Hazard House — Paulette Warren

ALONE, AMONG EERIE, SHADOWS…

As Vonnie moved through the grim halls of Hazard House, she sensed something perverse about the deserted old mansion -- something sinister and evil. There were the stories of its ghostly past. The hanging tree was but one reminder of the house's menacing history.

Yet the man she loved had sent her here on this fearful search. What had he hoped she would find? He could be so distant and mysterious. Why wasn't he here with her now?

THE HANGING TREE…

In the dim twilight Vonnie looked out from the balcony onto the grounds of Hazard House. Looming in the darkness was the large oak tree -- its sinister branches stretching out as if to seize her.

She knew the history of the tree. During the American Revolution a spy had been hung there. Stories were told of other deaths as well, yet the tree still stood -- a grim sentinel of death.

Suddenly Vonnie's heart started pounding and her legs went limp. A figure was emerging from behind the tree. It was a creature -- ghost-like and eerie -- and she was moving slowly and deliberately toward the house. Horror-struck, Vonnie's screams pierced the darkness…