Dr. Nathaniel B Smythe, doctor of psychology and engineering. Philanthropist and investor. Grandson of one of the town’s founders, and confirmed bachelor. General Franklin F. Fremont, retired general in the army. Explorer and big game hunter. The two men, stalwart friends in a small industrial town on the banks of the Susquehanna River where nothing changes and excitement is discouraged. On the surface, anyway.

But there is something rippling beneath the sleepy little town’s gentle facade. It’s been there for as long as anyone can remember. No one talks about it, not even in subdued whispers, but it touches the lives of every resident…including the two friends. And when Dr. Smythe reveals one of his secret inventions to a bored General Fremont, Hell breaks loose in the form of a demon from another dimension. The two are forced to hunt the creature before it can wreak havoc on the town they both love.

It won’t be as easy as they think. the doorway they open is but the beginning, and even more horrors wait for them and the rest of the town.

This is life on the river. This is life for residents who will do anything to achieve their goals. If the town accepts you, it will give you anything you can dream.

Even if the dream is a nightmare.

Welcome to Milltown.

HUNTING GROUNDS
Paranormal Horror
BY KRISTA CAGG

Excerpt

Smythe moved to the right of the console and stood in front of a set of controls. He had already set the frequencies he wanted so his hand gripped the double bladed knife switch handle, paused for a moment to double check the readings then pulled it into the down position. A couple of sparks traveled down the wires from the console to the Faraday device then the disc began to spin. The arm the tuning fork was attached to shuddered as a hammer hidden within the contraption rapped against it. It set off the prongs, causing the resonance to spread along the surface of the disc.

Smythe watched it all begin to function then moved back down the console. He opened the gas valve wider, and the blue flames spewed larger from the jets. Smythe’s expression grew tense, his eyes more focused, as he gave the gauges another quick glance, and then held his hand over a round button the size of his palm. His neck pulsed as he swallowed while he judged the size of the flames, nodded then pressed his hand down firmly against the button.

Another thunk echoed through the rushing and whirling cacophony of the entire machine. A channel was opened that allowed the Faraday contraption to emit the resonance-filled electromagnetic waves down the line and into the glass tubing. Smythe straightened, the thrill of expectation parting his lips as he watched the flames’ brief, initial reaction to sound being introduced into the gas. They dimmed, drawn back into the tube, but it was only for the length of a heartbeat. The resonance was made to match the same speed of existence as the light of the gas flames and that was when the reaction came into being.

Fremont and Smythe both flinched when a loud, high-pitched whine filled the room. It was contained soon enough by the dampeners built into the frame of the gateway. A blinding flash of light struck them along with the sensation of being abruptly shoved in the chest. A grunt came from Fremont as he shielded his eyes, but Smythe just looked on with a broad grin on his face.

The portal had opened.

About Author Krista Cagg…