The Ancient: Night Root is a short story with a chilling blend of science fiction and ancient folklore. Some things do not die; they seed themselves in the earth. Buried in the red clay, something ancient waits. A hunger older than memory, and patient as the dark itself. When a scientist perfects the art of resurrecting extinct species, her work is meant to be a triumph of science. Then, deep in the university's archives, she discovers a bone fragment that defies every genetic record. It is not from any known species... and not entirely dead. What begins as an experiment in genetic revival soon becomes something far more dangerous. The fragment carries a hunger buried in red Georgia clay, a presence that remembers the dark beneath the earth. When animals are killed and people disappear, the scientist and a professor of folklore find themselves caught between science and something older, something that should have stayed buried. Written by Clyde Verhine, Author of the novels: 'Body Number 6: The Robee Conspiracy', 'The Wraith: Dark Awakening', & 'The Victor Lewis Files: Tales from the Void'