Out of the Night #12

An archaeologist's discovery of an ancient Persian flute—the legendary instrument of Haydi, guardian of the dead—becomes an instrument of murder and dark ambition when his colleague Gibbons kills for it and begins summoning the restless dead to extract their secrets and power. But when a woman arrives who sees through his façade of sudden wealth and influence, Gibbons must decide whether to reveal the terrible price of his newfound dominion—or silence her with the very same flute that sealed his fate.

A mysterious creature awakens in Florida's Everglades with newfound consciousness and strength, only to encounter humans who recoil in horror at the sight of it. When the being discovers it can read minds and attempts to communicate its peaceful intentions, it finds itself hunted and attacked—leading it to seek one final, desperate way to bridge the gap between its world and humanity's.

When excavation crews break ground on the new Totten Village development, they unknowingly disturb something far worse than old foundations—a centuries-old grave that unleashes a supernatural killer on the frightened residents. Dan Dorian, a history teacher, suspects the truth lies in the village's dark past, and he and his wife Grace must venture into forbidden knowledge to stop the evil before panic empties every building. A race against both time and disbelief, where one man's study of history becomes the only weapon against a force the police refuse to acknowledge.

Three centuries ago in Arabia, the ruthless brigand Birshem and his band of desert thieves massacre a caravan of holy men—a crime that draws down a supernatural curse from beyond the grave. When spectral victims return to exact their vengeance, Birshem is condemned to an eternal punishment: wandering the desert wastes with his men and beasts forever, knowing only burning suns, bitter thirst, and endless torment. Even today, travelers speak of glimpsing this ghostly caravan still trapped in its infernal fate.

When hunters in a Maine marsh encounter something impossible, reporter Cliff seeks answers from Dr. Whitney Craven, a fossil expert whose isolated estate harbors a terrifying secret—a prehistoric creature that may not be what it seems. As Cliff investigates deeper into Craven's basement laboratory, he uncovers a mad scientist's twisted experiment in reversing human evolution, setting in motion a chain of events that will pit creator against creation in a desperate fight for survival.