The Unexpected #154 is an issue of the series The Unexpected (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1974.
Synopsis for "Murder By Madness"
A woman named Ruth arrives at a spooky mansion to meet her fiancé's family. Upon arriving she is attacked by a terrifying creature and passes out. She awakes to find her fiancée Arthur attending to her. Arthur tells her that she experienced a hallucination. The story is corroborated by Arthur's aunt and uncle. Ruth is then introduced to a creepy looking cousin Egon and notices that he resembles the creature that attacked her and she runs off. The aunt and uncle speak to Egon in confidence and tell him that they are depending on him and nothing must go wrong before the wedding. Ruth spends the night in the mansion but is suddenly awoken by a clutter of screeching bats outside her window. She calls out to Arthur and states that she senses someone outside her window but there is nothing there. Arthur leaves to go talk to his aunt and uncle leaving Ruth alone when she is suddenly attacked once more by the same creature. The creature grabs her but she manages to bite hard on the creatures hand leaving a deep wound. She is knocked out by a blow from the beast and passes out. Ruth is once again awoken by Arthur who points out that she had stabbed his cousin Egon to death. She is brandishing a knife in her hand and is unaware of what exactly happened. Ruth suddenly notices that Arthur has a bite Mark on his hand and concludes that he is the creature and that it was he that killed cousin Egon. Arthur realizes that he has been found out and begins to choke Ruth. A bang suddenly rings out and Arthur falls dead. His aunt and uncle stand over his body with a gun. They confess that it was Arthur who attacked Ruth and that cousin Egon had been trying to cover for Arthur's actions. Arthur had previously been in an asylum but was discharged for good behavior.
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Synopsis for "The Horrible Harrow Formula"
Bruce and Ivy Gordon search for a place to spend the night ahead of an oncoming hurricane. They are directed to the Harrow plantation but are warned that there are strange things going on there. The couple nevertheless heads to the plantation desperate for shelter. Upon arriving they encounter a macabre figure named Sebastian who agrees to put them up for the night. Sebastian leaves to go get a room ready for them when suddenly another figure resembling Sebastian appears. He doesn't seem to recognize the couple but then a third exact figure appears. The couple attempts to leave but they are locked in by the hideous figures and they are led to a dusty old room that had once been a bedroom. Sometime during the night they are taken by the macabre figures to a lab in the basement. Sebastian explains that the other figures are clones made by his predecessor Dr Harrow. Once enough clones were made, Sebastian disposed of Dr Harrow and now he wants to make clones of the Gordons to serve as slaves. Bruce Gordon bides his time and attacks Sebastian. He knocks over the table with the clone formula and escapes out the front door with his wife. Sebastian gives chase but he is stopped when a tree falls down on him because of the storm. The Gordons escape home to civilization and decide to never speak of their experience. One morning as the Gordons get ready for their morning commute they board a bus to work and are horrified to discover that it is full of Sebastian clones.
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Synopsis for "The Stalking Shadow's Prey"
A crazed beast is terrorizing the city of Baytown. The police chief is desperate to catch the killer monster and issues a shoot to kill order. The scene shifts to a small apartment where a dutiful wife named Jan Tyler is saying goodbye to her husband George as he goes off to work. George leaves for his evening shift as a cab driver and leaves his wife at home along with Uncle Barney who is staying with them. Jan turns on the tv news and listens to reports of the killer monster roaming the city. The newscaster mentions that the monster might not be aware that he is the beast. Jan worries for her husband but then discovers a bloodied piece of pipe at the bottom of their coat closet. She surmises that her husband George must be the beast unaware that he is committing these murderous acts. In the meantime Uncle Barney decides to go out for his usual evening stroll. Jan rushes out the door in search of her husband. In the meantime the beast sets his eye on another victim. He attacks a cab driver waiting for a fare. The cab driver yells for help and he draws the attention of a nearby police officer. The officer shoots the beast dead with his gun and they witness an incredible transformation. The cab driver was George and the beast mutates into the dead body of Jan Taylor. She was the beast all along. George remarks that he had taken the extra night job as a means of buying a gift for his wife in honor of her upcoming birthday.
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