The Awakening of Dread

The Scariest Story Ever Told: Volume 1

By: Russ Horman

Narrated by: John Bomhoff

Prologue: The Scream Beneath the Earth
In the dead of a moonless night, a sickening, guttural scream split the silence of Haven’s Hollow—a sound that seemed to come not from any living creature, but from the very bowels of the earth. Beneath the cracked pavement and familiar brick, something ancient and abhorrent stirred. The cry was accompanied by the stench of decay and burnt flesh, a macabre prelude to the nightmare that was about to shatter the town’s serene veneer.

An almost imperceptible ripple of crimson mist seeped from a fissure that had appeared overnight, snaking along the streets as if it were alive. It whispered promises of pain and retribution, hinting at a cosmic terror that had been festering beneath the surface, waiting for the perfect moment to break free.

©2024 Russ Horman (P)2025 Russ Horman