Los Angeles, 1948. World War II may be over, but a new war is on the horizon. People are seeing monsters—not on Hollywood’s silver screens but in real life—and the authorities are trying to keep it under wraps.

In Scott Pearson’s novella The Big Dark, private detective Henry Shaw is in trouble with his former partner on the police force, Bob Neville. Shaw has a knack for run-ins with these horrific creatures, and he’s making it hard for the police to keep their presence from the public. On top of that, he’s got a new case that’s heading in a disturbing direction.

Then, in William Leisner’s novelette Meet John Doe, as Neville struggles to keep a lid on the monsters in the City of Angels, he’s called in to assist federal agents on a case originating out of state. The problem is escalating, and Neville is beginning to wonder if some of these so-called monsters might not be so monstrous after all.