Always Darkest by Pendleton Weiss

There is a place held far from the world, secreted away within a prodigious and twisted wilderness, cupped by a perilous mountain range, and accessible by only the most remote turn-offs, far from any significant landmarks; a place known to the locals as that old, misty country. Every night, an inexplicable mist seeps from between the trees bringing for untold terrors, horrid and strange and deadly all. It is best to shun the place, best to leave it undisturbed, for otherwise... Well, it's best to Hope It's Fiction. Regardless of how optimistic or sheltered one might be, it is hard to ignore that things in that old, misty country are growing worse. More and more strange occurrences are breaking through, to the point that even the landscape itself seems to be bristling against some looming catastrophe. Most turn to Mr. Brightmore, the renown philanthropist and unofficial heart of the area. He has downplayed things - acknowledged an unusual number of disquieting events but promises that everything will get better soon. Reciting that old proverb: "It's always darkest before the dawn." Featuring 20 new stories set within and around that old, misty country, ALWAYS DARKEST prepares the reader for a collision of terrible forces and apocalyptic powers. Mr. Brightmore assures us that everything will turn out alright in the end. But even if that promised dawn never comes, you only need to Hope It's Fiction.