Calvin Demmer returns, doing what he does best, with two short stories. He doesn’t have long to impress with these, but he manages it, again.

Highway Hunger is the tale of Dudley, a dude out doing his community service which involves clearing the fresh roadkill from the highway. He finds a squirrel on the asphalt and a pang of guilt emerges as he realises this poor creature is still alive. Just before he’s able to rescue the little guy or at least put him out of his misery, his co-worker yells at him to leave it alone.

You see, in these here parts, those creatures that lie on or beside the road that aren’t quite dead, are the property of the road demon. This beast makes itself known to all those that need to know. And when you see it, well, the air changes and things become weird.

Does this demon also claim ownership of people who may have been injured, say in a car accident or something? Now, that would be telling.

Part 2 in this horror duo is Motel Madness, my favourite of the pair. Tallulah wakes in a cheap and seedy motel room with no memory of how she got there. Her mind is hazy but she does remember she was driving three students to a pageant competition.

Suddenly her mind plays tricks, showing her terrible images of the girls with shocking injuries. Doors appear then disappear, body parts materialise, and Tallulah begins to question whether she’s actually losing her mind.

I can’t say too much more. The premise was kind of obvious but the ending was something I hadn’t seen coming. This story plays out like a nightmare where nothing is as it seems and the situation is simply one of no escape.

This offering would be perfect for Demmer newbies, but why stop here? Check out everything he has to offer, you can thank me later!

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, calvin demmer, creepy, death, double barrel horror, horror, scary, short stories, violence