Where We Live and Die (16 page)

This one was inspired by my favorite waitress at a restaurant I go to every Sunday (much like the restaurant in the story and the main character’s weekly ritual). I wrote it for my old friend Michael T. Huyck, who was editing an anniversary edition of
Carpe Noctem
magazine (a magazine I’d been trying to get into for almost twenty years, and finally succeeded in doing so, with this tale).

Back in 2009, I was asked to write a story for an Edward Lee tribute anthology. The stories all had to center around Lee’s fictional version of Hell, best known from his novels
City Infernal
,
House Infernal
, and
Infernal Angel
, as well as several short stories and his wonderful collection
The Ushers
(which remains one of my top five favorite short story collections of all time). So, this story is set in that universe. If you’ve never read any of those, here’s what you need to know about Lee’s version of Hell: it’s even more evil and diabolical and hopeless than the version you probably know.

You might be wondering about this story’s inclusion in a collection of stories about writing. At first glance, the only relevant bit is the conversation the characters have about Peter Straub’s
Ghost Stor
y. Here’s why I included it here—the character of Adam is familiar to anyone who’s read my novels
Dark Hollow
and
Ghost Walk
. He’s a writer, and much of his story (especially in
Dark Hollow
) was informed by that. He is killed in
Ghost Walk
by a sentient darkness known as Nodens. This story is about what happened to him after he died.

Even in the afterlife, writers can’t seem to catch a break.

This is a slight reworking of a beat poem I wrote and recorded back in 2002. It first appeared on a “Brian Keene in concert” compact disc called
Talking Smack
. I think it works better when experienced audibly rather than read, but I’m including it here because it is, in fact, about writing. Its conceit is a brief history of the horror genre, and the arrival of a then-new generation of writers who would go on to become the forefront of Bizarro, Extreme Horror, New Weird, and New Pulp. I’m not going to explain it any further than that. Suffice to say, some of you will get it. Others won’t. Those that don’t have my apologies, but hey, you got some other cool stories in this book, right?

Yeah, it’s non-fiction. I included it here because I think it makes a nice thematic bookend to the stories preceding it.

BRIAN KEENE
writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as
Doctor Who
,
Hellboy
,
Masters of the Universe
, and
Superman
.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including
Ghoul
,
The Ties That Bind
, and
Fast Zombies Suck
. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions. Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as
The New York Times
, The History Channel,
The Howard Stern Show
, CNN.com,
Publishers Weekly
, Media Bistro,
Fangoria Magazine
, and
Rue Morgue
. He has won numerous awards and honors, including two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.