Something in the Dark

by Michael Bray

There is something in the dark.

Billy St. John can hear it, and knows it is coming for him.

Following a power outage, Billy sends his wife and son to stay with family whilst he awaits the arrival of the man from Trans- Energy to come and restore power to their isolated country home. Darkness draws near, and with it comes the engineer from the power company – a giant of a man who calls himself ‘Grant’.
Billy lets the man into his home, only to find that he is anything but normal. Without power or contact with the outside world, Billy is forced to deal with the mental and physical torture from the increasingly unstable and volatile engineer, and is forced to go to the most extreme lengths in order to try and survive the relentless thing that has invaded the dark, claustrophobic confines of his home.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

62 pages, ebook

First published December 14, 2013

About the author

Michael Bray is a bestselling author/screenwriter of more than twelve novels and numerous short stories. Influenced from an early age by the suspense horror of authors such as Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert & Brian Lumley, along with TV shows like Tales from the Crypt & The Twilight Zone, his work touches on the psychological side of horror, teasing the reader’s nerves and willing them to keep turning the pages. Several of his titles have been translated into multiple languages including a major bookstore distribution deal in Japan and his biggest selling title, Whisper, has, on numerous occasions topped the overall horror charts for Amazon titles in both the UK and US with thousands of copies sold.

His work has been featured in anthologies alongside such horror greats as Clive Barker, Adam Nevill, Shaun Hutson, Brian Lumley, Paul Tremblay, Ramsay Campbell, Ray Bradbury and many others and he continues to be an active and popular member of the horror/suspense genre.

A feature film written by Bray based on his co-written novel MONSTER starring Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street), Daniele Harold (East Enders) & Rod Glenn (American Assassin / World War Z) was shot in January 2018 whilst another of his titles, MEAT is currently with a leading Los Angeles based production company with a view to production in 2019.

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My IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm8960144/?r...

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Where to find Michael Bray online



Official website: www.michaelbrayauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelbrayauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelbrayauth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaelbrayauthor

Google +: www.plus.google.com/michaelbrayauthor







Where to find my books



Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Bray/...

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Bray/e/...

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To discuss publication or television / movie rights to

any of my work, or for any other queries, please

contact me directly at darkcornersbook@gmail.com

Reviews

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creepy, effective and great start, when the ordinary occurrence of reporting a power failure and being called upon by a service man turns first odd, then surreal and finally very, very scary. Good background story and the author does a fine job of painting and bringing to life the characters in this short format. The end is kind of a given though, even if it surely makes sense. In all, it's a quick read that I recommend to thriller/horror readers.

[Rob Twinem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sharp bit of horror from Michael Bray. There is a power failure and Billy sends his good wife away as he awaits Grant from Transenergy to arrive and address the problem....What follows is a fun and at times bizarre tale as Grant slowly infiltrates Billy's life in an attempt to restore power and search out Squeakers and Snifferblobs that it would appear inhabit all corners of Billy's house! A well thought out and unexpected ending adds to the fun in a great little story.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark story. May have you thinking twice before opening your door to the next electrician, plumber, or anyone for that matter. The focal entity within this novella is the "Snifferblob/s" (even my dictionary doesn't recognize this word)[LOL]; imagination at work. This story draws one in from the very beginning with that horror of horrors which we all fear in todays society: "POWER OUTAGE". Throw in some relationship problems and that move to the country which always fixes things; right? Wrong! And we must have the toddler by all means. The story evolves from all this into a very tight tale of misfortune/horror. My summation or coming away point was that as we have all heard or learned (esp. the hard way); "I love you" is perhaps the most misspoken, misheard, misleading, mistimed, misused, misplaced, misguided, misdirected, misinterpreted, misconstrued, misunderstood, ... three words in the English language. They are always said when they shouldn't be and never said when they should. Quite the quandary; (you-think). The "Snifferblob" may or may not exist as the conscientiousness of oneself or what may be interpreted as such as we all search for that inner meaning only to have it ripped, torn, or taken away at the most ineptly unwarranted, untimely shocking way; not to exclude existentialistically. Bottom line: don't wait until your dying (with your last breath) before telling those you honestly care about and do indeed love that you love them. Believe me; it will be rewarding and reciprocal in return. Death is final and regret for what is left unsaid is forever in the mind of the living and buried with the dead. With that said; recommend to all interested in this genre (horror) by a talented author (Michael Bray).

[Stuart Keane · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my everyday exposure to authors and horror, several names keep popping up on the radar. I'm always looking to further my horror education and I find that several lesser known authors (to me, give it time) seem to provide some of the best horror available online today.

Michael Bray is one of those writers. He takes a simple home-invasion premise, one we can all empathise with and turns it on its head with sudden yet humourous aplomb. Those with a quirky sense of humour may find some of the events in this book hilarious but there's no doubting that underneath the funnies hides a solid, creepy horror.

Who likes people in their home? Not me. it's my private space. When contractors, gas men, estate agents etc. come around, even for mere minutes, it pisses me off, ruins my day on occasion and puts me out (especially if I'm writing). Yet, we need these people to maintain our lives, they are somewhat necessary and that is the simplicity behind Something in the Dark. It takes the idea of a routine home visit that little bit further with style and twisting evil. The ending is one of the best I've read in several months and, for an experienced horror fan like me, I didnt even see it coming.

5*s for taking a very simple, mundane house visit and turning it into a gut-wrenching, stomach-churning, humourous yet violent horror tale. A short story best done in one sitting to really feel the tension, I will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Lisa Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repairman...ok. A family...ok. A home...yep. But snifferblobs and squeakers? Hmmm...

What does it all mean? It means...I WILL NEVER LOOK AT A REPAIRMAN THE SAME AS I ONCE DID! And will never let one in my house again if I am alone. Scary.

This was a pretty good short story. I like how Michael Bray can pack a whole lot of fear and gore into his stories.

4 out of 5 stars.

You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
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[Gina Covarrubias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to think we've all had those moments when we realize what we expected to be a normal interaction has gone horribly wrong, but then again it might just be me and other people probably halt those unpleasant interactions--particularly the ones where someone gets naked unexpectedly--before they go that far. If a repair man showed up at your house and did any of the things Michael Bray's repairman does in Something in the Dark, at what point would you call the police? I am glad the protagonist in this book did not have enough sense to leave or to call the police when a normal person would have. It would not have been nearly as much fun if he had.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cover for a horror fan. I grabbed this up and digested at once. I was a bit taken about by the dialogue exchange until I saw where it was going, and it was going to a great place. There is gore, and a decent story. I will be checking out more from Bray in the future.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something in the Dark gets 5 stars from this reader. Bray scares me and makes me laugh and keeps me hanging onto the pages. This is pure entertainment, and I don't ask for more than that! Find this story alone or in Bray's Box of Terror (4 of his horrifically awesome stories in one place).

[Mark Tompkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the spirit of King, Michael Bray has created a page turning gem. If you love horror, you need to read this story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it held my attention and shocked me. But the ending just didn't fit for me personally. But that being said this is well worth a read.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty graphic with good imagery. It could probably use a few edits to make the writing flow better.

[Laronza Wiley-moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll never let another repair man in when I'm alone again. This book is too creepy. We have all had that feeling with the cable guy when he is installing. Nope..not me... never again

[Samm Serrinnitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story. Billy calls the power company to have his electricity fixed and a strange man shows up. With his wife and kid staying at her parents’ house, Billy is alone with the stranger and things go from bad to worse. This books reminds me of old school Stephen King horror and it’s a great read for anyone who likes horror as much as I do.

[Kathy Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different with a disappointing ending. Still, it entertained me for a while. I do like novellas and this one is great in how Bray got so much story in so few pages. I will definitely read more of these.

[J.J. Tuite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frightening

Michael has done it again! I really love reading his stories! They really make you think! I enjoy the visuals! Job well done!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

It was short but incredibly gripping. It made you want more in a good way. I reccomend to anybody wanting a good thought provoking story.

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ottimo racconto breve (si legge in una mezz'ora), veramente inquietante e realmente disturbante.
La scrittura di Michael Bray permette di immedesimarsi completamente nel protagonista della storia, riuscendo a vivere, tutto il disagio e l'inquietudine, per l'assurdità delle situazioni che vengono narrati. I dialoghi del cattivo sono qualcosa di sublime nella loro follia.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst parts of this were silly, this is a really fun novella.