Saturday, October 31, 2015

Dark Destiny: A Halloween Short Horror Story

I watched as the blood drip, drip, dripped from the ceiling onto the bare mattress. It landed with a plop just inches from the tip of my toes. I hugged my knees closer to my chest as my stomach roiled in disgust.
I swallowed back the bile from the cafeteria gruel I had choked down during dinner hour as I peeked up at the source of the dripping blood. Above my head the girl with the hideously grotesque smile, that looked as if someone had grabbed the corners of her mouth and ripped the skin wide open, rested against the ceiling. She stared back at me with her dull lifeless eyes.
Apart from the grotesque smile and the gaping wound in the girl’s forehead she might have been considered pretty; like a strong Viking maiden woman. If she weren’t a figment of my imagination or whatever my psychologist insisted she was. Nobody every believed me and nobody else had the ability to see her. No, sadly my grim friend was what had landed me in Harpbrooke Asylum in the first place.
Harpbrooke Asylum sat atop a massive cliff on the Washington coastline overlooking the cold, dark, dismal Pacific Ocean. At night you could hear the ghostly cries of widows that had lost their husbands to the tumultuous, churning waters. If you looked close enough you could make out their shapes standing on the shoreline in the dark.
I liked to spend hours staring out my window on the third floor of the stone asylum’s C Ward. They kept the men and women separated in Wards A and B while lunatic juveniles like me were locked away in Ward C. I was the oldest in the ward after being locked up just before my eighteenth birthday.
My day was an endless supply of pills, sessions with my psychologist, and group sessions. The terms “schizophrenic” and “bipolar” were thrown in my direction frequently. I played along and pretended to take their pills; just waiting for lights out.
After the orderlies called lights out and locked down the floor my grim friend slid to the floor, landing on her feet with a catlike grace. I jumped off the bed and slipped on a pair of lace-less gray tennis shoes. Since arriving at Harpbrooke my world was filled with shades of gray. Gray patient issued t-shirt, gray sweatpants, gray walls. Hell, the cafeteria mush was gray too. They took the laces out of my shoes in case ‘the voices’ told me to hang myself.
I snorted at the thought. Tonight was the night I was getting out of here. I, Jessica Cooper, was finally going to be free!
My friend reached her bloody hand through the heavy metal door and jimmied the lock as blood trickled down her chin and dripped onto the floor to pool under her bare feet.
She bared her sharp teeth and grinned triumphantly and together we pulled the heavy door open. She raced me down the ward hallway, my feet slapping angrily against the tile floor as I raced to catch up. The other patient rooms whizzed past as shadows danced along the walls.
She stopped and turned when she reached the end of the hall. For a minute her eyes glowed red. I blinked and her pupils were back to normal.
Her smile seemed to challenge, “Hurry up slowpoke.”
I slid across the floor to meet her in front of the barred floor-to-ceiling window that gave a panoramic view of the cliffs and the ocean.
My grim friend held out her hand and together we walked straight out the window and dropped to the ground three stories below.
When we landed I checked myself for injuries. Finding none I exclaim, “Oh my god we really did it! I’m free!”
My friend grinned back at me with her eerie smile.
“Let’s get out of here before the guards come,” I suggest as I start picking my way down the rocks to the beach below. When my friend doesn’t join me I turn around. “Are you coming?”
She just stares at me with that crazy grin on her face. Finally she shakes her head, no.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
Wordlessly she nods and urges me to be on my way.
“Thank you for everything,” I tell her as I scramble down the cliff. Every few seconds I glance back over my shoulder until my grim friend, the only companion I’ve had for so long, is nothing but a dot on the bluff beside the asylum.
When my feet hit the sand beach I yank my shoes off and let the cool sand squish between my toes as I breathe in the fresh ocean air.
Carrying my shoes in one hand I walk on and on, along the coastline in the dark. The bright full moon shines down on me and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore fills my ears.
            A few miles from the asylum the rocky cliffs along the beach give way to a rich, deep forest. An owl screeches overhead as it dives for its prey, its sharp talons capturing some small creature.
I follow a broken path unsure yet mysteriously aware of where I’m going. I no longer see the bright moonlight overhead as dark shadows press in on me from all sides.
I walk until I begin to see a light flickering up ahead. As I get nearer the light becomes a raging bonfire within the thicket of trees. A lone dark figure sits beside the bonfire with its knees pulled up to its chest.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” the figure, a young guy, says as I step out of the tree cover. His voice stirs something within me.
“It’s you,” I breathe in awe.
“Here I am, on Halloween night, as I promised I would be. Did you doubt me?” He asks as he stands and lets the bonfire cast light on his features. I drink up the sight of him. His pale skin shines iridescent in the firelight as the flames reflect off the metal zippers that run all over his otherwise perfect body holding his skin together. His long blond hair covers the old scar on his forehead. He straightens to his full six-foot-five height and smiles at me; my gothic prince.
“Razor,” I whisper his name. It sounds foreign to my ears from years of non-use.
“Jess,” he murmurs as he studies me for changes since the last time we came face to face.
Unable to wait any longer I launch myself into his burley arms. “Oh Razor I missed you so much. Why didn’t you come visit me?”
            Razor breathes me in, as unable to get enough of me as I am of him. “You know I couldn’t. There are rules you know. It doesn’t mean I haven’t spent every second of the past eighteen months thinking about you.”
“Have you come to take me home?” I ask.
“Yes, it’s time.” Razor’s reply is muffled by my thick hair, “but won’t you miss all this?”
He looks down at me questioningly as he sweeps his arm around us all-inclusively.
I snort, “Being locked away in a looney bin with only a mutilated ghost for company? No way.”
“Oh right, her,” Razor mutters flatly, looking away.
“Do you know her?” I ask. Razor gulps and plays with the zipper holding his right cheek together; zipping and unzipping it anxiously. “You do know her,” I whisper.
Razor nods slowly, “She’s one of the Keres, personification of violent death. She’s working as an agent of the Greek death goddess, Melinoë, bringer of nightmares and madness. Melinoë sends her to hunt and retrieve teens with certain… gifts.”
“What kind of gifts?” I ask nervously. A log on the bonfire crackles and burns.
“Don’t you realize it Jess?” Razor shakes me. “You’re straddling the veil between our two worlds. You can see and communicate with those that have crossed over. It’s why you can see me. And the Keres sent to pluck your soul out of your body.”
“But – but what does this goddess want with me?” I ask as the hair at the nape of my neck prickles.
“Melinoë will use you as a messenger to spread the madness that swirls around her. She’ll turn you into a monster,” Razor hangs his head and adds, “like me.”
Horrifying realization dawns on me, “is that why you’re covered in zippers?”
Razor’s eyes snap to mine, “You’re the only person who never ran away screaming after seeing a glimpse of me. I won’t let her hurt you; I’ll get you to safety.”
The flames from the bonfire flicker and rise, distracting us. My grim friend, the Keres, emerges from the flames stepping over the logs like wobbly steps. Razor steps in front of me to protect me as I see the Keres’ true color for the first time. She’s unbelievably beautiful with flowing golden hair and sharp bloody fangs. Her hands that appeared bloody earlier in the night are clearly visible talons in the firelight. Her long white shift is now more ripped and blood stained than before.
“No, get away! You can’t have her,” Razor announces angrily.
“Silly boy, that’s not your decision,” the Keres replies, speaking for the first time in my presence.
Razor clenches his teeth, “I said leave. Her. Be!”
The ground begins to shake violently as the Keres begins to laugh manically. “You’ve stepped in it now silly boy.”
A hand shoots out of the ground followed quickly by another. At first I think zombies are rising to attack us but the skin is smooth and fully intact.
“Run,” Razor commands as the hands start to push further out of the ground revealing elbows and the start of a shoulder. I freeze like a deer in the headlights propelling Razor to grab for my hand and drag me away from the bonfire as fast as our legs will carry us. Mine feel like Jell-O as I try to keep pace.
Something drops from a tree onto the path ahead of us, blocking our passage. The figure, a woman, straightens to her full height. A black Grecian style dress covers her olive colored skin. A pair of bronze gladiator sandals peek out from under the hem of a gray underskirt. A crown of skulls sits atop her flowing hair; a few shades lighter than my midnight strands. Her face is breathtaking; wide eyes sit above a strong Roman nose and full, plush lips.
Razor gasps and backpedals but the Keres appears out of thin air behind us. We’re trapped.
“Join us little girl,” the woman, Melinoë, says. Her tone is musical, hypnotizing. “It’s an honor really.”
“You’ll be immortal,” the Keres hisses in my ear. I shiver at her icy breath on my skin.
Melinoë raises her hand and rips Razor from my side. “Come with us or I will destroy the boy.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Razor yells. “Run as far and fast as you can.”
“Shut up,” Melinoë snarls at Razor. Electricity pulses across her skin as she grips him by the neck.
“Let him go!” I demand as I raise my hand defiantly. I feel the anger flowing through my veins and into my outstretched hand. A force strong enough to stir up the leaves on the forest floor kicks up and crackles splitting up into two directions; it hits Melinoë and the Keres simultaneously making them burst into a million pieces like confetti.
Free from Melinoë’s grip Razor drops to the ground and gasps for air. “What did you do?” Razor pants.
“I don’t know,” I reply, shaking my head.
Razor pushes to his feet, “We have to get out of here.”
I clasp his hand and follow him into the night. I don’t know for sure where we are going or where we’ll be safe. We race away, further from the asylum on the cliff, and I know I will never return.

A sickening feeling tells me this won’t be our last run-in with the dark goddess or the Keres.
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Happy Halloween Everyone! Tomorrow is November 1st, the beginning of NaNoWriMo, so I'm enjoying my favorite holiday before immersing myself in non-stop writing.  

Friday, October 23, 2015

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. I hate odd numbers
          I'm pretty obsessive about it because I'd rather have an even number of things (tattoos, facebook 'friends', shoes, etc.) than an odd. After all... one shoe wouldn't look right.


2. I wear reading glasses when I'm working on my computer or reading on a tablet. 


3. If I could have one magick ability it would be that I could have clean dishes at the snap of my fingers. 
         I love to cook but I hate the clean-up. 


4. I love old movies, especially old Hitchcock movies. 
          My favorite Hitchcock movie is Shadow of A Doubt starring Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright. 


5. I'm a major New Orleans Saints Fan. 
          That lives in Packer Country :(


6. I love reading my horoscope and I tend to believe the one in Woman's World Magazine the most. 
           I also read Tarot Cards.


7. When I was a kid I went through a phase where I would only eat mac and cheese. True story. 


8. I am terrified of bees. And ice. 



9. My favorite reality shows are Naked and Afraid and Say Yes To The Dress. 
         If I had a choice to be on one it would be Say Yes To The Dress. I can't live without indoor plumbing. I also tend to call Naked and Afraid "Naked and Dead".


10. Before deciding to pursue being an author I wanted to be: a doctor, a veterinarian, a fashion designer, an attorney, a professional photographer, and a chef (to name a few). 

So there you have it... a little more about me than you knew before.  Don't forget... there's still 13 days to enter to win 1 of 3 SIGNED COPIES OF FINDING ELIZABETH

And I hope to see you at my book signing at Half Price Books Appleton, Wisconsin Saturday November 28 from 1-3PM! Mark your calendars! 

Friday, October 9, 2015

The Reincarnation Files: Entry No. 001

       Reincarnation and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth are not new concepts. Many people, across many religions and regions of the world have believed in reincarnation as far back as time goes. While the origins of the belief in reincarnation are a bit obscure it can be traced back to India, ancient Greece, and the Celtic Druids. 

      To this day many religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Paganism/Wicca still believe in reincarnation. It's also become a popular concept among celebrities such as Shirley MacLaine.

     Through The Reincarnation Files I will show you how the theme of Reincarnation has been incorporated in books and movies. The first entry... the 2005 movie The Fog (one of my personal favorites!)

     The Fog is a remake of a 1980 movie of the same title. The original movie starred Jamie Lee Curtis (as did a majority of horror movies in the '80s it seems like) and is a little different from the remake. 
       The Film is about a small island named Antonio Bay, off the coast of Oregon. In 1871 the four founding fathers sailed out to meet with a man named Blake, the leader of a leper colony. Their arrangement was that Blake and his people would buy half the island to turn into a leper colony. Instead they four founding fathers steal the lepers' money and possessions and set fire to their ship, the Elizabeth Dane; murdering everyone on board. Fast forward to the present day Nick Castle (Tom Welling) is one of the descendants of the founding fathers, and owns a fishing charter company for tourism. When his girlfriend Elizabeth Williams (Maggie Grace) returns to the island after spending six months in New York and being tormented by horrible nightmares a bizarre series of events begin to occur, including several gruesome deaths and the presence of a mysterious fog. When Elizabeth slips in Nick's boathouse and falls into the sea, she finds an old journal from 1871, written by Patrick Malone, one of the town's founders. She soon uncovers the dark secret the founding fathers covered up... and a shocking secret about herself! 

      Though this movie received horrendous reviews it to this day is my favorite horror movie of all time. If you've been a follower of my writing for long you'll know that I've made references to the movie several times. 
      How does this tie into Reincarnation exactly? *****SPOILER ALERT***** (Stop reading if you don't want to know they ending of the movie!!!) Maggie Grace's character, Elizabeth, is reincarnated from the leper leader Blake's wife, and namesake of the clipper ship, Elizabeth Dane! The ghosts reclaim her at the end as Blake takes her into his arms and kisses her as Nick watches on in horror. 
     

       
Directed by:                                    Starring:

Rupert Wainwright          Maggie Grace as Elizabeth Williams

                                             Tom Welling as Nick Castle 

                                             Selma Blair as Stevie Wayne 

                                             DeRay Davis as Spooner 

                                            Adrian Hough as Father Malone 


Produced by 

John Carpenter

Mark Cartier

Randi Chernov

Derek Dauchy

David Foster

Todd Garner

Debra Hill

Dan Kolsrud
Shane Riches

Written By:
Cooper Layne


 
John Carpenter

Debra Hill
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Speaking of Reincarnation... Don't forget to read my latest novel Finding Elizabeth! Available now in ebook and paperback! 
                                                 

You can also enter to win 1 of 3 signed paperback copies of Finding Elizabeth on Goodreads! 

Friday, October 2, 2015

Finding Elizabeth Discussion Questions for Book Clubs

     Are you in a book club that's looking for a new book to indulge in? I'd love for you to read my latest novel Finding Elizabeth; so much so that I've supplied you with some sample discussion questions for you and your book club to use. Should you be interested you can download a copy of the questions below! Happy reading!
  
1.       What parallels can you draw from France’s economic situation and the events leading up to the French Revolution and our modern economy?
2.      It turns out that Nate’s mother’s paranoia isn’t so unfounded in Part 1. What do you think the sans-culottes / revolutionaries could have done to better handle the situation instead of savagely executing people of aristocratic bloodlines?
3.      Have you ever had a dream so vivid you didn’t know you were dreaming until you woke up? How long after you woke up did it take for the dream to fade?
4.      If you were Elizabeth’s manager and you saw a customer purposefully push or throw something on the floor into the path of your employee to cause them to fall how would you handle the situation? Would you ask the customer to leave or blame your employee?
5.      Why do you think Nate initially runs away after he finds Elizabeth again?
6.      Why do you think Elizabeth automatically assumes Nate invited her to his parents’ party to play a cruel trick on her after Jake and Darcy are so mean to her? Do you think Nate knew Elizabeth’s mother was the bartender hired for the evening?
7.      If someone told you they believed in Reincarnation and thought they knew you in a past life how would you react? Would you believe them?
8.     Elizabeth is shocked when she finds out about her mother’s relationship with Jason. How would you feel if one of your parents were dating someone significantly younger than them?
9.      Do you think it is fate that Elizabeth found her former incarnation’s journal in the bookstore? What do you think of the secrets the journal held?
10.  Do you think Anton is truly evil by nature or do you think he is simply a product of his upbringing? How do you think he would have turned out if he were raised in another setting?
11.   Nate hates that his mother is dating Elizabeth’s father but Elizabeth doesn’t seem to mind. How would you feel if one of your parents were dating your significant other’s parent?
12.  Luciana spots Darcy walking past the store she works in with messy hair and grungy clothes in Chapter 32. What do you think caused her drastic change in appearance?
13.  Do you think it was a coincidence that Jason was near the restaurant in the Third Ward on Elizabeth’s birthday or do you think somehow he knew what was coming?

14.  Who is your favorite character in Finding Elizabeth? Why?

Buy Finding Elizabeth: 

Read NIGHT OF TERROR