Escalation: Haunted Coal Ridge, #25
()
About this ebook
A series of intertwined supernatural stories that will make you wonder where the darkness ends and the light begins. All small towns keep secrets, but in Coal Ridge when the secret gets out, it begins to feed…again.
Story 25: "Escalation"
The past year has been crazy. Despite the efforts of her best friend and the Private Investigator that her mother hired, Emily is still trapped. Although she wants nothing more than to get out, there are lines she won't cross, and she has been able to help people who slipped over to escape the shadow.
When several kids disappear, it seems that the shadow is at it again. Rushing in to help, Emily discovers that its not alone. Something new has arrived, and she has once again become the hunted.
Chuck Sperati
Among other things, I'm a writer--with some published experience--whose been mostly quiet for the past few decades, mostly because I let life get in the way. I've long had a creative outlet at the gaming table and recently found another when I started building a website. With this new outlet also came inspiration. Right now I'm working primarily on a series of short stories that has received some very positive feedback, so I'm sharing. If you enjoy anything I've written, check out my website at https://www.chucksperati.com, where you can find more things that have crawled out of my imagination.
Related to Escalation
Titles in the series (27)
Reflections: Haunted Coal Ridge, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarjorie: Haunted Coal Ridge, #7 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cage: Haunted Coal Ridge, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThey Must Play: Haunted Coal Ridge, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVoices: Haunted Coal Ridge, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Stadium: Haunted Coal Ridge, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTreasure Mine: Haunted Coal Ridge, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Investigator: Haunted Coal Ridge, #9 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside Voice: Haunted Coal Ridge, #10 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder the Bed: Haunted Coal Ridge, #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Curmudgeon: Haunted Coal Ridge, #12 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Festival: Haunted Coal Ridge, #16 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElizabeth: Haunted Coal Ridge, #11 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRunaway: Haunted Coal Ridge, #19 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKick the Can: Haunted Coal Ridge, #14 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Place Safe: Haunted Coal Ridge, #17 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnforgivable: Haunted Coal Ridge, #15 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHappy Wednesday: Haunted Coal Ridge, #13 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMirrors: Haunted Coal Ridge, #22 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnimal Control: Haunted Coal Ridge, #23 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoad Rage: Haunted Coal Ridge, #18 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Way Out: Haunted Coal Ridge, #20 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Dare You: Haunted Coal Ridge, #21 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlaytime is Over: Haunted Coal Ridge, #26 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscalation: Haunted Coal Ridge, #25 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscape Plan: Haunted Coal Ridge, #27 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGladys and her Dog: Haunted Coal Ridge, #24 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
The 365 Stories Project Month Two Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDragon Blood Chronicles 1: Oath Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Love of Sara Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpooky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChattering in The Hallway: A Horror Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat Runaway Summer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings31 Days of Halloween Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSee How They Run: A Deathless Gods Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGladys and her Dog: Haunted Coal Ridge, #24 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThese Paranormal Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Happy Marriage: And Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Girl Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadow Riser Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDark Dreams (A Dana Blaze FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConvenient Prey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTempted by Trouble Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lockdown: Staycation, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside Voice: Haunted Coal Ridge, #10 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelphi Collected Works of Algernon Blackwood (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetween Love And Duty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Time to Kill: Witness Security, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Walls of the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Colonel in Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Cousin, the Rabbit [a Diz and Dee mystery] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ghost in my iPad 4:44 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarriage for Her Baby Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Picture Jumper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Serpent and the Peacock Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Family Next Door Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Ghost in my iPad - 444: The Ghost in my iPad, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Suspense For You
Then She Was Gone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Marriage: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lagos Wife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lying Game: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long Walk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If We Were Villains: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maidens: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Finders Keepers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Misery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whisper Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zero Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brother Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The It Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Escalation
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Escalation - Chuck Sperati
Dedication
Coal Ridge is based on Ohio’s Finest Village. It was a great place to grow up and continues to be a remarkable community to which I enjoy returning to see friends and family. For those who live there, take a moment, look around, and be wary of the shadows.
Preface
A series of intertwined short stories that will make you wonder where the darkness ends, and the light begins. All small towns keep secrets, but in Coal Ridge, when the secret gets out, it begins to feed...again.
Set in a small, somewhat geographically secluded town in the Midwest, the blue-collar people of Coal Ridge are friendly and laid back, enjoying block parties, gossip, and the simple joys that come with being a close-knit community. Because everyone knows everyone else, secrets are hard to keep, but some are so well hidden that they’ve been forgotten.
These short stories explore a supernatural awakening that will test the bonds of family and community.
Escalation
When his daughter was born, John Randall became a different person. Gone were the weekend binges, cigarettes, and driving like a man fleeing a bank robbery. He sold the GTO, bought a safety-rated SUV, and stopped bouncing between jobs. After six months of proving that he was done being a fuck-up at the construction site in Heaton, he’d been promoted. Now, he ran four crews and had begun looking at branching into his own construction business.
Understandably skeptical, Shelly Gray-Randall had insisted on hyphenating her name when they married. Like everyone else, she didn't believe he could change and thought it would be easier later if she held onto her maiden name. Holly may not have been planned, but she turned out to be a blessing for them both.
Do you know where the scarlet and gray one is at?
John called from the bedroom. Although he’d worked hard to remake himself, he still spoke like a member of his crew. You know that Ed is gonna represent with that ugly ass gold and blue tie.
It's maize and blue, honey.
Yes, they lived in a divided house.
Shelly had gone to school in Ann Arbor, and though John had barely made it out of high school, he bled scarlet and gray. With the exception of a stunning loss, they didn’t talk much about their teams during the season, but for that week in late November, the smack talk didn’t stop.
Until after The Game.
Mostly.
Of course, that didn’t mean they were always cordial before it.
You might want to check the bathroom,
Shelly continued, grinning to herself, I may have mistaken that tie for toilet paper.
A few moments later. Seriously? You wrapped it around the roll.
Stepping into the room and seeing the grin on her face, he nodded. I guess if I'd lost this many times in a row, I’d be—
Picking up one of her daughter’s plush dolls, she threw it at his head.