“In the name of God I command you to hold still unholy beast, creature of the night, Satan’s spawn!” Bradley shouted, his voice booming with a religious might Geoffrey was astounded by.
Edison’s eyes flared like the torch’s flame, and he rooted his feet to the floor. He was held firm.
“I have come to you as an agent of our holy God to end your murderous ways! I shall drive this stake made of ash into your dead, evil heart, and I shall stop this blasphemy of the living order!” Bradley raised the head of the cane high, showing it to Edison as he might show a shard of the holy cross itself. Edison’s eyes showed something Geoffrey had never seen, and never expected them to; fear.
“Be gone, foul demon of Satan!” Bradley yelled, and he brought the stake down into Edison’s chest.
The wooden stake busted apart against the white shirt Edison wore as if it were made of tissue paper. Tiny shards of wood fell impotently to the floor as Mr. Bradley’ hand thumped into Edison’s flesh. All that remained in it was the brass hawk’s head. The factory manager, full of the fury of his holy God, had done no more than wrinkle the vampire’s shirt.
Edison smiled, and wordlessly backhanded the man hard enough to twist his head completely around. Geoffrey stood, open mouthed, watching Mr. Bradley’s face contort and twitch, turned entirely around to the wrong direction. Beyond that, he watched as Edison caught the body from falling, and sink his teeth into the limp neck of the dying man. There was a wet, sucking sound as all of the man’s vitae was drained from him. It took less time to turn Mr. Bradley into a dried husk than Geoffrey imagined it would’ve.
Edison dropped the carcass on the floor as he might’ve discarded a spent cigarette. He looked up at Geoffrey and smiled once more. Geoffrey lowered the torch, and stood his ground, frightened of what would happen next. Edison walked slowly over towards him, stopping when he was mere inches away.
“The cane?” Edison asked.
Geoffrey swallowed. His whole life hung in the balance, and his next words would tip it one way, or the other, “Balsa wood. I switched it earlier today when Mr. Bradley was at lunch.”
Edison smiled, “Very clever. I always knew he disliked me. Even before I was turned into a vampire. He was so poor at hiding his faces. A good poker opponent though.”
Geoffrey smiled, and beamed.
“Well done my young boy.”
“Anything for science, Mr. Edison. Anything.”
“Make your arrangements for travel. Your parents think you’re going to Germany to school. You won’t be seeing them again, ever.”
“Very good, sir.”
“It will be nice to have reliable help here in the laboratory Geoffrey. Now all that’s left, is a body double to pretend to be me. Someone to grow old, and marry, and be seen during the day when I cannot be out and about. We’ll start that search immediately after you’ve become as I am.”
“Very good, sir.”
Edison put his arm lovingly around the young man and the two gazed at Mr. Bradley’s desiccated body. “The sacrifices we make for science.”
About the Author
Chris Philbrook is the creator and author of the urban fantasy series The Reemergence, as well as the dark fantasy series The Kinless Trilogy and the post apocalyptic epic Adrian's Undead Diary.
Adrian's Undead Diary, the story that got Chris on the literary map now has all eight titles available in print, eBook and audio. In order, they are Dark Recollections, Alone No More, Midnight, The Failed Coward, Wrath, In the Arms of Family, The Trinity, and Cassie. Also set in the world of Adrian Ring are Unhappy Endings and London Burns.
Chris' first book in print was The Wrath of the Orphans, the initial book of The Kinless Trilogy, set in his Elmoryn fantasy world. You can get it here on Amazon in print and for the Kindle as well. Book two and three are The Motive for Massacre, and The Echoes of Sin.
Tesser: A Dragon Among Us is Chris' first foray into the world of urban/contemporary fantasy, followed by Ambryn & the Cheaters of Death and Fyelrath & the Coven's Curse, with more planned.
Chris is the owner of Tier One Games LLC, his game development company.
Chris calls the wonderful state of New Hampshire his home. He is an avid reader, writer, role player, miniatures game player, video game player, painter and procrastinator. He and his wife welcomed their first daughter Willow to the world in April of 2016.
If you would like Chris to sign your eBooks, head over to http://www.authorgraph.com for a personalized message from him.
For more info on Chris, head over to his official author website and sign up for his newsletter at: http://www.thechrisphilbrook.com
Or follow him on Twitter @PhilbrookAuthor
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Visit http://www.thechrisphilbrook.com/merchandise/ for stickers, hats, and a wide variety of awesome shirts!
Can’t Wait for More?
Look for Chris Philbrook’s FREE short fiction eBook, At Least He’s Not on Fire.
Find it on Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords today!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSGEKIK
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21948978-at-least-he-s-not-on-fire
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The Shed: Tales from the world of Adrian's Undead Diary Volume Four Page 8
