Undun: The Morrow Family Saga, Series 1 Book 10

By Jaysen True Blood

It is the end of the decade and the end of a dream. Natalia has bounced back from her ordeal to become a member of a very famous band. But what goes up must come down and she finds herself nearing the end of a dream. 

 

Mark Standish is determined to destroy Natalia. He blames her for his going to Vietnam and wants to get payback. But what a person wants is rarely what they get.

 

When He finally collides with her world, not everyone will make it out alive to see the sixties. But who will make the grade? Who will die? And how will it all end?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaysen True Blood
• Release date: Apr 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393261124

Jaysen True Blood

Jaysen True Blood was born and raised in the Midwest where he currently resides. His first taste of writing came early in grade school with a class assignment. a few years later, his love for writing would return as he found himself with another class assignment, this time a poetry unit. through junior high, he would write a series of novels, many poems, and begin his long interest in writing song lyrics as well. In high school, he would learn the value of tall tales, myths and other kinds of stories as he continued to build his store of stories. upon graduation, he went for a semester at a university, where he would write two stories, one of which would become a serial online for about six months. Returning home, he worked at just about anything he could find, but never strayed far from his love of the story. After his first marriage, he signed on with Keep It Coming, an e-zine, where he wrote two serials, "Tales From The Renge" and "Breed's Command" (the same characters appear with Fancy Marsh in several subsequent westerns. The serial was taken from a manuscript written for a class assignment while in high school). H also wrote writing and music related articles for the print version of KIC that came out for just three issues. When KIC went under, Jay was once again forced to work at different jobs just to make ends meet. between 2007 and 2010, Jay would release "Seven By Jay: Seven Short Stories", "The Price Of Lust: Book One Of Faces In The Crowd" and "So Here's To Twilight And Other Poems".

Book preview

1.

It had been a whirlwind year. Four movies. At least that many more albums.

The band had enough material, both studio and live, to last several years. But then, Val always had it planned to have things done up ahead so that they could focus on concerts. And it had worked.

No albums were released in tandem with the movies, though. Still, people loved the movies. They loved that the band was using all the media within its reach to make their star glow brighter.

Hell. They had even headed into television with a small variety/talent show of their own that seemed to explode on the scene. Val Hurd’s Roadmasters’ Musical Hour. It had happened purely by accident.

Still, rockabilly was beginning to wane in popularity. So was jazz and blues. Folk was beginning to emerge and doo wop was beginning to gain steam. So was soul and pop.

The television show heralded the end for the band. Val knew it. Nattie and Charlie were beginning to get restless. Nervous.

But then, the news that had come last year about this time had put them both on edge. He couldn’t blame either if they decided to leave. After all, Nattie seemed to be more interested in the silver screen. She always had been.

Still, they clung onto the band even though they performed less. It was a center. A raison d’etre for all of them.

They had no clue what to do without it. It had been what had brought them together in the first place. The desire to be a band. To perform.

Now, the band was second to their Hollywood responsibilities. A flight of fancy that had records that would be put out on a yearly basis. Records they had recorded the year before.

Maybe the ride was over. Maybe it was time to fold it up and say farewell. There could always be a reunion or two in the future.

Bobby wanted to return to Des Moines. He wanted to go back to what he was before. Fame was not his game.

And Val felt for him. He had regretted playing the fame game as well. It was fine when they were a band, but once the movies and television offers started, it was all over for him.

He wanted out as well. They would all always have The Roadmasters. He blinked back the tears.

He needed to call a band meeting. He needed to talk to the band. He needed to know where their hearts were set.

MARK HAD STUMBLED ONTO a military base in some backwater area of Burma and had stolen the medicine he needed. They probably wouldn’t miss it until it was needed. Not that it wasn’t needed anyway.

It was just needed worse by him. He was dying. The soldiers here weren’t. The people here definitely weren’t.

At least, not that he could tell. They all looked healthy to him. Even the Burmese whores.

He had stolen medicines from a hospital as well. And syringes. And bandages.

The meds he had stolen from the base were for the malaria. It had been an American base. At least they looked American.

He hadn’t stuck around long enough to hear them speak. For all he knew, they were French. Or Italian. Or German. Or British.

The malaria meds seemed to be doing their thing. He was feeling a tad bit better. Not so weak. Not so nauseated.

He was finally able to keep his food down. He no longer had diarrhea. At least not as bad as it had been.

He smiled to himself. He had stolen at least three months worth of rations. He had taken a few cases of ammo and a couple of guns. He’d long since discarded his. The ammo was gone. The ammo for the Vietnamese gun had also been used up.

He’d used his ammo up shooting snakes and lizards. And whatever else he came across. He had been that desperate for food.

The irony was that he had acquired a taste for snake despite all the bones. It was sort of like eating garfish. Or some extremely bony fish.

Lizards tended to be stringy, but one could survive on it if need be. If need be. Those were the key words.

Hell. One could subsist on nearly everything over here if they had to. But only if they had to.

If they ran out of rations. If they were desperate. Starving.

And he had been starving. He was as desperate as a man could get. Maybe a bit too desperate.

But he had always been desperate. Desperate to live. Desperate to die. Desperate to make sense of it all.

NICK WAS PISSED. HE had lost Mark in the crowd. So had Demmie and Tag.

Ken had disappeared as well. But that was nothing. Ken had a bad habit of disappearing.

Especially when he needed him the most. Damn that CIA shadow! He was too unreliable.

He caught himself. Maybe Ken had followed Mark. Maybe he was still on the boy’s trail.

He could only hope. Otherwise, they had a problem. A big problem.

He had spread his men out so that they could canvass the countryside easier. Their nets had seemed to tighten at first, then Mark had slipped free.  The boy seemed to live a charmed life.

He should be far too ill to keep going. He should be near death. But he wasn’t.

They had heard the reports of stolen drugs, food rations, ammo, and weapons from the British base. And the stolen syringes and drugs from the hospital. But neither theft had been noticed until the boy had gotten as far away from both as possible.

The hunt was proving harder than he had expected. The boy was more innovative than he had expected. More determined.

Perhaps he had done wrong by teaching him how to use his weapons. Still, he found it odd that the boy had not stolen machine guns and ammo. No, the boy had stolen a sniper rifle and ammo. Something he could use when hunting.

But he had also stolen a couple handguns and ammo as well as some knives. He could guess what was with the knives. And maybe one handgun. But why two?

Was one for use in the states? If so, who was he going to shoot? And why?

The questions raced through his mind. Sadly, there were no easy answers. No clear clues.

Just a mystery. An unsolvable enigma. He frowned.

This should be a lot easier. No one could be this lucky. This charmed.

Ken, he began quietly into the radio receiver, if you can hear me, give me an update. This radio silence is not helping.

Sorry for not reporting in, came the response, but been busy tracking the kid. He's headed for Bangladesh. Maybe Calcutta. Or New Delhi. And a civilian airport.

Fuck, he breathed.

Will try to contact you when I can, Ken called in, you might as well leave the men under the command of Tag and head for the states yourself...Demmie, too. It’s the only way we’re going to catch this little shit head.

2.

W e’re at a crossroads , Val began, we can either disband unofficially, as a band and continue to release the music we have recorded and reunite to do occasional appearances....or we can step away from Hollywood for a while and do the music thing.

I want to return to Iowa, Bobby answered, and take a break from both. I got a letter saying that Pops is in bad health. I wanna see him before he passes on. He paused. But I am all for releasing what material we have recorded and maybe reuniting later on down the line.

I want to be with you, Simmi responded, no matter what. She looked at Bobby. Give Pops my regards.

I will do whatever Nat decides, Charlie nodded, but am all for the release of already recorded material and possible future reunions.

I-I have always wanted to be an actress, Natalia stammered, "but I never wanted it to destroy what we have as a band. Maybe a break is what we need for now. Time to pursue our own dreams. Our own projects.

I-I love the music and all, but I feel at home being an actress as well. I-I’m all for a reunion at a later date. And I love all of you. You’re my second family.

Then, Val nodded, "we are unofficially through as a band. Perhaps it is for the best. Music is changing. New sounds are beginning to rise to the surface.

The world is changing as well. There’s something on the wind. A change. Something still unseen.

A storm on the horizon, Bobby suggested.

Yes, Val nodded, I sense dangerous times ahead. Turbulent times.

So what now? Simmi asked.

Well, Val started, "I think you and I will head back to Iowa with Bobby. Go back to our roots. We’ll finish out our contracts here, of course, but leave as soon as they run out