Anthony Renfro's Blog

5 out of 5 stars: A deadly and dashing vampire

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Now it was on to victim number two, which he found in a bar called “I Got Crabs.” A seedy little strip joint (all nude dancers) that oozed sleaze from the ceiling to the floor and everywhere in between. Music pumped, men cheered, got drunk, as hellish looking lights danced across the entire room. The women were low rent, the ones who couldn’t make it in the more respectable strip joints. Most of these women had some kind of an addiction, and it forced them each and every night to sell their soul to unsavory kinds of men, and sometimes women. Talan sat at the back of this bar (after drying his hair and washing out the cheap liquor), which was splashed here and there with Christmas.

On the stage, several women were dancing, showcasing their bodies by wearing nothing at all. These women were covered in tattoos and scars, scars that were at spots on their arms where needles made their entrance each and every night.

“Do you want anything mister?”

Talan looked from the stage to the topless woman in front of him, kind of older, saggy boobs, wearing bright red-hot pants. She looked like she had seen a lot of bad down the road of life she’d been traveling on.

“A Bloody Mary,” Talan replied, smiling to himself. He would of course not drink it, but he always liked to order one, just a little joke for himself.

“One bloody coming up,” she replied, as she turned and wiggled her butt across the room to the bar. It was a saggy butt just like her boobs.

“Lap dance?” Another woman asked, slipping in from the shadows.

“You guys are persistent, aren’t you?”

“We have a system. Drinks first, dance second.”

Talan looked her over. She was heavy on the makeup, dyed blonde hair, a nice naked body in nice shape, somewhere in the thirty to forty age range.

“I’ll pass.”

“Are you sure?”

“Look. I would like to sit here and just watch,” Talan replied, as he took out another wad of cash. He slipped a bill out of it, and handed it to her. “This will give me total privacy for the night. It’s yours if you tell everyone in the place that I am to be left alone. Can you do that?”

She looked down at the bill, expecting maybe a five or twenty, but not a thousand. She gladly accepted it. “Sure mister,” the woman replied, as she scurried off.

The waitress brought Talan his drink, and then Talan slipped her a thousand dollar bill. Told her he was to be left alone just like he told the persistent lap dancer. The waitress took the money, and no one bothered him the rest of the time he was there.

Now, completely alone, he was able to sit and watch his second victim, a young guy with dirty blonde hair, wearing a tee-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. This young guy was an obvious drug dealer, cocaine cowboy, and one who got high on his own supply. The constant sniffing was a dead giveaway. On top of that, this young guy was throwing around money like it was confetti.

December the 24th moved on to December the 25th as Talan patiently waited, and watched. This was a very savory victim, and one Talan wasn’t about to give up on. He could still get done what needed to be done even if he sat and waited just a little bit longer.

Finally, the young guy ran out of cash, and made his exit.

Talan followed.

The snow was coming down heavier now, an inch an hour at least, and up to six maybe seven inches were already on the ground, as both men treaded through it, boots leaving tracks that were quickly swallowed up by the heavy fallen flakes. The young guy had no idea he was being stalked; and, just as he neared a dark alley, Talan attacked.

He grabbed the blonde guy from behind and pushed him into the darkness, which quickly swallowed both of them up. Talan drank his fill, sort of enjoying this guy’s blood, which was sour and tangy from the cocaine with an after taste of strawberries (courtesy of the strawberry vodka the guy had been drinking all night).

Finished feasting, Talan picked up the body of the young blonde guy, made sure the surrounding area was clear, and then made his way quickly over to the dock. Just like the guy in the Santa suit before, Talan launched the young blonde guy as far as he could into the harbor. The fish would now have two bodies to feast on this Christmas season.

Talan hurried back to the building where he had left his sack, and again when no one was looking, leaped up to the roof. He landed softly and hurried over to the spot where it was hidden. He freed the bag from the snow, and then made sure the contents were safe and secure inside. They were. No one had bothered it. Who would, this high up; but he had to be sure.

Bag now safe and secure, he stood up, and dusted the snow from his body. He retrieved his IPod, and then made his way back onto the roof. The morning sun wasn’t too far off in the distant future. He would have to hurry, and he would have to be quick; but that wasn’t a problem for a vampire like him. He could move from place to place and into and out of buildings faster than mortals, a gift bestowed upon him when he became a vampire.

He walked over to the edge of the roof, and looked for the first building on his delivery route. When he found it, with his predator eyes he studied the distance he would need to travel, and then leaped to that building, landing softly in the snow, barely disturbing the fresh powder. From his big sack he took out a small little brown sack, which jingled in his hands. This sack had a bow tied around the top of it, and a tag that read – “Merry Christmas, hope this brightens your New Year!”

Talan took the small brown sack and walked over to the door that led off of the roof and into the building. Easily he popped the lock and moved in to the warmth of the interior. He descended the stair well and searched the place for a Christmas tree. Being these were small places, and charities that were in the most need of help, they rarely had more than one Christmas tree; so it was easy to locate. Once the tree was found, he searched out a mortal with an honest heart, woke them with his mind, and told them to come down to where the tree was located. They would find a gift there that would help this charity with what it needed the most.

He repeated this process at each stop, slipping into and out of each building like Santa Claus. As dawn was approaching, all the small bags inside the sack had been delivered, and Talan felt good inside. He felt good that he had been able to do just this little bit to brighten a few needy souls.

He hurried home; and, just before the sun’s rays slipped over the horizon, Talan found his lair, and slid back beneath the dirt. He stripped off his jacket, lit his vanilla candle, climbed into his coffin, and shut the lid. He placed his head on the soft green satin pillow, pushed the ear buds into his ears, and then turned on his IPod.

His eyes closed, and the music played – Jimmy Buffett’s “Christmas Island.” He fell asleep with visions of happiness dancing through his head, as he gripped the small red firetruck in his hand. This had been another good Christmas, now only 364 days to go until the next one. Time enough to return to his vault of treasures. Time enough for Talan to find another city with desperate souls in need.

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The news started to spread from charity to charity. It was a Christmas miracle. Throughout the city, those charities in the most desperate of need, the ones about to flounder and fold, had found a small sack of gold coins sitting underneath their Christmas trees. No one knew where these sacks came from or how they got there, but everyone in those charities was very thankful that Christmas Day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE END

In case you missed this story.

You can buy it for 99 cents at the links below.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year!

Amazon

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Another one of my big Christmas faves.

A cat’s soft purring

 Peaceful, soothing, relaxing

Helps to ease your stress

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For more prompts like “peace” go here: Haiku Horizons

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Here is another one of my covers for sale – 10 Dollars and it can be yours.

Swing on over to here to get it if it fits your needs Covers for Sale.

Thanks Gimp and Pixabay.

That’s it.

“A new heart for a New Year, always!”

Charles Dickens

Source: 15 Inspiring Literary Quotes That Will Start Your New Year Off Right | HuffPost

5 Stars out of 5: I dearly love this author’s short stories

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A boy lost. A family desperate. It’s Christmas in a Zombie Apocalypse and Mike Beem is once again aiming for another Holiday miracle. His goal this year isn’t toys for the kids in the neighborhood. His goal this time is trying to save one small life so another family doesn’t have to suffer the way he suffered.

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When he was rested, he took out his light and scanned the place over. He noticed he was now inside a place they used to call “The Funhouse.” There were all kinds of arcade games and pin ball machines around him, just sitting there, silent and dark, collecting dust, waiting to be played again.

Mike walked up to one of his favorites, a game he used to play all the time as a kid. He grabbed the plastic joystick and pretended he could see the frog on the screen hopping its way through traffic. That’s when he heard the shuffling. But it wasn’t like normal zombie shuffling. It sounded more rhythmic in nature, almost coordinated, like the zombies making the noise were in sync.

He walked over to the spot where it was coming from, and found himself standing at the entranceway to a large round circle. He shined his light on one of the walls, and saw a phrase written there in bright neon green letters: WE HAVE FUN AT THE FUNHOUSE.

Mike shined his light from the phrase to the center of the circle, where two zombies were currently doing some kind of disco dancing, standing under the big silvery ball, acting like it was spinning brightly to their favorite Bee-Gees tune.

“I’m so glad I’m a metal head,” he replied to himself. Then to the zombies. “Excuse me guys, disco sucks, and its dead.”

The two zombies stopped doing the hustle, and started to move towards him.

Mike readied his blade, and managed to decapitate both of them before they could leave the dance floor. Their heads made a thump, as their bodies walked a few feet before crumbling to the floor.

Finished with the disco zombies, he made his way to the back of the building, where there were a few bathrooms, a sitting area filled with cheap tables and chairs, a small booth for ordering food, and an office.

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Did you know this was available as a paperback?

Get it and the EBook at the Amazon links below.

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF4WHII

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MF4WHII

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01MF4WHII

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MF4WHII

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What are the Mike Beem Chronicles? The Mike Beem Chronicles are a series of short stories that I wrote involving a character named Mike Beem. They are stories about hope, survival, and people trying to keep humanity alive in a world filled with the living dead. Descriptions for all six stories in this collection flow below. Enjoy.

A Zombie Thanksgiving: A short story about a woman who risks life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to keep the Thanksgiving tradition alive.

A Zombie Christmas: This short story is about three men who risk life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas Morning.

A Zombie New Year’s Eve: This short story is about Becky and Joe who are separated in a Zombie Apocalypse and risk life and limb in order to reunite for their New Year’s Eve kiss.

A Zombie Christmas 2: A boy lost. A family desperate. It’s Christmas in a Zombie Apocalypse and Mike Beem is once again aiming for another Holiday miracle. His goal this year isn’t toys for the kids in the neighborhood. His goal this time is trying to save one small life so another family doesn’t have to suffer the way he suffered.



Flesh for the Zombies: When Mike Beem’s community is savagely attacked, he must exact revenge on those who wronged him. He must put aside all the good he has ever accomplished in order to become someone else. A man without a moral compass. A man without right or wrong. A man who is a cold blooded killer. Will he get his justice or will he die trying? The answers lie within the pages of this short story.

Zombie Beach: Mike Beem has given it all up and run off to live by the beach. Life down on the coast isn’t all that it should be. Days of lying in the sun are replaced with brutal survival. Mike does his best to not only survive, but to rebuild a life among the ruins of these beach side towns.

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0736DX4CS

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0736DX4CS

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0736DX4CS

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0736DX4CS

A simple photo. A quick snap shot. One woman’s perfect picture is about to become her scariest nightmare.

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Kim was approaching the annual Canadian Comicon when she was startled by a headless statue sitting inside a large silver fountain. This statue had black Chuck Taylor’s on its feet, red socks on its bare ankles, blue jeans, and was wearing a tee-shirt that read “Water you looking at.”  She took out her camera and instead of taking pictures of the various people in cos play costumes (Star Trek, Star Wars, and Frozen seemed to be the lead choices, Frozen, weird, I know, but hey it is a Comicon), she decided to take a picture of this statue, sitting there on its butt, dressed like it was heading for a skateboarding convention, with no head on top of its body. Its head had been replaced with a large white geyser of water that sailed into the air and splashed all over the headless figure and the ground around it . . . swing on over to start reading it today: Short Tales from the Blog.

Thanks Kim for the story idea: avenueofdaydreams.wordpress.com

Thanks Little Fears for inspiring my new blog: littlefears.co.uk

This is another one of mine that kind of got lost in the shuffle earlier this month. I liked the sound of it so I thought I would give it another shot at stardom this Christmas season.

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Boat on the ocean

Silver bells tied to the mast

Jingling with the waves

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Bright eyes, happy feet

Children racing from their beds

Filled with lots of joy

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Merry Christmas!

Thanks: GIPHY

5 out of 5 stars: A deadly and dashing vampire

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Santa smiled when he saw the tears, for some reason this gave him a charge. He pulled her over to the alley by her hair, and slung her into the darkness. He then followed behind her as she tripped and slipped across the ground. She found her footing, cowered back into a nearby corner, tried to climb into the wall, as Santa drained the bottle and tossed it aside. It smashed with the sound of shattering glass as he advanced on her. She started to fight back, trying to save the one thing she most certainly didn’t want to give up in such a violent way. He slung his hand towards her face, and she stopped fighting, grimaced, waited for the blow, but the blow never happened. Someone stopped Santa’s hand before it reached her face. Then this someone started twisting Santa’s hand until it snapped in two. Bone broke through flesh, blood sprayed, Santa screamed, as he was flung backwards into a trash dumpster. This sent the dumpster sliding sideways. It stopped rolling when it smashed into a brick wall. It hit the wall so hard that bricks exploded into jagged shrapnel, and rained down on the snow-covered asphalt. Santa bounced off of the dumpster with a serious head injury and a jammed neck. He slammed hard into the ground, face first, and lost six of his teeth. He was stunned, dazed, and confused, as he collected himself and spit out blood.

The woman tried to look up at her savior, but she could only make out a face that was sort of white, angelic marble. Everything else was just a tall figure barely able to be seen, hidden by the darkness.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“Take this, and never go back to this line of work again,” Talan replied, as he put something in her hand. “Go home and pay whatever it is that has put you out here tonight. Your life isn’t worth this. I know your parents would agree, and they want to see their grandson.”

“How do you know so much about me?”

“I can read minds. Now go, before I change mine.”

The woman didn’t hesitate. She hurried out of the alley and into the light. When she found a safe place to stop, she looked down at the thing Talan had put in her hand. It was a roll of green bills, at least twenty thousand dollars, maybe a bit more. She turned back to the alley, thanked the mysterious stranger, and then made her way home. It was time to give herself and her son a new life somewhere far away from here. She planned to do just that.

SMASH!

A bottle broke across the back of Talan’s skull, drenched his hair with cheap liquor.

“Come on then. Mister I got to rob a man of a quickie on Christmas Eve,” Santa replied, as he stood on wobbly feet, burping up alcohol and blood. He could feel something warm running down his back from his smashed skull. He was too drunk to care. “That was my last bottle for the night. I’ll make you pay for that too.”

Talan turned around. He said not a word, as he launched onto the man in the Santa suit, and pushed him up against the wall. Talan opened his mouth, and sank his teeth into the man’s neck. He drained the man’s body of every last bit of worthless human blood, which tasted sour and foul, almost nauseating with the liquor mixed into it, but it was food and it was sustenance.

When Talan was finished, he carried the body of the man in the Santa suit over to the dock. He dropped Santa onto the snow, reached down and grabbed his ankles, and then tossed the body as far as he could into the harbor. It landed with a heavy splash somewhere in the distance.

Talan was feeling good now, and warm inside. Not only because he had just fed, but because he had managed a small Christmas miracle, saving the prostitute and her son from a life on the streets . . . to be continued next Sunday at 6 A.M. Did you miss a post? Check out the Category “Tales from the Blog” in order to catch up. Have a great Sunday.

Do you want to read the rest?

You can find it at the links below.

Amazon

US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KRCCTU0?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KRCCTU0?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00KRCCTU0?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00KRCCTU0?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Draft2Digital

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