The Wicked Dead (The Tome of Bill Book 7)
Page 51
“What are our chances?” I asked.
Christy spread her hands wide, indicating she had no idea what to expect.
I turned to Sally. “What do you think?”
She fixed me with a glare. “What do I think? I think this is insane and you’re even crazier for asking me. In fact, I think you are the single most infuriating person I have ever met. You break all the rules, fuck up everything you touch, and drive me batshit constantly.”
Okay, then.
“Be that as it may, though,” she continued, “I know I would face the fires of Hell if you were by my side.”
“Which it seems is what we’re planning on doing,” Tom interjected.
“Thanks for ruining the moment, meatwad.” She knocked him over with a flick of her finger.
“I’d do the same,” I said, ignoring my roommate.
“Of course you would,” she replied with an infuriatingly cocky smile.
“Partners?”
Sally held out her hand to me. “To the end.”
“To the end,” I repeated, taking it.
“Hey, if you guys are doing the whole hands in the middle thing, count me in.”
Christy laughed and picked up her plastic fiancé. She lifted one of his hands to ours, and then topped us off with her own.
For too long, fate had manipulated us, set us up as pawns in some giant chess game. Whether it was Alex, Turd, Vehron, or now Calibra, there was always someone trying to manipulate us.
Well, maybe now it was finally our turn.
I had no idea what the coming days would hold. There were plans to make, strategies to discuss, and probably a few personal issues to sort out. Regardless, in the end, I’d do everything I could to protect the friends around me, restore the friend who’d fallen, and save the friends who were missing.
And then, when that was done, I’d shove a giant middle finger at the powers that be and let all Hell break loose.
As for what happened after ... screw it. Maybe just this once, I’d let fate decide that.
THE END
Bill Ryder will return in:
The Last Coven (The Tome of Bill, part 8)
Can’t wait for more Bill? Follow his ongoing misadventures on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/BilltheVampire
Bonus Chapter
SHINING FURY
A Tale From The Tome of Bill
“Go away!” he screamed at me.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. It just happened.”
The stench rising off the mulch pile assaulted my nostrils. The acrid smoke made my eyes water. Considering this was all my fault, though, it seemed a small price to pay. Deep down, I knew it could be far worse, that I deserved far worse.
After all, I wasn’t the one on fire.
All I’d wanted was to drop the charade of my existence, to be myself for a change, and end the impasse between us. I wanted to finally make a move to show that, despite everything, I believed we had a chance. That I, ironically enough, had faith in us. I’d tried to tap into the confidence that had made me what I am, the same confidence I was supposed to feel when facing every damned obstacle set before me, of which there were no shortage as of late.
It hadn’t worked out quite like I’d planned.
I quickly stepped forward to offer what aid I could. The flames were already dying down, thank goodness, helped by the damp ground upon which he lay. As I reached out, though, a white glow illuminated my outstretched hand, causing me to pull back quickly lest I make things even worse. I gritted my teeth, forcing the power back inside of me, willing it to not strike out again unbidden. At times like this it could be like a snake, struggling to be set free, lashing out at that which it deemed an enemy despite my conscious insistence to the contrary.
“Please, let me make it right,” I said more to myself than anyone, but I knew he’d hear me nevertheless. His kind had senses far beyond that of a normal person.
“Leave me alone!”
I couldn’t blame him for being angry. Time and again this had happened. We’d come into close contact, some of our encounters closer than others, and the white fire inside of me would lash out.
Each time it had happened in the past, he’d laughed it off, pretended it didn’t hurt despite the painful obviousness of it. I’d always known, though, that eventually even he would reach his limit. That the jokes would end and, with them, whatever he’d felt toward me. I’d hoped – prayed, even – that I would find the control I needed before that happened.
I’d done it before, so I knew it was possible, but that had been before Remington.
A growl, disturbingly inhuman in pitch, escaped from him, reminding me that he’d been affected by that incident, too, in many ways worse than I had. I didn’t know if the sound he made now was due to pain or fury, but it didn’t matter. He needed my help.
I reached down and grabbed hold of his still-smoking shoulder to turn him over. I needed to know he was all right, and he needed to know how sorry I was.
Under different circumstances, that first concern wouldn’t be a question – his kind healed at an exaggerated pace. Anything short of a fatal wound would be gone in minutes. There were exceptions, though, and I was one of them.
I’d been told my power was a gift, the blessing of light, God’s way of balancing the scales against the darkness. I never really bought into that, despite how often such dogma was repeated. There was no denying, however, that the white hot fury inside me was capable of consuming his kind whole. Considering the vast majority of the undead hated me with a passion – wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me if given the opportunity – this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most that I’d met had been little more than monsters given human form anyway; wolves in sheep’s clothing.
He was different, though. He was kind where they were cruel, self-deprecating where they were arrogant. He’d told me he didn’t want to hurt anyone, and I believed him. That he was one of them, a vampire, wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t asked to be turned, to be dragged into their world. Despite our powers being polar opposites, we had that much in common. I hadn’t asked for any of this either.
I pushed that thought away, although a bitter aftertaste remained as always. A part of me blamed him for that, and I hated that part of me for doing so. It was stupid and selfish of me to dwell upon it now, especially when I’d just hurt the man I...
His eyes opened – inhuman black orbs that seemed to contain no trace of the gentle soul within. I knew better, though.
“It’s okay, it’s me.” I dropped to one knee by his side. “I won’t hurt you again.”
The promise was a lie. I had no way of knowing if I might lose control of the surging torrent of power inside of me. No matter how much I tried, it was almost as if it had a life all its own at times.
He seemed to sense the untruth in my words, but where I expected scorn and rejection, he instead sprung from the ground and tackled me with savage strength. His fingernails became talons that dug into my arms, pinning me in place. He opened his mouth, revealing his fangs.
With a snarl, Bill Ryder – a man I called friend and had hoped to call more – was upon me, forcing my head to the side and digging his teeth into my neck.
I wanted to lash out, to call upon the power within me. It was what the Templar had trained me to do, told me was my destiny – to destroy the Night Spawn and, in doing so, save the world.
But I instead forced it back down, took control of it at last, even as the life blood flowed from my wounds. This was what I had brought upon myself.
It was what I deserved.
* * *
Shining Fury
Available in ebook, paperback, and audio.
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Author’s Note
I sit here typing this as the last of the leaves are falling off the trees outside my office window. Mind you, most of those leaves are now sitting atop my pool cover. Note to self: clean that crap out before it freezes solid.
Anyway, dear reader, the end is near. You’ve just finished the penultimate chapter in The Tome of Bill – what started as little more than the goofy exploits of a dorky vampire trying to survive in the world of the undead and which is now the goofy exploits of a dorky vampire trying to stave off the apocalypse. It’s been quite the journey and now he stands at the precipice of either victory or an eternity of darkness.
I sincerely hope this series has been an enjoyable experience for you. I know it has for me. This story in particular was quite the surprise. Some tales practically write themselves, while others fight the author kicking and screaming all the way. This was one of those latter efforts on many different levels, all the way to me having to step away from the story for several weeks after feeling I was spinning my wheels on multiple difficult chapters.
I never gave up, though, and I’m glad I didn’t because after going back and reading the complete story for the first time I found myself smiling. Was it perfect? Hell no. My first drafts are a lot of things, but perfect isn’t one of them. However, the foundation had been laid for this roller coaster of a tale and I, for one, found it to be a heck of a ride. I hope you did too.
The ride isn’t over yet, though. Bill Ryder still has a ways to go before his story is finished. We’ve gone through twists, turns, hills, valleys, and even a few loops and it’s all leading up to the big finale. I’ve brought you this far, I hope you’ll stick with me for the big sprint to the finish line.
Until then...
Rick G.
About the Author
Rick Gualtieri lives alone in central New Jersey with only his wife, three kids, and countless pets to both keep him company and constantly plot against him. When he’s not busy monkey-clicking words, he can typically be found jealously guarding his collection of vintage Transformers from all who would seek to defile them.
Defilers beware!
Rick Gualtieri is the author of:
Bill the Vampire (The Tome of Bill - 1)
Night Stalker: A Tome of Bill Series Companion
Scary Dead Things (The Tome of Bill - 2)
The Mourning Woods (The Tome of Bill - 3)
Holier Than Thou (The Tome of Bill - 4)
Sunset Strip: A Tome of Bill Series Companion
Goddamned Freaky Monsters (The Tome of Bill - 5)
Half A Prayer (The Tome of Bill - 6)
The Wicked Dead (The Tome of Bill - 7)
Shining Fury: A Tome of Bill Series Companion
The Last Coven (The Tome of Bill - 8)
The Tome of Bill Series: Volume One
Bigfoot Hunters
The Poptart Manifesto