Dee Dee

When the end of the world arrived, it came not with a bang, as most expected, but with more of a "pfft" instead. Humanity has been torn asunder and brought to the edge of total annihilation in less than an hour. For those who died, it was a quick death, so fast that their brains didn't have time to process the pain signals from their nerves. For those who survived, the true horror is about to begin as they struggle to not only stay alive, but come to grips with the shocking realization about what - and who - was responsible.

It’s the flight before Christmas and Molly just got an unexpected gift: a free first-class upgrade on her plane trip home for the holidays. Bring on the complimentary cocktails! But after one too many, she spills all her secrets to the hot guy seated next to her—only to wake up mortified when her buzz has worn off. At least she never has to see Liam again ... or so she thinks. When Molly arrives at Christmas House, the festive rental home that she and her family are sharing with her sister’s fiancé and his wealthy family, she discovers that Liam is one of the new in-laws. Oops.

Possibly the darkest and most shocking six scary short stories yet ever created from bestselling author Stephen R. King. An instinct of passion and disrespect for decency and humanity fill this volume of life experiences we mostly keep in the back of our conscience, never wanting to bring to the forefront. Its truly sick!

Eighteen-year-old Anna is still learning how to live in the world outside Advocate Hospital where she spent months there as a psychiatric patient. As her high school friends and boyfriend Murph head off to college, Anna still struggles to overcome the wounds of her past while navigating the challenges of the future.

Charlotte and Simone have an unusual friendship. Charlotte is the daughter of James Worthington, a wealthy tobacco plantation owner and enslaver. Simone, the daughter of a slave, was taken from her mother’s arms and sold to James. When Simone arrives at Huntington Manor Plantation at seven years old, she and Charlotte have an immediate bond. But as the girls mature, there is no denying their different positions on the plantation—Charlotte is privileged, and Simone is an enslaved servant.

Seventeen-year-old Anna, the ninth child of ten, has returned home after three months in a locked psych ward on the fifth floor of Advocate Hospital. Together with her parents and siblings, Anna struggles to improve when she is immersed in her family’s inability to discuss the tragedy that occurred ten years ago. Though Anna continues therapy with her psychiatrist Dr. Ellison, her bad situation worsens when she returns to high school. Ashamed of her failures and the sheer apathy she feels from others, Anna is forced into making rash decisions as she contemplates the worst.

Seven-year-old Anna was smiling when she was given the news. It’s not that she misunderstood what she heard, but her smile froze as her brain stopped thinking and her breathing slowed. To her older sister Frances, Anna’s smile looked like one of ignorance and foolishness, but both were misconceptions. Anna’s smile was one of horror. She was the reason Liz would not be returning home.

Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, given to her by natural magic in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters, gentle Branza and curious Urdda, grow up in this soft world, protected from the violence, predation, and village prejudice that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever - magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga's refuge. Now, having known heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?

A teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, Zorian is attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. A driven and quiet young man, he is consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, resenting the Kazinskis for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, Zorian has no time for pointless distractions, much less other people's problems.