Even with a glorious face and body, he reeked of malignant evil and death. He needed to learn how to speak with the human’s mouth, move like a normal earthly being and detain the hatred he carried for mankind. In order to win Autumn’s love he must teach himself to act like something he is not, nor will he ever be. He planned to practice using this beautiful body to the fullest extent. Watching her from the shadows drove him even more mad than he already was. He must have tried a thousand times to walk out of the pharmacy door to the hardware store across the street where his love resided. But he never made it far without turning back to the anger he permeated from within and stopping himself. The first encounter must be perfect. For if he ruined his one chance to capture her with his charm and beauty, he would forever roam this earth in solitary.
As the sinister force that dwelled within the flesh of the the stranger’s body walked around the backside of the pharmacy, he practiced his talking voice. A deep and soothing sound, like the voice of an old time crooner, rolled from his tongue. He smirked into the green and white wilderness beyond and spoke out loud, “Hello, my name is Alastor. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance…” Then he shook his head angrily, “No. That’s not right!” he spat at the ground in distaste. He kept rehearsing over and over until he convinced himself that he sounded normal, and not strange like a foreigner. When satisfied with his speech and vocabulary, he decided to walk to the clothing store a few buildings down so he could find something that would make him look presentable to the lovely Autumn. The exotic looking traveler displayed only hiking clothes and ratty old boots in his possession when Alastor took residency within his body.
Alastor casually walked down the back alleyway from the pharmacy to the clothing store. His army of dead still stumbling in a clumsy manner on the snow covered ground, meandering through the old town. They seemed a lot slower than before; the cold had turned them into human popsicles that shambled through the streets at a snail’s pace looking for a meaty morsel to keep them moving. He watched them with pride from the shadows, grinning devilishly with satisfaction at the sight of his grotesque plague he brought to mankind. It being the most important task he had ever completed in his existence. A work of art in his opinion. If he never escaped the fiery core of this wretched planet, and actually concerned himself with another's critique of his work, the master would have been beyond pleased with what he set forth to do. As he opened the rear door to the clothing store, the lonesome crow took flight into the evening sky with one last melancholic caw.
The store was pitch black showing only a faint glow around the outer edges near the windows. The sun began its descent and casted a brilliant orange and yellow brightness along the streets outside, but continued fading fast. Not a problem for Alastor though, he could see in the utter blackness of night. His eyes adjusted to the void of the darkest spots inside the building and he started walking through clothing racks to find the right garments to dress his exquisite newfound body. He studied the men in the posters on the wall and magazines on the counter. Although, he would like to dress to the nines in a three piece expensive suit, he figured it not suitable for the occasion. After searching for some time he settled on a pair of casual black pants, a royal blue polo shirt, black combat boots and a very stylish black leather jacket. The leather smelled sensational and he couldn’t leave without it.
Alastor stood at the mirror revelling in his beauty, the colors contrasted wonderfully against his golden locks and pale skin. He was thrilled to finally have a body, to be able to feel things around him with his own human skin. His senses were in overdrive with the sensation of the material on his body, the smell of the leather, the sights of his alluring body… it was simply divine. After taking in all of his surroundings, he decided it was time to go. He must gather all of his nerve and confidence to march over to where his love resided. For some reason, unbeknownst to him, this happened to be the hardest thing he has ever done. Causing an all out zombie apocalypse was so easy with all of the penned up hatred he had inside of him. But finally approaching the one person that he sustained nothing but admiration and love for, was like trying to escape the evil place he came from all over again. It took him hundreds of years to find a way out of Hell, to find that one little crack to slip through. But now that he did, he wasn’t sure how to move on from all the disgust and malignancy he felt for everything else.
Maybe the lovely Autumn can change him though, make him into a real person. He couldn’t be sure that was even possible, since he was basically just a demonic spirit possessing a human body. But he would try his damndest to permanently remain in the fleshly walls surrounding him. He stared through the enticing golden eyes into the mirror before him and the most insidious grin spread across his fair face.
He gathered himself and walked through the store, exiting through the same door he entered, then made his way around the building to the hardware store across the street. He concentrated on communicating with every undead soldier he had roaming this little quaint town. Alastor had the perfect plan.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost I would like to to thank my very best friend and the extremely intelligent,
Sara Rowe.
#1) For challenging me to write a book.
#2) Giving me the moral support and confidence I needed to reach my goal.
#3) For being my editor and fixing my embarrassing grammar and spelling mistakes.
#4) For the long talks on the phone going over ideas for my book(s).
#5) And for being the best friend a girl could ask for.
Next I want to thank my amazing husband, Daniel Weese, for helping me pick names for my characters and listening to me talk about a fictional world only I understood on a daily basis. Thanks for putting up with me. Love you babe!
Also, my parents, Mike & Charlene Martin, for passing on the skills I needed to make this happen and showing support for my newly developing passion for writing. I love you both more than you know.
And last but not least, my cover designer and formatting specialist, James Price, who is ridiculously talented, kind and very professional. I recommend his book covers to anyone who is looking for an eye catching and tasteful first impression of their new project. Thank you, James!
About the Author
Well as you can see from my cover, my name is Michelle Weese. I live at home in beautiful, sunny Daytona Beach, FL with my husband of 10 years, Daniel Weese, and five fat, lazy housecats. I am as new as a shiny penny when it comes to this writing thing, so be gentle please. I have always had a passion for horror, whether it be books, movies, tv shows, and anything to do with Halloween, (my absolute favorite time of year). I first developed a love for the creepy, scary, and terrifying rush you get from reading when I picked up my first Stephen King novel, Misery. From that point on, I was hooked. Not only do I read horror books, I have acquired quite the collection of horror movies that I can't seem to part with no matter how many times I watch them. I hope you, the reader, can feel the fascination I have with the exquisite genre of horror within the pages of my book(s), and the journey through the terrifying world I have created. Happy reading!
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Continue reading for a preview of the next book in the Autumn series…Autumn’s Calling: The Battle
The demon stood behind the old pharmacy, gazing out into the wilderness. The first snow this year had...
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Autumn's Calling (Book 1): The Outbreak Page 15
