Nightmare #12 (1954)

In the steamy depths of a Louisiana bayou, Jim Cannon, a census taker lost in uncharted swamps, stumbles upon a forgotten medieval city that shouldn’t exist. Drawn into a nightmarish court ruled by the cruel Don Tomaso, he’s imprisoned and forced into a deadly duel with the tyrant himself. As the blade meets blade, Cannon must fight not just for survival, but to uncover the truth behind the city’s eerie, timeless horror.

In a chilling confession from death row, a man recounts how his descent into alcohol-fueled madness began with the brutal mistreatment of his beloved black cat, Pluto, leading to a series of escalating horrors. After the cat’s mysterious death and the burning of his home, he finds a new feline companion—only to be tormented by its uncanny resemblance to Pluto and a growing, horrifying presence in his cellar. As guilt and paranoia consume him, he hides his wife’s body behind a wall, unaware that the cat’s relentless presence will ultimately expose his crime.

In the haunted brownstone they’ve turned into a coffee shop, Al and Emma Peale begin to experience unsettling phenomena—ghostly echoes of the past, strange visitors, and a chilling sense that something is watching. When a local rumor about a long-dead maid named Crazy Lou resurfaces, the couple finds themselves drawn into a mystery that blurs the line between memory and the supernatural.