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Asylum - 13 Tales of Terror

Page 26

by Matt Drabble


  “But surely there must have been enough doubt as to her motives? The overwhelming evidence on one murder but the lack of evidence on all of the others. Surely that must have raised some kind of flag to the investigators?”

  “Oh, I’m certain that it would have, but you see, Sara’s case never went to court. She was never officially charged. Imagine the sort of mental trauma that she went through that night. To witness all of that slaughter and to have been responsible for a death herself, no matter whether or not she thought it was in self-defense. That is a lot for anyone to come to terms with, and of course her grief is so fresh and her mind is so fertile.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Martin asked, unsure that he had actually heard Jimmy’s last statement correctly.

  “This place has to draw its power from somewhere Martin, and I don’t think the national grid is quite going to get it done,” Jimmy chuckled.

  “I think I’ve had just about all I can take for one night,” Martin snapped.

  “But I thought you wanted to hear it all Martin, or did I peg you wrong?”

  “What else is there to say Jimmy? I’ve heard all of the tales.”

  “There’s still old Horace and what he really got up to in his lonely winter nights.”

  “And just what did the nutty old bastard get up to when he wasn’t knocking seven bells out of his wife and kid?” Martin goaded.

  “Horace wanted to live forever Martin,” Jimmy replied in a strange hushed tone as he looked off into the distance. “Horace wanted to be forever, but everything comes at a cost and I told you before, there’s always more than one way to settle a bill.”

  Martin stared at Jimmy, who for once, instead of seeming to grow older before his eyes actually looked younger and more vibrant. It was as though Jimmy was glowing and sparkling with animation as his eyes twinkled in delight.

  “What are you saying Jimmy?” Martin asked anxiously.

  Jimmy turned and his glare blazed ferociously. “Horace found that there is a commodity far more valuable than money or jewels Martin. There is such value to be extracted from the recesses of the human mind. The horror and fears of man are such a precious delicacy to those who delight in such rarities. But Horace soon discovered that this was to be an ongoing arrangement, rather than a one off payment,” Jimmy smiled unpleasantly. “And what minds are more fertile and delicious than those of residents such as ours. Such juicy morsels, such a rich diet to be gorged upon and provide sustenance through the ages.”

  “Uh, Jimmy are you alright, you’re sounding like perhaps you need to check into a room here yourself,” Martin smirked.

  Jimmy looked down at his watch as though Martin hadn’t even spoken. “These nights do get away from me these days you know,” he said almost to himself. “Last room coming up.”

  Martin stared at the elderly janitor; his patience exhausted with the creepy old man and eager to get out of the bowels of the hospital. “I thought there were only 13 tales? 13 patients equals 13 tales,” he snapped irritably as Jimmy walked off to the last door in the corridor.

  “We have a new arrival,” Jimmy grinned through a mouthful of blackened rotten teeth. “I think that you know him,” he teased through a cruel smile and squinting narrowed eyes.

  Despite Martin’s flight instinct firing fiercely, he couldn’t help but move forward; his inquisitive mind was a beast unto itself. He walked to the open door and peered past Jimmy into the room beyond.

  “There’s no-one here,” was as far as he got before something heavy struck him from behind. As he fell he turned back towards Jimmy, in shock as he staggered into the empty room. His head spun from the blow and he faded into the darkness as he passed out, but the last image he saw was a glinting golden wolf’s head atop a gleaming silver cane.

  “Welcome home,” Horace Whisker laughed.

  ----------

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  THE MONTAGUE PORTRAIT

  Hugo Montague was a man of boundless cruelty that lived on beyond his mortal days. The portrait that he commissioned has hung on many walls, but has always overseen tragedy and murder.

  The painting was long thought destroyed in a fire, but now there are those desperate to find the portrait if it still exists

  Travis Parker was an insurance investigator, but now he is a widower trapped within his own pain and broken promises. When he is approached by the mysterious Telfer Vargas to track down the portrait he reluctantly agrees to one last case.

  Charlotte Goode has a long personal history with the painting and will let nothing stand in her way to avenge her family.

  The race across Europe to find the painting soon becomes littered with death as dark supernatural forces converge and threaten to consume those foolish enough to look.

  "Once again, I was impressed with the rich background of each character in this suspenseful plot, never taking away, but always adding to the excitement. Matt is feeding my need for horror through the written word." SAGE ADDERLEY

  "Matt Drabble is immensely talented... Again & again he has provided his readers with exceptional content & books we cannot put down!... I literally flew through this one because I just couldn't put it down... It's definitely a 5 star novel" DEVOTED MOMMY OF 3 (blog)

  THE TRAVELLING MAN

  The small desert town of Granton is a typical slow boiling pot of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Every hard working day is much like any other here where little ever changes.

  Sheriff Cassie Wheeler runs a tight ship in the tradition of her late father. There is little serious crime to trouble her department, save for the local miners' occasional rowdiness after payday.

  But Granton has its share of secrets hiding behind twitching curtains and small town folks often have the biggest of ambitions.

  Now the long dusty road into town has brought with it a stranger. A man of elegance calling himself Gilbert Grange has arrived. He brings with him a bag full of dreams and a silver tongue of promise.

  He can give you whatever you desire, all you have to do is sign

  on the dotted line.

  The residents of Granton are about to discover that dreams can come at a terrible price, and you should always be careful what you wish for.

  "If you are looking for a classic tale of horror then you'll never ever be disappointed in Matt Drabble's writing. He knows creepy and he writes it very well." SAGE ADDERLEY

  "Its dark subject matter, creepy terrain, a highly developed and complex cast of characters, and a thundering crescendo all make for a spectacular novel of horror and suspense" HOGWASH

  "If you're a fan of Stephen King's Needful Things then you have to get this book" Zombie Girl Shambling Blog

  GATED

  A UK & US Horror Chart Top 10 Best Seller

  Full Moon Awards 2014 Horror Book of the Year

  Michael and Emily are a happy and contented English couple, a writer and a school teacher. Their lives are complete when Emily falls pregnant, however their dreams are shattered one cold winter night by a car accident that robs them of their happiness.

  To overcome their loss they up stick and move to Eden Gardens, a US gated community that offers "Heaven on Earth and Twice as Nice". The people are warm and friendly and welcome them with open arms. The town is a beautiful throwback to a bygone age, where the sun always shines and the sky's always blue.

  As they settle into their new perfect lives, the circle is complete when Emily fa
lls pregnant. The town is perfect, the weather is perfect and their lives are perfect. But are the stares from their neighbours a little too intense, is the town a little too interested in their happy news, and is Eden all that it seems.

  They are about to find out that paradise comes at a cost, and when you sign a lease, you should always check the fine print.

  "This book is a page turner. An absolute thriller that keeps the reader engaged to the very last page." - I READ A BOOK ONCE.COM

  "I cannot praise this book enough. It is one of those books that stays with you long after you have read it the imagery is that powerful." - SOOZY'S HORROR PAGE

  "The description in this book is amazing, it's like he has pulled it out of his head and right into the book. I'd definitely recommend reading it." REBBIE REVIEWS

  "An eerie and sinister plot that draws you in from the start. A book I can recommend to all readers for the love of Horror and thrillers." - LYNELLE CLARK

  "Surprises are in store, and good ones. Think along the sadistic lines of John Saul and VC Andrews. Not everyone is getting out of this story alive." - EXAMINER.COM

  GATED II: Ravenhill Academy

  It has been 10 years since the events in the small picturesque town of Eden. Lives were forever altered as two newcomers found the courage to peek behind the curtain and bring Tolan Christian's reign to a violent end as the town burned around them.

  No-one was more affected than Sarah-Jane Mears. The once bubbly ball of good nature is now a shadow of the former woman she used to be. After travelling to try and find a new home she has eventually settled in Northern England. She has taken a teaching position at Ravenhill Academy, an exclusive private school.

  But now there is a new student who has just transferred. A young American boy who is strangely familiar and oddly charismatic. As the school breaks for the Christmas holidays the harsh winter weather has cut them off from the outside world. Sarah is starting to learn that Ravenhill is an old building seemingly with a life and an energy of its own, one that is slowly stirring.

  She is going to realise that not all lessons are learnt in the classroom and that some secrets won't stay buried.

  "Gated II: Ravenhill Academy is as good a suspense thriller as any written by the big name authors. Indeed, it could serve as the Indie Publishing Poster Child" READERS' FAVORITE

  "If you read Gated & loved it, then I know you will enjoy this book. The ending leaves us with an opening for a third book which I'm sure is what you want!" HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS

  ABRA-CADAVER

  Winner of a prestigious Indie Book of the Day Award

  Tommy, Dixon, McEwen, PJ, and Alison were always a close knit group until Tommy's 12th birthday party. Tragedy strikes when a magic trick goes horribly wrong and a woman lays dead.

  A local magician Albert Trotter is railroaded during a rigged trial and locked away. Forever protesting his innocence and after a vicious assault in prison, he is eventually sent to a mental institution in a catatonic state.

  Now Tommy is 36 and heading home for the first time in over two decades, but he's not alone. Someone is slaughtering the residents of Denver Mills with magic trick themed murders and holding those involved with the Trotter trial in a steely grip of fear.

  Tommy will have to find the strength to bring his old friends together as secrets and lies are exposed throughout the small

  town of Denver Mills.

  Something evil is coming home, and they're bringing a whole new bag of tricks.

  "The perfect slasher novel, someone make the movie! 10/10" SCARYMINDS.COM

  "This will serve to excite and thrill gore fans"

  THE BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY

  "A suspenseful, on the edge of your sit, thrill ride. A great read that will leave you sleeping with the light one!"

  FAERIETALEBOOKS.ORG

  AFTER DARKNESS FALLS

  VARIOUS VOLUMES

  10 tales of terror & the macabre

  A new horror anthology collection,

  look out for future volumes

  "Matt Drabble has come out with another winner. Ten terrifying tales guaranteed to make you shudder 5/5"

  HORROR NOVEL REVIEWS

  "Guaranteed to keep you awake at night, while fully entertaining you during daylight hours. 5 Stars"

  READERS' FAVORITE

  "Matt Drabble delivers the must have UK collection of 2013" SCARY MINDS

  VOLUME ONE

  VOLUME TWO

  Table of Contents

  1. blackwater heights

  2. picking up strangers

  3. blackwater heights

  4. the voice

  5. blackwater heights

  6. two blind mice

  7. blackwater heights

  8. is anybody out there?

  9. blackwater heights

  10. lonely hearts

  11. Blackwater heights

  12. No strings attached

  13. Blackwater heights

  14. stormy seas

  15. Blackwater heights

  16. Method acting

  17. Blackwater heights

  18. The devil’s music

  19. Blackwater heights

  20. Primetime special

  21. Blackwater heights

  22. yellow streak

  23. Blackwater heights

  24. Dish of the day

  25. Blackwater heights

  26. Night class

  27. blackwater heights

 

 

 


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