Stolen from the Crucifixion, a sacred vial promises eternal life. But the blood it holds doesn’t heal. It condemns.
Two thousand years ago, a desperate act of love by a young boy named Asher unknowingly unleashed an unspeakable, insatiable hunger, birthing a curse that echoes through time. Centuries later, Lucien bears the horrifying weight of the curse, forced to kill to satisfy its unending hunger, her tormented struggle for escape a chilling testament to the vial's devastating power.
In the present-day Jerusalem, the legend of the vial finds Dr. James Armstrong. A brilliant scientist on the verge of conquering human mortality, he initially dismisses the ancient myths, seeing in the relic not a curse, but a biological key to his revolutionary anti-aging research. Believing he can analyze and control its ancient power, he brings the vial from Jerusalem to his laboratory in Raleigh, intent on unlocking its secrets.
But as James delves into the vial’s shadowed past, he finds that some legends are written in blood for a reason. The vial's ancient hunger begins to stir, its tendrils reaching into his ordered life, and the tormented whispers of those who came before him become a terrifying premonition. What horrors lie dormant within its depths, and by seeking to master death, is Dr. Armstrong about to reawaken a nightmare that will consume everything he holds dear?
I write horror and supernatural thrillers that explore hidden histories and unsettling “what if” scenarios. Vial Darkness, my debut novel, examines the terrifying consequences of eternal life through biotechnology, religious history, and human obsession.
With nearly 20 years in software design, I’ve worked on biosciences technology, including flow cytometers and exoskeletons, which informs my grounded approach to science in fiction. I’ve also published two nonfiction family history books and draw inspiration from Andy Weir, Riley Sager, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Christopher Buehlman.