What should have been a breeze of a bank heist for James Glenn and his crew goes violently wrong, forcing them to flee, blood-stained and angry. They stumble onto a remote lodge that doesn't open for another month-a perfect place to lie low until the heat's off.

Except it's occupied.

The Moore family, just arrived to prepare for the season, are taken hostage by the criminals, but not without bloodshed. And when blood gets spilled, something ancient notices. Something malevolent. Something ravenous.

Their only hope is the youngest Moore, teenager Rueben, outside and unseen when James and his gang arrive. It's up to Rueben to get help and save his family, but the influence of the ancient evil is taking a toll on him as well...

"Alan Baxter never fails to outdo himself, his unique brand of Aussie horror running the full gamut of King's hierarchy of scares, from creeping unease to all-out terror, and always underpinned with razor-sharp social commentary. By all means, turn the page. Don't say I didn't warn you." - Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award(R)-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories

"Baxter's stories are brutally horrific but earnest. They embrace the supernatural but are also seeped in the reality of fear and humanity-they attack the reader with the savage shriek of a chainsaw digging straight for your heart. I'm a fan." - Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley