Dark Screams

"Weeds" by Stephen King: When a meteorite lands on his property, Jordy Verrill envisions an easy payday. Unfortunately for Jordy, this is no ordinary rock-and the uncompromising force inside has found its first target. "The Price You Pay" by Kelley Armstrong: Never pay more than you owe. Sounds like easy advice to follow. But for Kara and her childhood friend Ingrid, some debts can never be repaid . . . especially those tendered in blood. "Magic Eyes" by Bill Pronzini: Edward James Tolliver has found a weary sort of asylum among the insane. He knows he's not one of them-but how can he tell anyone about the invaders without sounding that way? "Murder in Chains" by Simon Clark: Imagine awaking to find yourself in an underground vault, chained by the neck to a murderous lunatic, a grunting goliath who seems more animal than man. "The Watched" by Ramsey Campbell: Little Jimmy gets a glimpse of the cold truth when he finds out that it's not always what you see that can get you into trouble; it's who knows what you see.

A collection of horror stories. "The Deep End" by Robert McCammon: Everyone thinks the drowning death of Neil Calder in the local swimming pool was a tragic accident. Only his father knows better. Now, on the last night of summer, Neil returns in search of revenge. "Interval" by Norman Prentiss: Flight 1137 from St. Louis by way of Nashville has gone missing. As anxious friends and family gather around the gate, a ticket clerk finds herself eyewitness to a moment of inhuman evil. "If These Walls Could Talk" by Shawntelle Madison: Eleanor has come from New York City to prep an old Victorian house in Maine for America's Mysterious Hotspots. Although she's always thrown herself into her work, this job will take her places she's never dreamed of going. "The Night Hider" by Graham Masterton: C. S. Lewis wrote about a portal that led to a world of magic and enchantment. But the wardrobe in Dawn's room holds only death-until she solves its grisly mystery. "Whatever" by Richard Christian Matheson: A 1970s rock 'n' roll band that never existed takes one hell of a trip.

"The Collected Short Stories of Freddie Prothero" by Peter Straub: A mere child yet a precocious writer, young Freddie records a series of terrifying encounters with an inhuman being that haunts his life and seems to predict his death. "Group of Thirty" by Jack Ketchum: When an award-winning horror writer on the downward slope of a long career receives an invitation to address the Essex County Science Fiction Group, he figures that he's got nothing to lose. He couldn't be more wrong. "Nancy" by Darynda Jones: Though she's adopted by the cool kids, the new girl at Renfield High School is most drawn to Nancy Wilhoit, who claims to be haunted. But it soon becomes apparent that poltergeists-and people-are seldom what they seem. "I Love You, Charlie Pearson" by Jacquelyn Frank: Charlie Pearson has a crush on Stacey Wheeler. She has no idea. Charlie will make Stacey see that he loves her, and that she loves him-even if he has to kill her to make her say it. "The Lone and Level Sands Stretch Far Away" by Brian Hodge: When Marni moves in next door, the stale marriage of Tara and Aidan gets a jolt of adrenaline. Whether it's tonic or toxic is another matter.

"The Departed" by Clive Barker: On All Hallows' Eve, a dead and disembodied mother yearns to touch her young son one last time. But will making contact destroy them both? "Creature Feature" by Heather Graham: What could be better publicity for a horror convention than an honest-to-goodness curse? It's only after lights out that the hype - and the Jack the Ripper mannequin - starts to feel a little too real. "The New War" by Lisa Morton: Mike Carson is a war hero and a decorated vet. He doesn't deserve to be trapped in a hospital with some black thing sitting on his chest as patients die all around him. His only hope is to take out the nurse before it's his turn. "Sammy Comes Home" by Ray Garton: It's what every family prays for: a lost pet returning home. But when Sammy, the Hale family sheepdog, appears on their doorstep, he brings back something no parent would ever wish upon his or her child. "The Brasher Girl" by Ed Gorman: Cindy Marie Brasher is the prettiest girl in the Valley, and Spence just has to have her. Unfortunately, Cindy has a "friend" - a friend who tells her to do bad things.

Stephen King, Kelley Armstrong, Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark, and Ramsey Campbell are the first contributors to a mind-bending new series of short-story collections that push the boundaries of horror and dark suspense to the bleeding edge. From Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Publications, Dark Screams: Volume One reaches across genres to take readers beyond the precipice of mortal toil and into the glimmering void of irreality and beyond.