The Girl With the Phantom Eyes

By Barry Reese

Pro Se Productions, a leader in New Pulp and Genre Fiction fires off a Pro Se Single Shot, offering top notch short fiction as ebook singles!

New Pulp Author Barry Reese, creator of the well known 'ROOK' series, brings yet another creation to life! THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is Reese's entry into Pro Se's The Sovereign City Project, showcasing a hero whose own life is a mystery to himself. On the road to discovering his own secrets Gray and his Assistance Unlimited team encounter weirdness, madness, and over the top badness on every page! Thrill to Gray’s first adventure- THE GIRL WITH THE PHANTOM EYES. From a man with no memory waking up on the shores of Sovereign City, the stranger known as Lazarus Gray becomes one of the city’s staunchest defenders as he comes face to face with the horrific beauty of THE GIRL WITH THE PHANTOM EYES! A Pro Se Single Shot from Pro Se Productions!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pro Se Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2013

Book preview

THE GIRL WITH THE PHANTOM EYES

An Adventure Starring Lazarus Gray

By Barry Reese

A Reese Unlimited e-book single

Copyright © 2013 Barry Reese

Published by Pro Se Press at Smashwords

Chapter I

Man on the Beach

Sovereign City, Summer 1933

Lightning tore across the sky, briefly illuminating the gloomy scene below. Sovereign City Harbor was home to more derelict vessels than the average man could count and a pitiful stretch of shoreline did little to improve the look of the place. It was covered with washed-up debris, the dried bones of fish and several dozen broken bottles.

A well-built man lay facedown on the shore, his face turned to the side. A long streak of blood ran from his temple down his cheek and his eyes twitched continuously beneath their lids. He wore black trousers, a ripped white shirt and black loafers. His hair was more gray than brown, making him look older than he was, though a close examination of his features revealed that he was in his late twenties.

Again lightning brightened the beach and a loud crash of thunder seemed to permeate the haze surrounding the man’s brain. His eyes opened and he slowly pushed himself to his knees, looking slowly around himself. His breathing was measured and regular, though his jaw was clenched as if he felt some inner pain. With a grunt, he rose to his feet and staggered toward the city, one hand pressed tightly against his side. At least one rib, possibly two, had been broken, though he couldn’t remember how it had happened. In fact, he couldn’t remember anything at all – he didn’t know his own name or how he came to be here. He cast one quick glance back at the choppy waters but saw no nearby boats or ships from which he could have come. The vessels moored in the harbor were surely too far away, he mused.

Another rumble of thunder seemed to rock the ground upon which he walked. He momentarily lost his footing and slipped back to the moist earth. His fingers closed tightly around something as he sought to catch himself, something cold and metallic buried in the dirt. He brought it close to his face, peering through the darkness at it. A rain began to fall then, large drops that cooled his burning flesh.

He was holding a small medallion. A notch on the top indicated that it normally had a cord of some kind that ran through it, allowing its owner to wear it. It depicted a nude human man with an erect penis, bearing a sword in his right hand. His head was that of a roaring lion. On the back of the medallion were two words, a name that had been scratched into the surface with some sharp object: Lazarus Gray.

You okay, pal?

A policeman was approaching, pointing a flashlight directly at him. I think so, he answered hoarsely.

Looks like you took a spill.

I hit my head while swimming to shore. He wasn’t sure why he was lying, why he wasn’t telling the policeman that he didn’t know who he was or how he’d gotten there… but the lies came easily enough.

The policeman stopped a few feet away him, trailing the flashlight up and down the man’s body. I don’t think so, pal.

What makes you say that?

Your clothes ain’t wet.

He looked down, cursing himself for not having noticed something so obvious. He slipped the medallion into his pocket and forced a smile. Would you believe I’ve been on the beach long enough to have dried out?

How about you tell me your name?

After pausing for a brief second, he uttered another lie and by doing so he unknowingly set himself down a dangerous path. My name’s Lazarus Gray.

The officer’s eyes narrowed and he quickly threw a punch at the man who was now calling himself Lazarus. To his own surprise, Lazarus moved aside with practiced ease and threw up his hand to