Publisher's Synopsis
The Midnight Melody: A Horror Tale
Where the music never dies, but you just might...
Deep within the shadows of a forgotten city, there exists a sound unlike any other-a melody so powerful, so intoxicating, that those who hear it are never the same again.
The Midnight Melody is not just a song. It is a force, an entity, an echo of something that should have died long ago. But music, like fear, never truly fades.
The Story
Marcus Devlin, a gifted jazz bassist struggling to reclaim his career, receives an unexpected invitation to perform at Crimson Hall, a long-abandoned venue with a history as dark as its boarded-up doors. The once-legendary music hall has been silent for decades, whispered about only in ghost stories and drunken bar conversations. But when the mysterious invitation arrives, promising a performance that could change his life, Marcus can't resist.
From the moment he steps inside, the air shimmers with unseen energy. Marcus feels the presence of an audience, though the seats are empty. And when he plays his first note, something stirs.
The ghosts of Crimson Hall awaken.
A Song That Hungers
Each note Marcus plays strengthens the Phantom Audience, a gathering of spectral figures drawn to the music. Among them is a sinister presence-the Blind King, a shadowy conductor who once ruled Crimson Hall and seeks to reclaim his lost symphony. He has waited for decades for a musician like Marcus, someone whose soul resonates with the Midnight Melody.
But Marcus soon realizes he isn't merely playing the music-the music is playing him. The melody seeps into his mind, rewrites his will, binds him to the haunted stage. The more he resists, the stronger the pull becomes. The Phantom Audience feeds on the sound, growing more real with every performance. And worst of all, Marcus discovers that he is not the first musician to be trapped in this nightmare.
The Midnight Melody has been played before.
And those who played it never left.
The Fight for Escape
Determined to break the curse, Marcus searches for a way out. With the help of Eleanor Blackwood, an investigative journalist who has spent years uncovering the legend of Crimson Hall, Marcus learns the truth: The Midnight Melody is more than a song-it is a ritual, an ancient composition that bridges the living and the dead. And it cannot be stopped unless it is completed.
With each passing night, the music warps reality. Shadows stretch, time loops, and the boundaries between life and death blur. The Blind King offers Marcus a choice: Finish the melody and take his place in the eternal symphony, or refuse-and be consumed by the music forever.
Marcus must do the impossible.
He must rewrite the song.
With Eleanor's help, he fights against the pull of the Midnight Melody, using the only weapon he has-his own music. But the song does not like to be changed. Crimson Hall begins to crumble, reality fractures, and the spirits lash out, desperate to keep their performance alive.
Where the Music Never Dies...
As the final act unfolds, Marcus must make an unthinkable sacrifice. The Midnight Melody is not merely a ghost story-it is a living entity, and it will do whatever it takes to be played one last time. But Marcus has something the others before him did not: The will to break the cycle.
But breaking the cycle does not mean escaping it.
Because music never truly dies.
And some songs, once played, never stop.
