Subgenre: Horror, supernatural fantasy
About Apocalypse Hill:
The end of the world is just a game.
The Hill arrived in Apoc, in the far north of England, during a storm. The soil was soaked in ancient blood and the grasses that clung to its slopes were slashes of vicious crimson. The Hill did not arrive by chance. The Hill came for a reason.
There's Mary, who saw her mother murdered when she was still in single digits and is now being pushed to do something dreadful by forces she can't understand. There's Bill Reed, trying to distract himself from worrying about his daughter by focusing on his latest novel, who finds himself waking to a world of familiar faces turned monstrous. And then there's Alice, a horror movie loving young girl sat in a car alone in the night as she awaits her Dad's return, trying to ignore the unnatural noises creeping from the shadows outside.
Dark forces are at play in Apoc Hill. The inhabitants will become unwilling pawns in an ancient game between the darkness and the light. An ancient game that could see the entire world laid waste.
'Apocalypse Hill' is the first part in author Matthew Stott's thrilling new supernatural fantasy miniseries.
The Hill arrived in Apoc, in the far north of England, during a storm. The soil was soaked in ancient blood and the grasses that clung to its slopes were slashes of vicious crimson. The Hill did not arrive by chance. The Hill came for a reason.
There's Mary, who saw her mother murdered when she was still in single digits and is now being pushed to do something dreadful by forces she can't understand. There's Bill Reed, trying to distract himself from worrying about his daughter by focusing on his latest novel, who finds himself waking to a world of familiar faces turned monstrous. And then there's Alice, a horror movie loving young girl sat in a car alone in the night as she awaits her Dad's return, trying to ignore the unnatural noises creeping from the shadows outside.
Dark forces are at play in Apoc Hill. The inhabitants will become unwilling pawns in an ancient game between the darkness and the light. An ancient game that could see the entire world laid waste.
'Apocalypse Hill' is the first part in author Matthew Stott's thrilling new supernatural fantasy miniseries.
Excerpt:
CHAPTER ONE
The creatures gathered upon the Hill where once fathers had
murdered their children in the name of something terrible. The fathers had cut
and ripped and gouged until the entire Hill had turned red and glistened like a
ruby in the moonlight.
‘This one will.’
‘Can you feel it?’
‘Yes. Yes!’
The Hill has known many names. Of course it has. Nothing so
ageless passes through the centuries with only one title. For now, the people
that live within sight of it call it and the land that surrounds ‘Apoc Hill’.
No one walks up the Hill itself, or spreads a blanket on its slopes to enjoy a
picnic on a hazy spring day, instead they try their best to avert their gaze.
None of them realise that they try to ignore the Hill, but they do.
‘Who has whispered to her?’
‘Ha! Who else?’
‘As she slept.’
‘As she sang.’
‘As she bathed.’
‘The Yellow Man?’
‘Yellow Man—’
‘Yellow Man!’
The Hill hasn’t always been where it now stands. Once it stood
in the American south, under hazy, close skies, as witches tried to use its power
in their name. Once it rested in view of the great Aztec temples, and watched
as hearts were torn and heads were rolled to the crowds below. Once it stood at
the centre of the Earth where great forgotten beasts fought and died around it.
But now it stands at this small, overlooked place, in the far
north of England.
Apoc Hill.
‘Our world: soon, soon, soon.’
The Hill arrived unnoticed by any of the residents, but the
peaks and waters of the Lake District, as the wider area is known, they felt the intrusion. Felt the
unnatural growth appear on its unblemished natural beauty. Bristled at the
arrival and shrank back from its wrongness. Livestock broke free and kept a
safe distance, and tourists no longer felt inclined to hike through Apoc on
their way to the more famous lakes and hills, no matter the extra miles added
to their journey.
‘At last, at last; we were patient and now here she is.’
‘Here she is—’
‘Yes, yes—!’
In the shade of Apoc Hill stands a farmhouse. It is made mostly
of wood and of poor construction. Within the house live what remains of a
family. Once the family was much greater in number, all too soon it may
disappear altogether.
‘Why must she be warned?’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes.’
‘She should be pushed!’
‘No; there are rules and even we must play by them, or this
shall all be for naught.’
The house seemed to lean away from the shadow that fell across
it from the Hill, as if afraid that one cold touch from its shade could do it
ill. The house would not be mistaken in this belief, especially on a night such
as this.
‘Since she was born, the Hill has looked over her.’
‘Looked over all of the family.’
‘It has seeped into them and made them its own.’
‘Soon.’
‘Soon.’
‘Soon.’
‘The Knot Man shall come a-calling.’
‘The deed will be done.’
‘The trick will begin.’
Amazon
About Matthew Stott:
Matthew Stott writes strange stories.
Influenced by the likes of seminal TV show 'Doctor Who', and writers Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, he crafts stories full of creep, wonder, and adventure.
Matthew Stott has scares to tell.
Influenced by the likes of seminal TV show 'Doctor Who', and writers Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, he crafts stories full of creep, wonder, and adventure.
Matthew Stott has scares to tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment