A Special Halloween Treat! Ira Gansler's Things in the Darkness - Excerpt and {Giveaway}

Excerpt
Father Frank hung up his robe on a hook next to the door. He offered Kevin some coffee and Kevin accepted. Father Frank brewed the coffee and chattered while he did so about the recent activities in the church and how much he had missed the Tremmels’ presence, not only on Sundays but at many of their outreaches that had taken place since Kevin’s accident. He came out with a tarnished silver tray carrying the pot of coffee, two mugs, cream, and sugar. He sat the tray down on a table that sat on the inside of the L formed by the couch and chairs.

Once he and Kevin had fixed their cups of coffee, Father Frank sat back in one of the chairs as Kevin sat caddy-corner on the couch near him. Father Frank sipped his tea, while waiting for Kevin to start talking, which was another trick Kevin was sure he must have picked up during his days in the mental health field.

Knowing that it was up to him to start, Kevin decided to just lay all his cards on the table and blurted out, “I think I’m possessed.”

Father Frank did not bat an eye at this statement and Kevin felt himself able to breathe. This did not mean that the priest believed him, but it did indicate that he was willing to listen and that was all Kevin could ask at the moment. Finally, the priest spoke up. “When did you start to feel this way?” Kevin felt no judgment in the question and began to feel even more relaxed.

“Shortly after the accident,” Kevin said. “Maybe even right after it. I can vaguely remember some of the dreams or visions I had before I briefly came to in the operating room...” He trailed off and hesitated for a moment to share the point he thought might be vital, but one he didn’t know if the priest had any knowledge of. He thought to himself, “You’ve gone this far, you might as well not stop now.” He took a deep breath, looked into his coffee as if trying to read the future in the swirls of cream, or at least discover some vital secret behind existence, and then finally stated, “When I was dead.”

Father Frank did not drop his gaze and only took a brief second before saying, “I assume you mean clinically dead? Your heart had stopped?”

Kevin shook his head emphatically, “Yes, they used some kind of new resuscitation technique on me, but even so, they said I set some kind of record for how long I was dead before they were able to bring me back.”

“And you think that perhaps you brought something back with you from the afterlife?” Coming from anyone else, this would have felt like they were placating or even teasing him, but Kevin heard the sincerity in Father Frank’s voice and was willing to go on.

“I don’t know exactly. I only know that I haven’t been myself ever since I woke up from the coma.”

“How so?” Father Frank leaned forward and studied Kevin’s face and body language as he asked the question.

“I have been extraordinarily short tempered. I have felt rage at the slightest perceived or real threat or insult. I find myself critical of the very things I used to believe so strongly in, like my students and my family. I am
suspicious of everyone I meet and see ulterior motives in every action.” “Surely there must be more. You are an educated man. If this was all you were experiencing, I imagine your first thought would not have been demonic possession, but a mood disorder of some kind resulting from the trauma of your accident.”

Father Frank’s eyes bored into Kevin’s as if he could read the truth behind them. Kevin felt exposed and for a brief moment wished he had never came. Then he thought of Sarah, Chloe, and Jacob and the grisly visions he had seen when he lost his temper the previous day. He knew that he had to continue, no matter how crazy he would sound.

“I’ve been hearing a voice,” Kevin looked down at the floor. He was determined to get this out, but he could not meet the priest’s eyes as he said this part. “It urges me to do horrible things. Things of such a level of depravity that I find myself disgusted with the very thought of them once I come to my senses. It speaks of this darkness and urges me to join with the darkness. I dream every night of a pitch blackness, with creatures of some sort in the swirling in the background which become clearer every night.”

He looked up at the priest, and the look of desperation in his eyes was impossible to miss as he continued on. “These creatures, Father, I think if I see them in their entirety I really will go crazy. I don’t think any human mind was ever equipped with the ability to see them as they are.” Now the tears began to flow, but he had given up any pretenses at maintaining a sense of dignity or pride in this situation. “I see the most horrible things as if they are really happening. Violence, death, sexual perversion, and it is like I am actually committing these acts, it seems so real. My wife and children…I saw myself hurting, torturing, and killing them, and for a brief moment, I actually enjoyed the images until I came to my senses.” Kevin completely broke down into tears at that point and Father Frank placed a hand on his shoulder, but said nothing.

After a couple of minutes, Kevin was able to continue. “I would never actually harm them, Father. I would sooner damn myself to an eternity in Hell through taking my own life before allowing any harm to come to them. But it is so real. If this isn’t the work of a demon, then I don’t know what to think anymore. Six months ago, I would have thought that the notion of a demon in the literal sense was laughable. But now...now I don’t know what to think.” Kevin grabbed the priest’s hands and the desperation blazed in his eyes. “You have to help me, Father, you just have to!”

About the book
An accident puts Kevin Tremmel into a coma. Upon waking, he is not the same. Is it psychological trauma or something darker at work?

Until recently, Kevin Tremmel was at peace with his life. He had a wonderful family, a meaningful career, and his life is finally settling down. Everything seems to be going great - until the night he dies in a car accident.

When the doctors revive him, it's evident that he's not the same. Strange urges and images haunt his waking hours, and he finds himself fighting frightening new impulses. Has the trauma of the accident caused a mental illness -- or has he brought some malevolent being back with him?

In order to save his sanity, his sense of self, and his family, Kevin must discover what force is at work on him and how to overcome it. It’s that, or give up all he loves and become a servant to the things in the darkness.

Praise
"Terrifying and engaging, impossible to put down." Henrique Couto, Writer/Director of Babysitter Massacre and Director of Haunted House on Sorority Row and Scarewaves.

"Creepy, contemporary riffs on Lovecraftian themes!" John Oak Dalton, Screenwriter - Among Us, Haunted House on Sorority Row, and Scarewaves.

About the author

Ira M. Gansler is the father of three girls whom he adores and hopes to one day mold into fellow horror fans! He has been married to his fantastic, supportive wife for almost twelve years. Ira focuses on honing his writing craft through fiction, blogging, and screenwriting. He was one of the writers for the film Scarewaves, having written the screenplay for the “Office Case” segment.

Ira has been an avid horror fan since the time at age five when he ran screaming back to his bed after having witnessed the scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddy was dragging a bloody and dying Tina across the ceiling. Since then, he has embraced all types of horror. The Shining, anything by H.P. Lovecraft, and the original Night of the Living Dead will always hold a special place in his twisted heart. He prays that when the zombie apocalypse does come that it consists of slow zombies and that the Elder Gods show mercy on us all.

You can follow Ira M. Gansler on his blog, The Rage Circus Vs. The Soulless Void at http://ragecircus.blogspot.com, on twitter @RageCircusBlog, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ragecircusblogger. Ira also writes reviews and conducts interviews for the From Dusk Till Con Network at www.fromdusktillcon.com.

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win one of two great prizes during the #DarknessEmerges Tour. Ira is giving away a GRAND PRIZE of a signed print copy of his book, The Things in the Darkness, plus a signed copy of his “Office Case” segment from the movie, Scarewaves. As a second prize, he’s giving away another signed print copy! Enter to win through the Rafflecopter below. Enter now until Dec. 1, 2014. This is a tour wide giveaway, and open to U.S. Residents only due to shipping. If you want to enter from outside the U.S., and you can, but if you win, you’ll receive an e-book.

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