Finn thought he could leave his past behind when he settled into his new life in Tukara. Seeking a fresh start, he expected anonymity and a chance to breathe easy. But Tukara is a town built on silence and ancient secrets, where the truth is buried as deep as the bodies Finn uncovers on his very first day in that small town.

After discovering a mass graveyard hidden along the freeway-the work of a prolific and active serial killer-Finn is drafted into the investigation by Angela, a mysterious operative with a knack for compelling secrets.

Angela works for U.M.B.R.I.A., a powerful organization that provides Finn with the resources for his new life while keeping a suffocating watch over his every move.

As the investigation spirals, Finn is thrust into a world he never imagined could be real. From necromancers raising the dead, to ancient spirits inhabiting forgotten battlefields, Finn realizes that in Tukara, nothing is what it seems.

Each dark secret he uncovers appears to lead back to Coffee Rings, a 24-hour diner that serves as a sanctuary for both the living and the unimaginable.

The hunt for the killer is complicated by the Serpents of Hargrave, a local militia deeply entwined with the police force, who are more interested in maintaining their own brand of justice than solving murders.

Monsters lurk in the shadows, leaving Finn to confront a terrifying question: Who is the real monster, man or the creatures of the night?

To find justice for the victims of the Highway Killer, Finn may have to embrace the darkness lurking within, and confront his past to protect his future.

Married to a Monster, by Kato M. M. Guzman, is an atmospheric short story about the horrors hidden in our own homes. A serial killer is finally caught and sentenced to life in prison. As the walls of his own cell close in, he questions whether his nightmare is beginning or coming to an end. 

Told through the distorted lens of his own twisted mind, the story dives beneath the surface of murder and madness to explore the deeper, much more accessible horrors of narcissism and selfishness. 

Beneath the blood and brutality lies a haunting reflection on parenthood, loss, and the emotional wreckage left in the wake of a toxic marriage.

Read the short story for free and let your nightmares dance with the devil in the pale moonlight of your childhood trauma.