Tribulation by Jaydeep Shah
Series: Cops Planet #1
Publication date: June 15th, 2020
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
When a couple celebrates their eleventh marriage anniversary at their old mansion far from the city of Naples, Florida, they begin experiencing paranormal events. While trying to find out the truth of what's happening, they encounter a girl wandering in the mansion.
She is the girl whom the couple never wanted to see again in their life.
Surrounded by their sinful past and the girl's deathly traps, the couple tries hard to escape the mansion. But they are stuck. There is no way out of the mansion. Every second, they approach their end.
There are many secrets buried in the mansion--about the girl, about the couple, and about their past.
Tribulation is a masterpiece of suspense, a thriller with some mild elements of horror from the imagination of Jaydeep Shah.
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Excerpt
The flashback came to Alex now, but he pushed it away. "We killed her!"
Casie quivered. Someone might hear us. Someone else might be hiding here, trying to trap us in a confession. And that will lead us to a lifetime in prison.
"Don't say it aloud!" Casie warned Alex, panic in her voice.
"Calm down!" he spat back. "I'll figure it out."
"What if--"
"Not a word about her. You're right," interrupted Alex dismissively, staring at Casie and raising a finger in warning.
Casie went quiet, and together they walked up the stairs to investigate.
The place was so silent they could've heard the drop of a pin.
They stood at the stairs' edge on the second floor, looking around for any sign of danger. Then the entrance downstairs burst open, and rapid air swept into the mansion, blowing out the candles. The doors slammed shut as if someone had pushed them, hard. In the darkness, the silence was broken by the fearful scream of a girl, echoing through the mansion, frightening the couple.
"Casie!"
"Alex!"
"Are you alright?" asked Alex, slowly swinging his arms around to find his wife. "Where are you?"
"I'm fine," replied Casie, reaching out to find Alex. Her hand brushed his shoulder. "I'm here, behind you."
Alex turned slowly and grabbed Casie's hand.
"Why did you scream?"
"I didn't scream."
"It's not a good time to play games, Casie."
"I'm telling the truth. I didn't scream."
"Who did then?"
After struggling for a while, Casie said, "It must be her."
"Oh, god damn it! Not again, please," said Alex, grinding his knuckles against his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? We killed her six years ago. She died."
"If that's true, what's happening to us right now? And who is this girl who screamed? Why is she trying to scare us?"
Without arguing further, Casie suddenly broke off into tears.
Alex pulled her to his chest and hugged her.
"I want to return home, right now," she suggested.
"All right!" said Alex, patting her back, still keeping her tight in his arms. "Let's go. But stop crying, first."
Casie separated herself from the hug and wiped off the tears with her fingers. Alex slowly and carefully walked down the stairs; Casie followed, keeping her palm tight in his. As they passed the sofa, they heard a door on the second floor screech open. Alex and Casie squinted up the stairs into the darkness. A girl with a lit candle in her hands walked out of the room and stood at the railing, staring at them.
Nothing except the girl's bloody face was visible to the couple's eyes. Casie gaped at the girl, and Alex's eyes narrowed, a twisted mix of fear and fury roiling across is face.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"
The girl did not respond.
Alex let go of Casie's hand and walked a few steps away from her toward the girl, standing near the table.
Casie quivered. Someone might hear us. Someone else might be hiding here, trying to trap us in a confession. And that will lead us to a lifetime in prison.
"Don't say it aloud!" Casie warned Alex, panic in her voice.
"Calm down!" he spat back. "I'll figure it out."
"What if--"
"Not a word about her. You're right," interrupted Alex dismissively, staring at Casie and raising a finger in warning.
Casie went quiet, and together they walked up the stairs to investigate.
The place was so silent they could've heard the drop of a pin.
They stood at the stairs' edge on the second floor, looking around for any sign of danger. Then the entrance downstairs burst open, and rapid air swept into the mansion, blowing out the candles. The doors slammed shut as if someone had pushed them, hard. In the darkness, the silence was broken by the fearful scream of a girl, echoing through the mansion, frightening the couple.
"Casie!"
"Alex!"
"Are you alright?" asked Alex, slowly swinging his arms around to find his wife. "Where are you?"
"I'm fine," replied Casie, reaching out to find Alex. Her hand brushed his shoulder. "I'm here, behind you."
Alex turned slowly and grabbed Casie's hand.
"Why did you scream?"
"I didn't scream."
"It's not a good time to play games, Casie."
"I'm telling the truth. I didn't scream."
"Who did then?"
After struggling for a while, Casie said, "It must be her."
"Oh, god damn it! Not again, please," said Alex, grinding his knuckles against his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? We killed her six years ago. She died."
"If that's true, what's happening to us right now? And who is this girl who screamed? Why is she trying to scare us?"
Without arguing further, Casie suddenly broke off into tears.
Alex pulled her to his chest and hugged her.
"I want to return home, right now," she suggested.
"All right!" said Alex, patting her back, still keeping her tight in his arms. "Let's go. But stop crying, first."
Casie separated herself from the hug and wiped off the tears with her fingers. Alex slowly and carefully walked down the stairs; Casie followed, keeping her palm tight in his. As they passed the sofa, they heard a door on the second floor screech open. Alex and Casie squinted up the stairs into the darkness. A girl with a lit candle in her hands walked out of the room and stood at the railing, staring at them.
Nothing except the girl's bloody face was visible to the couple's eyes. Casie gaped at the girl, and Alex's eyes narrowed, a twisted mix of fear and fury roiling across is face.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"
The girl did not respond.
Alex let go of Casie's hand and walked a few steps away from her toward the girl, standing near the table.
About the Author:
Jaydeep Shah is the author of gripping romance, horror, and thriller stories. He also writes non-fiction pieces about inspirational topics related to social issues. He is the author of more than half a dozen books.
In addition to those books, Jaydeep releases young adult fiction stories under a pen name, JD Shah. The Shape-Shifting Serpents' Choice is his first young adult flash fiction written under that pseudo name and published online by Scarlet Leaf Review in their July 2019 issue.
When Shah is not writing, he wanders around Jersey City, spends quality time with friends and family, and cooks delicious food.
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