"If they aren't pretty when they are dead, then why bother keeping the bodies in my cemetery? Just burn them. Burn all of them, and give me the charming ones." I laughed at how psychotic he sounded; or even how psychotic he was."You're young, why do you even own your own cemetery? That can't even be legal." "Why bother concerning yourself over my affairs? This cemetery-" he quickly corrected himself, "My cemetery is the most luxurious and ravishing of them all." He bent down, and began to whisper in my ear, "And I know, that you, my lamb, understand my funeral style, don't you?"

On January ninth, 1996, a boy with an odd skeleton was unfortunately born into existence. With his homeless mother in need of cash, and too terrified to look at the child she gave birth too, she sold him to 'Mr. Father's Family of Freaks'; a popular circus show that obsesses over real-born monsters. This boy, born with no worth, sold into labor, and raised as a show, was taught that he was the mis-creation of man. He gives children nightmares, and make women scream, and never once was he told that it wasn't his fault. His name, is Cousin Ignominy. The clown with a deformed body. Bexley Valentino, an innocent seventeen year old, who doesn't believe in monsters, realizes just how important of a man Cousin Ignominy is. After seeing his show, and wallowing in her broken heart for the clown, she soon finds herself trying to break him out. She wants to show him how important it is to feel. How important it is to admire the world, but it doesn't take long for her to realize maybe he was locked up for a reason. ~~~ "You don't kill. You don't kill. You don't kill. If you learn that, you will remember where your morals stand. Hit them, bite them, burn them alive, but don't kill. Don't you ever go that low."

Behind the small town of Barlow lies acres of vibrant green forest, rushing rivers full of natural life, and animals all preparing for their survival of the autumnal hunting season where the men of Barlow gather together to hunt not only for food, but for sport. Although it is illegal in Barlow to hunt animals for sport, it is not, in any way, illegal to hunt one man, and only one man: Judas Sloan. Sloan Mansion is the only home built in Barlow forest, there are no cabins, there are no campsites. There is no indication that human life has tread the forest grounds. For that, there is good reason; Judas's home was cursed, and so was he. When Judas was only an infant, his father killed a grizzly bear who unfortunately was the sister of a well-known Barlow witch. It was an accident, but that did not stop the witch from enacting revenge on his father by cursing his son. Judas was to never be allowed to step foot out of Sloan Mansion for the rest of his life. After his father dies from years of alcoholism, Judas is left alone in the mansion, with no social contact, no one to speak to but the bare walls of the mansion. That is, until every Autumn where he is hunted and killed. Whoever manages to shoot Judas first, gets a large sum of money. It is a game. To them, Judas is no more human than the rabbits they slaughter. After all he deserves it, his father killed a witch. He was the son of a witch killer. Judas cannot die. Not until it is natural of old age. Trust him, he has tried many times, sometimes he does it for fun, sometimes it is out of boredom, but he always ends up waking up again. Death does not want him, and neither, apparently, does life. He finds no meaning, until the day the daughter of a famous Barlow hunter stumbles into Sloan's home, and Judas, terrified to be alone again, refuses to let her leave, even if that means becoming the villain the people of Barlow have always thought he was.

Inanis Messor is The Bone Cutter. He's America's most fierce and cursed celebrity. He's America's modern prophet. He's America's very own murderous darling. Inanis's job is to broadcast a live death on public television once a month, as a sacrifice to the public. Every month on the 15th, Inanis steps on a large, vibrant stage, in front of dozens of cameras, and executes a living political individual as repentance for the sins of America's government. It keeps the public satisfied. It keeps the government from having to own up to their mistakes. Mirea Dhalmi is the daughter of a famous state governor; a man who involves himself in every political discussion the media has to offer. But when he's chosen to be Inanis's next victim, Mirea desperately pleads with The Bone Cutter to spare his life. Inanis agrees, but at a price. Mirea must now become his bride, his public display. She becomes The Bone Harvester, the woman who stands beside The Bone Cutter on the bloody stage that is broadcasted throughout public television. The unfortunate woman who stands beside the celebrity who kills in front of the nation.

There is no politician above him. There is no authority to end him. There will never be a man with a status higher than his. He is Virtus Lux. He is the Bone Cutter. The most ruthless one in history. His job? Remove the corruption of the United States government, one kill at a time. His goal? Get a wife to establish the Bone Harvester. Every Bone Cutter needs a Bone Harvester at their side. So, why is it that every wife of his ends up dead? He is the threat parents tell their kids at night. The murderer nobody wants to face. After all, he killed six of his wives. His heart shows no evidence of being real, perhaps he was even born without one. Wasn't he? Being a Bone Cutter is his greatest dream. Isn't it? All six of his wives ended up dead. Didn't they? Who, above anything else, is Uri Ruben; the young man who stands by his side throughout every interview, and media coverage? And are they even a man at all?

Prosper Halis is America's next Bone Cutter. As a Bone Cutter, Prosper's job is to execute a politician or public figure on live television every 14th day of the month; as voted in by the American people. The status of a Bone Cutter is held with higher regard than that of the United States president. No one tops him, and no one is more loved. The Bone Cutter represents the American justice system, and helps strengthen the trust of the country. There is no job in the world more important than being a Bone Cutter. Lucent Kalon should have been the next Bone Cutter. Training since he was first able to walk, the title of Bone Cutter belonged to him. He knew it, his family knew it, and yet, he's stuck in Prosper's shadow, feigning smiles, and pretending to care about his friendship with Prosper. A friendship he never wanted, and didn't think would last. The truth is, Lucent hates him. He hates everything about him, and he wants him gone. Despite Lucent's dangerous jealousy, Prosper trusted Lucent with his life; that is, until Lucent attempts to kill him and take his place. With his trust and innocence broken, Prosper does what any Bone Cutter would do; he gets revenge.

Boston, Massachusetts; the first blackout city in the United States after the anti-technology revolution. Anti-technology cult radicals took over the city, and instead of dealing with them, the government closed it off, declaring Boston as a 'blackout zone'. No technology, machinery, or advanced devices permitted. Avel Vysotsky will do anything for money. He's Boston's famed moneylender, a loan shark, and he will do anything to collect what's his. Those living in the blackout zone have named him 'King of the Rats' because his methods are dirty, but his intelligence is sharp. He hides in the shadows, always waiting, always watching to get what he's owed. Sterling Fakara is a hired hand. His skills in combat outmatch most, and he's not subtle about it. When Avel hires him to be his own personal 'guard dog', Sterling jumps at the chance, because what Avel doesn't know, is that Sterling is an undercover cop, on a mission to rid the blackout parts of the country from crime before it begins to bleed out of the blackout zones. When a new moneylender suddenly appears in Avel's territory, an all-out war breaks loose. Avel refuses to make room for any other lenders, he never did like sharing, and Sterling decides to stick with Avel, wanting to take down both lenders at once. Both Avel and Sterling are greedy for two different things, and Sterling quickly realizes the effects of Boston, and of a blackout zone in general. With every day he spends with Avel, his morality twists into greed, and it isn't long before Avel's grip on him begins to change his desires for the worse.

Protecting her own mental health is the only thing important to Gansey. After a childhood of extreme stress so intense that her teeth are practically carved and ruined from grinding them due to anxiety, Gansey is now a grown adult who is free to make her own choices. Twenty four years old, and a lonely hairstylist, Gansey has created a daily routine for herself so that no one and nothing can damage her mental state again. It doesn't matter to her how extreme her actions are, so long as her mind does not get hurt. So, when twenty-eight year old Maddie, who just so happens to be a nurse, decides to accept Gansey as a temporary roommate while she gets back on her feet from a nasty divorce from an abusive man, she is appalled by just how Gansey lives her life. Maddie can't stand how Gansey treats her own body, and the longer they live together, the more she can't help but to get involved in Gansey's life. Gansey, not used to anyone being interested or concerned for her, refuses to open up to Maddie. She's certain befriending anyone only leads to mental catastrophe, and it is the one thing she refuses to fall victim to. But she doesn't consider the possibility that Maddie has issues of her own, and her issues may just ruin Gansey's routine, and mental state for good.

Cain Luther is mad. Truly, voluntarily mad. He's obsessed with mutilation, creation, and absolute discovery. His goal is to create a chemical that the government will fear. To create something that the American people want more than anything else. A chemical to rid all of life's problems. He's willing to die for this experiment, and little do they know; he is. Cain is addicted to injecting himself with the deadly failures his studies produce. His body is quickly falling apart, as his bones have become so brittle you could break them with no effort at all. His eyesight is dimming each day, he'll soon be blind, and his muscles are so weak, he doesn't have the strength to carry himself most days. He is a walking test subject. His body struggled to hold life. Doctors warn he will die in no less than a year if he keeps this up. So can Ophelia Alvarado, a college student who just so happens to be his roommate, have what it takes to save Cain from voluntary suicide? Can she save him from his own man-made plague?

February 19th, 2018 He is test subject Three-eleven-thirteen. Ellie for short. He's human. Remarkable. He can breathe freely, no tubes. His heart has adapted to beating on it's own. He opened his eyes yesterday, we looked at one another. He looked at me, truly looked at me. My daughter, Ripley, tried speaking with him, but he didn't understand. I will have her keep working with him. He will speak. February 23rd, 2018 He is standing. His bones are still fragile, but he is gaining muscle rapidly. This is incredible progress in such little time. Everything is going as planned, though his fingernails are black. They weren't black yesterday. March 13th, 2018 Ellie attacked Ripley last night. He will be kept in restraints from now on. March 27th, 2018 My God he is strong. The mysterious blackness that had formed in his fingernails is now flowing in his veins. Whatever this black liquid is, it's possessing him. April 4th, 2018 He bit me last night. I can feel the mystery in my veins. What is this? April 5th, 2018 Test subject three-eleven-thirteen, Ellie, will no longer be a patient of mine. I have locked him up in a cell in my lab. I fear him. He will stay in that cell for God knows how long until he starves to death. I am a coward. April 6th, 2018 I can't tolerate this. I think I'm truly losing it. My memories, my spirit, I feel them being eaten by this black virus. I have to end this tonight. I have to end myself tonight. I have too. Ripley, my sweet daughter, I love you baby. I am sorry for creating that abomination. I am so sorry.