At Red Cape Publishing we have been working on a special project with David Paul Harris (the artist behind the cover for charity anthology It Came From The Darkness). Demons Never Die is a collection of more than sixty pieces of artwork by David, with a selection of flash fiction to accompany the images, written by P.J. Blakey-Novis. The book is split into three categories; Creatures brings you an assortment of monsters and otherworldly beings, Historical Figures shines the spotlight on real people who committed horrific acts, and Vices & Influences show the dark side of addictions and the human condition.
The book is in the final stages of formatting and we hope to release it by the summer. Here are two of the images, along with their accompanying stories.
Wall Crawler
I woke to the sounds of clacking feet, scurrying up the wall beside my bed, disappearing into the darkness of the corner. That corner. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that dreaded sound, it had been almost nightly for weeks. At eight years old, nobody listened to my claims of a monster in the dark, nobody cared as the tears fell every night before bed. I’d leave the light on but always awaken in the dark. I didn’t know if my parents turned it off or if the wall crawler did it. It doesn’t like the light, I know that. The monster’s legs click, beginning beneath my bed, working their way up my wall, always to that same spot. I open my eyes, I can’t help it, and they grow wide both in adjustment to the darkness and in terror. Click. Clack. Click. Clack. I can make out the multi-jointed legs as the evil thing disappears into the impenetrable blackness of the corner. I feel the unseen eyes as they fix on me, studying, wanting. I know it’s only a matter of time before it makes its move, before it comes for me. And all I can do is wait, duvet pulled up to my chin, heart hammering, skin clammy. I almost welcome it, I’m almost ready to face the wall crawler if it means an end to this nightmare. Almost, but not tonight.
Elizabeth Bathory
Your wealth and supposed nobility may have saved you from a death sentence but that was merely a temporary reprieve. The screams of hundreds of tortured women will haunt you for eternity. Their suffering may have been awful but at least they were afforded the mercy of death. Did you really believe, Elizabeth, that bathing in their blood would keep you young? That feasting on the flesh of young women would keep Death’s cold hand at bay? Your motives are unclear beyond a desire to harm, to maim and kill. And, of course, what could only be described as pure evil. Here we are, more than four hundred years after your death, and you’re still the most prolific female killer of all time. If you’d known that when you were alive, perhaps you would have been proud. But it isn’t an achievement worthy of anything but contempt. History views you with intrigue, with a morbid curiosity, and, ultimately, as a madwoman and a monster.
You can find out more about David Paul Harris’ work at Cover Art by David Paul Harris | Facebook
You can keep up do date with new releases by following our blog at www.redcapepublishing.com/blog,
or on social media.
We can also be found on Pinterest, YouTube, and recently TikTok.