After the death of his wife, thirty-five-year-old Ryan Parker decides to move away to a new town in hopes of escaping the pain of his memories. And at first, the two-story, Queen Anne in Asheville, North Carolina’s historic Montford district seems to be the perfect place to start a new life with his five-year-old, twin daughters, Madison and Megan. Until, one Sunday evening while heading home from a downtown stroll with the girls, Ryan witnesses the horrifying event of someone falling ten stories off the backside of the historic building, the Battery Park Hotel. And when his rush to help the unfortunate finds only emptiness covering the sidewalk below, Ryan tries to convince himself that what he had seen was simply a trick of lights and shadows, and continues his journey home…

But, the welcoming feel of their new home quickly turns cold and frightening when it appears as though someone, or something has followed them there, and what it seems to want, is Ryan’s daughters.

One, two, it’s coming for you.
Three, four, you can run no more.
Five, six, it’ll get you quick.
Seven, eight, you’ll go to Hell’s gate.
Nine, ten, and your life will end.

Excerpt…

"The baby is crying, but I can’t bring myself to go to her. I am afraid of her.
No, that’s not right. I am afraid for her.
And I know that what I am doing is wrong. I know that leaving her to lie there, crying, needing food, needing her diaper changed, needing me, is not right, but the images… They scare me. They are always there, always there, and I am afraid that by thinking them so many times, I will let them come true.
…So, for her safety, I just stay away."

Twenty-two-year-old Jenna Shaw’s ability to function normally and rationally has become crippled by the birth of her daughter. Those around Jenna think she may be suffering from Postpartum Depression. Jenna knows that is not her problem, but believes it easier to let them think as much then to tell them the truth.

Nine years earlier, Jenna watched her mother fall down icy steps and die. She watched her father’s grief consume him into alcoholism, and withdraw. She watched the state take her mentally retarded brother away. Then… Jenna took to the streets, where she watched even more horrific things happen—the things that make her unable to touch her own baby.