The Haunting of Elena Vera

De: Steven Pajak

Narrado por: Cassandra Arnold

Evil never truly dies. It just waits to reclaim what it lost.

When high school English teacher Elena Vera begins experiencing terrifying hallucinations and recurring nightmares of a demonic elderly woman, she fears she's losing her grip on reality. But after a horrifying incident at school leads to her forced medical leave, Elena discovers something far more sinister is at work. With the help of her best friend Carrie and student Maria, Elena uncovers a generations-old curse that has plagued her family.

The demonic entity known as la vieja malvada — the evil old woman - has returned to claim Elena's soul, just as it did when she was a child in Ecuador. As the supernatural attacks escalate and a mysterious black fungus spreads across her apartment, Elena's only hope lies in an excommunicated priest named Tomas, who carries his own demons from a failed exorcism that cost a young boy his life.

Racing against time as the entity's power grows stronger, Elena and her unlikely allies must confront both personal fears and an ancient evil in a desperate battle for her very soul. But even as divine intervention offers a chance at salvation, a chilling epilogue suggests that some evils can never truly be banished.

This supernatural horror novel weaves together themes of friendship, faith, and the price of confronting darkness, both external and within. Set against the backdrop of modern-day Chicago, "The Haunting of Elena Vera" explores how the sins and traumas of the past can reach across generations to claim new victims.

©2024 Steven Pajak (P)2025 Steven Pajak

The vale between good and evil is thin

I thought this story was a great exposition of how a broken soul can overcome the evil that inhabits them. A possession story about everyday people, with regular struggles.
Elena is a teacher preparing for a book report for her students when things go awry. She is suspended for strange behavior and in anger distanced herself from her friend, Clare.
One of her students recognizes something odd she’s seen before. When the evil entity visits her in her dreams and connects itself to her favorite teacher, she has to do something.
A fallen priest will come to their aid with some baggage of his own.
This story is fast paced and well put together. Steven Pajak is an author to watch.

Fun and frightening haunting story

This was a deliciously creepy haunting story, and I look forward to reading more from Pajak!