Clive Barker, Heather Graham, Lisa Morton, Ray Garton, and Ed Gorman lead readers down a twisted labyrinth of terror, horror, and suspense in *Dark Screams: Volume Four, *from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the revered Cemetery Dance Publications.**THE DEPARTED by Clive Barker**On All Hallows’ Eve, a dead and disembodied mother yearns to touch her young son one last time. But will making contact destroy them both?**CREATURE FEATURE by Heather Graham**What could be better publicity for a horror convention than an honest-to-goodness curse? It’s only after lights out that the hype—and the Jack the Ripper mannequin—starts to feel a little too real.**THE NEW WAR by Lisa Morton**Mike Carson is a war hero and a decorated vet. He doesn’t deserve to be trapped in a hospital with some black *thing* sitting on his chest as patients die all around him. His only hope is to take out the nurse—before it’s his turn.**SAMMY COMES HOME by Ray Garton**It’s what every family prays for: a lost pet returning home. But when Sammy, the Hale family sheepdog, appears on their doorstep, he brings back something no parent would ever wish upon his or her child.**THE BRASHER GIRL by Ed Gorman**Cindy Marie Brasher is the prettiest girl in the Valley, and Spence just has to have her. Unfortunately, Cindy has a “friend” . . . a friend who tells her to do things . . . bad things.**Praise for the Dark Screams series**** * * **“A wicked treat [featuring] some of the genre’s best . . . *Dark Screams: Volume One* is a strong start to what looks to be an outstanding series.”**—Hellnotes**** **“The editors have set themselves a high bar to meet in future volumes. . . . It’s going to be a solid series.”**—Adventures Fantastic**** * * **“*Dark Screams: Volume Two *[is] a worthwhile read and a great entry to this series. If this upward trend in quality continues, we are sure to see amazing things in the volumes to come.”**—*LitReactor***** **“Five fun-to-read stories by top-notch horror scribes. How can you lose? The answer: you can’t.”**—Atomic Fangirl**Wörter : 30738