Twenty years have passed since the town of Newport was terrorized by the infamous Black Heart Killer. The horrific murders that left the woods stained with blood and hearts torn from chests are now a dark memory-one best forgotten. But some secrets refuse to stay buried.

When fifteen-year-old Howie Burke and his friends decide to break the town's cardinal rule and venture into the cursed woods, they have no idea they're about to awaken a sinister force that has lain dormant for decades. Armed with a camcorder and a sense of youthful invincibility, the group sets out to film a horror movie. But their playful antics turn to terror when they uncover a mysterious grave linked to the Black Heart Killer.

As the chilling legacy of the killer reveals itself, Howie and his friends are thrust into a nightmarish struggle against an ancient evil. They must confront their deepest fears and unravel the dark occult secrets buried in their town's past. What they once thought were mere stories become a terrifying reality as they learn what it truly means to be cursed.

In The Cursed Among Us, author John Durgin delivers a spine-tingling homage to classic slasher films and supernatural thrillers. With its blend of coming-of-age drama, witchcraft, and relentless suspense, this novel will grip you from the first page and haunt your thoughts long after the last.