Lay Your Armor Down

Smith (Salvage This World) unspools an atmospheric and spare Southern gothic of two unsavory men on a mysterious criminal odyssey and their encounter with a mystical young girl. At the story’s center are the brutal Burdean and the haunted Keal, the latter of whom has premonition-filled dreams. Together, they travel through a blasted landscape of kudzu and wildfire embers. As Burdean explains to Keal, their mission is to enter the cellar of a particular church, where their task will reveal itself to them: “Whatever it is we’ll know it when we see it.” They find the church at the edge of a swamp, with the bodies of four dead men propped against the door. Inside, they retrieve what proves to be their quarry: a young girl who Keal senses is the one “responsible for the lighting of his dreams.” With the girl in tow, the men continue on until they’re tracked down by a woman named Cara, who understands the girl’s power. As more betrayals and uncanny events ensue, the body count rises to an apocalyptic level. Smith sustains a feeling of slow-burning dread, shot through with vivid bursts of biblical imagery. This bracing fever dream is worth a look. Agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group. (May)