Desolation

Desolation is the second installment in the Demon Road Trilogy.

## Plot Summary

Amber enters a diner and is attacked by a serial killer called Elias Mauk, who has the power to raise the dead into zombie-like creatures and mind control them. He has instructions to bring her back to Astaroth in exchange for a reward, as Amber is on the run from Astaroth following the events of the first book. Mauk kills and raises the people in the diner and they attack Amber. Mauk breaks all the fingers on one of Amber's hands with a hammer, before Milo enters the diner and is attacked by the corpses as well. Mauk is surprised to see Milo, and claims they used to know each other, but Milo cannot remember due to his amnesia. As they are talking, Amber lights the circle of powder that Mauk had previously laid out to deliver her to Astaroth and Mauk is sent to Astaroth alone, giving Milo and Amber the opportunity to leave the diner.

In chapter 3, we cut away from Amber and Milo and are introduced to Virgil Abernathy, who is an ex-star of a hit TV show called '*When Strikes The Shroud'.* He lives a lonely life in a small town in Alaska called *Desolation Hill,* and spends much of his life reminiscing on the past. He is getting ready to sleep when he looks out his window to see that his neighbour, Snyder, has a 'visitor' over. As Virgil is looking into Snyder's window, the visitor comes up behind Snyder, grabs him, snaps his neck, and leaves. Two cops arrive and very nonchalantly carry Snyder's body away. Virgil is extremely disturbed.

Amber dreams of eating Imelda with her parents. When she wakes, she is in the Charger, on a drive to Alaska. Gregory Buxton had advised them at the end of Demon Road to head for a town called *Desolation Hill,* the sole location where the Shining Demon and his Hounds of Hell can't touch them. Milo asks how Amber is feeling, and if her fingers are hurting badly. They discuss Elias Mauk's supposed history with Milo, and Milo theorizes they may have been 'serial killers in cahoots'.

A few hours later they arrive in Alaska. Amber forces Milo to have a break from driving, and they arrive at the border of Desolation Hill the following day. Milo gives Amber instructions to not draw attention to herself in the town. As they cross the town's border, both Amber and Milo shift instinctively. The town has some property that gives demons a strong urge to shift while within its borders.

They find a motel to stay in, the *Dowall Motel* and the motel owner, Kenneth, tells them that they will have to leave the town before Wednesday, when the town is having a 'private festival'. Amber agrees and books two rooms for four days.

Meanwhile, Virgil calls his old co-star from his TV days, Javier Santorum, as he is sure that Snyder's killer looked exactly like a young Javier. Javier and Virgil have not spoken for years, and are not on good terms, as they had a feud over a girl while starring together. Neglecting to mention the murder, Virgil tells Javier he saw a man who looked just like him and asks Javier if he perhaps has any children who resemble him. Javier informs him he is childless and wifeless. He bickers with Virgil briefly before hanging up.

Sunday morning, Milo leaves to watch the border for Astaroth's servants, the Hounds of Hell arriving. Amber has a bath and then breakfast at *Danny's Diner*. She meets an old man called Benjamin, who offers to cut up her food due to her bandaged fingers and warns her that the police officers in Desolation Hill, especially Chief Novak, are not particularly friendly towards newcomers.

Amber joins Milo at the border, where the Hounds of Hell have arrived. They quickly discover that the Hounds are physically incapable of crossing into the town border, due to an invisible barrier. They head back to town and are approached by Chief Novak, who informs them they will receive a police escort out of town before the festival begins. Once Novak leaves, Milo informs Amber of his plan for the two of them to camp out on the outskirts of the town where no-one will notice them during the festival, so that they are not delivered straight to the Hounds by Novak. Amber suggests investigating who set up the barrier in Desolation in the first place, so that they could possibly create their own barrier of protection, but Milo is dubious.

In chapter 9 we meet Austin Cooke, a timid young boy who was born and raised in Desolation Hill. He is chasing after three bullies, Cole Blancard, Marco Mabb and Jaime Hillock. He catches up with them at Desolation Hill's town square, where he sees them putting dozens of slips of paper with his name on them into the wooden town ballot box. Austin is terrified, but can do nothing to stop them.

Finally, we are introduced to Kelly, Warrick, Ronnie and Linda, a van-travelling group of monster hunters. They arrive in Desolation Hill with intentions to investigate the Narrow Man, a popular urban legend in the town. Kelly is a feisty red-head, Warrick a goofy but kind-hearted man, Ronnie the fearless team leader, and Linda the intellectual, logical one. They travel with Warrick's pit-bull, Two, who is known for humping everyone and everything.

The group check into the Dowall Motel, agreeing to leave by Wednesday. They go into the town and examine some graffiti, where they find many references to the Narrow Man and a drawing of a humanoid figure with a wide, stretching mouth. They talk to some apprehensive, local children, who inform them that the Narrow Man is a made up creature who takes naughty children at night, invented by the town's adults to scare them into behaving. The ballot box in the town square is a voting box for who is to be next taken by the Narrow Man.

Monday morning, Amber has breakfast at *Danny's Diner* again, and watches the last episode of her favourite show '*In The Dark Places*'. She logs onto the message forums and discusses the last episode with her online friends, including her friend who goes by the username 'Balthazar's-Arm-Candy'. They discuss an upcoming In The Dark Places con, and Amber says she doubts she will be able to attend. Milo joins her at the table and she logs off the message forums. Milo informs her the Hounds are still at the border. He orders a coffee, and Amber mocks him for supposedly flirting with the waitress.

Meanwhile, Virgil is suffering paranoia after witnessing the murder of his neighbour. He is in the middle of lunch, when he hears a knock at his door. It turns out to be Javier Santorum, his ex-costar. Virgil manages to insult Javier within three seconds of opening the door, leading to Javier hitting him. Virgil hits him back, but hard enough to knock him out and drags Javier's body into the living room. Javier wakes up and immediately starts berating Virgil, before eventually telling him that he is here to find his doppelganger. Virgil tells him about the murder and the police cover up. He also tells him that, after showing a picture of young Javier to a mailwoman, she identified him as Oscar Moreno, a man who lives on the other side of town. Javier questions Virgil's lucidity before agreeing to help him.

[This plot summary is incomplete]