by Alan Ryker
Keith nodded. He got to his knees and leaned forward, exposing the nape of his neck. Then Jessica wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking him over. She said, "Do you think I'll be judged for this, after I die?"
Keith had to think a moment. He felt himself fading, but she deserved an answer. He looked back over his own life now that it was over. He said, "It's easy to do the right thing when it feels good. But if you can do the right thing even when it kills you inside, God will know. Maybe you can barely look at yourself in the mirror anymore, but He knows."
"Say hello to Irene for me," Jessica said. She raised the hatchet as he closed his eyes.
Chapter 19
Covered in blood and wearing an oversized Looney Tunes t-shirt, Jessica walked out across the dark pasture. She gripped the gory hatchet in one hand and her rattlesnake necklace in the other. She felt Wheeler watching her go. He didn't say anything. It didn't matter. She wouldn't have responded.
She stood before her house. No one had called the fire department. No one had noticed. Nothing remained but ashes and cinders. And like her house, her life was gone. Her memories were ashes of people who no longer existed.
Jessica stood perfectly still. There was nothing left to motivate her to action. She had no reason to move. She would stand there until the ground swallowed her and the house and all the ashes of her life.
But a vampire shrieked in the distance. Then another, and another. Jessica slipped her necklace on, to protect herself from venomous creatures. She gripped her hatchet tighter. She set her jaw, turned her back on her lost home, and walked into the night.
About the Author
Alan Ryker (born 1979) writes good fight scenes because he studies Muay Thai boxing, though not as often as his coach would like. He lives with his wife in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, where he writes both dark and literary fiction, and tests the boundaries of each. He has previously published short fiction in a number of print anthologies and magazines.
Check out his many adventures at his blog, Pulling Teeth at www.alanryker.com. Enjoy his most mundane thoughts by following him on twitter: @alanryker. Friend him on Facebook. And contact him at [email protected].
If you enjoyed this book, consider writing a review at Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Shelfari or on your own blog.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About the Author
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About the Author