Welcome to In The Cards, a twenty-two author collection of standalone thriller and horror short stories. In this series, you’ll find stories inspired by the meaning of a specific Tarot Card, thoughtfully written with that thread woven through. Whether you’re a Tarot Card lover or not, you’ll find thrillers and horrors that will creep under your skin and into your thoughts. *Knowledge of Tarot Cards is not necessary to read or enjoy these stories.*At first, the estate feels like a return to something older than memory. Quiet, isolated, and heavy with the weight of generations. For newlywed Elias Haverford it is his birthright: a sprawling family home hidden deep within the woods, long abandoned and better left that way.
Elias grew up on stories of the curse that clings to the land; whispered warnings passed down like heirlooms. He never believed them. Not truly. Not until he brings his pregnant wife home, hoping to start a new life.
But the house remembers. The forest watches. And the curse is not a story. It is a debt.
As the truth reveals itself in fragments, Elias is forced to confront the role his family has played for generations. Something ancient demands payment. A life for a life.
To save his unborn child, Elias must make a choice that will damn him forever.
Because this time, the sacrifice must be his to give.
Set before the events of Dread House, this chilling prequel explores a legacy steeped in dread, where love, loyalty, and survival collide in the shadows of the old willow tree.
Elias grew up on stories of the curse that clings to the land; whispered warnings passed down like heirlooms. He never believed them. Not truly. Not until he brings his pregnant wife home, hoping to start a new life.
But the house remembers. The forest watches. And the curse is not a story. It is a debt.
As the truth reveals itself in fragments, Elias is forced to confront the role his family has played for generations. Something ancient demands payment. A life for a life.
To save his unborn child, Elias must make a choice that will damn him forever.
Because this time, the sacrifice must be his to give.
Set before the events of Dread House, this chilling prequel explores a legacy steeped in dread, where love, loyalty, and survival collide in the shadows of the old willow tree.
Used availability for A C Hessenauer's The Hanged Man