Black

by Cory Rowe

When Sheriff Paul Adams is confronted with the murder of well-liked Eve Collins, he immediately suspects Sully Gates, the small town of Acheron, Georgia's ne'er-do-well. After all, Sully's also suspected of killing his own parents, and his house is near that of the Collinses. Eve's husband Jesse and her mother Dawn are devastated by her death, and Paul is determined to bring the killer to justice. During his investigation, he discovers a journal that seems to have a "hit list" that ends with the entire town of Acheron.Soon Jesse is terrified by an encounter with an unnatural being, and Acheron resident Jeremy Clark's family is terrorized by something supernatural, as well, leading him to unwittingly kill his own daughter while the being he mistakes for his daughter kills his wife.Shortly afterward, Acheron's weather turns cold, rainy, and snowy, with perpetually gray, dreary skies. As if the weather isn't unusual enough, it isn't long afterward that the entire town is shocked to see some sort of demonic being in the woods outside town. Paul and his deputy Michael are killed by the creature as they attempt to investigate.Jesse, knowing of the journal, takes it from Paul's office and is stunned to see his name among those slated for death. This is the least of his worries, however, as he struggles to deal with Eve's death and mother-in-law Dawn's worsening depression.Before long, the bodies begin to pile up as townspeople seek to escape Acheron and are killed by the demonic beings surrounding the town. Their corpses are stored in the town doctor's shed...until they aren't...Somehow the corpses have become reanimated and gather to march zombie-like to the town square, where they engage in an elaborate ritual that brings forth a creature seemingly from the depths of hell.This creature, who calls himself Black, delights in tormenting the remaining townspeople and implying that one of them is responsible for their suffering.

270 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2019