PK Hrezo

The last place eighteen-year-old aspiring artist, Morgan Jaeger, wants to spend her summer after high school is in the boonies of the Transylvanian Highlands with her estranged father. She never expects to meet the handsome, free-spirited musician, Varujan, who shares her affinity for abstract art. The summer of dread becomes the summer of dreams when Varujan invites Morgan to a secret hideout of underground artists. But when the utopia turns into a thrill ride of terrors that pitch Morgan's life before her eyes she must keep her wits about her or else lose her most valuable asset forever.

A Wicked Thought

Why did I say it? Why did I share a secret with an undead, soulless being? What does it say about who I am? 


And why do I still want to be near him? 


I hadn’t dwelled on the complications of our friendship or the fact he’d misled me from the beginning. I didn’t think at all—I just … spoke. 


How do I fit into all this? If it’s not me here with Varujan right now, would it be someone else? 


My artwork and darkness were the key. But they’re also my greatest bargaining piece. It’s why I can return to The Shade with Varujan and know I have a way out. 


In the blur of blinding blackness, we speed through the Darkness Hollows. My mind is a torrent of thoughts and puzzle pieces. What would it mean for Cordial Maladies’ music to debut online? If I help them, am I as guilty as they? My involvement would be more than connecting people to music—music is a euphemism for a supernatural symphony of other people’s horrors—an undead band’s grisly lure for paying their dues. 


Chapter 29