The Crimson Gospel

The woods have teeth. The church has a hunger. Appalachia, 1926. The cabin is ash. The treaty is broken. Verity Thorne and the cursed guardian, Silas Blackwood, have retreated into the deep wild, waging a silent war against the man who made monsters of them both. But Reverend Thorne is done hiding behind scripture. Desperate to maintain his grip on Hallow's Creek, he unleashes a new, profane sacrament. He calls it "The Communion"—a wine laced with the stolen, corrupt blood of the forest spirit. He promises eternal health and divine protection. He delivers a living nightmare. The infection spreads through the valley like wildfire. The faithful aren't just dying; they are changing. Bones lengthen, skin fuses, and minds melt into a singular, ravenous will controlled by the pulpit. The town of Hallow's Creek is no longer a sanctuary; it is a hive. To save the town that rejected them, Verity and Silas must walk back into the mouth of hell. But the Reverend has twisted the magic into something unrecognizable, and Silas finds his own curse responding to the call. As the line between "saviors" and "monsters" blurs, Verity must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to burn the rot out of the roots. God left Hallow's Creek a long time ago. Something else has taken His place.