"Maybe I'm just imagining this with all that has happened. We went through a lot, didn't we?"
"Yes, we did. Part of me regrets leading Stone to the vampires and training the SEALs on how to capture them and getting you to develop the elixir and collars. It's almost as if they were something that should be left alone. If they have been around this long and gone virtually undetected, I wonder if I screwed the natural cycle up in some way."
"You wouldn't go back to the Balkans and look to see if any more exist?"
"I don't know. If I could study them without causing them any harm ... I don't know. As far as you being jumpy, in my opinion, you have every right to be. We lived on the dark side of existence for what ... almost a year. We saw and experienced things that nobody else can even imagine."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Too bad we can't write a book about what happened. It would be a collaboration between ... let's see ... something like Anne Rice and Tom Clancy would write. We could market it as their baby. Make a hell of a movie, too."
"Yeah and maybe we can star in it as well,” Reese added. “Ah, the life of the rich and famous awaits us. Too bad that by the time they declassify this, if ever, we will be dust in our coffins."
Both men laughed and then sipped their beer in silence for a few seconds before speaking.
"Thanks, John,” Barkley said.
"For what?"
"Talking this out with me. It's good to talk about things and it's not like this is a topic that just can be thrown out at a cocktail party. I feel a lot better. Maybe I am just paranoid about all of this. You're right—I should just lay it to rest with Dimitri and the others."
"Good man,” Reese agreed, forcing a smile.
"Speaking of laying them to rest,” Barkley continued, “philosophically speaking, do you think vampires go to heaven or hell when they finally die? Do they regain their soul or are they outcasts forever?"
Reese fought to maintain a smile. The question was too similar to a question that he and Dimitri had discussed as to what now seemed like a long time ago. He smiled and answered, “Don't get me started on that one. Talk about a philosophical nightmare! I'll save that one for discussion with my students. If you want an answer—take the class and find out.” Reese raised his bottle of beer and said, “Cheers!"
As the cold beer flowed down his throat, Reese couldn't help but notice the even colder sensation that pervaded his thoughts. Something bad was going to happen. He didn't know how he knew that or what caused the feeling, but there was no denying it was there.
As he closed his eyes to clear his mind of the feeling, he saw two red eyes staring back at him.
Tony Ruggiero has been publishing fiction since 1998. His science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories and novels have appeared in both print and electronic mediums. His published novels include:
Team of Darkness. The US military has developed a new weapon to be added to its arsenal—the creatures known as vampires. Tony uses his Navy experience to write this dark fantasy thriller about vampires being used by the Navy. Ground-breaking and fast-paced, the novel is a characteristic mixture of the vampire lore of Anne Rice and the clandestine secrets of the military found in Tom Clancy novels. The concept has led to a series of books to be released in 2006 through 2008: The Team of Darkness declassified files. Book I: Operation Immortal Servitude, Book II: Operation Save the Innocent, Book III: Operation Face the Fear and Book IV: Operation Endgame.
Aliens and Satanic Creatures Wanted: Humans Need Not Apply. Aliens, Satanic Creatures and other alternate life forms have gathered together to make a stand for literary fairness. Move over, pesky human ... a change is coming. An anthology of short stories where the center character is not human; includes the award winning story, Lucky Lucifer's Car Emporium, as well as Electronic Bliss, Invasion or Subversion, and Going up?
Tony is also a contributing author to The Fantasy Writers’ Companion from Dragon Moon Press. The Companion picks up where The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy leaves off. The Fantasy Writers’ Companion takes on more advanced topics of writing, such as incorporating horror, incorporating mystery, developing a story in your favorite RPG universe, and exploring alternative cultures for world building. Tony's contribution is a chapter on the effective use of horror in fantasy. Other collaborative work includes The Writers for Relief Anthology and No Longer Dreams Anthology.
Coming in 2006/7 from Dragon Moon Press:
Tony's longtime favorite of space opera adventure debuts in a two-book series: Alien Deception: Nothing is as it appears ... nothing. Your whole life you think you understand who and what you are and then one day you learn that it is all a lie. So what do you do? You have lunch with the leading candidate for President of the United States ... you and your alien friends.
Alien Revelation: Death has many meanings. For some it is an end, while for others it is a beginning. Yet, for one human/alien hybrid, it is a way to have one final chance to try and save his home, Earth, a son he has never seen, and find an enemy that just won't stay dead.
Tony retired from the United States Navy in 2001 after twenty-three years of service. He and his family currently reside in Suffolk, Virginia. While continuing to write, Tony teaches at Old Dominion University, Saint Leo University, and Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA.
Please visit his webpage at www.tonyruggiero.com
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Visit www.dragonmoonpress.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
Operation: Immortal Servitude From Declassified Files of Team of Darkness Page 33