In Hell's Shadow: Episode IV
A paranormal horror story
Trapped in an unfamiliar place far from home following a traumatic car accident, Kate is forced to confront a once-buried nightmare anew. Will this specter of her past lead her to certain destruction?
In Hell’s Shadow is a paranormal horror story set near Deer Falls — the same fictional Colorado town featured in my stories The Ghost Diaries, Snow Dragon, Pandora Reborn, and The Crimson Reaper. First published through Samak Press in April 2020, In Hell’s Shadow will be republished in six episodes here in the Strange New Worlds newsletter in celebration of the story’s fifth anniversary.
Kate climbed the wooden staircase. The same dry cracked pine boards comprising the porch also formed the steps here. Again, no creaking noises. If she truly died, silence made perfect sense.
Ghosts do not have any weight.
I’m not a ghost, she insisted, trying to expel the thought from her mind. This is just some lucid nightmare. Nothing more.
The stairs led Kate to a loft and then down a narrow hallway with two rooms flanking either side. Flickering candlelight reflected off a pale and faded hardwood floor. Kate tried the first door on her left, but the rusty copper knob refused to turn in either direction. She gave the knob a frustrated push with her palm and moved over to the second door. The knob turned on this one and the door creaked open. A plume of musty air escaped into the hall.
Candlelight revealed an immaculate master bedroom. It offered a stark change from everything else she had seen thus far. A queen-sized bed covered with a down comforter rested against the back wall. Small dressers flanked each side of the bed. Both dresser tops were level with the mattress. A small lamp rested atop the dresser to the left. Animal figurines and snow globes adorned the dresser top on the right.
A walk-in closet occupied the left side of the room. It divided into two sections. Long-sleeved shirts, t-shirts, jeans, and dress shirts and slacks filled one section. Blouses, purses, skirts, and dresses took up the other. All sorts of footwear from open-toed sandals to high heels covered the closet floor. Every article of clothing was neatly organized.
A sudden horrific thought attacked Kate. Maybe she was not dreaming and maybe she was not the first woman he brought to this remote cabin. Perhaps this stranger made a habit of finding unsuspecting women seeking help and brought his intended victims here to rape and murder them. If that were the case, she needed to track down hard evidence and escape this place to get that evidence to the proper authorities.
Kate drew closer to the closet, hoping to find some helpful clues to confirm her suspicions. When the candlelight hit the hangars and shelves, every part of her stiffened. Every article of women's clothing, down to various pairs of shoes hanging on a rack at her feet, matched outfits she wore at home.
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