A compilation of 32 short stories, most in the horror genre and most with surprise endings. Not for the faint of heart and those prone to nightmares.
THE NIGHTMARES INCLUDE: THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT Charles likes to watch horror flicks by candlelight with his monster mannequins... MASQUERADE The Madeira Club has hired a travel agent to rent a castle in Transylvania for this year’s gala Halloween party... BLACK AS NIGHT Two teenagers try to rescue a helpless woman from being buried alive by a masked rider on Halloween... HANGMAN’S OVERLOOK A scam artist wagers $800 he will spend the night on Hangman’s Overlook and live... THE SHELL GAME An elderly man loses his faith in a snowstorm on the last day of his life... WEREWOLF ON BROADWAY A werewolf propositions a promoter to make his transformation the main event at Madison Square Garden... THE BOY WHO CRIED BOOGEYMAN John returns to the house where the boogeyman tried to eat him when he was ten years old... TOOTH FAIRY A serial killer has driven a crucifix through the hearts of seven boys and extracted their incisors... SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Jane has arranged a surprise birthday party for her boss at his funeral parlor... THE AX A warlock has sworn to return on the anniversary of being burned at the stake three hundred years ago... CYCLOPS The final show at the end of the fairgrounds is one Jed Norman will never forget... CHRISTMAS EVE It’s the night before Christmas and something’s in the house, and it’s not Santa... And twenty others... To secure the sanity of the reader, I suggest these nightmares be read in broad daylight with loved ones in close proximity that can be summoned in an instant by a sudden cry. I take no responsibility for the circumstances that may befall those who dare to visit these foreboding scarescapes alone at night. Abandon all hope for these pitiable souls if the lights go out.
Excerpt
See the actual pages of the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Black-As-Night-Billy-Wells/dp/1456303139
The Clown At Midnight
My name is Charles Royster. All my friends know I am a horror film fanatic, and they tease me relentlessly about the props I set up in my TV room before I watch a horror flick.
I place two life-size movie monsters on both sides of my 55-inch TV. My favorites are Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Next, I place a life-size werewolf mannequin dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans in the side chair next to the sofa to watch the movie with me. I light one small candle on the coffee table and turn on the overhead fan at its slowest setting. The draft makes the candle flicker eerily and gives the monsters a more ominous presence.
Larry Igou, a friend at work, had given me a DVD to watch this evening. He recommended it as one of the scariest movies he had ever seen. I asked him to join me, but unfortunately, he had other plans or didn’t want to take a chance on cardiac arrest viewing the film at my house.
I got home at about 9 p.m., had a few drinks and dinner, and positioned my props to watch Terror on Tape. It was almost 10 p.m. when I slid the DVD into the player and sat down next to the werewolf. I turned off all the lights in the house with my remote. The single candle was the only light.
The werewolf stared at me with his constant wolfish grin.
Pray for the light. Pray that you last that long. The Long Hour Before Light is a classic collection of Horror tales, re-mastered by Champagne Book Group
