The Fifth Passenger: and Other Perversities

Nine tales of the strange and uncomfortable. Nine stories marked by the darkness of perversity. Unusual tasks and unusual people; decisions, divisions, and nightmarish landscapes. contains a selection of never-before-published stories from the twisted depths of the mind of Scott R.S. Raphael, the author of and . Contents: A man debates whether or not to complete his morbid assignment. Three co-workers are invited to meet their boss's wife at his mansion. They quickly discover that she is nothing like any of them had expected. Returning home after a long day, a very important man can't quite put his finger on why it feels like everything has changed. Afflicted by sleep paralysis and mentally drained from a stressful living situation, a man struggles to maintain his sanity. After crashing in a field in the middle of nowhere, a pilot recovers in a strange, dreamlike landscape. After waking up in a dark and snowy world, not knowing how he got there, a man and his dog try to find home. A disturbing desire and the childhood memory of a red fox drive the life of a young man as he discovers the violent, twisted thing that he never knew he was looking for. A woman fights for her survival against mysterious figures who have watched and threatened a group of people from outside a small house. With only two left alive inside, the hunters decide to come in. Driving home late at night after a road trip to Chicago, a group of friends strike a pedestrian. With no witnesses for miles around, they struggle to decide what to do with the body.