The Devil's Fingers by Hunter Shea Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The Devil's Fingers
One
Size Eats All #3
by
Hunter Shea
Genre:
Horror
“Old
school horror.” —Jonathan Maberry
WHAT
HAS LONG PINK FINGERS AND SMELLS LIKE ROTTING FLESH?
It
is a slime-covered fungus known for its pinkish red tentacles and
pungent odor. It is indigenous to Australia but has spread to North
America. Its Latin name is Clathrus
Archeri,
also known as Octopus Stinkhorn. Most people call it The Devil’s
Fingers . . .
I
DON’T KNOW BUT IT’S GROWING ON YOUR NECK.
Deep
in the woods of Washington, botanist Autumn Winters stumbles onto a
field of the luridly colored fungi. Two of her fellow campers make
the mistake of touching it. Now it’s growing on them. Fleshy
gelatinous pods. Sprouting from their skin. Feeding on their blood .
. .
AND
IT’S STILL GROWING.
Autumn
watches in horror as her friends are transformed into
monstrosities—grotesque, human-fungal hybrids as contagious and
deadly as any virus. Autumn knows she must destroy these mutations
before they return to civilization. But if there’s one thing that
spreads faster than fear, it’s The Devil’s Fingers . . .
Chapter 1
Carrie’s screams rocketed Autumn’s
heart into her throat. A crow big enough to carry a cat in its talons
leaped from its perch above their heads, screeching across the blue
sky. “Carrie!” she shouted. Her friend had forged ahead to take
pictures, her passion du jour of nature photography separating her
from the group. Autumn Winters had wondered where she’d gone. Now,
she just hoped she wasn’t in a ditch or hanging off a cliff. Like that time in Mexico, she
thought, the heavy pack on her back thumping the base of her spine
with each footfall. “Over here,” Carrie called back,
her voice coming from a copse of spruce trees to their left. Latrell sped ahead of Autumn, letting
his backpack slip from his shoulders so it wouldn’t hold him back.
Carrie’s longtime boyfriend, Dan Waverly, was right behind him.
Autumn’s much shorter legs couldn’t keep up with the former
college athletes. She followed their path, branches and
weeds swaying from their passing. Veering from the official trail
worried Autumn, but nowhere near as much as Carrie’s peal of
terror. The gradual uphill climb had seemed so easy, the late spring
air just cool enough to make it one of the more pleasant hikes she’d
been on. It was amazing how arduous and stifling things got the
second they had to sprint like madmen, thorny weeds scratching their
legs. The toe of her hiking boot caught on
the underside of an immovable stone. Arms flailing, she twisted her
body so she wouldn’t fall on her face. “Got ya!” Brandon barked as he
grabbed hold of her backpack. He held on until she steadied herself.
He coughed up half a lung while she caught her breath. There was no time to thank him. Carrie
had grown frighteningly silent and there hadn’t been a peep out of
Latrell or Dan. “Come on,” she said. “I’ll catch up,” Brandon wheezed. There were heavy footsteps behind him.
He’d be okay. Autumn weaved her way around the
closely packed trees, careful not to clip her shoulders on the sturdy
trunks. “Where are you?” she shouted. “Over here,” Latrell answered. Honing in on her fiancé’s voice, she
stumbled out of the tree line and into Dan’s wide back. She caught
an unwelcome whiff of sweat, her face smooshed into his moist shirt. Regaining her balance—not that she
had any to begin with—she stepped back, noticing that Carrie, Dan,
and Latrell were standing alongside one another, hands on their hips,
staring at something she couldn’t see thanks to being dwarfed by
Dan’s massive shadow. Latrell took her by the hand. “Look
at this.” Carrie sounded close to tears. “Are…are they alive?” Autumn looked across the meadow and
fought a sudden wave of dizziness. As far as she could see, the
ground was littered with shattered white pods. Sprouting from each
pod were thick, pink tentacles. It was like looking at a sea of
squid, the underside of each tentacle dotted with wet olive and black
spots. Interspersed within them were deathly pale limbs, four or more
to a pod, looking too much like severed baby arms for Autumn’s
taste. Autumn hated calamari. She took a step toward the edge of the
meadow. Latrell held her back. “Don’t go near them.” “Whatever the fuck they are,” Dan
said, putting a protective arm around Carrie. Crashing in the brush announced the
arrival of Brandon, Tina, and Seth. “That is wild AF. And I haven’t
even smoked yet,” Brandon said, peering at the field as if his eyes
were deceiving him. Autumn let go of Latrell’s hand,
crouching close to the nearest cluster of skyward-reaching tentacles.
It was hard to believe that Autumn, the girl they all called Mighty
Mite because her genetics refused to allow her to pass the five-foot
mark, was out macho-ing her alpha male of a fiancé. Then again, this
was kind of her specialty. Or it would be in a couple more years. “Jesus, don’t touch it!” Tina
yelped. Autumn turned to her friends, all of
them looking as if they were standing on the precipice of untold
horrors. Latrell’s smooth, shaved head ran with rivulets of
perspiration. Seth’s hand went to the machete secured at his hip. “It’s all right,” Autumn said. “That does not look all
right,” Carrie said, her hand on Dan’s chest. A breeze whispered over the meadow,
animating the tentacles as they swayed back and forth. Tina yipped.
Brandon pedaled backwards, falling on his ass. The only thing worse than fried
calamari was living calamari. Blinking hard, Autumn willed her mind
to just shut up and deal with what was in front of her. You’re not at Nicky’s Fish Box
or lost at sea, dummy. Autumn reached into her pocket for the
little baggie of nuts she’d packed for quick snacking. Dumping the
nuts on the ground, she inverted the bag over her hand. She reached down, fingers grazing the
papery flesh of the tentacle. She plucked it free from the pod. It
was almost as long as her forearm, yet weighed next to nothing. “Don’t bring that thing near me,”
Carrie said, cringing. Latrell’s eyes grew wide. The wind
changed direction, blowing Autumn’s long honey hair into her face. Hands flew to mouths as everyone
started choking, Tina making tiny retching sounds. Uh-oh, Autumn thought. I
should have known better. The stench rolling off the meadow was
impossible to ignore. It hijacked their lungs, nestled into the
membranes of their noses, coated their tongues. A fetid redolence encompassed the
campers, the presence of death too much for Autumn to handle. Eyes
watering, she dropped the tentacle, hands grasping her knees, stomach
heaving. “Oh my God,” Carrie gasped between
gouts of vomit splashing her and Dan’s boots. She was the first to pass out. But not the last.
Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He’s the author of over 17 books, including The Jersey Devil (Pinnacle 2016)), Tortures of the Damned (Pinnacle 2015), and We Are Always Watching (Sinister Grin). Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum. The Montauk Monster (Pinnacle 2014) was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. He was selected to be part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line in 2011 alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. His video podcast, Monster Men, is one of the most watched horror podcasts in the world. Living with his crazy and supportive family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to see the skyline without having to pay New York rent.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!
Comments
Post a Comment