Bigfoot. The Loch Ness Monster. The Jersey Devil. Skinwalkers.
Rumors have abounded for centuries about cryptids: bizarre animals, strange almost-monsters so elusive that only their trail of destruction is left behind. There’s a reason no one can find them that easily—they don’t exist in our world.
They are intruders, interlopers, passing from a strange universe beyond all meaning, drawn to our world by extreme emotional suffering, to trauma, and to terror. When the Blood Moon hangs high on the horizon, out they stalk, craven things with claws and evil in their hearts and minds. Their sustenance? Human suffering!
Bailey is a nineteen year old shut-in, a surprisingly popular Social Media influencer whose study of cryptozoology and the dark side of the web compels her to finally leave the confines of the self-imposed prison she’s locked herself away in. When a segment for her latest episode draws her in too close to the danger, she finds herself face to face with real monsters, who slaughter her friends.
The only option she finds herself with is to join the scrappy band of ne’er-do-wells that rescue her: S.C.A.R.E.D., a secret cryptid-hunting research society dedicated to finding the cause behind their appearance and controlling what they can of the damage. Its leader, a handless magician named Randall, runs a rag-tag group of skilled fighters that include: a Zen Master whose haunted past has followed her from the forests of Japan; an anthropologist with seemingly magical insight; a Native American descendent who carries the weight of his nation on his shoulders; a tech-genius in ethereal form; and a smelly but gentle hearted female sasquatch.
The S.C.A.R.E.D. team must tap deep into their inner strengths to discover the root of their suffering in order to defeat overwhelming odds. The survival of the human race hangs on their actions… and all the while the Blood Moon hangs overhead, an evil eye in the sky watching them all…
Over twenty stories of sickening twists and mayhem weave an intricate web of the past and future. Creepy things, clawed things, and cryptids crawl across the Black Hills and it's up to Bailey and her new crew to track em, tag em, and bag em.
