Cemetery Hill: Desolace Series V

Praise for Lucian Barnes

DESTINED FOR DARKNESS - Gruesome and intriguing, mixed with the awkwardness of real life!

—R&M Fab Reviews

DESTINED FOR DARKNESS - "Are you looking for a read that will creep you out and give you nightmares? Destined for Darkness did that for me. In this book, we get a look into the Mancini family. We see how the darkness starts to creep in and eventually take over the lives of first, Frank, and then his son, George. The story shows us how the two men can be seemingly harmless, but hide an evil so vile that even they are repulsed by their own actions.

Despite the fact that this book gave me a major case of the creeps, I was compelled to read on about the horrific things the Mancini men did. I think a writer has done their job well when you are reading and making gagging noises because you can envision the carnage. When you cringe because you can almost see what’s going to happen next. If this were a movie, I would have had my hands over my eyes for most of it. Job well done, Mr. Barnes. You thoroughly disturbed me with this book."

—Mindy Nabors, Paranormal Tendencies

DESOLACE - Chilling, spine-tingling, and other-worldy! Author Lucian Barnes captivates your inner curiosity which compels you to keep on reading. Desolace takes the reader on a whirlwind spin from the real world we know, of serial killers and grisly crime to a dark, fantasy world of enslavement and robotic takeover. A cliff hanger, leaving the reader to wonder if there is more to come and if all the unanswered questions will finally be answered. Will the serial killer, dubbed the headhunter ever be caught? Will Julie, his most recent abductee be found, ALIVE?!…or in pieces? DESOLACE, book one, in a series of books by Author Lucian Barnes in his continuing saga of murder, time portals, and an underworld preparing for world domination!

—RAM Book Reviews

HAVEN - A strong heroine, awesome narration, unique voice, and vivid dialogue make this book the perfect" read.

After the first few chapters, the stage is set for a rip-roaring supernatural thriller that will keep you anxiously turning the pages. Our heroine, Katie hunts for Julie and will stop at nothing. Katie dives into a supernatural world that kept me glued to my kindle screen for hours. This author delivers an adrenaline pumping thriller and spellbinding tale with vampires and werewolves that will leave you howling for more. And I won't even get into the 'bugs'! Especially beetles!

I really enjoyed the main character, Katie. The author creates a distinct world for the reader filled with mind-blowing scenes, mystery, and a colorful mix of characters.

This thriller totally held my attention. I can't wait to read the next book! I give this book 5 stars without a doubt and will definitely read more from this talented author."

—Donna Johnson, Author

Cemetery Hill

By

Lucian Barnes

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Lucian Barnes

Smashwords Edition

Cover art copyright © 2014 by Katie Cowan

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cemetery Hill

This book is dedicated to the memory of my childhood friend, Kevin Welsh, who was taken from the world in his early twenties by Cystic Fibrosis. I cherished every moment we were able to spend together in the short time we had, and even years later you have remained firmly entrenched in my thoughts. One day, we will be reunited in the hereafter to continue our journey of friendship. Until we meet again, my friend. Cheers.

In honor of my fallen friend, and everyone else suffering with Cystic Fibrosis around the world, I have pledged to donate 10% of all royalties I receive from this book, to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Introduction

Up until now, in the Desolace series, we have gotten our first look at the serial killer known as The Headhunter. He is likely the most terrifying individual you have ever encountered; a prime example of what true evil really is. He abducts, tortures, and maims his victims, keeping their heads as gruesome trophies. Then he taunts the police by leaving the headless corpses of his victims displayed for the entire world to see.

Two high school seniors find out about him after fooling around with an Ouija board one night, accidentally contacting a real spirit; the ghost of one of his victims. The apparition leads Katie and Julie through the woods to show them her killer and the girls make a startling discovery. They recognize the man as their school bus driver.

A strange entity enters the picture, introducing itself to the killer as the Black Knight. He enlists the aid of The Headhunter, bringing him through a portal into the parallel world of Desolace.

He awakens in this new world and is instructed by the Black Knight to abduct people to work in a place known as The Factory. Doing the Black Knight's bidding, his resentment grows every time he restrains himself from killing.

Back on Earth, Katie has what she believes to be a dream. In this vision she meets a tall, pale sorcerer that calls himself Edward the White. He begs for her assistance, citing the fact that evil has gained entrance to his world from her own and he needs her help to vanquish it.

When Katie awakens, the shimmering spirit that led her to discover the identity of The Headhunter is in her room, beckoning for Katie to follow her once more. She follows, stepping through a portal into what she thought was a dream world.

As she meets the sorcerer who appeared in her dream for the first time, he informs Katie that they must form a group of people, comprised solely of individuals from Earth. The only catch? They must all have talents which are unique within the group. This group will consist of: a magician, hunter, warrior, healer, and some type of religious person.

After speaking with Edward at length, Katie soon realizes there is a possibility that her friend, Julie, has been brought to this world. She agrees to help him for the time being; in return she asks for his assistance finding her friend.

Edward agrees to help Katie and they soon set off on their quest. During their travels, they encounter many strange creatures, the likes of which Katie had before considered myth. They also come across more portals that lead to Earth, each seemingly associated with different points in time. They discover that each portal leads them to a specific individual, one whom they will need to form the rest of their group.

After entering a strange telephone booth, the group finds themselves transported to a future version of Earth; one decimated by an unknown virus which has turned nearly every living soul into a zombie. When Katie realizes they have come out of the portal and landed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she suggests the group head south, hoping to find a way out of this new hell back at her childhood home in Misty Hollows, Ohio.

Along their journey the group is forced to fight for their very lives against the never-ending tide of the undead, but near Detroit they find the final piece of their group, a red-haired former priest studying the ways of the shaman. Shortly thereafter the group encounters a southern man, fleeing to the north to escape the stench of death and the zombie hordes, hoping to find Canada more hospitable.

The group convinces this man, Chris, to give them a ride to Ohio, and after a terrifying ordeal they finally locate an active portal back to Desolace hidden in the Headhunter's old killing grounds. They fight their way through the zombie hordes to get to the portal, only to find themselves in yet another dilemma. Edward’s home town of Elysia has come under attack. As he and his ragged team of adventurers race against time to thwart the invasion, the city’s lone surviving elder, Jonas, sends them on a mission to the south to locate the Throne of the Gods in hopes of enlisting the aid of the immortal beings.

They find themselves entrenched in battle with a formidable army of cyborgs shortly after leaving Elysia, but manage to emerge victorious only to find the war was just beginning. Stumbling across a deserted town, which seemed to be forgotten by time, Edward is ambushed by a legion of the Black Knight’s demonic minions. Barely managing to survive the attack, the group took shelter in an abandoned inn to rest and lick their wounds. As the shroud of night falls over the town, the story continues ...

Chapter 1

The blaring of an air horn as a semi blew past the driveway startled the Black Knight for a moment as he hid in the shadows of the forest near the road across the street from a rambling farmhouse. As he watched, a younger version of his once faithful servant, George, picked up a rolled paper from the grass.

The young man mounted the steps of his porch and walked through the front door, allowing the screen to slam shut behind him. I need to find a way to convince him to come back to Desolace with me, but I don't want to frighten him away with my appearance. I need a disguise. He grinned, thoughtfully scratching his chin.

As the Black Knight considered crossing the street to peer through a window to study the younger version of his wayward disciple, a small child burst through the front door, running into the yard. The screen swung open a few seconds later and an attractive, dark-haired woman stepped onto the porch. The child immediately dove into the tall grass as if playing hide-and-seek. Cassie, the woman yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. When the child didn't come out of hiding, the woman put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill, ear-piercing whistle. Come inside, Cassie. It's time for dinner!

Reluctantly, the small girl stood up. Do I gotta? I wanna play for a little bit, she whined.

Well, if you want to go trick or treating when it gets dark you need to come inside and eat, her mother chided. As if she had uttered the magic words, Cassie skipped clumsily toward the house with a big grin on her face.

I really get to go this year? she asked excitedly.

Her mom laughed. After dinner.

Yay! Cassie quickly disappeared back into the house.

Make sure you wash your hands, the woman shouted after her.

Tearing through the hallway downstairs, Cassie nearly plowed George over as he carried a plate of burgers from the kitchen to the dining room. Whoa! Slow down, he scolded, barely managing to keep the tray of food from spilling all over the floor.

Impatiently, the Black Knight waited at the edge of the forest across the street from the house, hoping with nightfall he would be able to get closer to the home without drawing attention to himself.

As the sun sank behind the trees, casting long shadows across the lawn in front of the house, he began to hear the voices of small children heading his way. Shrinking back into the woods, he peered around the trunk of a maple to see a group of approximately ten kids, all wearing masks and costumes of one sort or another, stop at the end of George's driveway with pillowcases clutched in their hands.

That guy is creepy, one of the children dressed like a clown told the others. I say we keep going.

Brady's a chicken, Brady's a chicken, a little girl wearing a fairy costume teased.

I wanna go up there and see if Cassie can come with us, another girl, painted up by her parents to look like a porcelain doll, pleaded.

All of them except for Brady agreed with her, responding to the plea with an emphatic, Let's get some candyyyy!

The girl in the fairy costume took one last look at Brady, who wasn't budging, and chased after her friends.

Kicking at the gravel alongside the road, he looked at the kids who always seemed to tease him about one thing or another and silently wished something would happen to them. It would serve them right if that guy chopped them into tiny pieces and ate them. They are all poopheads anyway!

Brady, a voice whispered from somewhere nearby in the shadows.

Who ... who's there? Brady whimpered, looking nervously around him and suddenly wishing he'd stayed with the other children. With no streetlights in the area, the only light came from the porch where all the other kids were clustered awaiting their treats.

Brady, the voice beckoned to him again, this time sounding closer.

D-d-don't come any closer, he stammered as his bladder let go, releasing a warm flood of urine down his leg. I'll scream.

I don't think you'll have time for that, the Black Knight hissed, his hot, foul breath caressing the boy's face. He could hear the child's teeth chattering in fear as he reached out with one clawed hand, picking the boy up by his throat. Snapping his neck like it were nothing more than a twig, the Black Knight sunk his long teeth into Brady's throat as his head lolled to one side and drank his fill of the warm blood.

Taking the costume off of the boy's limp body, the Black Knight set it aside before heaving the tiny corpse into the woods where he'd been hiding. Shrinking himself down to a suitable size, he donned the costume and approached the house, pretending to be Brady. By the time he made it to the steps leading onto the porch the other children were walking away. Giggles and whispers passed among them. Look! The little chicken decided to grow a pair after all.

Playing the part, the Black Knight watched the other children scamper off on their way to the next house, leaving who they thought to be Brady alone once again. Turning toward the screen door, he held out the pillowcase to the woman, seeing his target wandering down the hallway behind her.

Do you need to use the bathroom? she inquired as politely as she could manage, wrinkling her nose at the smell of urine coming from the child.

Yes, please, the Black Knight replied, mimicking Brady's voice.

Opening the door, the woman stepped aside. It's right down the hall, she pointed. George! Can you show this little boy where the bathroom is, please? I need to go upstairs and see if Cassie is ready.

George poked his head back into the hallway to see the boy dressed as a clown walking toward him as his wife, Jen, disappeared up the stairs. Right here, little man. He grinned, opening the door for the youngster.

As the boy went inside, George waved a hand in front of his face then returned to the dining room to clear the dinner plates. Someone needs to give that kid a bath, he stinks! Bad!

Just as he finished cleaning up the dishes, George heard footsteps on the staircase. Peeking his head around the corner he saw Jen and Cassie entering the hallway coming toward him.

Don't you look adorable? He grinned, seeing his daughter in her princess costume carrying a small plastic pumpkin in one hand and a glittery wand in the other.

Are you gonna come too, Daddy? Cassie ran