Chris Robertson
From the time we are small there are things that frighten us. As children we have the monster under the bed, the monster in the closet, and the monster that is this close to snatching us from behind when we're on our way up the basement stairs alone, and we can't look back because if we saw him he'd be real, and he would get us. And as we grow and change the things we are afraid of change with us: in grammar school the monster has moved out into the streets, and we fear 'Stranger Danger'; in high school the monsters are inside of us, and we fear failure, and the possibility that we might not fit in; as adults our fears are everywhere, from worry about our jobs to the guy who's driving erratically in the lane beside us to the silent return of 'Stranger Danger'-this time fearing for children of our own. As new fears filter into our lives we try to forget the old ones. But, though they might not frighten us any more, they are never quite forgotten. We all remember the monster under the bed; the monster in the closet. I'm forty-five years old and I still won't look back on the basement stairs, because I swear to God that son of a bitch is getting closer every time. What you hold in your hands is the combined work of fifty people who have opened up that dark door in their hearts and minds to offer you one thing-just one thing each-that frightens them, selecting from the gamut of fears they've had in their lives, from childhood to now. Disappearing children, ghosts, road rage, mental instability, vampires and more: somewhere in this book, possibly many places in this book, you'll find the things you are afraid of-even some things you thought you'd forgotten. We hope you enjoy Demonic Visions 5, a book filled with frightening thoughts and boogeymen so numerous and familiar you'll put it down knowing you are not alone in your fears. Especially on those basement stairs. Whatever you do, don't look back. -Rob Smales 3
