FANTASY & HORROR AUTHOR       NATHAN WILSON

A dull ache stirred in the back of Elijah’s head. He opened his eyes and saw only blackness and a mesh of wire netting. A bucket smelling of waste had been deposited in the corner of his chain link enclosure.

Melancholy, gray light filtered into his prison through the grated ceiling. A fan spun overhead, warping the room into a melting pot of shadows and light. Through the flickers, he saw that his clothes had been stripped away.

Elijah felt panic for the first time in months. He tried to clutch his chest as an outpouring of pain set in. The handcu...

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Vivian, Camilla, and Elijah whispered amongst themselves at the edge of the group. A guided tour of Bohnice’s psychiatric hospital cemetery was an unusual departure from the nights spent at the Toxic Mistress. That is not to say that Vivian wasn’t intrigued by the paranormal enthusiasts checking their equipment and setting up fixed cameras at points of interest.

The epicenter of activity centered around their tour guide, a delightful man named Hassan Sumbal. A headlamp was affixed above his forehead, allowing him...

An hour had passed since Keung Xu left Vivian at the crime scene. He couldn’t believe he was looking at the exterior of Pankrác Prison in southeast Prague. It was inconceivable that he needed someone who was locked away inside. The man in question should have been the last person he ever wanted to see again, let alone seek out for help.

Keung would be within every right to strangle him on sight for what he’d done to his family. How times have changed. Keung went through the process of checking in, passing through security, and filling out forms. H...

Elijah nervously glanced at Vivian as he followed the nurse down the hospital corridor.

“I’m beginning to have reservations about this ECT,” he grumbled.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll lie down and wake up feeling better than ever.”

“I’m dead. Why can’t you accept that?”

“Haven’t you ever prescribed an ECT for someone before? It’s helpful for depression, bipolar, and a whole host of disorders like Cotard’s.”

“How do you know this is going to help me? Who’s to say this won’t make me feel worse?”

“If you don’t trust in the procedure, trust in me. Will that...

“It has to be cyanide.”

Vivian couldn’t stop shaking as she huddled outside the emergency room in the hospital. “I could smell it on his breath before they hauled him off to the ambulance.”

Her stomach quaked and she balled up her fists.

Camilla wasn’t there to assuage her worst fears. She became unstable and belligerent when she learned about Elijah’s condition. In fact, security was forced to intervene and remove her from the hospital grounds. It was unlike Camilla to lose control, but she would have done the same if Vivian was the one dying of ac...

Elijah’s expression was unreadable as he surveyed the Alice in Wonderland aesthetic of Prague’s most notorious cybergoth club. The dance floor glowed under red lights, having been transformed into the Queen of Heart’s court. Lining the dance floor were topiaries and life-sized chess pieces. Elijah stared at the king’s piece, which appeared to have lost its head.

Only a few steps away, the bar had been sculpted into a likeness of the Mad Hatter’s table. It was littered with an assortment of China, teaspoons, and sugar cubes. Different shapes and s...

A shrill noise pealed across the room. Vivian almost threw her back against the window at the sound of the phone ringing. She swiped it off Elijah’s desk and pressed it to her ear.

“Elijah?”

“Not quite. It’s Gavin. Can I have a moment of your time?”

“Hi, Gavin. And before you ask, yes, I’m going to the dark Alice in Wonderland-themed night at the club tomorrow night.”

“I’m so glad, but I’m not calling to entice my most loyal customer. We have a problem on our hands.”

“What is it?”

“I think you need to come to the morgue as soon as possible.”

“Oh there i...

Vivian was instantly unnerved by the surreal display of skinless bodies inside the museum gallery. Some were chopped into parallel sections and sealed between glass plates. Others were largely intact and posed in daily activities such as throwing a baseball, playing a saxophone, or embracing their lover. Each body, donated by the once living man or woman, was missing its skin and infused with silicone. Vivian wasn’t sure where to look first.

She examined a pair of men positioned as if they were playing tennis before inspecting an ostrich consisti...

The Žižkov Fiend was fortunate enough to learn of the Red Widow’s preying grounds by word of mouth. One such place was a nightclub called the Toxic Mistress. What a fitting name considering her effect on him.

Still, he wasn’t able to pinpoint her location until he learned of her detective agency through a newspaper.

The gray skies released a gasp of cold air. Icy pellets of rain drummed across the flagstone courtyard in front of the Vesely Manor.

The killer froze in his steps as he neared the abode of the Red Widow. He felt the same way he did every...