by Stead, Nick
I was vaguely aware of the trickle of blood running across my knuckles as the skin split from the impact. The pain was no more than background noise this time and it did nothing to deter me from my assault on the walls, not even when the bone cracked from the force, just like I’d feared it would. But my sacrifice was to be rewarded that night (or day, since I had no way of knowing what time it was or how long I’d been out after the Slayer had knocked me unconscious), as whatever section of the wall I’d beaten pushed inwards.
The panel I’d been unable to move or break began to lift upwards, with the same sinister grinding I’d heard in countless movies. I reined my anger back in. There’d been no hint of what lay on the other side of the door, even when I’d been pressed right up against it. Caution was the way to go now.
The dull throb of broken bone became more noticeable without the rage to drown it out. I was lucky it was only my left hand I’d fractured, which meant I’d still have my main hand to fight with. But it was an added disadvantage I could have done without.
The panel seemed to take an age to slide upwards. I tried to ignore the pain of my hand while I waited for the stone slab to get high enough for me to squeeze under, my thoughts turning to fresh meat. Then the stench hit me like a physical force, and I reeled backwards with the shock of it. Moments later light flooded in. Under normal circumstances it would have been dim, but after such complete blackness it was blindingly bright, and I could only squint through the glare. The two combined were overpowering, and my mind plunged into disarray.
Only one clear thought burned through the confusion. RUN.
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VENGEANCE will be available on Amazon soon.
See all of Nick’s books on his author page.
Author.to/nickstead
About the Author
A lifelong fan of supernatural horror and fantasy, Nick spends his days prowling the darker side of fiction, often to the scream of heavy metal guitars and the purrs of his feline companions.
Fate set him on the path of the writer at the tender age of 15. The journey has been much longer and harder than his teenage self ever anticipated, but 17 years later he is still forging ahead.
Nick is best known for his Hybrid series. He has also had short stories published in various anthologies, and will soon be releasing his first non-Hybrid novel based on the true story of the Pendle witches.
For more information about Nick, Hybrid, and other works visit: www.nick-stead.co.uk. Don’t forget to sign up to his newsletter to keep up to date with upcoming releases and signing events, and receive a free short story, exclusive to the mailing list.
To receive notification direct from Amazon, simply click the Follow button on his Amazon Author Page to be informed when new books are out.
Author.to/nickstead
Or check out his Goodreads page:
goodreads.com/author/show/14138888.Nick_Stead
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Also By Twisted Fate Publishing
CHRONICLES OF THE FALLEN
By Gareth Clegg
Vol 1: The Crowman
Vol 2: Babylon
Vol 3: Coming Sep 2020
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THE HYBRID SERIES
By Nick Stead
Hybrid
Hunted
Vengeance - coming 2020
Damned - coming 2020
IF YOU ENJOYED HUNTED
Look out for
THE CROWMAN
The Crowman is the first novella in a Weird West / Supernatural Western Horror series from Amazon best selling author Gareth Clegg.
Available from Amazon
THE CROWMAN (Sample)
Chronicles of the Fallen Vol One
The sun squeezed the sweat from my tanned skin as relentless waves of heat burned across the barren rocky wasteland. I adjusted my wide-brimmed hat, keeping the glare from my eyes, and cursed the long duster draping from my shoulders. I’d be glad of it once the merciless red orb dropped and the temperatures plummeted, but for now, it was a hindrance. I struggled on through the badlands, near ready to collapse.
A rocky outcrop provided a sliver of shade, and I sat, thankful for the relief from the intense burning sun. My canteen was dry, but I squeezed out a few tiny drops that had been hiding somewhere inside. One of them missed my mouth, splashing into my eye. “Damn it.”
With a heavy sigh, I battled on, planting one foot before the other. It couldn’t be much further now, could it? A loud caw brought me back to my senses, and I sought the origin of the sound.
A single crow picked at the remains of a tribal warrior, his face painted black from the mouth down. The body carried fresh claw marks from something large, bloody streams running across his chest and dripping into the dark sand. The bird didn’t notice my approach and continued pecking the last juicy remnants of his eye. Fleshy strings pulled taut, until the surrounding muscle tore free, then was greedily devoured.
It chugged the tasty morsel down before turning its dead eyes on me, the throaty caw a warning to keep away from its meal. With a blink, its semi-opaque eyelid slid from left to right, and it spread its wings with a mighty flap, taking to the sky. After circling three times, it headed south.
Glancing back to the corpse, there was just an area of discoloured sand resembling the shape of a body. I shielded my eyes, gazing up to track the crow, but that had gone too. “Shit, I need to get out of this sun.”
Everything shifted, and I was speeding through the air as the arid terrain passed far below. In the distance, a mass of dark birds circled over a small town. As I approached, they swirled, forming a black cyclone before plummeting to the ground, coalescing into a human form.
The last thing I recalled was the shadowy figure walking towards a two-storey building where faded writing proclaimed the dilapidated place as ‘The Lucky Dollar Saloon’. As it passed beneath the battered sign, hanging at an odd angle from rusted nails, it turned, staring right at me.
I woke with a start, dripping with sweat. A lightning storm raged outside, and my heart thundered in my chest, pumping ice through my veins. I rolled over, placing my feet onto the packed earth of the bunkhouse floor. That was the fifth occurrence of the same dream on consecutive nights. Shit like that didn’t happen without reason in my experience.
So, next stop Providence, and The Lucky Dollar.
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The Crowman is available on Amazon now along with the rest of Gareth’s books.
Author.to/garethclegg
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REVIEWS FOR THE CROWMAN
“Weird West at Its Best”
“I’ve read quite a few books on Kindle, this is the first one that I put everything aside to finish”
“What really drew me into this story was the characters. In addition to the primary male lead, who was AWESOME, we have a female character who holds her own…and, her part of the story”
“A great novella that leaves you wanting more”
“I could not put this book down, brilliant.”
“Spellbinding”
“Mystic Wild West”
“Western with a supernatural twist”
“A fun twist on a western/ gunslinger story. Short but sweet, worth a read”
