Hiding From Shadows

By John Coon

Every night is a personal battle to survive until morning for Ellen. An unseen menace lurks in the shadows outside her home. Will it strike without mercy once she lets her guard down? 

 

Ellen wanted more than to spend her life in a backwater Louisiana town. She seeks to leave the bayou and travel the world while fulfilling her ambitions. But a troubling past has swallowed that future. Nearly a year has passed since she last laid eyes on Ray. He swore to return and exact revenge against Ellen for ending their unhappy marriage. A nightly vigil awaits when sunlight yields to moonlight. No one can help. Armed with her trusted bat, Ellen must stand alone as an inevitable confrontation with her darkest fear looms on the horizon. 

 

Hiding From Shadows is an unsettling ghost story from the mind of John Coon. If you like heart-pounding scares and unexpected twists, you'll love this chilling and terrifying short horror story set in the Deer Falls universe. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Samak Press
• Release date: Jan 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215730614

John Coon

From the time he started creating stories on an old typewriter in his parents' house at age 12; John Coon has possessed a passion for writing. John graduated from the University of Utah in 2004 and has worked as a sports journalist for more than a decade. His byline has appeared in multiple publications and on multiple websites nationwide.  John resides in Sandy, Utah. Visit John's author page at johncoon.net for the latest news on his novels and short stories. Follow John on social media -  Facebook: @jcoon Twitter: @johncoonsports

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John Coon

Hiding From Shadows

First published by Samak Press 2023

Copyright © 2023 by John Coon

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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I

Ellen shivered. A chill dug into her bones and laced fingers through the marrow one bone at a time. But the penetrating coldness attacking her did not originate from the thick damp air surrounding her back porch.

No. This was an otherworldly chill. Stirred by fear. A lingering dread of what lurked beyond her house.

Staring at the same thicket of trees each night, once the sun fled from the sky, did her no favors. Ellen knew as much. Her widened eyes trailed every inch of every tree cloaked in shadow, darting from exposed roots and climbing lofty branches towering overhead like giant leafy arms, until her mind convinced her that hidden monsters lurked within those shadows.

One monster to be specific.

When darkness conquered her known world anew after sunset, trees adopted a menacing appearance. Ellen wanted to retreat inside her house, lock the deadbolt, and wrap herself inside a soft fleece blanket. Forcing herself to sit on this back porch and stare into those woods