Devil (Johnstone)

Black Wilder has waited a long, long time to come Whitfield. But he is no stranger to patience. A Year, ten years, a hundred years. Time has no meaning for him. He just waits until the moment is right and then emerges-silently and unmercifully. As night falls heavily on the small prairie town, red-rimmed eyes look out from tightly shut windows. An occasional snarl rips from once-human throats. Shadows play on dimly-lit streets, deepening the gloom of the alleys, bringing with the darkness and almost tangible aura of fear. For the time is now right in Whitfield. The Beasts are hungry, the Undead are awake, the putrid stench of evil hangs in the air---and the inhabitants of Whitfield are about to be touched by . . .

It was in the summer of 1958 that the horror surfaced in the town of Whitfield, erupting like a festering boil, spewing its corruption on everyone near it. Those who survived the terror remember it as the summer of The Digging-the time when the hot wind began to blow, when The Devil's creatures rose from the putrid bowels of the earth, when the inhabitants of Whitfield were touched by . . . The Devil's Heart Now it was summer again in Whitfield. The town was peaceful, quiet, and unprepared for the atrocities to come. Eternal life, everlasting youth, an orgy that would span time-that was what the Lord of Darkness was promising the coven members in return for their pledge of love. The few who had fought against his hideous powers before, believed it could never happen again. Then the hot wind began to blow---as black and evil as . . .

The evil that triumphed during that long-ago summer in Whitfield is festering now in the unsuspecting town of Logandale. Only Sam and Nydia Balon, lone survivors of the ancient horror, know the signs-the putrid stench rising from the bowels of the earth, the unspeakable, inexplicable atrocities, the hideous, horrifying Beasts-that mark the foul presence of the Prince of Darkness. Only they have the weapons that can pierce . . . The Devil's Heart Once the carnage begins, there's no time for anything but terror. Hollow-eyed, hungry corpses rise from unearthly tombs to gorge themselves on living flesh and spawn a new generation of restless Undead. The very demons of Hell cavort with Satan's unholy disciples in blood-soaked rituals and fevered orgies. The Balons have faced the red, glowing eyes of The Master before, and they know what must be done. But there can be no salvation for those marked by . . . The Devil's Touch.

The Devil's Disguise Cats. The town was alive with them. All kinds. Black, white, fat, scrawny . . . They lived in the streets, in the back yards, in the swamps of Becancour. Sam, Nydia, and Little Sam had never seen so many cats. The cats' eyes were glowing slits as they watched the new-comers. And their furry tails were slowly switching back and forth . . . Evil. The town was ripe with it. It seemed to waft in from the swamps with the hot, fetid breeze and breed in the minds of Becancour's citizens. Soon Sam, Nydia and Little Sam would battle the forces of darkness. Standing alone against the ultimate predator- The Devil's Cat.

Something funny's going on in Louisiana's backwoods . . . Someone in LaGrange has stirred up something truly evil. From beyond, demonic messengers emerge out of the fires of Hell itself, to ignite an orgy of chaos, murder, and bloody destruction. But the Devil was the only one laughing . . . Town veterinarian Link Donovan (former CIA) and Sheriff Ray Ingalls have grave premonitions that the ungodly laughter they heard echoing through the woods meant this was only the beginning. Once they root out the rich folk whose meddling released the minions of Satan, they recruit a band of God-fearing locals like themselves ready to battle-and obliterate-whatever face of evil dares to cross their paths.

It was like any other spring day in the quiet, peaceful community of Lapeer Parish, Louisiana. But for Sheriff Vic Ransonet it was the beginning of a nightmare. People were disappearing without a trace. Animals were being eaten right down to the bone. Lush fertile fields of crops were being stripped bare. But the sheriff knew the evil that lurked in the barns, sheds, and homes of the sleepy parish. He had seen the creatures with his own eyes. He had heard the clicking of their jaws, the signal that they were on the move to feed their ravenous appetites. And if he couldn't stop them, then every man, woman, and child would die, and Lapeer Parish would be wiped off the map.

Each night they emerged from the murky depths of the swamp to claim another victim-a lovely, innocent, fertile female who would be carried off in huge hairy arms and plunged into a nightmare world of terror. Her screams would echo in the darkness. Her face would contort in the throes of horror and pain. But once taken, each became a mother of an unholy child, a link in the chain of madness and evil, a spawn to carry on the devil's name!

Light It could only be seen in the dead of night. The satanic glow swirled above the old railroad tracks, pulsating with evil, flickering with the light of hell itself. And it Drew the young people of Good Hope to its shimmering core like moths to a flame... Dark The eerie change in the slumbering Missouri town could only be seen by one child. Innocent ten-year-old Heather sensed the chill of darkness in her schoolmates' vacant stares, the evil festering in their hearts. But no one listened to her terrified screams. No one believed the nightmare was true. And now it was Heather's turn to feed the hungry spirit-with her very soul.

Angelic Child She was a beautiful child, a perfect child. With her blonde hair and baby doll prettiness, she was the picture of angelic innocence. Phillip Baxter pushed aside his uneasiness about his strangely self-possessed daughter. She was just an ordinary kid. And, to his relief, she did act like an ordinary kid when he brought home a special present just for her . . . Devil's Toy Alone in her room, Nora couldn't wait to open the antique jack-in-the-box. She couldn't wait to watch the hand-carved clown's head bob back and forth, its glass eyes staring at her, its lips drawn back into an insane grin. Any other little girl might have cringed in horror. But as Nora's wide eyes mirrored the grotesque wooden face, her pink lips were curving into the same malicious smile . . .

It came in the dead of night-a rhythmic creaking sound that only the children could hear. Jackie and Johnny tried not to listen. But it called to them, whispering of evil, luring them into the darkness of the attic. With its brightly colored saddle and painted-on eyes, it was the most beautiful rocking horse Jackie and Johnny had ever seen. But as they took turns riding it, they didn't see its tail twitch or its lips curve into a terrifying grin. They couldn't hear the faint whicker that echoed among the shadows. They couldn't know that their own innocent eyes had taken on a strange new gleam . . .

KIDS DO THE DARNDEST THINGS . . . Paul Kelly had a very big temper for such a small boy. When he tired of his toys he smashed them. When a dog or cat got in his way, he kicked them. And when other children told on him, he made sure they were very, very sorry . . . CHILD'S PLAY . . . But that was nothing compared to what Paul discovered next. Which was that if he didn't like certain people, he could make it so he'd never have to see them again. Ever. And no one would suspect such a little boy of such a horrible deed. Of such monstrous powers. No one would ever guess that killing could be much more fun than playing with dump trucks and sandboxes. Especially the way Paul did it . . .

The locals were ecstatic when the carnival pulled into Holland, Nebraska. They shrieked in delight on the lightning-fast rides. They gasped in shocked fascination at the chilling collection of freaks and human oddities. But all the while, piercing red eyes glared out at the townies from the shadows of the midway. Eyes that burned with vengeful hatred. Eyes that lusted for blood . . . Only Mayor Margin Holland and his beautiful teenaged daughter Linda could feel the air of "wrongness" that hovered over the fairgrounds. Then the killings began-and their worst nightmares quickly came to life. Night after night a new victim was found, his insides smoldering, his face contorted in a gruesome death mask of hideous agony. Soon, for Martin, for Linda, for the entire plagued community, there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Nebo's Carnival of Dread had come to town. And the horror show was just beginning!

The Root Of Evil The ominous Rumblings of thunder-dark thunder, was how retired head of police Al Watt thought of it-had started thirty years before on the night that Sand was killed. A good man, that Sand, and when he died, the forces of darkness had taken root in Willowdale, Colorado. Now the isolated little town, nestled in the Rockies, was about to give birth to an evil beyond imagining...a reign of terror so insatiable that Al Watt could do nothing to stop it. Child Prodigy Something bad was going to happen. Eleven-year-old Howie Ingram could feel it in his bones. Of course no one ever listened to Howie Ingram, the twerp. All they did was make fun of him for being so smart he was already high school and college courses. Howie tried not to care. Except now he really needed someone to listen to him when he told them about the townspeople turning into zombies and the strange noises coming in over the sir waves. And the distant sound of thunder. He and his computer didn't stand much of a chance, alone, against a force as powerful and primitive as Satan himself...

THE HUNTED The idea sounded like such fun to Susan Benning. Camping on the pristine mountains of Idaho with her old high school gang right after their thirty-year reunion. Even the kids were looking forward to it. But something felt wrong the deeper they traveled into the woods. Something was watching them from behind the thick undergrowth. Waiting... THE HUNTERS Their race had lived among the Great Trees in peace for centuries. The "others" came to kill animals with strange weapons and poison their sacred waters with the things they carelessly left behind. But they would soon learn to stay away. The Old Hunger would teach them. Especially the little ones.