* * * * Merrick Hull scours the American countryside, chasing obscure and bizarre leads, desperate to discover anything that can either rid him of the beast within or the murderous agents that hunt him. Only then can he and his beloved Kat safely be together. Rumors of abductions and murders by cavern-dwelling monsters draw him to a small town in Texas. Where there's monsters, there might be answers. However, he finds much more there than he bargained for. Merely asking questions invites an attempt on his life by the nightmarish beings that call themselves The Awakened. Not only do the demonic creatures plague the nearly abandoned town, but agents have inexplicably arrived! The agents and The Awakened appear to be working together, both answering to a man whose resources seem limitless and his reach immeasurable. To solve both the town's troubles and his own, with only a motley handful of friends to aid him, Merrick sets out on a reckless mission to confront the powerful man. But The Awakened and their master have a chilling agenda and Merrick's plans soon turn into a life or death rescue operation. Vastly outnumbered by an enemy stronger than anything Merrick has ever faced, the deadly entity known as The Other One is the last chance to save his friends and himself. Yet, the beast's only purpose is to destroy. If Merrick can survive, will anyone he cares about be left alive when the killing is through?