Addy and her mother undertake one last, desperate act to try and keep their land: calling down the devil. Trigger warning for animal violence, cursing, and a lot of blood. This story is also included in my collection Rare Birds, and was an Honorable Mention in The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 10.

I pressed my face to the window and watched them disappear behind the mist of shallow breaths, until night condensed the world to an inch before my nose…

The first story in my collection, Vacui Magia: Stories. You can buy Vacui Magia at all major ebook retailers, or direct via Gumroad - links are on my website: http://traversingz.com/book/vacui-magia/

Adam is a Neet. He never leaves his apartment unless he absolutely has to. He holes himself up, only giving attention to his comics and cartoons. However, things change when a noisy party animal moves in next door and becomes a pest. Adam is given no other choice but to confront his neighbor. A series of events pushes Adam outside his bubble and forces him to interact with others. And maybe, just maybe, he thought his neighbor, Assad, was a bit good looking. * * * * * TW/CW: The MC of this novel has social anxiety and depression, and although there are no thoughts relating to violence or self-harm, the MC is consistently in a state of mind /internal monologue that can be mentally tasking for people with similar conditions.