Timothy D. Baker

To escape her psychopathic husband, Angela Metzger takes her two young daughters, changes their names, and crosses state lines to take a job as the caretaker of a sprawling, run-down estate. Despite the bloody history of the burned-out mansion, Angela, Brooke (12), and Olivia (5), try to adapt to their new lives.

But when Brooke discovers her filthy, half-naked sister Olivia screaming on the floor of the stone grotto at midnight, confusion and fear overcome her. Who put the hideous, leering gargoyles up on the wall? What do they want? And what lies beyond the dripping, mossy rock slab that dominates the medieval garden? Heaven? Hell? Or something even worse, something Olivia calls "Scaredom?" Is it just a child's nightmare, or is it real?

And who is the mysterious, alluring young "Willy," who appears before Brooke in a violent storm? If he just a helpful neighbor, or something less than human? Why does he warn her to stay out of the grotto and away from the crude stone beasts?

Is the family safe, or will Dr. Aaron Metzger, Angela's brilliant but homicidal husband, find them before they can run once more?

Read the heart-pounding thriller "Scaredom" and find out!