And Guest

By Raymond Vogel

A virus has given the gift of eternal youth to the world. In the kill-or-be-killed aftermath, Tom is trying to escape the city-sweeping rioters near his apartment in Long Beach.
A short story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310623479

Raymond Vogel

Raymond Vogel is the kind of writer that sneaks out of bed late at night to capture an idea he had, the kind that likes going to airports to create imaginary characters out of the interesting people he sees.His first book, "Matter of Resistance," was first written in 2007 while Raymond was working as a Systems Engineer on the NASA Orion Program. Taking part in the time-honored custom of daydreaming at his desk, he imagined a world in the long-distant future where humanity had not only settled on Mars but had become something different - something greater. The book was first published in 2011. However, although it was very well received, the book has been rewritten in its entirety (while keeping the plot virtually unaltered) to reflect several years of learning from great writers.Raymond has also published a number of short stories, most of which are available free through Smashwords (or for 99 cents on Amazon, if you're having a "treat yo self" kind of day).Today, Raymond spends his creative energy working on scripts for feature length films. He lives in Ohio, trying desperately to keep up with the active imaginations and hectic schedules of his kids.

Book preview

I’m looking in the mirror for answers again, hoping that the new me has them. I tuck my hair behind my ears to look at the young stranger that hides there now. He could be in his early twenties, and the soft skin and thick fur remind me of someone I used to know. But the piercing green eyes warn me not to be fooled. I miss the old brown ones.

Why couldn’t they make a ‘don’t have to shave’ virus? What’s the point of living forever if you still have to shave? I begin to hack at the fur with the last morsels of charge left in my trimmer. I need to at least get it manageable before I can use the razor.

I can still hear the warnings that have been coming from all my e-casters and kitchen appliances for the last week. The riots are getting worse, getting organized, spreading. They’re calling themselves remnant soldiers, a clever name for self-exterminators. Now they had managed to import guns into California for the first time