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HELD
Nicole Lee, a young wife and new mother, steps out of the mall, squinting against the glare of the midday sun, completely unaware that her life is about to change forever.
In a matter of seconds, she is steeped in fear as the world she knows and the life she loves fades away.
As the panic sets in and the terror takes hold, Nicole tries to keep calm, though she's now in a frantic fight for her life. Locked in a deadly battle of wits with a psychopath, she struggles to keep her sanity as she's held.
RAGE
Brian Boozer is a good kid in a bad situation. At thirteen, he's already endured the pain of losing his father and the agony of living with a step-father who hates and abuses him. At school, Brian suffers even more torment, delivered by bullies who seem to enjoy making his life miserable. The only bright spot in Brian's life is Carly, the girl on whom he's had a crush for years. As his relationship with her evolves, so do the problems at home and the confrontations at school. A distressed Brian retreats further into himself, hiding behind the wall he's built as protection from the cruel chaos around him. Eager to be free of his troubles, Brian fights to be heard in a world that won't listen.
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
Hewitt Street, a normally quiet neighborhood where everyone knows their neighbors. Or at least they think they do. Lately, things on Hewitt Street have been strange. There have been a number of mysterious deaths and disappearances. The neighbors have become suspicious of one another. Fear takes hold and fights ensue as they race to learn the truth behind these strange occurrences before the killer can strike again.
So who among them is the murderer?
That's what the residents of Hewitt Street are dying to find out...
ANNIE'S REVENGE
Elizabeth Anne Phillips, known as Annie, is a seventeen-year-old girl with few friends. Overweight for the majority of her young life, she's teased at school, made fun of and called names by the other kids. Because of the constant ridicule, she becomes an introvert with no confidence and low self-esteem, seeking comfort in the safety of books. She eagerly awaits graduation, which will end the torment she endures daily. However, when three classmates do the unthinkable, stripping from her everything that she holds dear, it changes Annie's life forever and sets her on a path of destruction that will years later bring them all together once again.
ONCE UPON A RHYME...
From the author of RAGE and Held comes a diverse collection of rhyming short stories and poems. In true Bettes fashion, the author explores the darkest recesses of the human mind, shedding light on the evil deeds they do, only this time, she does it in the form of poetry.
SHINERS
Lifelong friends Billy and Tom set out into the moonlit Georgia wilderness one hot summer night to make the year’s last batch of moonshine. But when they stumble upon a 150 year-old secret that will change them both forever, greed consumes them, putting their friendship—and their lives—in danger.
THE HOME
Reporter Thomas Allen arrives at a meeting with an old man claiming to have a story. Figuring this to be another rural small-town scandal, Tom keeps his expectations low. But when Emmett Jacobson tells his tale, one of abuse, disappearances, murders, and cover-ups that have been occurring for years at the local nursing home, Tom realizes this story is much more than he bargained for.
HIS ASHES
Lisa is still in mourning after the death of her beloved husband Mike. Her depression has caused her to develop a bizarre habit, frowned upon by others but comforting to her. But an accident takes that habit a step further, turning it into a strange obsession.
THE LONELIEST ROAD (1st MINUTE TO DEATH)
Chris Peters takes an impromptu road trip to ease his woes following the death of his wife. Stopping at a roadside diner in a town not marked on a map, he notices the waitress looks remarkably like his beloved wife. The sight of the waitress brings comfort to Chris for the first time since his wife's death. Unable to bring himself to leave her, he gets a room at a nearby hotel, and realizes too late that sometimes justice can be macabre.
*The 1st story in the Minutes to Death series.
CLOSE TO HOME (2nd MINUTE TO DEATH)
As their vacation winds to a close, Clyde and his family decide to take a scenic shortcut, which turns out to be much more than just a mistake. After a sudden rainstorm, their vehicle gets stuck on the road that has become little more than a path. Forced to walk for help, Clyde leaves his family behind, promising to return. He's about to learn the hard way that sometimes justice is macabre.
*This is the 2nd story in the Minutes to Death series.
THE LAST RESORT (3rd MINUTE TO DEATH)
Ashley Carter grew up in the city and prides herself on her street smarts. But when she meets a handsome stranger in a roadside diner who invites her to his resort, she ignores her instincts and soon discovers that sometimes justice is macabre.
*This is the 3rd story in the Minutes to Death series.
SHOCK ROCK (4th MINUTE TO DEATH)
Rock 'n Roll took him to the top. He never thought it'd be the death of him.
After breaking up with his girlfriend, rock star Ace Haven drives his beloved Shelby Mustang across the country to meet up with his band and continue their tour. Stopping off in a small town, Ace soon discovers that being a rock star isn't always a good thing. In fact, it's downright bad. Too late, he realizes that sometimes justice is macabre.
*This is the 4th story in the Minutes to Death series.
THE FRENCH QUARTER (5th MINUTE TO DEATH)
After picking up a hitchhiker and quickly realizing it was a bad mistake, Anthony finds himself in a minor car accident. When the police officer arrives, things get weird and he realizes that sometimes justice is macabre.
*The 5th story in the Minutes to Death series.
BEFORE THE HARVEST
HIS TIME HAS COME
When the Martins move their daughter from the crime-filled streets of St. Louis to the safety of the countryside, they don’t realize that the rural town they think of as a haven is loaded with secrets, and the farm they lease is far from safe. It is cursed land, and they’re about to find out the hard way that danger lurks everywhere, even in a small, peaceful farming community.
AND SO HAS THEIRS...
In a struggle to survive until dawn, will they make it, or will they only add to the rising body count?
CARNAGE: AFTER THE END - VOLUME 1
The Apocalypse has come, leaving in its wake small pockets of survivors battling to stay alive; each carving out a new beginning for mankind. The ten stories in Carnage: After the End – Volume 1 are the terrifyingly harsh and brutal realities those survivors must face. Each one takes us to a place where humanity’s stragglers are forced to battle with enemies outside of their control; mutant beasts, groups of depraved and desperate people, and the terrifying threat of a dwindling food supply. Their fight for survival gets even more difficult as they search among the tatters of civilization for the will to carry on. In a world where society has collapsed and terror lurks around every corner, no one can be trusted and nothing can be taken for granted. Hell has invaded and happy endings are a thing of the past…
LEGENDS OF URBAN HORROR: A FRIEND OF A FRIEND TOLD ME
We've all come across them. The warnings told by a friend of a friend - don’t go in there, I wouldn't if I were you, did you hear about…? Or perhaps your mind leaps to the cryptozoological realm - creatures barely glimpsed, and yet to be identified. Other spheres of existence - they can’t be real… certainly not until you've experienced one!
Maybe the real horror lies in the minds and hearts of others just like you. People with a slightly bent perspective that feed on the fear in others. Twisted souls that would take advantage of the weak, or vulnerable. Those who believe they are doing good for a higher power, or to gain power simply for themselves. Petty vengeance that breathes a life of its own once unleashed.
Whatever your poison, the ten stories in Legends of Urban Horror: A Friend of a Friend Told Me are sure to intrigue, and perhaps bring back fears long forgotten,
Run, don’t look back… or should you?
TWISTED
From the dark mind of Kimberly A. Bettes comes this unsettling collection of 26 short stories, each more twisted than the last. The stories within will leave you feeling uneasy, shocked, and disturbed.
THE DAY BOB GREELEY DIED
It's August, 1952 in the small town of Sweetwater, Missouri, where a deadly drought has the residents begging for rain, and with it, mercy. But on this particular day, just another in a long line of dry days with three-digit temperatures, mercy will not be given. As the mercury rises and the power fails, gossip runs rampant and tempers flare, causing a handful of the most prestigious members of the community to point their fingers at Bob Greeley. Until today, Bob has lived among them as a friend and neighbor, but with his fate in their hands, that's about to change.
THE CABIN ON CALHOUN RIDGE
Leslie Lane sits on the porch of her rustic cabin, trying to convince herself that the whistling coming from the woods is only a bird. And she believes that.
Until she recognizes the song.
When a stranger descends on her house, Leslie's ordinarily peaceful night turns into a nightmare.
One from which she may not wake.
PUSHED
Ron Redwine is an up-and-coming author, a man whose lifelong dream of achieving celebrity status in the literary world is finally becoming a reality. But Ron isn't only a writer. He's also a sadistic serial killer who kidnaps, tortures, and murders women in his basement.
Nicole Lee is a beloved wife and mother. She's also the only woman who has ever escaped Ron's clutches. After being held in captivity for nearly a year, she found a way out, a way to be free once again and go back to her life. Only she can't. The life she knew before her abduction is gone. Separated from her husband and son, Nicole is psychologically broken. She spends months in a mental health facility trying to put the past behind her so she can return to her family.
Upon her release, Nicole hides herself away in a fleabag motel where she wrestles with her demons alone. When an interview on the local news advertises the last two stops on Ron's latest book tour, she becomes enraged. Furious that he's able to live his life happily while she's reduced to an existence filled with guilt and despair, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Pushed too far, Nicole seeks her revenge, using Ron's own devices against him.
TRANSFERENCE
Josh Bradshaw is a troubled young man. Leah Johnson loves him in spite of his troubles. For nearly two decades, Leah has tried to convince Josh that the guilt he’s been carrying all these years isn’t his to carry. What happened wasn’t his fault. It’s an impossible task, as Josh long ago convinced himself that he’s to blame. On a beautiful October evening, a twist of fate changes everything, and suddenly Josh’s burden is lifted…and placed directly on Leah’s shoulders.
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
It’s 2 AM. She leaves work and begins the long drive home, exhausted after another twelve-hour shift. Suddenly a tire explodes on a desolate stretch of highway, leaving her stranded at the side of the road. With no jack and no cell phone reception, her only option is to wait in the car…and depend on the kindness of strangers.
THE HUNGER
Things are different now. Life has been replaced by death. The population has decreased immensely due to the many dangers in this strange new post-apocalyptic world. Life—what of it is left—is different than it was before in every way but one. Those who are left still need to eat.
There’s just one problem.
The food supply is gone.
22918
Lester Wine is a serial killer. Having brutally murdered dozens of women, he serves out his final days on death row. As his execution date nears, he recounts his story to a young journalist and budding author, telling every gory detail of his life and of the crimes he committed, all while fantasizing about the chance to do them one more time.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO WRITE A BOOK
In this essay, Bettes hits us with the truth about the four most common things people say to writers that drive them crazy. But she softens the blow with a touch of humor.
NIGHT FALLS
Amy and Scott Crane leave their suburban St. Louis home and head out into the backwoods of the Ozarks where they enjoy each other’s company as well as the beautiful scenery. But when night falls, the normally serene forest becomes a terrifying jungle and the couple find themselves entangled in a nightmare.
When Scott disappears, Amy is left worrying about what might’ve happened to him…and wondering who the people lurking in the darkness around her might be.
THE CRIERS CLUB
Adam Spencer, a happily married 37 year-old father of two young boys, has everything he wants. A successful business, a beautiful home, two cars in the garage, and a dog. What he doesn’t want is to die. But Adam doesn’t have a say in the matter. He just found out he has brain cancer.
Troubled by his newly-discovered death sentence, Adam joins a support group for the terminally ill. There, he meets six strangers who are struggling to cope with their own impending demises.
When one member of the group dies, leaving behind an unfulfilled dream, the others realize just how limited their time is. Now, as the youngest member nears the end of his short life, they become determined to make sure the boy’s dream comes true before it’s too late. Together, they embark on a road trip that will teach them all what it means to live, and to die.
DEAD MAN'S CHAIR
An old man at a bar warns Adam Davis that his girlfriend is going to die. Adam ignores the man, figuring his words to be nothing more than the drunken ramblings of a crazed stranger. But Adam soon finds himself back at the bar, searching for the old man and the answer to the question…
Why did his girlfriend die?
EXODUS
At the height of the Great Depression, thousands of families who have lost everything are left with no choice but to make the pilgrimage westward in search of a new life. Some will find what they're looking for. Some will not and will then be forced to make the long journey back home. Then there are the others, those who never make it to either place because they made a stop along the way in a town called Exodus, an abandoned silver mining town in eastern Arizona where nothing good ever happens and most folks never leave.
The Carlsons--John, his wife Anne, and their newborn baby James--are one of countless families heading west, and they're one of many unfortunate families who decide to make a stop in Exodus. The sign on the highway promises food and gas, both of which the Carlsons need. But the sign doesn't advertise all that Exodus has to offer.
It doesn't mention the torture.
The cannibalism.
The death.
Caught now in a horrifying world of madness, Anne has to fight to save her family, though doing so will push her to the very brink of her own sanity.
IN HER SKIN
Gina Stavrim hears the whispers and the giggles, sees the points and sneers of everyone around her. Classmates, teachers, even total strangers. She knows she's the butt of their cruel jokes and the topic of their awful conversations. That's part of what makes it so hard to leave her house every day. The other part? She's uncomfortable. In her clothes, in her mind, and in this world. But now, after suffering a final humiliation, she thinks she has the answer to all her problems. The solution that will finally make her feel comfortable in her skin.
THE FACELESS
When Carrie Rose was six years old, she fought off her mother's attacker. Now, twenty years later, she's an internet sensation with millions of adoring fans and an offer to take her cooking show to television. Her culinary talents have brought her everything she's ever wanted. Money. Success. A loyal fanbase. But it also brought her something she didn't want.
A stalker.
Carrie's boyfriend has vowed to keep her safe from the man harassing her online. But it seems that he is hiding something from her and may not be the person she believes him to be.
Blood will be shed...
Allan Grayson is an Atlanta detective who's been working the same case for far too long. A serial killer known as The Camper has claimed over four dozen victims and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he's growing more brazen by the day. Now, in a race to stop him before he can kill again, Detective Grayson finds himself at Carrie Rose's house on a dark Georgia night. But will he make it there in time or will The Camper's body count rise?
Not everyone will live to see the dawn.
THE SHORTS
This is a 99,000+ word collection of 10 unsettling short stories and novellas, previously released in digital format, gathered together here for the first time.
Contains the following stories:
In Her Skin
Transference
His Ashes
Shiners
Dead Man's Chair
The Cabin on Calhoun Ridge
Nights Falls
The Hunger
The Kindness of Strangers
The Home