Trilogy of the Dead

By Michael DeStefano

Three short stories involving a vampire, zombies, and a revenant with unfinished business. The opening story, “Rebirth,” tells a poignant tale of a bullied teenage girl grieving for her mother. The residents in “Homes for the Dead” overwhelm an ill-tempered homeowner’s association manager. A sickly, elderly woman in “Roses for Elaine” seeks to escape sordid conditions at a nursing home. Who will help her? All three stories to fill spare moments. Collectively, about 8,500 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC
• Release date: Jul 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476160825

Michael DeStefano

Michael DeStefano is from Philadelphia, where he is the owner of a hairstyling salon. Currently, he makes his home in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, is the husband of a Gulf War veteran, and author of The Gunslinger’s Companion. Any thoughts or criticisms readers of Waiting for Grandfather wish to share may be sent to [e-mail].

Book preview

Trilogy of the Dead

Barbara Custer

Night to Dawn Magazine & Books

www.bloodredshadow.com

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 by Barbara Custer

Cover art: Balázs László (Dreamstime Images)

Edited by Ginger Johnson

ISBN: 9781476160825

This book, including characters, incidents, and dialogue, is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For additional information or permissions, contact Night to Dawn Magazine & Books, P. O. Box 643, Abington, PA 19001.

For Michael, as always with love.

Contents

Introduction

Rebirth

Homes for the Dead

Roses for Elaine

Biography

Introduction

Trilogy of the Dead offers three short tales, one of them a flash piece, my way of offering you a flavor of my brand of horror.

Rebirth portrays a bullied young teenager who finds new life as a vampire when she reunites with her mother. The residents in the Homes for the Dead development invent macabre ways to punish an ill-tempered manager. In Roses for Elaine, severe emphysema leaves Elaine vulnerable to attacks by a hostile nursing home aide. A trip through cyberspace confirms her worst fears, but when the aide threatens her family, Elaine comes to realize how strong she really is.

I hope you will enjoy these samples. I would be glad to hear any thoughts you’d like to share. Thank you for considering my tales for your reading.

Rebirth

Heather Raytzis’ gallon-sized potato chip tin refused to stay still. Greased by a carpet of wet leaves, the can slid a foot or two down the hill each time she sat on it, nudging her toward Wyman Elementary School.

Miles of woods stretched behind the school’s parking lot, obscured by the building, but by no means forgotten. A skeletal finger of terror crept up Heather’s spine at the thought of even looking at them, especially at night. Already, the setting sun was casting grotesque shadows on the soggy grass.

Fear and frustration combined, Heather kicked the can, cursing low enough so that the Fentons wouldn’t hear. She hated lugging the oversized container, but she feared that the dark grass would ruin her knitted sweater and baggy jeans, clothing that had once belonged to her mother. Using an