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‘Daddy, wake up!’
It was Amy’s voice. His daughter.
Ken stirred, rousing himself from a deep sleep. A gentle breeze from an open window felt good against his cheek. But he didn’t feel ready to wake up just yet. Even through his closed eyelids, he could detect daylight flooding into the room. Small hands began to shake him.
When Ken eventually opened his eyes and looked up, Amy was staring down at him with a big smile. She was still in her pajamas, and her hair was a glorious mop of wild blonde frizz.
‘Wake up,’ she said again. ‘Mom’s gone to work already.’
Memory began to seep back to him, replacing a dream he couldn’t remember. And then his eyes opened even wider.
Today was the big day. An important day. One he couldn’t afford to mess up. Ken jumped out of bed, now a bundle of nerves, knowing today was not going to be anything less than perfect.
He’d have to take Amy with him now, which was a change to the plan, and not ideal. But he would still make it work.
‘Can we play a game, Daddy? You promised to play hide and seek with me today.’
‘Not now, Amy,’ Ken replied. ‘I have an important meeting to get ready for.’
‘But you said we could play,’ she whined, stamping her little foot. Amy wasn’t the type of child to throw a tantrum over nothing, and the smile on her face as she stomped indicated she was less than serious. But Ken had no time for games, and he could do without the distraction. He needed to focus.
‘No!’ he snapped, raising his voice. ‘I don’t have time to play with you. Now get ready.’
Ken saw the look of shock appear on her face. He felt bad, but made a mental note to make it up to her. They could play later, after his meeting.
There would always be time later.
Right now, though, he had more important things to worry about.
He spent the rest of the morning getting himself and Amy ready, running through the meeting in his head, trying to visualise how it would go and mentally prepare himself.
And then they set off. A traffic delay ruined his plan of being early, and so after parking in town he set off running, desperate to make up the time.
While en route, he phoned the agent to explain the situation.
‘Daddy, wait,’ he heard Amy say as they weaved between people. ‘I can’t keep up.’
‘Yes, you can,’ he told her, just as the agent answered the call. Ken explained his predicament and, thankfully, the man on the other end of the line understood. Even told him not to worry about it.
Then Ken heard something. A grunt from his daughter. Spinning his head, he saw her sprawled out on the road. Then he saw the truck. He looked at her.
Amy looked back.
Her eyes were so wide. So full of horror and fear. At that moment, the poor child understood something a girl of her age should never have to.
She understood what was going to happen to her.
Ken could do nothing, and the truck couldn’t stop in time.
After the impact, while people around him shouted and panicked, Ken held her lifeless body. He screamed and screamed and screamed, loud and long enough for his voice to eventually give out. Ken thought he might actually die from the heartbreak.
His girl. His little girl. His Amy.
The rest of the day was a living nightmare of hellish guilt and suffering. He couldn’t get the picture of her innocent face out of his mind, with that look of terrible understanding drawing over her.
Ken lay on the sofa that night, nursing a picture of his daughter as he cried. He didn’t remember falling asleep.
‘Daddy, wake up!’
It was Amy’s voice. His daughter.
Small hands shook him. When Ken opened his eyes, he could see her staring down with a big smile. Realisation hit. Today was the day. An important day. One he had to be ready for.
‘Can we play a game, Daddy? You promised to play hide and seek with me.’
‘Not now, I have an important meeting to get ready for.’
‘But you said we could play.’
‘No! I don’t have time to play with you today. Now get ready.’
They left. A build-up of traffic caused Ken to arrive in town late. They ran down the street. Ken phoned the agent to apologise. A grunt caught his attention.
Amy was in the road.
The truck. The screech. The look on her face. His life collapsing in an instant. His heart breaking in an explosion of pain beyond what he thought possible.
The rest of the day was a living hell. That night, Ken clutched a picture of her and cried.
He did not remember falling asleep.
‘Daddy, wake up!’
It was Amy’s voice. His daughter…
THE END
The Demonic
Book 1 in the Supernatural Horror Novel Series
Book 1 in the Supernatural Horror Novel Series.
Separate stories. The same, terrifying universe.
Years ago Danni Morgan ran away from her childhood home and vowed never to go back. It was a place of fear, pain and misery at the hands of an abusive father.
But now Danni’s father is dead and she is forced to break her vow and return home—to lay his body to rest and face up to the ghosts of her past.
But Danni is about to realise that some ghosts are more real than others. And something beyond her understanding is waiting for her there, lurking in the shadows. An evil that intends to kill her family and claim her very soul.
Experience supernatural horror in the vein of THE CONJURING, INSIDIOUS and the legendary GHOSTWATCH. THE DEMONIC will get under your skin, send chills down your spine and have you sleeping with the lights on!
The Mark
Book 2 in the Supernatural Horror Novel Series.
Book 2 in the Supernatural Horror Novel Series.
Separate stories. The same, terrifying universe.
Kirsty Thompson is no stranger to trauma. But when a vicious attack leaves her drugged and disoriented, she never expected to wake up to a permanent scar. She starts having demonic visions, all linked to the ancient symbol carved deep into her back…
With the help of her best friend Amanda, Kirsty discovers that the mark originates from The Devil's Bible and forges a connection between her and a terrifying creature. As they track the man who assaulted her to a satanic cult, the beast hunts them from the shadows. Can Kirsty escape the devil worshippers and her bond with the heinous creature to save herself from eternal damnation?
The Mark is a terrifying standalone horror novel. If you like mysterious depraved forces, tales of the occult, and stories that will have you looking under the bed, then you’ll love this gripping tale!
Buy The Mark now…
Also by Lee Mountford
Horror in the Woods
If you go down to the woods today…
For Ashley and her three friends, it was supposed to be an adventure-filled weekend. A chance to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of city life, and experience the peaceful tranquility of nature.
But when they ventured into those woods, their trip turned into a horror far beyond what they could have ever imagined.
Because these four friends have wandered into the territory of the violent, grotesque Webb family. A group of psychopaths who have a taste for human meat. And they are hungry!
Ashley and her friends must face this evil head on, and worse, discover the shocking secret behind the family's existence...
In the vein of THE EVIL DEAD, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and WRONG TURN - HORROR IN THE WOODS will leave you exhausted and drained. A brutal, violent tale that hurtles along at break-neck pace—one that horror fans should not miss!
Buy Horror in the Woods now…
Also by Lee Mountford
Tormented
Dare you enter the Asylum?
Adrian James is running from his past with nothing left to live for. At rock bottom, with a blade to his wrist, a mysterious stranger intervenes and
offers him a chance at salvation.
Adrian accepts, and he enters Arlington Asylum of his own free will. Once inside, however, he soon learns that he will never escape. And worse, there are strange experiments taking place here, and a secretive medicine is being administered, one that causes certain… changes… in the patients.
The insidious secrets within the halls of Arlington Asylum are slowly revealed, and it is beyond anything Adrian could have possibly imagined. A literal hell is unleashed as impossible and terrifying creatures indulge their sadistic desires.
Adrian and his friends must escape this nightmarish place and warn the outside world before it’s too late, but they must face down the demons of hell to do so.
TORMENTED is a gruesome and violent horror story, influenced by such greats as John Carpenter’s THE THING, Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER, and Jeremy Gillespie’s THE VOID.
Buy Tormented now…
The Demon of Dunton Farm
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Enjoy The Demonic?
Find out exactly what happened on that cursed land in Bishops Hill all those years ago, and relive the most grisly events in its history.
The horrifying truth surrounding the demon that dwells on the farm will be revealed in this prequel to The Demonic.
To sign up to my mailing list go to www.leemountford.com and get your free books.
About the Author
Lee Mountford was born and raised in the North East of England, in the small town of Ferryhill. Not much happens there, but it has a surprisingly dark history. This probably helped cultivate his love of horror.
He is an emerging author with a huge passion for the horror genre, and The Demonic is his second novel.
He still lives in the North East of England, with his amazing wife, Michelle. They are currently expecting their first child.
For more information
www.leemountford.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgments
Thanks first and foremost to my editor, Josiah Davis (http://www.jdbookservices.com), for such an amazing job.
The cover was supplied by Debbie at The Cover Collection (http://www.thecovercollection.com). I cannot recommend their work enough.
Thanks as well to fellow author—and guru extraordinaire—Iain Rob Wright for all of his fantastic advice and guidance. If you don’t know who Iain is, remedy that now: http://www.iainrobwright.com. An amazing author with a brilliant body of work.
And the last thank you is the most important—to my amazing wife, Michelle, and daughter, Ella. You are both my world. Thank you for everything.
Copyright © 2019 by Lee Mountford
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The contributed short stories by fellow authors contained in this book have been used with their express permission.
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