Warning: This story contains graphic scenes and violence, blood and jumpscares.
Maikeru shāman is in need of a new job since his family fell into hard times, but then, he looks at a newspaper, only to see an ad that a pizzeria by the name of "Azur Lane Pizzeria" needs a new night guard. So, he gets a job there, thinking that it'll be the easiest job on the planet, but he begins to regret his career choice when the Shipgirl animatronics come to life and try to kill him cause they mistakenly see him as "the killer". Now, he needs to survive the week against the animatronic girls, otherwise, he'll either be stuffed into an Ayanami suit, or worse...
Meanwhile, a reformed siren by the name Purifier sneaks into the pizzeria in an attempt to continue her investigation to the missing shipgirls incident and the search for her lost friends, but what she stumbles upon next...maybe more than she bargained for.
However, unknown to both of them, someone behind the scenes is trying to ensure that the truth does NOT leave the pizzeria, even if it means they'll have to dispose Maikeru and Purifier....
Will Maikeru and Purifier survive the killer's wrath and expose the person for the crime, or will the mysterious killer succeed?
Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son.
*****
Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice.
[[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]]
[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]