Death. He plays a cunning role in our lives. Sometimes he uses us to do his bidding; other times, we can elude him, play him for a fool. But in the end, he always wins. In this volume of the Ink Stains anthology, our authors examine both Death and death and the power and pain that can accompany it. Mackenzie Cox, Layla DeGroff, Miranda Forman, S.D. Hintz, Anna Mavromati, Bekki Pate, Holly Saiki, and Jon Steinhagen lead us through a journey of eight tales exploring our connection with death in both the mundane and supernatural realms.

Looking for inspiration, New York Times Bestselling author Pratt Paget moves his family away from the city. Their new home seems peaceful, a breath of fresh air. Then their Golden Retriever disappears. And 12-year-old Parker is convinced something in the abandoned barn beyond the grove took her.

A magical, mischief-making ornament taunts a couple and their twin children. Will it add joy to their world? Or will it be their last Christmas?"The troubles this family encounter, thanks to a certain terrifying Xmas ornament, make the ones the Griswold's go through look like a walk through a winter wonderland! If you like your festive tales dark, then S.D. Hintz has more than got you covered!"- Paul Kane, bestselling and award-winning author of Hooded Man, Blood RED and Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell.

Stock trader Coren Raines is regretting his latest investment. Six-month-old triplets vanish a block from his house. The local sheriff is determined to frame him. And the more secrets Coren unearths, the harder it is to prove his innocence.

An evil ornament threatens to ruin Christmas for a couple and their twin children.Is it a magical gift or the Devil's plaything?'The troubles this family encounter, thanks to a certain terrifying Xmas ornament, make the ones the Griswold's go through look like a walk through a winter wonderland! If you like your festive tales dark, then S.D. Hintz has more than got you covered!'-- Paul Kane, bestselling and award-winning author of Hooded Man, Blood RED and Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell.

After Murray Macabe's world comes crashing down around him, he's sent to his Grandmother's house to start his life anew. The neighbors, however, have other plans, for the three crones have set theirs sights on Murray and have every intention of including him in their next Black Mass.

Let Hayden Alcuin guide you through his funeral home of horror, sharing stories you can take to the grave. From a call girl's date with the Devil to a funeral director's mad plot of eternal youth, here are 13 Tales from an Undertaker. "Vivid, kick-ass horror - just plain recommended." -- John Shirley, author of A Song Called Youth

18 tales of flesh-ripping terror. Humans are served as a delicious entree, as foul beasts emerge to claim their meal...

Eighteen-year-old Seanna had a face that was hard to forget. A blood red birthmark emblazoned across her chin is the reason why. It made her the target of taunts from bullies and the bane of the headmistress of the orphanage where she lived since birth. Her mark possesses a fiery flair she struggles to control. Consumed by a pyrokinetic ability she can either learn to control it or let it control her. Her Bitter Birthday brings the opportunity to be adopted by a real family, or so she believes. The Trident, the governing dictatorship, has found the solution to their budgetary shortfall - orphanages have replaced schools and slave houses have replaced homes. And Seanna has just had her introduction to the world outside the safety and comfort of the orphanage. A world where young adults are abused and chained in the mines as slaves of the tyrannical Trident. Using her Fiery Cinder she escapes and meets a young revolutionary hell-bent on change. He leads her in a charge against the Witch he believes to be the cause of the breakdown of the family unit - Amethyst, who also happens to be Seanna's new adoptive "mother." Bought and paid for by Amethyst, Seanna reels against the truth - she was given the Cinder to be the weapon that can overthrow the Trident and bring a new day to the Fourth Quarter. In a world where no one can be trusted can she trust herself to save the world or will she be the one to end it?

Death is permanent. This is the falsehood that we tell ourselves so we can sleep at night. It's the lie that we tell our children so they don't carry their kitten's corpse to the old cemetery deep in the forest. It's the myth that we wrap ourselves in so we can ignore the gut-wrenching terror of what really follows deaththe unfathomable unkno