Strange Fantasy #4

In 1953's "Debt of Fear," a young countess dies under mysterious circumstances in her family's old French chateau, but the real horror lies buried centuries in the past—in a diary revealing how her ancestor made a terrible bargain with the plague itself. When the Red Death came collecting on that ancient debt across the ages, it claimed the life of the last Malatroit, finally settling a score that had haunted the family line since the Middle Ages. A haunting tale of sin, sacrifice, and a supernatural creditor that never forgets.

Sadie Marvin leads a double life—a sweet-voiced nightclub singer by night, and the ruthless leader of the Shadow Mob by day—until a car accident leaves her face shattered and her criminal operation in ruins. When a mysterious admirer begins sending flowers and money to help her rebuild, Sadie sees an opportunity to return to her old ways, drawing the stranger into a dangerous setup that will force her to confront far more than she bargained for. In "Death Is No Stranger," written for Strange Fantasy #4, a talented girl discovers that some debts can't be paid back.

Ralph Ormsby arrives at his grandfather's Rhine castle hoping to find inspiration for his writing, ignoring his grandmother's deathbed warning to never enter the place. Drawn by eerie laughter echoing through the crumbling keep, he descends into the dungeon and uncovers a horrifying secret bound up in the very walls—one that may have inspired his grandfather's most famous tale.