The Seven Days — R. Kayeen Thomas

The prequel to the critically acclaimed Antebellum tells the powerful story of what happens when a man in modern society is possessed with the spirits of dead slaves.

Nathan Freeman and Xavier Turner are two African-American men leading two very different lives. One is a failed academic with a family in turmoil, while the other is an ex-special forces soldier turned family man. They have never met, but they share a bloodline that traces back to African royalty. This bloodline also makes them susceptible to a condition called The Seven Days, which allows them to be possessed by the spirits of their ancestors who died in a rage.

Through a series of unfortunate events, both men manage to lose everything, creating the circumstances needed for the Seven Days to take effect. One of them is strong enough to fight the possession, while the other falls victim to it, and the chaos that ensues threatens to engulf them both.