Author's note: this book is intended for mature audiences. It contains graphic violence, zombies, sex with snake creatures, black magic, global warming, gambling, eugenics, invisible friends, aliens, demons, and of course vultures.For science fiction and horror fans only, Desolation: Stories contains all 19 of Ken Brosky's horror, fantasy and science-fiction stories in one collection."The Desolation Will Consume You" (Finalist, Writer's Digest Fiction Competition)The world is dying. The climate is changing. But hidden away deep inside a forest in the heart of Canada sits a home with everything you need. You can survive here. You can start a new life. But you must make a terrible sacrifice ..."High Stakes" (first published in Diabolic Tales)The gambler arrived in Kansas City for a game with high stakes and a high payout. Everyone else was there for blood."Ten-Four" (first published on Homepage of the Dead)"This is Jack Hutchingston, ace trucker at your service. Boy oh boy, do I have a story for you. It all started when I was passing through the largest graveyard on the planet. You like zombies? Good. This story's got plenty of 'em.""Mr. Peoples"Billy loves his invisible friend. His invisible friend loves Billy. He would even kill for Billy ..."X" (first published in The Harrow)An author suffering from writer's block finds the perfect prescription: sex. But as his story unfolds on the page, he finds that he must go to greater and greater lengths in order to feed his muse. Where will it end?"And Then They Came for us"An alien race called the Aerochai are decimating earth. A handful of survivors have fled the destruction and ended up at Auschwitz, a museum preserving the memory of a dark chapter in humanity's past. As they grapple with the ghosts of tragedy, the Aerochai creep closer."Fortunes" (first published in Shadowland Magazine)A mysterious fortune cookie predicts Larry's future with eerie accuracy. When he's offered an opportunity to buy another, he quickly realizes even good fortunes can have profound consequences."Bullets From Heaven"A mysterious new military device is being tested in the remote mountain region of Pakistan, and as one lone reporter digs deeper, he finds that a terrifying mistake has been made. All he needs is proof ...  "God Speaks to Them"The closest planet capable of sustaining life contains a terrifying surprise: aliens who look exactly like humans. They behave like humans. They sound like humans. The only difference: they claim to be able to communicate with God."Asylum Blues" (first published in The Late, Late Show)A patient has gone missing in an insane asylum following a late-night lockdown. Patients and guards are dead. Blood coats the halls. Only one person knows exactly what happened ... and he may be responsible for it all. "The Wretched"The year is 1954. A murder has been committed on an island leper colony and an FBI agent has been assigned to bring the killer to justice. But the more he learns about the island and its inhabitants, the more he suspects there's something more to the mystery, and stopping the killer mayrequire believing the rumors spreading across the island. Rumors about a hellish supernatural creature that refuses to die."Some Like it Cold"When their van breaks down in a mysterious town suffocated by a strange, cold mist, three snowboarders must escape a terrifying fate and a terrifying creature that wants to feed on their body heat."Reckoning"A coda to the first story in the collection. A video diary of a solitary scientist details the history and motivations of the Aerochai, who are on the verge of destroying earth. But when a strange emergency broadcast reveals their weakness, the scientist realizes there's still hope. And there will be a reckoning.Additional stories:"The Dark Tower" "Vultures""Ashes to Ashes""Enjoy Your Job!""Wonderland"