thirteen novels and twelve short fiction collections published. In 2021, his extreme horror collection, THE ESSENTIAL SICK STUFF, won a Splatterpunk Award for Best Collection.

He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad story in the bunch.

[timj26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of all things extreme horror I Found this side of Ronald Kelly fascinatingly good
Excellent narration well worth your time 5stars