Glen and his boyfriend Aiden live a mostly peaceful life in New York City, but then Aiden’s abusive ex, Stephan, comes back into the picture. After an odd encounter with a Catholic priest, Glen begins acting strangely.<br><br>He attributes it to stress at first, but then things get even worse. Glen experiences mental blackouts, and when he comes to, he finds he has been up to no good. A stolen wallet here, a violent loss of temper there, and an unsettling trend of nightmares plague him.<br><br>Glen prays he isn’t losing his mind and hopes he can regain control of himself, but when Stephan slips back into old habits and goes after Aiden, the darkness in Glen’s soul takes over again. Can Glen subdue his inner demons before they consume him, or is it already too late?

Vitia ex Virtus

When his turn came up, the game was just about over anyway. Not only had Thomas found a way out of the tight situation Aiden had left him in, but he had sunk almost every other ball he needed to. “I think we’re just going to concede to the better team,” Aiden said.


Thomas frowned. “Aw, come on, guys. I know I’ve been beating you pretty bad, but can we at least finish?”


Aiden patted Glen on the back. “Glen’s not feeling so hot. He didn’t eat much before we started drinking. It’s starting to hit him hard. And I think I hit my limit half a beer ago myself.”


Chris and Thomas nodded understandingly. “Yeah, all right,” Chris said. “Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime?”


Glen smiled feebly. “Maybe. I dunno. We don’t get out often.”


“Maybe you should,” Chris said. “Get some endurance. I mean, if you can barely handle your drink…”


Chapter 8