Based on ancient Mayan mythology comes a story of bloodlust, love and the horrors of coming of age.
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About the Book
Only In Darkness
by Brenda Stanley
Published 5 March 2022
Next Chapter
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Page Count: 326
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Based on ancient Mayan mythology comes a story of bloodlust, love and the horrors of coming of age.
In ancient Central America, the legend of the Camazotz: large, bat-like creatures that desire blood and terrorize the villages in search of prey. When the volcano, Masaya, erupts and kills the tribe from which the Camazotz are from, they discover a miracle ash in the ruins.
Years later in present-day eastern Idaho, 17-year-old Emilio Chavez lives in an isolated area near the lava rock cliffs of the American Falls reservoir. From birth, he has been different. After Emilio’s friend Clara falls victim to a terrible accident, suspicions about Emilio arise, and he discovers an astonishing secret about his past.
As a sinister force tightens its grip on Clara, can Milo save her from those searching for blood while keeping his own internal demons at bay?
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Excerpt
Jennifer Berchtold was a runner and her favorite place to stretch out and go each morning was the quiet and empty paths of the Mountain View Cemetery and the trails of the hills that snaked through and connected to it. The large craggy cottonwood trees were probably as old as the first graves dug in the late 1800s. They gave shade and framed small dirt pathways throughout the acres of grass and tombstones.
Her friends often chided her about her creepy choice of jogging route, but for her, the silence, lack of cars, dogs, and people made it the perfect place to renew her body and soul. With earphones playing her favorite playlist on Pandora, she escaped for that hour in the morning before her day as the BannockCounty Assessor began. She could forget the stream of complaints about tax payments and increased valuations as she kept a steady pace for those three miles. On that morning, her breath was visible, and as she pulled her sunglasses down from the top of her head, the sky was just starting to brighten. She took the hidden path that led from the oldest part of the cemetery to where the new grave sites began and up a small crest that was shaded and secluded. She rounded a clump of dogwood brush and came upon a smoky haze. As she ran through it, it started to clear just enough for her to see a large, dark figure in the distance. It was hunched on the ground, hovering over what was burning. She slowed and came to a cautious stop. Whatever it was, it hadn’t noticed her. It was moving, up and down, heaving in the early morning dimness amidst the haze. A black vinyl-like covering rose and fell, almost billowing. Then she saw feet protruding from under it. They were pale and upside down in the dirt and grass.
The sight alarmed her. She tried to get a better look in the low light and removed her sunglasses. As she pushed them up on her forehead, they toppled and fell to the ground. The noise was enough to alert the creature, and the figure rose and turned. The large black covering lowered at its sides and revealed a monstrous face. Jennifer’s body went cold and her chest heaved. It was a man, but he looked inhuman. His skin was discolored and taut, and his upper body oddly large, the dark covering folded back into wings that protruded from his back. He glared at her and then stepped away. She looked down and saw a body lying face down on the grass, its back torn open. Jennifer put her hand to her mouth in horror.
About the Author
Brenda Stanley is a former television news anchor and investigative reporter for the NBC affiliate in Eastern Idaho. She has been recognized for her writing by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, The Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is the mother of 5 children, including two sets of twins. Brenda and her husband Dave, a veterinarian, live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.
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