When the clock strikes 3:33 AM, the stage is set. And the audience is already watching.

Emily Holloway wakes bound to a chair in a theatre stitched from wood, ruin, and worship. The spotlight burns. The curtains bleed. Strings descend from the rafters like veins. There is no exit. No script. Only silence... and the thing behind the veil.

Faceless marionettes sway in the wings. Wooden angels weep sawdust. And beneath it all, something ancient stirs, a presence old enough to remember the first sacrifice. It doesn't want her performance. It wants her surrender.

To survive, Emily must endure the ritual. Every act carved from memory. Every sin replayed before a congregation of shadows. But as the performance deepens, she begins to understand: this isn't her nightmare. It's her reckoning.

This standalone psychological horror novella drags you through a fever-dream of sacred terror, control, and identity unravelling, where every stage is a crucifix, and every prayer ends in silence.

Perfect for fans of The Ritual, Saint Maud, House of Leaves, and dark psychological horror that grips like a vice and leaves splinters.

• Unrelenting psychological horror: A dreamlike theatre of suffering, memory, and monstrous control.
• Terrifyingly immersive setting: A cathedral of stage and sacrifice, where no audience applauds and every spotlight burns.
• Deeply human at its core: Emily's endurance, rage, and fragile hope bleed through every act.
• Fast, harrowing, unforgettable: A tightly-wound novella ideal for a night of beautifully-crafted dread.

** What Readers Are Saying:
"Unnerving and breath-taking, this story doesn't let go."
"A masterpiece of quiet horror and psychological tension."
"Equal parts theatre, nightmare, and confession. Absolutely stunning."

** Why You'll Love Puppet Master:
An elegant descent into control, guilt, and spiritual horror.
Perfect for horror lovers who crave unsettling ritual, mind-bending tension, and protagonists who refuse to break.
Ideal for Kindle or paperback readers seeking a fast-paced, emotionally raw horror experience.

** Step Behind the Curtain...
If you're drawn to stories where horror wears the mask of worship, where memory scripts your doom, and strings pull from the dark, Puppet Master will take the stage and never bow.

Emily's third nightmare begins at 3:33 AM. And this time, she's not the performer. She's the offering.