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About This Book
It is sometimes said that the people who need to be watched the closest are those who are the quietest. The demure. The meek. ‘He was always so quiet,’ they would say. But at some point, the wire is tripped. A circuit in the psyche is opened and through it floods a living torrent of darkness many would find unimaginable. How easy might it be, given our human frailties, to have our civilized nature torn to shreds, replaced by an underlying psychotic drive to kill and all within the space of a heartbeat. It is something that lies dormant within all of us. Yet, who among us will lose control and let loose the devil within? Within these pages, are three stories. They could be about anyone. The next door neighbor, who, twice a week, hangs their laundry on a rope in the backyard. Or, maybe, the quiet man who sits next to you in church. He’d never hurt a fly. Would he? Presented here are the lives of three people, whose circumstances pushed them, untethered, over the edge, into the black abyss of madness. A place from which some return, changed. While others are lost forever in its convoluted web, where death becomes nothing more than a child’s toy. Following, are the descriptions for all three stories.
Digger
Witnessing a terrible car accident on Portland’s Congress St., Ryan becomes inspired to help others. The victim of an abusive father, he rises above his demons and earning a premed degree is accepted into UNE’s medical program. All goes as planned, until the ghosts of his past return. And his subsequent instability results in his dismissal from school. But, Ryan has a plan to get back into the good graces of UNE and be readmitted. So, retreating to a cabin in the woods near Lake Sebago, Ryan continues his medical education. But, even the best-laid plans don’t always work out as intended. And Ryan slips into the spiral of delusion, led by his newfound fascination with death. But, some things are beyond escape. And as Ryan’s mind marches down the road of deepening insanity, what he has referred to as ‘work’ becomes a gruesome act of control. Now, death has reached out a vengeful hand, arriving in the form not only unexpected, but utterly terrifying.
Evergreen
Evergreen is a small logging town in northern Maine. Out-of-the-way from the flow of tourists, the townspeople number only to a few thousand. But, Evergreen holds a dark secret. One that has sufficiently isolated from the rest of the world. But as Bobby and Katie, two of evergreens teenagers, begin investigating what has lay dormant in the town for decades, it falls to Christine, the towns sheriff, to keep them out of trouble. In the meantime, Katie’s widowed father, Tom, has begun a passionate romance with Christine, One that seems to hold a promising future. But has winter closes in, the teens decide that their curiosity can only be satisfied by entering the old house in the woods, that is the source of Evergreens dark secret. By the time Bobby and Katie discover the evil that has, for so many years, lived within its walls, it is too late. And the town has, once again, become a victim of something brought to life by dark means.
Outpatient
Tragedy befalls Maine’s Carrabassett Valley as Catherine Thomaston, a theoretical physics professor with a brilliant career at Bowdoin College, takes ill after the sudden death of her father. Forced into retirement by this terrible illness, she has been living a quiet life of isolation just north of Farmington, Maine. But, her illness falls into a sudden downward spiral when she is faced with her worst fear. But through its course, her best friend, Nancy, has been there to support her at every step. Then, one night, a storm rages through, knocking power out for thousands. Now in the dark, and out of touch with the rest of the world, Catherine finds herself truly isolated and is quickly confronted by her demons. And Nancy, the only person she has ever been able to count on, has accidentally stumbled into her world of terror.
Digger
Witnessing a terrible car accident on Portland’s Congress St., Ryan becomes inspired to help others. The victim of an abusive father, he rises above his demons and earning a premed degree is accepted into UNE’s medical program. All goes as planned, until the ghosts of his past return. And his subsequent instability results in his dismissal from school. But, Ryan has a plan to get back into the good graces of UNE and be readmitted. So, retreating to a cabin in the woods near Lake Sebago, Ryan continues his medical education. But, even the best-laid plans don’t always work out as intended. And Ryan slips into the spiral of delusion, led by his newfound fascination with death. But, some things are beyond escape. And as Ryan’s mind marches down the road of deepening insanity, what he has referred to as ‘work’ becomes a gruesome act of control. Now, death has reached out a vengeful hand, arriving in the form not only unexpected, but utterly terrifying.
Evergreen
Evergreen is a small logging town in northern Maine. Out-of-the-way from the flow of tourists, the townspeople number only to a few thousand. But, Evergreen holds a dark secret. One that has sufficiently isolated from the rest of the world. But as Bobby and Katie, two of evergreens teenagers, begin investigating what has lay dormant in the town for decades, it falls to Christine, the towns sheriff, to keep them out of trouble. In the meantime, Katie’s widowed father, Tom, has begun a passionate romance with Christine, One that seems to hold a promising future. But has winter closes in, the teens decide that their curiosity can only be satisfied by entering the old house in the woods, that is the source of Evergreens dark secret. By the time Bobby and Katie discover the evil that has, for so many years, lived within its walls, it is too late. And the town has, once again, become a victim of something brought to life by dark means.
Outpatient
Tragedy befalls Maine’s Carrabassett Valley as Catherine Thomaston, a theoretical physics professor with a brilliant career at Bowdoin College, takes ill after the sudden death of her father. Forced into retirement by this terrible illness, she has been living a quiet life of isolation just north of Farmington, Maine. But, her illness falls into a sudden downward spiral when she is faced with her worst fear. But through its course, her best friend, Nancy, has been there to support her at every step. Then, one night, a storm rages through, knocking power out for thousands. Now in the dark, and out of touch with the rest of the world, Catherine finds herself truly isolated and is quickly confronted by her demons. And Nancy, the only person she has ever been able to count on, has accidentally stumbled into her world of terror.