Basement Dwellers

by Holly Copella

  “You were having a nightmare,” he said in a weak sounding voice.

  Lexx stared at Brandon and his familiar smile. It melted her heart. She hugged him and sobbed softly on his shoulder. He gently held her against him and laughed.

  “I’m happy to see you too.”

  Lexx pulled away and wiped her tears. He seemed weak but pretty much his usual self. “I’ve been worried sick about you since the car accident.”

  “Car accident?” he asked gently with surprise. “Is that what happened?”

  “You don’t remember?” she asked with surprise as she stared at him.

  She didn’t know why she was surprised. Most coma patients needed time for their brains to catch up and blocking traumatic events was very common.

  He considered her question and uncertainly shook his head. “I remember we’d picked up that kid at the morgue.” His look conveyed his confusion. “Nothing after that though. I’m pretty sure it was raining.” He studied her a moment then smiled warmly. “What did I miss?”

  Lexx stared at Brandon, pondered over how to respond, and then forced a smile. “Not much.”

  “Oh,” he replied then considered something and sank into thought. He tilted his head and stared at her with a curious look. “Are you sure? I swear I remember hearing something about you having a date.”

  She stared into his brown eyes with surprise then smiled and laughed. It was good having him back. Lexx then hesitated and stared into his brown eyes a moment longer. She found that curious. She could have sworn his eyes were green.

  The End

  Other books by Holly Copella!

  Reviews left on Amazon are appreciated!

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  “Insanely Deadly”

  When the dead return to life, it’s up to an admiral’s daughter and a mildly insane, former war hero to save their small town.

  Jetta Cross, a Navy Admiral’s daughter, is tasked with keeping her father’s comrade, a former war hero turned town crazy, grounded in the real world. Capt. John Hunter is still fighting the war in his head, where imaginary dead people are part of his world. When a viral outbreak brings about a zombie uprising, Hunter is left to his own devices. He must resume his role as a one-man commando unit in order to destroy the ravenous undead. With Hunter still fighting his own inner demons as well as the undead, the townspeople fear their zombie neighbors may not be the only threat. Stranded at the island’s luxurious resort with a handful of workers, Jetta is forced to live up to her father’s reputation and take charge of the deteriorating situation at the hotel. She must wage her own war against the infected before the government declares her hometown a total loss.

  “Deadly Institution”

  A town recluse suspected of killing his wife teams up with a young woman in order to stop a killer.

  After being accused of murdering his wife, Konrad Asher turns his back on the town that once adored him. Ten years later, he still holds his grudge and the title of the most feared man in town. With the reopening of the burned mental institution, where his wife had died, former employees are now murdered one-by-one, throwing suspicion back on Asher. A young local reporter, Jacey, is forced to reveal her long-time friendship with the infamous recluse in order to clear his name not only in the recent murders but to exonerate him in the death of his wife as well. Will Jacey’s relationship with Asher invite the killer closer to her? Or is the killer already in her life?

  “Screenplays: The Island Collection”

  “Jungle Princess”, “A.L.F. Resort”, “Brighton Island”

  Discover how romance and fun in the sun can be downright chilling!

  “Jungle Princess” is a romantic/thriller that leaves a teenage girl stranded on an island with two male shipmates and a creature of “unknown” origin. She soon discovers the island is home to an abandoned prison with several prisoners roaming free. What really killed over one hundred prisoners? And is it still out there--?

  “A.L.F. Resort” is a romantic/thriller set on an island resort with Artificial Life Forms as the main draw. At this resort, all your fantasies come true…until a malfunction removes safety inhibitors on the A.L.F.’s. Zombies, biker gangs, and mobsters run amuck, turning fantasies into nightmares. A young reporter gets more of a story than she anticipates, but will she survive long enough to write the story?

  “Brighton Island” is a romantic/thriller set on a private island. When the owner’s niece brings her psychic friend to the mansion, his presence awakens the spirits’ tortured souls. As the psychic attempts to solve the old murders, the niece is confronted with the possibility that she’s next to join the mansion ghosts. Stranded on the island with a crazed killer, her uncle wages his own war to save them. Will his “shock and awe” tactics actually save them or get them killed?

  “Reaper of Souls” A fantasy short story

  A young woman must outwit an evil sorcerer in order to save her brother or become one of his minions forever.

  Unwilling to believe her brother is dead, Reggie discovers an underhanded deal made with Kahn, a less than ethical sorcerer, who collects humans to serve as slaves in his kingdom. In order to rescue her brother from his horrible fate, she must complete his failed task or be forced to serve Kahn forever. After being transported to his world, Reggie realizes that even if she beats Kahn at his own game, she’s at his mercy for him to uphold his end of the deal. All seems lost until Kahn’s discontented, self-serving brother, Helsing, arrives. Can Reggie convince Helsing to help her? And at what cost?

  “Town Darling”

  After surviving a brutal attack that claims the lives of those she loves, a young woman seeks revenge on a corrupt town.

  Going back home is never easy, but for Casey, it means returning to her corrupt hometown where she barely survived a brutal attack. Accompanied by two family friends, she seeks justice for the night that destroyed her life. Her physical scars are nothing compared to her emotional ones, forcing the local sheriff to believe that the town darling is back for revenge. As the conspiracy for her revenge appears to be leading up to the coveted town fair, the sheriff is determined to stop her from fulfilling her vengeful scheme...but guilt over his role on that fateful night continues to haunt him. His desperate need for Casey’s forgiveness could be his undoing.

  “Dead Village”

  After strange happenings isolate a small resort town from the rest of the world, nearly one hundred residents seek refuge at the closed hotel. Only eight survive the night. And that’s just the beginning…

  One day after the entire population of Fox Ridge Village disappears, a car wreck forces several unsuspecting crash victims to seek help at the closed summer hotel. Within the hotel, they discover the grisly aftermath of a brutal slaughter. Crash victims Vander and Devon, a reluctant clairvoyant, team up to solve the riddle of the “haunted hotel” and the mass hysteria plaguing the remaining survivors. By the time they discover the hotel’s secret, they’re already drawn into the hysteria. As the body count continues to climb, it’s a race to isolate the source and bring everyone back to reality before they kill one another. Will Devon be able to communicate with the traumatized spirits before their fate becomes her own?

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  Kane is about to marry the woman he loves. His life is perfect. A few weeks before the wedding, a vindictive woman from his girlfriend’s past mysteriously arrives and kills her. He learns of a traumatic accident that happened five years earlier, which triggers Riley’s hatred for his girlfriend. Distraught over his girlfriend’s death, Kane uses an antique time machine to travel into the past in order to find and destroy the woman responsible. When he runs into Riley’s younger self, he realizes she’s not the monster she later becomes, and he can’t bring himself to destroy her. With a little help from his oddball friend from the past, they formulate a plan to prevent the accident that sends Riley down her destructive path. Kane’s plan backfires when he falls for the younger Riley. His new tortured existence is further complicated when future Riley, his girlfriend’s killer, shows up with her own devious agenda that doesn’t include him. Will he be able to stop the time ripple, which ultimately ends with his girlfriend’s death? Or will future Riley take him out of the timeline forever--

  Coming Soon!

  “Witness Protection”

  After witnessing an execution, a resourceful young woman attempts to disappear while being pursued by a hitman and a handsome federal agent.

  Helicopter pilot, Jackie Remus, reluctantly agrees to go on a date with the governor. Her date is cut short when she witnesses the governor’s hitman killing a federal agent. After narrowly escaping the date with her life, she is placed into protective custody with U.S. Marshals. When the safe house is breached and the Marshals are killed, Jackie makes a daring escape from both the hired killers and the handsome FBI agent, who wants to place her back into protective custody. With a little help from her sly and crafty friend, Monroe, she’s convinced she can disappear until the trial. While on her journey to meet with her friend, she solicits help from a few shady but lovable characters along the way. Although she manages to stay one-step ahead of the governor’s hitman, Agent Falcone remains in hot pursuit. Will Jackie reach Monroe before she’s captured and returned to protective custody? Or will the hitman get to her first?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Holly Copella has been writing since the age of twelve when her frustration at a book’s poor plot drove her to author her own story. Over the last decade, she’s written a number of screenplays, some of which she’s now adapting into novels. Her fascination with zombies and other darker material lends an edge to her writing, which tends to lean toward horror. As a fan of Agatha Christie, she appreciates the craft of a good plot and the importance of creating significant characters.

  Hailing from Pennsylvania, Copella lives in the Endless Mountains on a farm with her rescue horses and other animals. In addition to writing and reading fiction, she enjoys riding horses and traveling to Las Vegas and Disney World.