I groaned and drained the contents of my glass.
“Glad to see you again,” said the voice of a familiar man. It was Gabe. “Mind if I join you?”
“It’s a free country,” I replied, motioning for him to sit.
He took the seat on the other side of the table. Tonight he had on a charcoal gray suit with a black shirt and gray tie. The guy knew how to dress.
“Nice suit.”
“Thank you.”
“Your Flashes thing worked,” I said while signaling the waiter to bring me another glass full. “Sort of.”
Gabe didn’t say anything. He merely looked at me questioningly.
“First off, I didn’t even know it was a thing until I bumped into Shitfaced Fred and it launched itself. Made me wobbly as hell.”
“Yes, that’s how these things work, I’m afraid,” he said almost apologetically. “They reveal themselves as needed and you learn to control them.”
I found it interesting that he didn’t flinch at or question the name I’d given the necromancer. Did he know the guy? If so, he’d have to have known him well enough to be familiar with the nickname.
“Did you know Fred?”
He nodded. “When we were younger.”
I studied Gabe again. He had the look of a man in the middle years. Fit, yes, but mature. That didn’t mean anything, though. Griff and Serena were both hundreds of years old, but nobody who didn’t know their personnel files would have any clue about that.
Obviously Gabe wasn’t going to provide any more details.
I grunted. “Anyway, you said last time that you were around to help me or something like that.”
“Yes.”
“Aside from dumping magic words on me that cause weirdness to happen while making me fuzzy and unbalanced,” I said holding up my glass, “what can you do for me?”
“There is a path that must be followed, Mr. Dex,” he answered, “and I’m going to lead you down it.”
“Can’t we just skip to the end of the path?” I asked as the effects of the alcohol began taking hold. “I’m a pretty resilient guy, you know?”
“Unfortunately, no. Dumping everything on you at once would kill you, regardless of how tough you are.” His eyes met mine. “You’re needed here, Mr. Dex. There are more of these ubernaturals coming and you must stand against them. Nobody else can.”
I didn’t know if that last bit was true. My team had done a pretty bang up job of fighting these last two sets. Yeah, I had special skills that helped our cause, and I suppose it was fair to say that the vision crap Gabe laid on me did make it so we could knock out Fred in the end. But couldn’t the little Flashes thing be installed in anyone?
“How do you know about all this, Gabe?”
He smiled and looked away. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“Time will reveal all things, Mr. Dex,” he said, looking at his watch. “And time is one thing we don’t have much of.”
He stood up and grabbed his coat as the word “time” echoed through my skull. Damn it, he was doing it again.
“You just sat down,” I said in confusion, “and you’re already leaving?”
“Again, Mr. Dex,” he replied, “time is not on our side. There is much to do.”
“What the hell do you keep emphasizing that word for?” I called out as he walked toward the exit. “I know it’s going to screw with me somehow, but how?”
The door shut behind him.
I sighed as the TV caught my eye.
It was Paula Rose, but she wasn’t the one doing the interviewing. Someone else was asking her questions. That meant she was acting on behalf of The Spin and not the news on SN-50. I guess that made sense seeing that I was sitting in a restaurant intended for normals. Obviously the booze was working its magic.
“…and it was a great success,” Paula was saying. “So much so that Post Apocalyptic Unlimited will be officially opening its doors in thirty days. Customers will be able to spend a fun-filled night using paintball guns to hunt ‘zombies’ and everything. I’ve been asked to be a member on the board of directors as well.”
I gave a quick chuckle into my drink while shaking my head.
“Good for you, Paula.” I drained the glass. “Good for you.”
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John P. Logsdon
www.JohnPLogsdon.com
John was raised in the MD/VA/DC area. Growing up, John had a steady interest in writing stories, playing music, and tinkering with computers. He spent over 20 years working in the video games industry where he acted as designer and producer on many online games. He’s written science fiction, fantasy, humor, and even books on game development. While he enjoys writing lighthearted adventures and wacky comedies most, he can’t seem to turn down writing darker fiction. John lives with his wife, son, and Chihuahua.
Christopher P. Young
Chris grew up in the Maryland suburbs. He spent the majority of his childhood reading and writing science fiction and learning the craft of storytelling. He worked as a designer and producer in the video games industry for a number of years as well as working in technology and admin services. He enjoys writing both serious and comedic science fiction and fantasy. Chris lives with his wife and an ever-growing population of critters.
Thanks to the Ian Dex Crew!
(listed in alphabetical order by first name)
Cassandra Hall
Hal Bass
John Debnam
Marie McCraney
Mike Helas
Natalie Fallon
Noah Sturdevant
Paulette Kilgore
Soobee Dewson
Thanks to the Grave Creatures Reader Team!
(listed in alphabetical order by first name)
Adam Goldstein, Adam Saunders-Pederick, Allen Stark, Amy Robertson, Andrew Greeson, Bob Topping, Bonnie Dale Keck, Brandy Dalton, Carmen Romano, Caroline Watson, Carolyn Fielding, Carolyn Jean Evans, Debbie Tily, Del Mitchell, Denise King, Hal Bass, Helen Day, Ian Nick Tarry, Jacky Oxley, Jamie Gray, Jodie Stackowiak, John Debnam, Kate Smith, Kathryne Nield, Kevin Frost, Marie McCraney, Mark Beech, Mark Brown, MaryAnn Sims, Megan McBrien, Mike Helas, Natalie Fallon, Noah Sturdevant, Paula Pruitt Jackson, Paulette Kilgore, Penny Campbell-Myhill, Ruth Nield, Sandee Lloyd, Sara Pateman, Scott Ackermann, Scott Reid, Stephen Bagwell, Wendy Schindler.
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2017 by John P. Logsdon & Christopher P. Young
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Published by: Crimson Myth Press (www.CrimsonMyth.com)
Cover Art: Jake Logsdon (www.JakeLogsdon.com)
Grave Creatures (Ian Dex Supernatural Thrillers Book 2) Page 18