Daemortis: Novels

By T.K. Gellar

Daemortis is an ancient figure of myth and legend, known for taking children and keeping their souls for all eternity. But that is only a myth. After a series of children go missing in her small town, Alyssa Grand will find there's something more sinister lingering around than people realize. Before long she learns that not only is Daemortis real, but it's not after her! As she tries everything in her power to try and stop it, her friends are taken one-by-one in its path of terror. She'll soon find that the longer she avoids Daemortis, the more miserable it will make her life. It becomes a race to find a way to stop Daemortis before it collects her soul, but the more she learns about herself, the more she'll learn the truth about Daemortis. Can Alyssa save herself, or will she be doomed to an eternity of darkness like all the children before her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mooncast Publishing
• Release date: Aug 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9780463351512

T.K. Gellar

T.K. GELLAR grew up in a small Montana town with a passion for writing and a love for stories. Having been writing and reading since she could remember, she was particularly fond of horror and fantasy growing up. She published her debut novella Daemortis in 2016 and its sequel in 2018. When she's not writing or reading, she's fiercely gaming. She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her husband.

Book preview

Prologue

IT was a very late night for Officer Mark Millow, who worked as a dispatcher for the police department. As he refilled his cup with fresh hot coffee, his eyelids were beginning to droop when he received an alert that someone was calling. It was the most chilling phone call he had ever received in his life—one that haunted him long after. Being  a dispatcher, Officer Millow received hundreds of strange calls almost every night—some crazy, some bizarre, and most just plain ridiculous—but never before had he gotten a call that was so chilling that it would terrify him for the rest of his life.

It was two a.m. after he refilled his coffee and went right back to his computer. He rushed back as the alert seemed so urgent.

Pen Hill Police Department, state your emergency, answered Officer Millow with a professional voice.

All he could hear on the other line was the heavy breathing of a young girl. He listened closely, as her voice was faint. He could tell she was very frightened.

Hello? he asked.

With a small, whimpering voice, the girl answered, P–pl–please . . . please come to 23 Pine Street now. Please. He’s . . . he’s here . . . he’s coming to get me.

Officer Millow’s heart skipped a beat. That was the house next door to his. He recalled his neighbors having a girl close in age to his daughter, whom he instantly recognized as the girl on the line.

Scarlet? Who is? Who’s coming for you?

I—I don’t know.

Is this person familiar to you? asked Officer Millow.

No. He’s the scary man. . . .

Scary man? What does he look like? Can you describe him for me, sweetie?

There was a sudden gasp, and a five second pause. Officer Millow listened as closely as he could.

He’s here. . . . He’s right outside.

Okay, listen to me. We’ve got the police on their way. Can you find some place to hide and stay on the line with me?

The girl gasped again as the phone went fuzzy and screeched in his ear. Millow’s heart raced, and he wished the police would hurry to help the poor girl. He could only imagine if it were his own daughter calling him. The horror of someone’s child being harmed was almost unbearable for him.

The girl began to cry and said, I—I’ll try. I don’t know where to hide.

The police are hurrying as fast as they can. Stay calm, okay? Is there a place for you to hide? If not, I’m going to need you to evacuate the house as fast as you can.

There was a pause before the phone once again went fuzzy and then faded to static. A screech once again rang in his ear; this time so loud he had to pull the receiver from his ear to a full arm’s length. Other dispatchers also heard it and looked his way. A clear connection returned, and the girl on the line suddenly gasped and went silent.

Officer Millow listened as carefully as he could, almost suffocating from holding his breath so long. Static once again interfered with the call, nearly breaking his line off from hers.

With a dry gulp, Officer Millow asked, A-are you there, sweetie?

OH MY GOD HE’S INSIDE THE HOUSE! HE’S HERE! screamed the young girl. She screamed a horrified scream, the kind of blood curdling scream that gave one shivers to listen to, HELP ME, PLEASE!

Get out of the house right now! demanded Millow. Police are just about there! Get out of the house!

The girl’s screams grew even louder still, eventually sounding like she had dropped the phone and was running away into the distance. The phone again went static and fuzzy, and for almost a minute Officer Millow couldn’t hear a thing. After another dry gulp, a child’s scream suddenly erupted into his ear, startling Millow nearly off his chair. His heart beat even faster for the young girl’s safety. Her screaming in the distance stopped abruptly, and the line went silent.

Hello? Scarlet. . . . Scarlet!

Silence.

HELLO?

A voice on the other end of the line came through, clear as day. She’s with me now.

The voice struck cold fear through Officer Millow, all the way down to his bones. It was horrifyingly deep, with what sounded like three or four different voices in the background of it, each one creepy on its own. It would go on to disturb Officer Millow till his dying days.

Who-who is this? What have you done with Scarlet?

She is of no concern to you anymore, Mark. If I were you, I’d be more concerned about Ellie. She’s quite peaceful when she sleeps.

There was a click, followed by a dial tone. Officer Millow’s eyes widened as his heart raced with absolute fear. He couldn’t find any words, as all speech had left him. His eyes misted, knowing something had happened to the neighbor’s girl, and worse, he knew about Ellie—his thirteen year old daughter who was at home sleeping.

A new text message popped up on Officer Millow’s phone that snapped him back to reality. He brought his phone up to his face and saw he had a message from none other than Ellie. Tapping on the message, what he read made his legs weak with tremendous fear.

––––––––

Daddy I heard screaming next door and it woke me up. I think something happened to scarlet.

One

IT was October in a small mountain town called Pen Hill. In a neighborhood on Pine Street, it was a very special day for a very special little boy. It just so happened to be Isaac Grand’s birthday, and he was just so excited to be eight years old. As his mother and father continued to wish him a happy birthday throughout the morning, he couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest little boy in the world.

Isaac’s father was a tall, lanky, and rather dorky-looking man with short blond hair groomed like something right out of the fifties, and blue eyes. He was a kind, loyal, and gentle soul, a family man inside and out. He loved his family and his life, and if you were to ask him what he would change, he would say not a damn thing.

Isaac’s mother was a tall woman with short, meticulously-styled blonde hair, and rather large, blue eyes, and a stern, strict appearance like a bootcamp instructor.  She was the kind of woman who had to have order in her home, or she would become your worst nightmare. She considered herself the breadwinner of the house, and what she said was law. It was her way or no way.

Upstairs, getting ready for the day, was Isaac’s older sister, Alyssa Grand. She was eighteen years of age with an extraordinary life, or so it seemed to all the kids at school. She had it all; a beautiful home, a very pretty face, friends, everything she could ever want, good grades, and a celebrity-like status. She had long, vibrant light-blonde hair with turquoise eyes, silk-smooth skin, and the grace of a swan. She was the it girl every guy wanted and every girl wanted to be.

Downstairs in the living room, a trophy case displaying all of Alyssa’s awards over the years bragged her accomplishments. She had medals, certificates, trophies, everything. She had awards in martial arts, volleyball, gymnastics, and even piano recitals. She was almost a prodigy, but really she had goals that exceeded beyond everyone’s expectations, even hers.

Coming downstairs, Alyssa took a seat at the island table in the kitchen, busy texting away on her brand new Taurus 2 phone, and glanced over at the flat screen television in the living room. For some reason, the morning news caught her attention, which really said a lot since she couldn’t care less about the news. A handsome man in his late thirties was reporting a missing young girl just a few blocks down. Only thirteen years old, she simply disappeared without a trace, leaving not so much as a clue as to where she went. She simply vanished out of thin air.

There are no leads to the possible whereabouts of Scarlet Merrick. This is the third missing child reported this week. Police are hoping to find something soon. The only clue? A phone call made at the time of her disappearance to Officer Mark Millow, the reporter said.

Mark Millow? That’s Jillian’s husband. Ugh, poor guy. That must be emotionally devastating to him, said her mother, eyes glued to the TV while she held a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice.

That is just awful. I hope they find her. Hope she’s okay, replied her father, who sat on the living room floor fixing the coffee table on a tarp with tools neatly lined-up in order of importance. Isaac sat on the couch watching him fix it.

I’m sure they will, hon. Pen Hill isn’t that big.

What do you think happened to her? asked Alyssa, ignoring her new texts.

I hope she just wandered off somewhere, said her father, not even looking up from the table. As a parent, I don’t want to assume the worst. What a parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child.

"I don’t think it’s anything that drastic. It’s Pen Hill. Nothing big ever happens in Pen Hill," Alyssa said, shrugging it off, resuming her texting.

You never know, Alyssa. There are a lot of sick people out there. You never know what kind of monsters are lurking, said her mother as she flipped open her newspaper shaking out its creases and promptly absorbed herself in its crisp pages.

Alyssa looked up, not really sure how she felt about that statement. For some reason that struck deep within her. She shared her father’s sympathy—the thought of anything horrible happening to a little girl was way too awful to imagine. She turned back to the news, wondering what exactly happened to Scarlet Merrick. If she was taken, who took her?

The tension shifted as her mother finished her orange juice, folded her newspaper, and placed her cup in the sink. They’re your dishes tonight, little lady. I expect them done before you go to bed at nine pm tonight.

I will, Mom. I’m perfectly aware they’re my turn.

Her mother raised a brow, but her father stepped in and said, Leave her alone, hon. She’s a grown girl. She’s more responsible than you think.

Alyssa awkwardly looked back at her mother. She knew she hated when her father took her side.

"You spoil her, you know that? How’s the girl supposed to learn any responsibility when her daddy is always coddling her?"

Her mother turned with a smart click of her heel and walked away, shaking her head with disappointment. Alyssa slowly looked over at her father, who looked at her sternly. She awkwardly hung her head down and stared at her phone, uncomfortably meeting his gaze.

You’re going to have to step up around here sooner or later, Alyssa. We’ve been letting you slide long enough now. It’s time to do your part.

Okay! she snapped, who did not want to hear it again. Her eyes were full of annoyance, her expression bringing out her mother. I get it, okay? You don’t have to treat me like I’m stupid!

I’m not treating you like you’re stupid—

But you’re implying it! she interrupted. I’ll do the freaking dishes when I get home! God!

She snatched her backpack, grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, and was out the door without so much as a glance. Her father sighed and shook his head, turning to Isaac as he shared his father’s concern. The last thing his father wanted was for his special day to be ruined.

He looked over as his wife approached him from the kitchen. Her arms were crossed, and she stared at the door with a sour look on her face. She was beyond unhappy with Alyssa.

"I don’t get that girl. I never acted like that when I was her age. Never! My parents would have backhanded me!"

She’s probably going through a lot, hon. It’s best we just back off and give her space.

She’s acting like a little bitch! That girl seriously needs to learn her place, or she’s going to learn how much of a bigger bitch I can be!

Have you seen her trophies? asked Alyssa’s father, turning and pointing at the trophy case. He looked at his wife and said, She is more than responsible. She has a lot more going on in her life than you give her credit for. I think you’re selling her short.

Alyssa’s mother shook her head, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She better step up soon, that’s all I know. She, also, needs to learn her place and watch that smart little mouth of hers. She’s the kid, not the parent.

Her mother turned and walked away, the sound of her heels echoing off the kitchen floor sharply hammering their ears. Her father looked at Isaac, feeling hopeless. He kissed Isaac on the forehead, then got to his feet, and went outside to see Alyssa waiting  in the car, texting away. He foresaw a fight coming, but what he could do to prevent it seemed unavailable to his rattled mind.

His little girl was now a young adult. She went from his sweet, loving little girl to a little brat who got what she wanted and expected everything. However, he had no choice but to keep his head high and try to keep the peace between the two women. He had to keep his family together.

Two

ALYSSA’S father pulled into the school’s parking lot and parked close to the entrance of the school. Normally, he