Zombies Unleashed (The Vampire from Hell Part 6) (8 page)

The Zombie Cure (Rayea)

***

“
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.
”

~ Robert Fulghum

***

“Both of your daughters are quite fetching,” Asmodeus said to me as we stood across the street, observing Rayea, Stephanie, and the misfits, J and Blick walk into the Neiman Marcus department store on Stockton Street.  Asmodeus demon’s face was hidden behind shadows of the buildings.  His cowboy hat sat low on his forehead as he wore his western wear.  His breath smelled foul with decay and garlic.  Flashing a yellowed grin, I saw only his demon teeth for a few seconds.

“Who is who?” he asked, raising his gnarled fingers.  “I recognize the Wolf God.  He goes by Blick now, yes?  But the other man?  Who is he?”

“The men are not my concern.  You can kill them.  I want my daughters.  That’s all,” I barked.  Quickly I regretted my comment and clamped my mouth shut.  A long eyetooth, a former demon fang, accidentally pierced my human tongue.  As my eyes watered, I turned away from the department store and faced the traffic as it whizzed down the steep hill.  Having lost all my powers, I was now at the mercy of these twits, the so-called princes of Hell.  Calling them into this family situation was a mistake.  I knew that, but I had no other options.  Glancing up the hill as I stood like any other human on the streets of San Francisco, I saw the others demons mingled through the crowd.  Santero, Abaddon, Mammon, and Belphegor.  Noticing how out of place they looked
dressed in their long faded black trench coats, black jeans, clunky black boots, and faded cowboy hats, I decided then and there I’d re-evaluate my wardrobe if I ever got my powers again.  For now, I had to ignore my common appearance.  I put my sunshades on and folded my arms over my chest, waiting quietly on the remaining princes of Hell to join us.

Santero slithered up beside me first.  “Cast out, are we?  No powers anymore, have we?  A groveling human now, indeed?”  His high-shrilled laughter made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the others chimed in, their gloating reminded me of the screams of a pack of hyenas before going in for the kill.

I saw Asmodeus raise his hand.

The demons obeyed and shut up.  They all knew who their leader was.  Asmodeus was older than I was.  Long ago, he had been my mentor.  Originally, he had been a king of demons during the Talmudic years, before the birth of man and before my fall from grace.  When I descended and needed advice and guidance, he immediately welcomed me into the fold.  As that changed, we grew distance.  When I challenged him and secured a place for myself in Hell, our friendship ended.  I moved on.  He did not.  I knew he had been waiting a long time for this opportunity.  He’d never let me forget it.

While Asmodeus was a deadly soul searcher like the others, he rarely used his powers.  Instead, he enjoyed his preferred skill: lust and twisting people’s sexual desires.  Our agreement? Win either of my daughters’ trust and pollute their dreams into bloodlust nightmares, so I’d have a chance to reclaim them, hopefully both of them.

As Santero and the others crossed the street to surround the department store, Asmodeus took me by the elbow.  “This shouldn’t take long.  We have the final payment to discuss, yes?”

I motioned to a coffee shop that I used to sell my wine too.  “I need some refreshment,” I said to him.  Ignoring his sinister nod, I led him into the shop.

Rayea’s bottled cure for my zombie rage wine had driven me out of business.  I ordered two glasses of the Rayea’s Remedy wine, not commenting to Asmodeus what he was about to partake in.  It had been hailed as the cure for anything and everything: cancer, AIDS, depression, anger, rage, the common cold.  Drinking the wine laced with her blood was like drinking from the fountain of youth or the ever-loving Holy Grail.

I decided to not dwell on it, and again, move on.

If my daughter’s blood could take away my demonic powers with a few glasses, I knew it would do the same for my friend here.  Glancing at my human reflection in the store window, I raised my glass.  “To your heath,” I said to Asmodeus.  “May we be happy and prosper.”

###

Thank You!

Thank you for reading the latest installment of the Vampire from Hell series.  Visit
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for more information or email me at ally at allythomas dot com if you have a question.  You can also shop at my site and buy a signed paperback of this book or others.  Signed paperbacks are only available through my website.  Access the direct link to the Vampire from Hell store -
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Zombie Wolf (Generation Z, #1) – SPRING 2015

At twenty-four Zachary has been through many zombie outbreaks and knows how to stay alive.  He’s been so good at killing zombies for so many years that he makes a living at it.  He claims it is the reason he has the nickname the ‘Zombie Wolf,’ even though he knows that’s not the case.  With time and space travel being as common as the Internet and cell phones, Zachary and his team travel often to kill zombies and rid the solar system of total infestation.  Now in the year 3015 A.D., more sightings of zombies are being reported on Planet Earth, but no one knows how to kill these snake-like creatures.  Zachary’s destiny unfolds when he comes face to face with the next generation of zombie and an innocent bystander gets bitten.  He considers killing the attractive girl because she’s as good as dead anyways.  But when he sees she has a werewolf mark, same as what he has, he knows he must save her.

Read an excerpt.

The Vampire from Hell Part 7

The seventh installment in the Vampire from Hell series is in the works.  A cover and title have been put on the deciding block. When an exact release date is available, it will be posted at
www.allythomas.com
.  Stay tune!

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Coming Soon

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This section lists various characters in the Vampire from Hell series as well as what the author had originally visualized for each character and how the character’s path may or may not have changed during the writing of the first 6 parts.  Please note that while not all characters in the series are discussed in this section, a majority are.  Hopefully, this will help you recall the character or introduce you to him or her.

RAYEA

Rayea is the oldest daughter of Satan and is the Vampire from Hell.  She is rebellious, honest, loyal to her friends, and a fan of mankind.  Being a vampire is not a condition that defines her.  Finding happiness and resolving her complicated relationships as well as resolving her family issues are constant struggles for her.

Why Was the Rayea Character Created?

When I was a teenager, I came up with the name Rayea, pronounced “RAY – ahh”.  I swore one day I would write a story and create a character with that name.  I have no idea where the name came from.  As best as I can remember, I just made it up.

Writing first person in Rayea’s voice is a fun aspect of creating this series.  Being a fan of vampire fiction since I was fifteen years old, I took leave of my senses a long time ago and will vehemently argue that supernatural creatures exist.  If I still believe that, I don’t know.  But I certainly like to mess with people and throw the idea out there if it comes up in conversation.  Writers are naughty nymphs sometimes.  We can’t be trusted.  Believe me.

BLICK

Blick is a hellhound-turned werewolf Rayea meets in Part 1 – The Beginning.  He is very protective of her and ultimately her best friend.  As the story progresses, Blick and Rayea’s relationship grows more complicated, but ultimately Rayea realizes there isn’t anything she would not do for Blick.

Why Was the Blick Character Created?

I had no idea at the time I created the Blick character that he would become very popular.  I planned for him to be simply a friend of Rayea’s like her online friend, Lynn.  That idea has shifted and both characters are becoming closer with each installment.  What awaits them I am not sure, but Blick will always be a part of Rayea’s life I think we can safely say.

STEPHANIE

Stephanie is Rayea’s evil sister.  She and Rayea do not get along at all.  Stephanie is devoted to her father and reminds Rayea as often as she can that Rayea is not like her or her father.  After drinking her father’s and possibly the blood of the Snake Goddess, Mehen, Stephanie turned into a Medusa looking person with an attractive body, dressed in revealing attire typically a black leather bikini and high boots, maintaining a pleasant face, but having snakes for hair.

Why Was the Stephanie Character Created?

If you have good characters, you have to create really evil characters to hate, the bad guys.  Stephanie is one of my ‘best’ bad guys.  I love to write for Stephanie because I have to dream up the worst, the meanest thing I can think of for her to say and do.  Sometimes that is a challenge.  Sometimes it’s not.

The name ‘Stephanie’ popped into my head one day when I thought about a girl who bullied me when I was in elementary school.  I don’t consider the name especially appropriate for an evil snake goddess character, but I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.

SATAN

Satan is Rayea’s father who wants her to fall in line and be more like him (evil) and his sister.  Rayea’s rebellious nature is a thorn in Satan’s side and because of this fact Satan makes it his mission to constantly create trouble for Rayea and her friends.

Why Was the Satan Character Created?

Because I had the original idea of writing a story called “Satan’s Daughter,” I knew I would have to come up with a Satan character.  I could have made the character far darker than I did, but I did not want my book to go in that direction.  Instead, I think of the Satan character as a big asshole, or a person who is a bumbling fool.  He doesn’t know when to give up, and he never stops trying to get his way.

RA

Ra is a blood god usually referred to as the god of the sun in Egyptian mythology.  He is from the House of the Dragon, a good god, and a shapeshifter who preferred to stay in the shape of a dragon until he met Rayea’s mother.  Ra is a father figure for Rayea and friend who often gives her sound advice.

Why Was the Ra Character Created?

I love Egyptian mythology so early on while writing the series I looked for a way to incorporate references to artifacts and themes from the various deities I had studied.

RAYEA’S MOTHER

Rayea officially meets her mother in Part 3 – A Vampire On Vacation (see the Blood Tea chapter).  She shares with Rayea her past and how Rayea was conceived.  We learn of her mother’s history with Satan, Rayea’s father and that she became pregnant with Rayea while having an affair with Satan (then known as Lucifer).  At the time of this situation, Rayea’s mother was married to a man referred to as Adam.  It is alluded that Rayea’s mother’s name is Eve.  Rayea’s mother is good friends with Maia, Typhean’s beloved daughter.

J & G

J and G are friends of Rayea who want to show her the alternative side of being a good person and being kind to herself.  Many times the reaction Rayea fears she will get from either person is not what she actually gets.

Why Was the J & G Characters Created?

J and G are the flip side of the Stephanie and Satan characters.  With having a Satan character, many people assume that J & G are initials for important names in the Christian faith.  That notion is up for debate.  Currently I have not decided on spelling it out one way or the other, but that may change in the upcoming installments.  I have noticed that sometimes readers decide for themselves who these characters are and apply their own meanings.  I tend to like that approach because it allows the readers to invoke their imaginations into the story, and explore they come up with.

DEATH/DEMETRI

Next to Rayea and Blick, Death is a favorite character of mine.  It is one reason I have already put him in a spin-off series with Grace called Fanged Love.  Death is Rayea’s ex-boyfriend whose formal name is Demetri and oddly enough has a great relationship with Rayea.

We learn in the first 3 parts of the series that Death may or may not still hold a candle for Rayea.  He certainly cares for her and is never too far away.  Unfortunately, in Part 3 – A Vampire On Vacation, Death discovers he is smitten with a human named Grace who he decides to save from going over.  She is later turned into a vampire by Rayea, and becomes Rayea’s first fledging vampire.

Why Was the Death Character Created?

I created the Death character for two reasons:

1) Death has always been present in my life.  The first funeral I went to was for my grandfather when I was seven-years-old.  The trend continued with my losing more relatives and many friends in drinking and driving accidents in high school to losing my dad when I was twenty-four and then losing my mom a few years later.  I decided the only way I could deal with the subject and get past it was to write a character into this series.

2) Another reason I created the character Death is because of a friend I met when I was thinking of ideas for a short story I had called “Satan’s Daughter.’  My friend had a green Mohawk, rode a motorcycle, and was into punk music.  He was, and still is, an incredibly upbeat and supportive friend.

His punk phase was just that.  It did not last forever and he is now a registered nurse and looking forward to getting married to a wonderful lady.  For some reason that first impression when I met him stuck with me and I wanted it to be a part of my story, probably because he was a friend who encouraged me to write.  Additionally, I thought it would be very easy to write for a character who I had based on a real person.  That I discovered later really does not work for me.  Many characteristics of Death’s are not related to this friend.  He does not look like Brad Pitt, for example, but yes he still rides his motorcycle (religiously wears his helmet) and he listens to punk music even though he lost his Mohawk.

GRACE

Grace is the first person Rayea turns into a vampire.  See the ‘Dead Girl’ chapter in Part 4 - The Vampire from Hell Returns.  Grace admires her maker, Rayea and pledges her devotion to her in almost every action she makes.  Being a flame-throwing vampire with a tattoo that mysteriously appeared on her skin one night, Grace holds secrets that will be revealed as we learn more about her.

Why Was the Grace Character Created?

I began to realize that Rayea should create another person like herself.  Usually in Rayea’s world, things just happen so the opportunity to turn someone fell into her lap.  She did not plan it.  I also wanted Grace and Rayea to have a friendship that was more sisterly and positive since Rayea’s relationship with her demon sister, Stephanie is not a healthy one.

MAX

When Grace works at the Golden Skull bar, Max is her boss and disapproves of her relationship with Nathan.  In Part 5 – Blood of the Gods, we learn that Max is more than just her boss.  Max and G are good friends and bowling buddies.  After his bar is accidentally burned down in Part 5 – Blood of the Gods, we find out (in Part 6 – Zombies Unleashed) that Max has relocated his establishment to Union Square and built a more modern bar and restaurant called the Red Skull.

MICHAEL

Michael is an archangel who Rayea meets in Part 2 - A Vampire Among Angels.  He is tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and amazingly gorgeous.  Rayea is drawn to Michael, but cannot explain why.  Unbeknownst to Rayea, Michael drinks her blood and becomes a vampire in Part 3 – A Vampire On Vacation.  In Parts 4-6, we do not hear more from Michael except in brief walk-ons.

Why Was the Michael Character Created?

I am a huge fan of the Swedish actor, Alexander Skarsgard.  He’s my inspiration for the Michael character.  Portraying Michael as an angel was always my plan.  However turning him into an angelic vampire was not a decision I made until writing Part 3 – A Vampire On Vacation.  I thought it would add a very interesting complication into Rayea’s love life and I am excited to see how the Michael character develops in future installments because Rayea is uncontrollably attracted to Michael, and yet, she cannot explain why.

ASHTON TAYLOR

Ashton Taylor is a human and love interest of Rayea’s in Part 3 – A Vampire On Vacation.  She has a huge crush on this actor who plays a vampire on TV and clearly enjoys the distractions from real life this relationship gives her.  Later as Rayea realizes the danger Ashton is in with being involved with a vampire, she ends their relationship.  Ashton finds comfort in the arms of Rayea’s best friend, Lynn.

Why Was the Ashton Character Created?

Again being a fan of a few actors who play vampires on television and in movies, I elected Rayea to have a crush, almost an obsession with a fictitious human named Ashton Taylor.  This character is inspired by my admiration for the Irish actor, Aidan Turner.  When I saw him play Mitchell in the BBC television series, Being Human, I fell head over heels for his character and devised a way to create a character based on the Mitchell vampire.

LYNN

Lynn is one of Rayea’s online friends who she became friends with because they both had a fan attraction to the actor Ashton Taylor.  Lynn is probably Rayea’s best friend and the two become instant buddies when they finally meet in ‘real life’ in Part 3 - A Vampire On Vacation.  After Rayea and Grace help her leave her abusive boyfriend, Steve (Part 5 – Blood of the Gods), Lynn enjoys a unique friendship with her two vampire friends.

Why Was the Lynn Character Created?