Depths
C.S. Burkhart
Author Bio
C.S. Burkhart has written short stories his entire life, publishing the psychological horror, Depths, in June of 2015, his debut full-length novel. Many of his stories are based directly off of his dreams and nightmares, where he willingly explores taboo subject matter found only in the darkest recesses of his mind.
He is an avid horror fan, absorbing it through any form of media possible, and especially fond of the “Resident Evil” and “Dead Island” video game series.
C.S. Burkhart was born in Santa Clarita, California where he currently resides with his two snakes, Snake and Sandy.
Description
How do you wake from a nightmare when you never sleep?
Quite possibly one of the most disturbing novels ever published, “Depths,” the debut novel from C.S. Burkhart takes you down the rabbit hole on a mend-bending trip through the abyss of a young man’s mind, wracked by guilt and struggling to save his sanity.
Told in first person, you only know what he knows. And all he knows is that he’s having terrifying hallucinations, dying on a regular basis and being followed by something making a clinking sound… Like chains.
And why does the woman he loves, die in his memories every time he thinks of her?
His only ally is The Voice In His Head, who guides him towards the answer to why he’s trapped inside his own delusions, nightmares and paranoias. But is The Voice really a friend? Or something far more sinister?
“Depths” reads like nothing you’ve experienced before as you’re pulled into the world of someone slowly losing their grip on sanity, only knowing what he knows, never knowing what’s real or not. And what if there’s something he’s not telling you?
Will he find out the horrifying truth, or be forever swallowed by the depths of insanity?
Book excerpt
…Ironically, the bleeding was helping me get more comfortable.
“Please stop. I’m so cold babe…”
I always liked when she called me that.
“Please…”
Her voice faded into the openness that now surrounded us. Sunken in eyes longingly gazed into infinity, her chocolate irises contrasted starkly against her pale white face. I moved my hand up to my face, starting to go numb from the chill of her fingers, and placed it over her own hand.
I squeezed her hand tight, vainly attempting to transfer some warmth back to her, and instead heard a loud snap. She moved her eyes to the spot where her hand was and they opened wide. Her fingers had snapped off from her hand and now lay in the palm of mine. I looked back to her and she opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. Fissures formed along her face, spreading from where her top and bottom lip met, splitting her face in two. The sickening crunch reverberated from her entire body, completely frozen solid, fracturing from within until she shattered in my arms. Crystals of ice lay where she had just been a minute ago, her fingers still in the palm of my hand.
My tears froze instantly and I rolled out from underneath what was left of her broken body. The only thing even recognizable was the top of her face just above her nose, her eyes still frozen in horror at the transformation she had undergone just moments before.
I bolted upright, heart pounding. There was fabric under my hand. My ceiling replaced the black, open, endless space. I was in my living room. I looked around to make sure everything was as it should be. My heart started slowing down until I realized I was shivering and could see my breath…