Three teenagers—Michael, Sinead, and Thomas—find themselves in over their heads after what begins as a mock ritual spirals out of control, accidentally summoning a demon that thrives on torment and suffering. Their situation takes a darker turn following a catastrophic car crash, which serves as their grim welcome to the harrowing streets of New Hopeless City. Trapped in this sinister alternate reality, they are thrust into a desperate battle for survival that pushes their morality, friendships, and very humanity to the brink. In a city that mirrors a nightmarish hellscape, where madness and depravity are the norms, the trio must navigate a labyrinth of terror and betrayal. As they struggle against the malevolent forces that seek to consume them, the question looms: Can any of them escape and live to tell the tale? Or will they succumb to madness and depravity like so many others before them?
Matthew Aiken is a writer originally from the northeast of England now living in Scotland. With a passion and talent for horror fiction, nothing is more enticing than writing up a gripping and intense roller coaster ride of suspense and emotion. Drawing experience from real life events and relations to shape the narrative of his stories, his humble twelve years of retail service provide much insight to the raw and often unpredictable human condition. The ‘Shadows of Torment’ series is drawn from the personalities of actual people or emotions in his life and depicts the harsh reality people must face from anxiety inducing moments to love and rejection, or fear!