Flesh Trap
is the first novel by author Magen Cubed, published in 2013.
Casey Way has been haunted by visions of his dead pedophile father for the last twenty years, tormented by hazy recollections of his father's murder at the hands of his stepmother. The trauma has left Casey burdened with guilt, which has manifested in debilitating insomnia and violent hallucinations. As the anniversary of his father's murder approaches, his step-sister Mariska takes him back to the scene of the crime: their childhood home, to confront their past and finally get some closure. Instead, something follows Casey back out into the world, something ugly, violent, familiar. It begins a vicious spiral of insanity as people around him begin disappearing and dying, hiding behind the faces of Casey's loved ones. Somehow tied to his father's murder, Casey begins digging into his fragmented memories for an answer. What he finds instead brings Casey face-to-face with his greatest fears as he struggles to end the nightmares that have haunted all of their lives.
Flesh Trap contains examples of the following tropes:
- Destroy the Abusive Home: Casey burns the old house to the ground along with the fleshtrap in the end.
- In the Blood: David Way wants to convince Casey that his son is just like him. He isn't entirely wrong - Casey's dark impulses are just towards murder, not rape.
- Parental Incest: Casey's stepsister Mariska was sexually abused by David Way throughout her childhood.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. Casey's tried therapy before, and goes to see one more at Joel's behest. As it turns out, Paul the therapist is an abuser, so it's a good thing it didn't work out.
