A Song After Dark

By Grant Palmquist

Seventeen-year-old Norman thought he'd hit the jackpot when he met Zach, trading his boring straight-A lifestyle for one filled with parties, drugs, and more girls than he ever imagined he'd meet in his lifetime.

But there’s something dangerous about Zach, something not quite right. For Zach has a dark secret, that once revealed will drag his newfound sidekick into a nightmare world mired in death and destruction.

Be wary of strangers and careful what you wish for.

Sometimes A Song After Dark can be chilling to hear.

Praise for A Song After Dark:

"A Song After Dark certainly shows that the young writer has his best foot forward in portraying cruelty and violence, but with refreshing character depth." ~ Chris Hallock, The Chiaroscuro

"A Song After Dark by Grant Palmquist is . . . not for the faint of heart." ~ Black Sun Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grant Palmquist
• Release date: Oct 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781937387587

Grant Palmquist

Grant Palmquist is the author of the science-fiction novel Azure and four horror novels: A Song After Dark, Permanent Winter, Dirge, and The Seer. His short stories have appeared in Chizine, Dogmatika, and Underground Voices.

Book preview

A Song After Dark

Grant Palmquist

Copyright © 2011 by Grant Palmquist

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

Smashwords Edition: December 2011

CONTENTS

Dedication

CHAPTERS

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

Author’s Bio

For Sarah M., who believed

1

It wasn’t until I missed the bus junior year and wandered behind the school, searching for a way back inside the building to call my mom or dad to come pick me up, that I stumbled upon Zach smoking a joint. He stood in the long shadow cast by the school, smoke curling from his lips, the light of the sun falling over the grass behind him. He stared at me, his tangled brown hair hanging before his blue eyes, angled his head and smiled.

I slid my hands inside my pockets.

What’s up, Norman?

Not much, I said.

The hell are you still doing around here?

I missed the bus.

You shouldn’t be riding the bus anymore, he said. You’re seventeen, right?

Yeah. I shrugged. So?

Get your parents to buy you a car.

They’re too cheap.

Everyone’s cheap these days. He held out the joint to me. You smoke?

I shook my head. Not in a long time, I lied.

At least you’re not a liar. He tilted his head back and took another pull and blew circles skyward. At parties, all the rookies try to pretend like they’re hardcore, but they aren’t shit. Go ahead. Take a hit.

I wanted to say no, but I’d also wanted to be friends with Zach since I was twelve. He looked like a pinup rebel—his thumb looped in the front pocket of faded jeans, the joint burning between his fingers, the lazy gaze of his blue eyes. I took the joint, unsure how to inhale, and looked to him for guidance.

Suck the smoke into your chest and push it down into your stomach.

I did as he said, and the smoke cut through my chest like a knife. I coughed so hard I had to grasp my knees to keep from falling over. What was the point of this? Did it really do anything, or was it something people just did to look cool?

Zach patted my shoulder and laughed. You’re gonna be so damn high.

After I caught my breath, I stood upright and handed back the joint. I have to eat dinner with my parents tonight.

You should probably avoid that.

Shit. I slapped my palm against my forehead. I still have to call them to come pick me up.

Don’t worry about it. He checked his watch. I’ll give you a ride home as soon as Lisa shows up.

Why don’t you go pick her up?

Weed’s got you thinking, huh? He tapped the side of my head. Her parents won’t let me see her.

Why not?

You always ask this many questions? He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, placed it between his lips, struck the wheel of a gold-plated Zippo and cupped the flame. Her parents are never home, but they happened to come home on the wrong day at the wrong time and caught us fucking.

I stared at the grass as if I hadn’t heard him, trying to think of something to say to change the subject. Nothing came to mind. I stood there like a fool, offering a smile that felt like a grimace, pretending to understand, to have been through similar circumstances before.

Ever been caught fucking a girl?

I can’t say I have.

He nodded, laughing. You’re a virgin if I ever saw one.

I’m not a virgin. My cheeks bloomed crimson.

Ah, he’s blushing. He covered his mouth and took a few steps back, pointing at me. Who have you fucked?

Thousands of answers crowded my head at that question, and I latched on to one and held it in my crazy heart. Was it the weed that made me do it? I wet my lips, took a few steps forward and stood before him, his smoky breath wafting over my face. Don’t talk to me like that, I said.

He let his hands hang by his sides and straightened his face. Ballsy, aren’t you? He pressed his palm to my chest and pushed me away. But you better get out of my face.

I tightened my fists, digging my nails into my palms. I’m not afraid of you.

I like you, he said. You’re not the pussy you come off as in class. We should hang out sometime.

Lisa appeared from around the corner, her curly blonde hair swishing back and forth at her waist. When I looked at her, I imagined him having sex with her, wondering whether the things he said were true. What did they talk about anyway? What did any guy talk about with his girlfriend? She jumped into his arms and he held her, rubbing his hands all over her legs and squeezing her ass. When their tongues had finished invading each other’s mouths, he introduced us. She shook my hand, offering a half-smile, and returned to Zach’s embrace. I groaned under my breath and looked at a line of blackbirds forming a V in the sky, skimming up and down, back and forth through the air.

We walked around the front of the building and crossed the parking lot. Lisa took her purse from her Volkswagen and we got into Zach’s black Mustang. They smoked a joint on the way to my house, the windows rolled down, his hand sliding up and down her tanned thigh, Tool playing on the sound system. Lisa said nothing the whole ride, just leaned into him with her eyes closed, kissing his neck and caressing his arm.

He shook my hand before I got out of the car and handed me a slip of paper. Seriously, let’s hang out sometime.

My parents hadn’t gotten home from work yet, and I staggered to my room, dropped on the bed—barely able to keep my eyes open—and unfolded the piece of paper. I held it up to the dying beams of sunlight slanting through the window. Zach—[phone]. My body became one huge heartbeat that coursed through the room.

2

Zach walked through the darkness of the forest, briefcase in hand, and came to the shack. He lit the candles inside with his gold-plated Zippo. On a makeshift desk covered with guttered candles at the side of the room was an assortment of small and large knives.

Through a circular hole in the wall, moonlight leaked into the workspace. He pulled a brass key from his pocket and used it to open a wooden chest on the floor. For a long time he studied the hollow eyes of the skull staring back at him from within the chest, then took it in his hand and lifted it up and walked outside, golden leaves crunching beneath his feet, his body breaking out in a sticky sweat from the stifling humidity.

He held the skull high, as though he had conquered some battle, then brought it close and kissed the crown. It had been his first kill, a derelict from Galveston who slept beside a dumpster outside McDonald’s. It wasn’t challenging, merely interesting, the way the man didn’t seem to care that he was going to die, almost invited it. Zach had squatted before the man and brought the blade to his dirty beard and cut off a piece, held the hair between his fingers, letting them drift away one by one, waiting for a reaction. The pauper stared straight through him with bleary eyes, mumbling to himself. A car passed behind them, and he crossed his arms, hiding the knife beneath his armpit ’til it faded from view.

I’m going to kill you.

The man smiled, his eyes shifting in every direction as if he’d seen some great light in the distance, perhaps the door to heaven opening. Zach placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and plunged the knife into his chest, took it out, did it again, repeating the action dozens of times, scattering the wounds about his abdomen and ribcage and throat, watching the blood bubble up from his skin.

After the derelict had stopped breathing, he brought the knife to the man’s throat and cut off his head. He disposed of the body behind the dumpster, sprayed the stump of the head with WD-40 and lit it. It exploded in flames, flickering in the night, the stench of gasoline and burnt flesh filling the air.

A stray dog wandered through the parking lot, stopped a few feet from the head, its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth. A rusty Buick slowed in the street, and a face and hands pressed against the window, staring at the burning ball. Zach’s mind raced. He looked from his Mustang to the dog to the slowing car. The Buick drifted away. The dog circled and raised its snout, barking and howling at the fire, trotting in one direction, then another before wandering away up a dark street and passing beneath a streetlamp into the black. Zach walked to his car and opened the trunk and took out the fire extinguisher to kill the flames, squatted beside the severed head and smoked a cigarette. He touched it occasionally, and when it had cooled, he picked it up and carried it to his car and set it in the passenger seat.

Presently he dug a hole a few feet deep with his hands, set the skull inside and covered it with dirt. The head of an earthworm wriggled from the grime just beyond the burial site, and he grabbed its head and pulled it from the ground. It writhed in the air, its body twisting like a contortionist. He tossed it into the distance.

He returned to the shack and opened his briefcase and put the knives inside one at a time: cleavers, hunting knives, scalpels, stockman knives, a utility knife, a bowie and survival knife. Closing the briefcase, he looked around for anything he may have forgotten, then went outside and gathered together a pile of leaves, carried them inside the shack, formed a large mound and lit it. He stood before the growing heat for a time, smelling the burning leaves, listening to the crackle of the fire, imagining this as his great beginning.

He moved to the periphery of the forest and watched the light glow within, a halo against the night. The fire grew, smoke spiraling into the sky, and when it began to rage through the forest, he got into his car and drove to a parking lot a few miles away to watch the fire spread, the lights of firetrucks spinning in the distance toward it, their sirens screaming into the dark. Burning to death seemed the most painful way to die. The skin melting away, the shock and pain so enormous it would drive away all thought. One day he would have to experiment with it and light someone on fire.

He drove home, watching the dome of light grow in the rearview mirror.

After smoking a joint inside his car in the driveway, he went to his room. He took the hunting knife from his briefcase and stood across the room from the dartboard then flung it into the bullseye, walked forward, pulled it out and did it again.

3

My parents still made me go to church every Sunday at 8 AM. They sang the hymns, and I kept my head down, folding my hands and moving my lips slightly, no words escaping.

During prayer I closed my eyes and imagined all the girls I would meet if I hung out with Zach. Strangely I’d never seen Zach hanging around any guys, but I’d heard them talking about him, circulating stories in the hallways at school. He went to all the parties and girls flocked to him. Often he slept with one that same night. Rumor was he’d slept with Amy Miller, Lisa Silver, Brianna Highsmith, Priscilla Stevens, Melissa Ryan, Brandi Lyons and Julia Ferris—and those were only the names I knew about.

My friends. The pastor raised his hefty arms. The world is burning, and we must wake from our sleep. Satan is lurking everywhere.

I listened for a moment before zoning out during the rest of the sermon, watching the pastor’s gesticulations so my parents wouldn’t poke me and tell me to pay attention.

After service, my parents mingled with their friends in the dimly lit hallways and corridors, and I went to the bathroom and waited for the voices in the commons area to fade. When they did, I walked outside and waited by my parents’ Tahoe. A balmy breeze floated through the air, the straining heat of a Houston summer on its tail. Dad appeared, shaking his head as he walked through the parking lot toward me.

He turned to me as he opened the driver’s side door. Do you even listen when the pastor is speaking? He hit the automatic locks, and Mom and I got inside.

Yes.

We drove toward home and the whole way I sensed something festering in his mind. The way he kept checking the rearview, the way he gripped the wheel with knuckles of white tension.

It doesn’t seem like you listen, he said, and he’s giving you information to set yourself free. Where did you disappear to after church?

I was just walking around, I said.

That’s not the way you make friends, Mom said. You need to introduce yourself to people.

Who? All the Sunday-school kids had already formed their clique, and I wasn’t a part of it. I’d hung out with them before, shooting paintballs in the woods, and they’d acted as though I was a ghost. I’d walked to the edge of the woods and shot my paint into a lone oak tree, splattering the trunk with gobs and flecks of white. I’m trying.

You’re not trying hard enough, he said. You want to be successful in this life, you have to be sociable. You have to be a leader. You heard what the pastor said, didn’t you?

Yes.

What’d he say?

The world is on fire.

Dad shook his head. I want you to start taking notes during service.

I looked out the window. Two kids threw a football back and forth on their front lawn, the sun blazing over the rooftop behind them. I don’t need to take notes. I’m listening.

I don’t get the feeling you are, Mom said. If you’re going out of a sense of duty, then you’re not going for the right reason.

Isn’t that why you go?

Dad frowned in the rearview mirror, wrinkling his lips as if he’d just eaten something particularly sour. When we got home, he followed me to my room and closed the door behind me. I walked to the window and watched him approach me from behind, his fists balled.

***

Later that night I lay in bed, unable to sleep. I opened the bedside drawer and pulled out Zach’s number. I held it up to the patches of light spilling through the window. Would he be awake at this hour on a Sunday night? Would it be weird if I called him? I took a deep breath and dialed the number.

Who is this?

Norman. My voice wavered.

He sighed. What the hell are you doing, calling me this late on a Sunday?

I shrugged. Couldn’t sleep.

I save all my sleeping for class. He laughed. Usually only girls call me this late.

Your number was just sitting here.

It’s cool. What’s up?

You said we should hang out sometime.

Spit it out if you want to hang. His voice sounded distant, blended with a faint hum of static, then close. Anytime.

I sat up in bed, cradling the phone on my shoulder. That’d be cool.

Yeah, it would. He paused. Your parents catch you high that night?

They weren’t home.

Too bad. That would have made one hell of a story. He sounded disappointed, as if he wished they’d caught me. Meet me after school on Tuesday where we smoked that joint.

Sounds good.

***

On Tuesday we walked through the burnt woods, stepping over the ashen ground, mist rising to our faces. Bare trees and blackened stumps surrounded us. Not a single bird or animal anywhere. Zach stopped and cupped a cigarette, spun his Zippo, offered me one. I took one, pretended to inhale and blew out puffs of smoke.

After a while we came to the edge of the grey landscape, where the firefighters must have stopped the blaze. Lush greenery rose up like a giant wall: cedars and oaks and sycamores and pines and eucalyptus. The sweet smell of trees, grass and mushrooms collided with the scent of ashes and dirt.

I wonder how it happened.

Who cares? Zach breathed out a cloud of smoke. It’s fucking awesome.

Did you see it the night it started?

"I watched from my bedroom window. If I remember

Reviews for A Song After Dark

[jimphillips8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very well written horror story of a young student who is befriended by a fellow student. The young man so much wants a best friend that he is forced to deal with a new friend that is pure evil. The story flows well and keeps the reader interested. The ending was unexpected, but good. I would highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good horror story. I wil read other stories by this author.

[a.berry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm going to say that this book is filled with sex, drugs and violence done very well.

[star95011 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great book

[kristawalters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OH MY GOD!!! This was freakin AWESOME!! This was my first horror story and it was wonderful. The main character Norman is awkward and lonely and he finally becomes friends with a guy he has wanted to be friends with forever Zach! Who is so freakin scary and gross he makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little!! CATS AND DOGS!!!! Thats all i'm sayin!!! This book is thrilling, scary, gross, and REAL!! It was so scary because it could ACTUALLY happen. This book got the reaction from me that the author wanted!! A pucky feeling in your stomach and you crusing out loud!! If you want a thriller, this is the book for you!!

[karatheredhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book for free through a Library Thing giveaway. This book only took me two days to read, which means I could not put it down. We all have met someone destructive in our lives, and some of us are lucky enough to get away from them. Unfortunately, Norman wasn't lucky enough to get away from Zach.This book is indeed gruesome with a lot of violence and sex. However, it is needed. You see the cold case files documentaries all the time, and this is a wonderful story of what happens before the cold case. The only part I didn't really like was all the cats that were killed. However, many serial killers kill animals before people. Zach is an outcast, however he is egotistical and maniacal. Norman is an outcast too, but you couldn't help but love him. He was sweet to Lisa and tried to be the best son he could be.This book was great in that it showed two point of views, Norman and then Zach from chapter to chapter. It really showed how naive Norman was at first when he met Zach. The newspaper articles in the book too are a key part to this novel. I would recommend this book to everyone really, it is a warning to perhaps be more careful in who you find to be your friend. Also to be more aware of what is going on right before your eyes in the case of the other characters.

[sheriawilkinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Song After Dark by Grant PalmquistNorman was a straight A student, not popular and often picked on. When he met Zach a popular "party boy". He thought his life would change. It sure did but not the way Norman expected. He is about to find out the truth about Zach and if Norman doesn't act quick he is going to get pulled into Zach's twisted, sick world.A fast paced psychological, thrilling story. Norman just wanted to fit in, he was real and desperate for friends. I did like Norman,in society today there are many "Norman's". I really liked the story line, quite original. Filled with nail-biting tension and surprises, I could not put it down. Well written, it felt as if I were part of the story, I like that in a book.Those who like (Psychological)suspense/thrillers/murder will enjoy A Song After Dark.

[doncranford · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Again, Palmquist weaves a story and then lets the ending fade away

[brandymcdonald_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This read was fast, dark and graphic. I literally didn't put it down. Norman is so alone and without identity. Zach is looking for someone like himself. The story is chilling and a little too far for my taste but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[cindyholdmann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent dark thriller. It pulled me in from the beginning and the characters were so well developed. I like the fact that he did it bit by bit. Although it was a bit predictable, it was written very smoothly and fluently. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes good vs. evil books.

[lritte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I have read from Grant Palmquist. It is a horror book. I received a copy of the book in a Librarything give away. I found it a fascinating read. Grant took us on a deep looking inside the heads of teens that are trying to figure out who they are in the world. Often times mass murderers have supposedly had a dark childhood that starts with the hurting of animals, or you hear "I just wanted to see what it felt like"This book hits on those things, it was a disconcerting read, but also made me extremely thoughtful. I agree whole heartily with a review saying it was a disturbing read, but it opened eyes and that can never be a bad thing.

[asigg44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won this book from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways.I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and I was a little surprised about how dark this book was. It is very well written, in my opinion, and the author seems to draw the reader right into the story. I, myself, like dark, psychological thriller-type books and movies, so this book was interesting to me. I liked how the author wrote from two different perspectives. All in all, I did like this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

[lyhansen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a free copy of this ebook from Librarything member giveaway and my review was unsolicited. This is the second Grant Palmquist book I have read and again was very impressed. I am a avid reader of horror novels and have found Grant Palmquist to be an excellent writer in the genre. This book made me feel like I was going to the darker areas of my mind. I really liked the story line and the character development. In short this book was about a seventeen year old boy who has been invisible his whole life. His parents are very over productive and don't allow him to do anything! But Norman rebels and is befriended by Zach a fellow classmate that is very popular with the ladies. Zach goes on and becomes a bad influence on Norman and Norman finds himself struggling to decide how far into Zach's dark world he wants to go. This book made me feel disturbed inside in a good way like some of Jack Ketchum's books! I highly recommend this book and look forward to more books by Mr. Palmquist.

[sudimatleon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen year old Norman has been invisible his whole life. His parents have shielded him from life, never allowing him to make any decisions or have any friends that might lead him astray from the path they have chosen for him. But Norman is tired of always toeing the line, tired of having no friends and never being able to make his own decisions. Norman has no idea how life changing missing his school bus ride home one afternoon will be. Zach, one of the popular kids whom Norman has always wanted to be accepted by, is behind the school smoking a joint. When Zach is friendly with Norman and suggests that they hang out one day, Norman is stunned. When Zach gives Norman a ride home and gives him his cell number so Norman can call him and they can 'hang' together sometime, Norman is elated...things are finally turning around for him!Norman's parents think Zach is terrific because he comes from the right background and gets straight A's but they don't know him the way Norman does. As Norman and Zach get to know each other better, Norman is at first all behind all the things Zach suggests. Norman starts to wonder though about Zach after a series of events make him question Zach's friendship. As Norman starts to draw away from Zach, things heat up and Norman is left wondering just how far Zach is willing to go, and how far he already has gone.A well written psychological thriller about two young men, friendship and how far one must go to find acceptance. I received my copy through LibraryThing Giveaway and my review was unsolicited.

[murfaeb69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very graphic. In a few places to grapgic for me. Keeps your interest, even if you dont care for the subject. Seems almost real. interesting read.

[kmt01_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you like horror books, this is a good book for you. If not or if you are new to the genre, this book might not appeal to you. I read it with an open mind. While I have not read many horror books, I read this one because I got it from Library Thing to read and review. The story involves Norman, a teenager who has no social life and few friends, and Zack, a dark persona/teen who befriends him. Norman thinks having Zack as a friend is the greatest thing that ever happened to him, until he becomes fully involved with Zack and begins to see just how dark Zack can be. The youths pal around together for some time getting into a myriad of situations Norman feels uncomfortable with and which he knows deep down are not right and could lead to bigger troubles. Zack is of the son of a rich IT businessman. His parents pay no attention to him and let him do whatever he wants. Even in his dealings with his parents, Zack crosses the line (e.g. using his father’s ATM card to withdraw huge sums of money), but no one questions or stops him. In contrast, Norman has very involved parents who appear to care very deeply about who their son is and what he does. The only thing I found wrong with them is how Norman’s father disciplines him by hitting him with his belt or forcefully by his hand. I am not sure why the author did this unless he wanted to hint at possible abuse. Norman is a normal teenager, just trying to fit into life around him. Zack is evil through and through, but, I suspect, would give anything to have parents like Norman’s, who care. As the story evolves, we see Zack become darker and darker and Norman begin to realize just who he is until, he finally decides friendship with Zack is not worth the effort. The author has definitely crafted a dark, rotten to the core psychopathic character in Zack. This book is good, though, as I said, not for everyone. As I read, I wondered why the author chose to write a book as dark as this and what sort of person he really is, if he can produce something like this. I also wondered whether anyone, young or old, would get ideas while or after reading this. If you are interested in books such as this, then you probably would like it. I did not particularly care for it.