Welcome to "The Railroad of Terror," where the mundane meets the macabre, and the tracks of reality diverge into the darkest recesses of your imagination. Prepare yourself for a journey unlike any other, where every twist of the rails brings you closer to the heart of fear itself.
Step aboard and meet a cast of characters as diverse as they are desperate, each with their own secrets and sins to bear. From the enigmatic conductor whose eyes seem to pierce through your very soul, to the mysterious passengers who may not be what they appear, every encounter will leave you questioning the nature of reality itself.
But it's not just the inhabitants of this haunted locomotive that will send shivers down your spine. Strange occurrences begin to unfold-shadows that move of their own volition, whispers that echo through the empty carriages, and a pervasive sense of dread that hangs heavy in the air.
As the night wears on and the boundaries between dreams and reality blur, you'll find yourself gripped by a sense of unease unlike anything you've ever experienced. With each passing moment, the stakes grow higher, and the true nature of the Railroad of Terror begins to reveal itself.
But beware, dear reader, for once you've embarked on this journey, there's no turning back. So steel your nerves, and prepare yourself for a tale that will haunt your thoughts long after the final page has been turned. The Railroad of Terror awaits, and only the brave-or perhaps the foolish-dare to ride its cursed rails.
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]]