Companion Guide
Grave Danger
By: K.E. Rodgers
****
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© 2010
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This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and places or events in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased is coincidental.
Introduction:
Death is not an unfamiliar entity to this world. Friend or villain, he remains a permanent fixture in popular culture. Thos who have felt the brush of his beautiful lips upon their flesh are forever changed and those that have yet to known his face are both fearful and morbidly curious to have a glimpse into the depths of his pitiless eyes.
A noted character in storytelling throughout the ages in various incarnations, he has endured as long as humans have recognized mortality. Death’s essence hangs strongly in the air within the boundaries of the oldest city of St. Augustine. This is a venture into the lives of those who have known him and those who are aware of his presence in this world.
Author Note:
It’s a troubled mind who gains great pleasure in writing about the dead. I am that troubled mind. Yet despite their otherworldly differences, these characters are more like you and I than you might at first believe. Yes, they might not possess a human-like exterior structure, a body. Or maybe they must sustain themselves with the blood of the living, the essence of life coursing through the blood and tissues of all living things. Found most abundantly in the human genus.
Are you confused? Don’t be, I’ll explain throughout. As the stories progress you might find you’re comparing yourself to one or more of these characters. However, I hope it’s not because you like the metallic, sweet taste of blood on your tongue. No disrespect of course to your preferences.
The Eidolon, Greek word for spirit, is one group of people who try as hard as possible to maintain a normal after-life. They are bombarded by the troubles and joys of any typical human. There really should be a handbook for these people like in the Bettlejuice movie. Yet it shouldn’t read like stereo instructions.
The Flesh-Eaters, what you might refer to as zombies, are seen as both politically and socially different from the Eidolon community. Purposely I wanted them to be polar opposites. Imagine the Israelis and the Palestinians, both trying to vie for the same bit of sacred landscape. Without getting too political, the situation in St. Augustine can be viewed in similar respects. Both wanting the right to exist and finding it difficult to do so with the other in their way. Yet these two opposing forces do have a similarity, they are subject to the human condition. They’re not human, but they were once. Can death really take their humanity away from them? I think not.
This is my interpretation of the world of the dead and undead alike, where love exists beyond the grave and even those who have touched the grave have something still to fear. Love can be very frightening, especially for those who have never known him. In this world the living and dead co-exist in such close proximity it is sometimes difficult to remember who’s supposed to be dead; pure semantics really.
Don’t take anything too serious regarding this work and my theories may not be yours. I hope you enjoy this world of my creation and look forward to more of your visits in the near future. We love tourism.
Thanks,
K.E. Rodgers
History of the Flesh-Eaters:
The lasting effects of the Saturiba Indians who resided on this land long before Spanish settlers located and colonized the Florida coast, in the area that is now St. Augustine, there imprinted on the land an ancient magick, the effect of which allowing the supernatural world to emerge. This haunted settlement of old harbors more than the spectral of humans long gone. It is the breeding ground for some other kind of night time creature, the flesh-eater.
The term flesh-eater, capitalized or uncapped, is a derogatory term that has been adopted into the vernacular of people of this species. There is some debate about creating a new ethnic identity. It’s still in the works.
These humanoid creatures are breathing bodies with no evidence of a mortal soul. If questioned by a ghost they would tell you that they are amoral creatures without a shred of humanity. Their species continues its depraved existence at the expense of another’s life.
Cannibalism is and has been a taboo subject in many cultures. It is regarded as a sin and those partaking in this act are cast in the light of villain with some being condemned to death for it. An example: the first century cult group of Christianity.
A minority group within St. Augustine they are greatly outnumbered by the Eidolon, ghosts. In a bygone era these night time beings were quickly executed by their creator/destroyer, the Death Bokor. A Bokor, from Vodou religious practices, is capable of creating and controlling the undead species. A Death Bokor/Dealer is a secretly known subsidiary of this living person. (See. Death Bokor/Death Dealer).
The first historically named flesh-eater in St. Augustine is Ambrose LeMoyne. It is from his last name that each of the collected flesh-eaters takes their last names. Legally, they have their own last names in documentation. It is simply a show of respect that the brothers, who found each other throughout the coming years, should share a common name. The women have adopted these surnames through marriage to the brothers. Again, legally, they retain their living last names. The dead cannot legally marry, nor own property (residential or commercial) *Ambrose has gone around this legal red tape. He cannot, however, divulge these practices for privacy purposes.*
Ambrose was chased out during the mid-part of the following century (c. 18th century) by the predecessors of The Four (See. Diplomatic Authorities of St. Augustine). Through his journeys throughout the country he met his future brothers in spirit: Xavier first, followed by Trueman, and finally Chas. Corrigan entered their lives once they had returned to St. Augustine. They had been residing in New England, but had grown wary of the cold climate.
With the return of flesh-eaters to the area, the Eidolon community was unprepared for change in their closely controlled world. The modern world had seen little of these solitary species. In a world of science and reason there was little room for magick. So there was little room for the Death Bokor.
The Eidolon people of St. Augustine were forced to adjust to these nocturnal creatures and make room for them in their city. So a contract was agreed upon by the latest leading council members, The Four. The LeMoyne’s may cross the Bridge of Lions (the historical landmark that connects Anastasia Island to the downtown area) into their city at full dark, but must return at dawn to their own permanent residence on Anastasia Island.
Contract Logistics: Abridged
I. Neither shall the first party, hereby known as the LeMoyne Family, be allowed to enter the establishments and residential housing of those known citizens of St. Augustine. I.a. Areas on the outskirts of town, or in lands not administered by the second party, hereby known as the St. Augustine Eidolon, are subject to geographical and differential ownership by the first party.
II. Hunting hours are to remain between midnight and the estimated arrival of dawn on the same day. If members of the first party are found on grounds overseen by members of the second party outside the allotted time frame, members of the first party may be subject to instant withdrawal of contract.
III. Under the mandate of the second party, never shall a member of the first party engage in nutritional activities with person(s) within the second party community, including those employed by the second party. (Reference: Spectral Services)……
*There’s a bit more to this, but it’s a bit boring. Future stories into the lives of the Eidolon will reflect more on these rules*
Physiology of a Flesh-Eater:
The living-dead or zombie preys on the living to continue their immortal and perhaps immoral existence. It is in the blood and tissue of the living bio-organisms of this planet that the life essence collects. This complex substance is also responsible for the chemistry found in the ectoplasm of non-corporal entities, ghosts. A flesh-eater retains little life essence in their system and must supplement their diet with a foreign supply. This compound should not be confused with the soul, which contains its own separate cosmic energy.
The internal organs of the flesh-eater are enlarged to maintain homeostasis within the body. A higher core temperature is normal. The complexion is similar to that of an average human, yet the enlarged heart beats sluggishly, not speedily as you might expect. It can, however, increase under stress or increased activity.
There is little to differentiate between them and the living, externally. If the flesh-eater does, however, defer from traditional nutritional practices they may appear pale. Dark shadows under the eyes that may be accompanied by dizziness and shortness of breath. The biological reactions going on inside a flesh-eater may seem similar to living humans diagnosed with acute hemolytic anemia, a malfunction of the immune system that produces autoantibodies that attack the red blood cells as if they were substances foreign to the human body. A flesh-eater’s body is constantly attacking itself, so consistent intake of the foreign blood and life essence found in largest quantities in the human genome allows for a renewal of what their body destroys. If not, this can result in neurological damage and bodily deterioration. A zombie is created from this chemical change in the flesh-eater body. * Not to be forgotten, along with the chemistry is the supernatural component of their conception*
The flesh-eater is fueled by the magick of its conception, the elements of the earth, and the biological urge to consume the flesh and blood of the living. Associated with animalistic characteristics, it is capable of quick athletic reflexes and is not slow or dimwitted. The zombie is those things.
A dense layer of tissue keeps the flesh-eater from injury, self inflicted or not. However, if the tissue is damaged by any supernatural means the flesh-eater is at the mercy of bleeding out if the injury is not taken under control. The tissue can regenerate quickly, but the clotting function is not as active as in a typical living human. The flesh-eater may lose too much blood before the tissue growth is complete if the wound is extensive enough.
The biting power of the flesh-eater jaw is similar to that of a snake or crocodile and can inflict substantial damage on the flesh and bone of most living creatures. Their elongated canines are needed tools to accomplish these eating practices. They are likely to leave little evidence of their victims once consumption is completed.
The night hours are the usual prowling hours while the day is reserved for rest. A flesh-eater may venture out during the daylight hours, yet it chooses to be less conspicuous within living culture. In their estimation, night is also when the living choose to be more reckless in their activities.
Social interaction between flesh-eaters leans more toward individualism. Yet, for the purposes of controlling the family’s activities and thereby decreasing liability the LeMoyne's have chosen to hunt in groups of two or more. The women go together most evenings. The more vicious flesh-eaters stay to themselves and are unlikely to form bonds with others of their own species. Corrigan remained on his own for most of his undead existence. *Aiden Mochrie, Corrigan’s brother, is one of these lone flesh-eaters (Frost Bitten – Book 3.)
The LeMoyne family is capable of communication through neurological wave lengths that help them during their hunting hours and can be used to warn the others of impending danger. Not all flesh-eaters are able to tie into this; a necessary familiar bond must be in place first. Their communication interaction is set-up differently than other telecommunication between those of psychic persuasion. The line cannot be tapped into unless there is a spiritual bond between them. (Example: Clarissa was able to overhear Corrigan, Helen and Chas. Already, her chemistry was connected with theirs through Corrigan, even if she wasn’t aware of it at the time.
The only thing a flesh-eater truly fears is the Death Bokor/ Death Dealer.
The LeMoyne Family:
The LeMoyne complex found on Anastasia Island is located just beyond the Anastasia Park and the Alligator Farm, set deep into the woods and connected to the main road by an unkempt dirt road. Beyond the high coquina walls that are harvested on the island are four separately spaced buildings. The largest, the main house, located near the center of the property with the four smaller homes laid out around it. Pathways connect the buildings with gardens that have been designed and maintained by Margaret Ann. Corrigan is the only sibling to not have his own home. He has made a place in the attic of the main house. Evening hours and Sunday dinners are spent in the main house where Ambrose and Maude make their home.
Sundays are the only day that the family has set aside to not go out. These hours are spent in human inspired activities. Maude makes a vegetarian meal and everyone gathers around the table in the main house. Flesh-eaters do not like cooked meats. These rubbery flesh morsels are likely to give them indigestion and they do not contain any nutritional benefit to their system. Xavier, however, does occasionally have a rare slab of meat. He’s eccentric like that.
They have only moved back to St. Augustine within the last couple of decades. Despite residing out of Florida for so many lifetimes, Ambrose has always owned and sold property in St. Augustine and the surrounding area, including a sizable portion of swamp land further inland which he sold to the Disney Corporation back in the mid part of the century for a hefty price tag.
The family, a mix-matched group of characters who somehow manage to co-habitat fairly well, lean on each other in a world that despises them and their life-style choices to no end. They may not always get along, but they would never trade each other for anything.
The Men:
Ambrose LeMoyne – (Death Date: c. 1566, age: 24). The self-appointed leader of this motley family; he is the youngest in living years but oldest in worldly wisdom. With auburn locks that tend to curl in the Florida humidity and a boyish complexion, he is misleading to the untrained eye. He is the spokesperson for the family and deals directly with Cyrus Cercopoly and these ghostly constituents directly. A simple farmer in life, he has accumulated a substantial amount of commercial property that he sells to ‘otherworldly’ investors.
Xavier LeMoyne (formerly: Vega) – (Death Date: c. 1787, age: 36). The second oldest brother in both living and ‘extra-living’ existence, he is the most vocal of the family. A Spanish soldier for most of his life, he met Ambrose shortly after Ambrose’s expulsion from St. Augustine. With dark brown eyes that are careful to watch out for a potential enemy. He is extremely loyal to the few he allows close to the sanctuary of his heart. He is also the shortest of the brothers which likely fuels his need to make up his lack of physical height with unnecessary bravado. He likes to collect weapons of various sizes and lethalness, keeping one on his person at all times.
Trueman LeMoyne (formerly: Holst) – (Death Date: c. 1823, age: 37). The third eldest brother is the polar opposite of his adopted male siblings, who treat each other to regular rounds of fights and caustic remarks. The quiet and thoughtful type, he is not to be seen as a push-over. In fact, if challenged, he could easily take down the brothers his intelligence outmatching their brute strength. As a college professor at Rutgers (Queens College), he was noted as being an unconventional teacher. His intelligence and drive for further knowledge is likely what led him into his current situation as a flesh-eater. *His conception is unlike the other members of the family. For purposes of story development I can’t reveal the technical details until (Frost Bitten- Book 3).* He wears a pair of similar looking glasses to those that he wore in life. He doesn’t need them to see, he just prefers the familiarity.
Chas LeMoyne (father’s name: Gordon) – (Death Date: c. 1836, age: 20). The second to the youngest of the brothers, Chas was the last to find himself with the LeMoyne's before their move to New England. An ex-slave from South Carolina, he was the bastard son of his plantation owner father and a slave woman. He was killed in a fit of rage by his father, who was suspected to have been confronted by the lady of the house and wife. He is closest to Corrigan, with whom he goes out on the town with. He holds grudges, but loves his wife more than his own life/after-life. His other love is music. One particular vice of his is that he steals from his victims. His argument is that these poor beings have no need for these earthly possessions.
Corrigan LeMoyne (formerly: Mochrie) – (Death Date: c. 1853, age: 31). The most recent addition to the family, the ex-sailor of the English navy traveled around the globe before finding death on a moonlit sandy shore in the Caribbean. For most of his undead existence he has spent it either alone or as the play thing of his Bokor mistress, Elmira. (See. Death Bokor/Death Dealer). His small craft washed ashore on the beach one night several decades back and there he stumbled upon the LeMoyne’s. Standing completely nude on their doorstep, they welcomed him in without too much question. Corrigan is aware of him-self in an unfriendly world and accepts his bestial nature without remorse, or at least he thinks he does. He loves to paint, something left over from his old life. It is what reminds him that he doesn’t always have to be a monster. Yet, for Corrigan, the Eidolon people are more of what he has known for too long; people who treat him less than as a man. He doesn’t trust them, their leaders, who he’s sure is harboring unpleasant secrets.
Corrigan’s canine companion is Archú, pronounced AWR khoo. His name means Hound of Slaughter. He is a black dog, a mythological creature from Northern England. He is larger than most dogs with sharp, lethal teeth and glowing red eyes. Archú is a very loyal dog, though Corrigan does not consider him a pet. Legend states that those who try to touch the beast will be instantly struck dumb and die. (Grave Danger – Book 1)
The Women:
Debora LeMoyne (formerly: Van der Berg) – (Death Date: c. 1902, age: 25). She is the eldest, the first of the women to join the family. Her marriage to Trueman (not a legal marriage) in 1926 gave her the surname she has adopted today. A New York socialite at the turn of a new century, shrouded and weighed down by the cloak of the previous generations before her, she was poised and prepared to follow in the footsteps of her ancestral predecessors. Looking back, she is almost thankful for her death. Like her adopted sisters, she strives to acclimate herself in an ever changing modern world, though she still retains some traditions of old. When not working with Trueman in his family lab she is following behind him, trying to organize the chaos he leaves behind. She likes to dance in front of her bedroom mirror in which she pretends she is Isadora Duncan. Debora has a strong aversion to alcohol. *Debora has hidden files in their home laboratory that Trueman is unaware of, which include her personal experimentations and studies. Don’t tell Trueman.*
Maude (formerly: Ryan) – (Death Date: c. 1944, age: 28). As the wife to the family leader, Ambrose, she is able to hold her own not only with the sisters but with the brothers and husband. Maude’s long auburn locks are most usually held in a pony. She rarely lets her hair down, except with her husband. With a softly spoken word she can command almost anyone to her bidding. It is likely why many of the family members look to her for guidance and assurance; her own husband included. At one time she had thought to open her own restaurant or teach cooking in a school. But the gastronomic world was a man’s domain. A woman couldn’t go beyond her own kitchen. Now she must satisfy her culinary desires through her family. In the early hours of the morning, when Ambrose has retired to bed, she watches old Julia Child’s kitchen shows that she has copied from tape onto the new modern DVD’s. Cooking is one of her greatest pleasures.
Helen (formerly: Kingdon) – (Death Date: c. 1962, age: 22). One of the youngest sisters on both spectrums of the living scale she is the last sister to be adopted into the family. Even at an early age, she had strong feelings about the level of social injustice in this country, to which she is still striving to make aware in this existence. The product of a bi-racial couple, she had a different upbringing than her husband, Chas. Parents, who instilled in their child convictions that led her to air her grievances to the public. It was at an event in Georgia that her life was unexpectedly taken.
Margaret Ann (formerly: Sloan) – (Death Date: c. 1967, age: 34). The eldest in life living years, she is the youngest of the sisters and the most likely to get into an argument. Her husband, Xavier, and she are equally matched in the hotheaded department. Spending much of her adult life in a mind-expanding commune out west, she has lived a life full of mistakes. She is still sometimes surprised that despite her past she has been allowed to find happiness through her husband and adopted siblings. Margaret Ann is more than likely to be found in her garden, which she tends to each afternoon. Though she has given up the drugs, she still retains some of her hippy sensibilities. She has gardened in the nude in the past, but was asked to stop by her husband. He has delicate senses, she says. Over the years she has collected various mind expanding paraphernalia from all over the world, which she proudly displays around her home and in the main house. Margaret Ann cannot stand profanity, something left over from her living past.
History of the Eidolon Community:
The first recorded account of the Eidolon people date back to ancient civilization in which dark spirits are thought to have come back to influence the living. Throughout recorded history there is evidence of peoples who believed that they had seen or felt the presence of an otherworld entity. Even in a modern world of science and shrewd disbelief in the magical world there are still those who believe in an existence beyond the grave.
The hierarchy of the spirit world can be broken up to categorize the level of supernatural energy in the spectral realm. At the top of the ladder is the Ghost, a non-corporal interactive entity suspended in life-like animation by the elemental energy of the land and the composition of a human soul. The exterior of a ghost is not intangible as many would speculate, though they must use a high level of surrounding energy to maintain their form. St. Augustine is believed to have more than its fair share of ghosts based on its eventful and sometimes bloody history as well as geological energies within its city borders. Many of the local ghosts in St. Augustine have come from other cities because of the pull of this geological honing beacon. The old gates that stand at the north entrance to St. George Street are believed to be the central hub of this elemental energy.
Of the many spiritual forces that do reside in St. Augustine, not all are classified in the genus of the classical phantasm, the ghost. Many of the activities are from residual haunting. These are not persons, but in fact tangible memories that have been imprinted on the environment. Some eye witnesses will explain that the creature seems to perform repeated tasks. These insubstantial forms cannot interact in the way the higher life forms can. Others are ghosts that have faded from extended existence in a kind of deathly old age. They may or may not interact with their surroundings. There are still many underdeveloped theories regarding this species and further inquiry is needed to understand the life cycle of ghostly existence. Cyrus is unwilling to divulge much information on this subject. He is the oldest ‘living’ ghost in St. Augustine.
The governing system is in some respects a doppelganger of the governing systems found in the living world. The officials who reside over the many cities throughout the United States are overseen by a larger party that is located in the Washington D.C. area. *These officials are not deceased politicians. Some of them are, but most have gone on to other places after their death.*
Much of the local businesses and most especially the tourism trade in St. Augustine are managed by the Eidolon Community. This is accomplished through the living persons known as the S.S. (Spectral Services).The St. Augustine Eidolon community takes great measures to not only protect their interests, but those of the livings who they must use to act on their behalf, (See. Spectral Services) and who are needed to maintain economic prosperity.
Physiology of a Ghost:
Existing in a suspended deathly animation the beings known as ghosts are anything but wispy, vaporous persons. Their forms are composed to resemble their living body, a doppelganger with a human brain imprinted inside these otherworldly bodies. They are tangible and can be touched by those who have been created by the magick of the earth. Living persons are unlikely to see a ghost because of the barrier set in place in a typical living brain. Those with extrasensory development in their brains, a genetic imprint that is found at birth, can see and interact with the ghost entity to varying degrees.
A lack of a human casing does not mean that they should be seen as weak when compared in scope to other paranormal creatures. A spirit can be a very dangerous being. The levels of life essence found in a typical ghost range to about forty or fifty percent to the levels found in the person during life. Some, Clarissa, maintain nearly all of the life essence of her living body. Depending on the strength of the ghost a ghost can manipulate the surrounding energy of their environment, manipulating and reforming it into a means of defense or attack. A ghost is also able to transport themselves through the lateral plane of space and time, a type of teleportation as well as manipulate the tangible objects of the living world. They are telekinetic beings.
Clothing – The recently deceased have imprinted on themselves a death garb. It is permanently connected to their forms psychologically. A ghost may change their clothing like a typical living. The death garb will remain intact and appear when the latest fashion choices are removed or dissolve back into its natural state. The garments created by the Eidolon people are unable to be permanent. Preservatives can be placed within the creation of these articles, but over time the energy is dispersed back into its original state.
Food – The creation of food is not a necessary need for ghostly lifestyle. It is a cultural desire that is left over from each ghosts living past. Eating is a recreation for the ghost where as eating is a biological need for the flesh-eater. Food is a manipulation and uses the effect of magick to create a product that is very close to its original living counterpart. *Clarissa is the only ghost of known existence who is able to consume living food and drink. That is very strange, indeed.*
St. Augustine Eidolon Citizens: (Grave Danger)
Henry Portier – (Death Date: c. 1924, age: 43). The appointed polestar for the newly deceased, he helps those new citizens get settled and acquainted with the rest of the St. Augustine deathly community. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Henry moved to the St. Augustine area in 1938. His quick smile usually hides his true feelings from those closest to him. Behind those sweet dimpled smiles and laughing eyes is a wounded soul that is in desperate need to be healed. As a long standing member on the advisory council under the direction of The Four, Henry is sought out for his great diplomacy. He is also a personal favorite of Isabella Canova. Many speculate that Henry is her personal play thing.
Eleanor Masters – (Death Date: 1858, age: 38). A native of Savannah, Georgia, she is usually soft spoken with a sweet southern disposition. The petite blonde is easily riled by those who rub her the wrong way, even those closest to her. She moved to the St. Augustine area sometime in the 1960’s during a great restoration time in the area. Eleanor is very tuned into the elements of the paranormal world and makes it a priority to know as much about her fellow deathly neighbors as possible. She is sometimes judgmental, but always sincere. An insightful woman who is always trying to match up unattached ghosts, she is unable to recognize a perfect match for herself.
Richard Pomar – (Death Date: c. 1983, age: 33). He is the resident poltergeist. He spends much of his after-life messing with the minds of the tourist who have come to St. Augustine for a good, hopefully safe, scare. His move from California shortly after his death led him to oldest city, St. Augustine. He feels it is his obligation to keep up the paranormal appeal of the city. Unfortunately Richard is stuck in the time period of his death, both physically and mentally. He is unable to move on in this life or stop his impossible attraction to someone he believes is too far out of his ghostly league. He is impossibly in love with Elisabeth (Lizzy) Sands, but is sure she does not reciprocate. (Phantasm Fantasy –Book 4). He, Josh, and two more ghostly members form the garage band group the Deadbeats.
Clarissa Schofield – (Death Date: Oct. 13, 2009, age: 29). *Grave Danger was written and set in Oct. 2009. My best friend’s birthday is Oct. 13, hence the death date.* Dead on her birthday, this unusual woman and main character of the first book is left confused and alone in the Orlando hospital when she awakes to realize she’s now a ghost. Memories flash through her mind, yet she is unable to piece the fragments of these memories together to form her living past. It has been difficult to acclimate herself to this new existence, as it is for most ghosts. She strives to find her place in the Eidolon world. She is put in a difficult position when she becomes entangled with a being whose kind has been on opposing forces with her new community. When the truth of her past is revealed that she is a Death Bokor, Clarissa is forced to confront her old love, Olivier Prince, and new enemy, Francisco Fatio. Because of them she is compelled to use her gifts. Clarissa is unsure if her gifts are blessed or cursed. (Grave Danger – Book 1)
Diplomatic Authorities of St. Augustine:
Hanna Zespedes – (Death Date: c. 1846, age: 36).
Francisco Fatio – (Death Date: c. 1904, age: 47).
Isabella Canova – (Death Date: c. 1887, age: 16).
Cyrus Cercopoly – (Death Date: c. 1780, age: 27).
These political figures have resided in St. Augustine over the course of many living lifetimes. The prior authorities have long since passed, or are unrecognizable by most of the local citizens. Few can remember a time when these four did not stand over the oldest city, their collective hands moving the pieces of this community. Cyrus is the eldest in otherworldly years, and despite his youthful complexion it is easy to read the years of his existence in his eyes and stoic mannerisms. A Greek immigrant, his tall stature and cold grey eyes are off-putting to most people. Clarissa refers to him as the old man. Followed in line is his close constituent and good friend, Hanna Zespedes. Her ancestral family has lived in St. Augustine since the first beginnings of European colonization. She is followed closely by Isabella Canova, who is nothing like the adolescent she resembles. She has more womanly experience than many women twice her living age. Isabella is also related to the first families of St. Augustine. The last in line is Francisco Fatio who remained an elusive mystery to many of the community’s citizens until recently. He was exterminated by Clarissa when it was found out that he, along with Clarissa’s ex-fiancé, were killing psychic peoples to increase their abilities. *More will be revealed about Fatio and Prince in the follow ups to Grave Danger*.
Local Businesses/ Owners and Workers:
Happy Haunts
Location: St. George Street Owners Anita and Roger Mendez opened the quaint tavern back in the 1940’s to accommodate locals and tourists. After a sun-baked day sight-seeing many livings take a well needed reprieve inside this casual eatery and bar. Catering to both the living and dead the staff is a mix-up of ghostly waiters and those of the living persuasion. Anita and Roger have been married since 1952 when they realized their partnership extended beyond the business. Josh Anders (Death Date: c. 1948, age: 24) coordinates the dead and living staff members. He is also in a garage band with Richard Pomar called the Deadbeats. Clare Diamond is the restaurants ghostly chef. She creates wonders in the culinary arts for her deceased constituents. In her life she was a renowned chef with a specialization in confectionary.
The Boneyard Grill
Location: Off San Marcos Ave., across the street from the Old Jail House. Owner Frederick Vern (Dead Fred) is an expert in the art of Barbeque. He oversees the making of traditional BBQ for his living customers and his responsible for the alternate ghostly version for the Eidolon population. It is an unspoken rule that no alternate forms of condiments be put on his creations (ketchup, mustard, and the like). Those found with these sauces will be asked to leave.
Lizzy’s Dress Shop
Location: Charlotte Street Elisabeth Sands (Death Date: c. 1974, age: 26) moved to St. Augustine three years ago from New York where her still living husband lives with his second wife and their family. She is the local dressmaker for the St. Augustine Eidolon as well as a consultant for the larger Eidolon community. A love of fashion has led her to pursue this art even after her death. A petite woman who is unlikely to engage in confrontation, she is involved in a strained relationship with Richard Pomar who treats her kindly one moment and then reverts to cruel remarks the next. Lizzy cannot deny that she is attracted to Richard despite their differences in age and personalities, yet she is unable to move on from her past or her love for her husband. (Phantasm Fantasy – Book 4)
Psychic Imprints
Location: St. George Street, across from Happy Haunts Owned and operated by three generations of Korean women: grandmother Mi Sun Moon, her daughter Hana Scott (Hanna Zespedes and Hana Scott have great fun in addressing each other and are good friends.) * Don’t get confused. One is dead and the other is a witch.*… and the final owner Leah Moon, who had her name legally changed to suit her personality and to adopt her grandmother’s maiden name. Korean women do not take the last name of their spouses. A local bookstore that caters to independent and small publishing houses and authors, it cannot compete with the larger book depots. Many of the stores most loyal patrons believe in conspiracy theories and the occult.
Mi Sun Moon – A name that means beauty and goodness, she is an intelligent women with special abilities and has schooled her daughter and granddaughter in the ancient arts of her homeland. (S.S.)
Hana Scott – Her name means and flower and favorite. She is the only child of two Korean parents. Her father, living in the States at the time had joined the navy and was stationed just off the coast of North Korea. His future wife was a hostage during a skirmish between the warring Korea’s and he save her. He fell in love with her instantly, making arrangements to take her home to the States with him. They married several months later and several more months later they had Hana. Hana’s husband is an American with English parents. (S.S.)
Leah Moon – part owner and underpaid worker, Leah calls herself a witch, but that is not an accurate title for her and her families talents. She opens and runs the store for her family, keeping the shelves stocked with paranormal read along with unknown fiction and non-fiction works by new and returning authors. (S.S.)
Dark Spirits
Location: Off of U.S. 1. This newest night club spot is owned and operated by Josephina Palos (More about her in Dead End – Book 2). Only the Eidolon and those in friendly acquaintance with their kind are allowed inside this establishment.
*Necropolis is located in Orlando. It is a real vampire friendly club.*
The Spectral Services (S.S.):
Those of the psychic persuasion are recruited by the Eidolon people to assist in day to day activities for the community. For legal reasons these living persons are used as middle men to ensure that all commercial and residential properties are owned by someone not dead. The dead cannot own property nor operate businesses without a living creature acting on their behalf. The S. S. workers are paid well and are highly respected friends and allies within the ghostly world.
Those who have aspirations of joining must meet the required legal age of twenty-one, or have the closest kin of legal age, or guardian approve one year prior to induction. (Jackson was denied by his parents and would have had to wait until his twenty-first birthday to join. Unfortunately, he will never reach that auspicious age, ever.)
List of some of the S.S. (Spectral Services) Members:
S.S. (Spectral Services) Members (Relationship) S.S. Members Killed (2 month period)
Madeline Connors Cynthia Walters
Leah Moon (friend) Grayson Rogers
Susan Fitzpatrick Lauren Adler
Daniel Shuster
Abigail Shuster
Doreen Miller
Candice Snow (sister) Mary-Ann Gills
Kurt Nelson
Michael Burn (wife) Nancy Burn
Mi Sun Moon
Hana Scott
Jackson Connors – He is the grandson of Madeline (Maddy) Connors and spends most of his holidays and weekends at his grandmother’s house in St. Augustine. His parent’s house is in Daytona Beach, Florida. A senior in high school, he was unsure about his future. Jackson always had known he was different from his peers. His parents find it difficult to deal with their only child, and put most of their interest in their own lives. Friends with a witch, Leah Moon, and grandson to a woman with abilities as old as time, Jackson is well connected to the supernatural world. His story is fully revealed in Dead End – Book 2, where he meets Kasa Pamuya.
Madeline Connors – Nicknamed Maddy by Henry when she was young, she houses the new locals who come to St. Augustine. Her place acts as a transition area for the newly deceased. Her abilities out defy most of the other S.S. members, and Eidolon people. Her grandson has adopted many of these gifts. (More will be revealed in Dead End – Book 2)
Korean Spiritualism:
Shamanism – A term derived from the Tungus language in Northeast Asia for the term spirit mediums. These individuals who practice healing rituals help their human community live in harmony with themselves, nature, the ancestors, and the spiritual powers in the heavens and through the earth and underworld. This term which you may have heard in Native American terminology has been adopted around the world to refer to people who deal in these religious practices. In the Korean language, a spirit medium is termed a mudang or mansin. They are revered as wise teachers and elders. Many times, these practices are blended with the faith of Buddhism. Most Korean shamans are women. Shamanism is likely the oldest indigenous spiritual system of holistic healing within Korean culture.
The ritual of spirit marriage is conducted to resolve problems of distress from unhappy spirits. (Example: a marriage between a living man and his deceased fiancé, or two deceased people from different families. The ghosts were experiencing distress in the afterlife which caused distress for their families.
The Death Bokor/Death Dealer:
Vodou practitioners – The Bokor is a living person who is able to manipulate and control the undead creatures known as zombies. For the purposes of this world there has been created a sub-order within this religious practice, the Death Bokor/ Death Dealer. Vodou should not be confused with the practices of voodoo or hoodoo, which are traditions, practical magick, found in portions of Louisiana and Southern Florida. Vodou is the religious practice. The Death Bokor is a warrior-like force that has dedicated his/her life to return these creatures to their graves. Still a bokor, they are able to create these creatures and because they are human are easily corruptible.
Bokors and Death Bokors (Grave Danger)
Elmira
Olivier Prince
Clarissa Schofield
Excerpt:
This is the second book in the series which begins several months later after Jackson’s death. Those who have already read Grave Danger will recall an explained encounter between the LeMoyne brothers and another ‘otherworldly’ force. That encounter will be explained further in this work. Everything in a story has a purpose. Happy reading.
Dead End
Chapter 1-
“Relax, kid,” Chas barked. “You’re jumping around like some kind of deranged jack-rabbit.”
Chas and Jackson stood on the Bridge of Lions, the connecting ground that would take them into the historic downtown streets of St. Augustine. It was close to midnight and in a few more minutes they’d be allowed to cross the border where the Eidolon people made their home; ghosts to the rest of the world.
Jackson paced back and forth, stopping to lean from one leg to the other. He still wasn’t used to all this. It had been almost a year since he’d stared at the face of death and then been returned to an existence that was less than satisfying.
“Shut up, Chas,” he barked back to his older brother. Chas wasn’t really his brother, but when you belong to a minority species that pines for the flesh and blood of humans you’ll take whatever familiarity you can get.
The LeMoyne's had adopted him so to speak when Clarissa, a Death Bokor, had reversed the process of death and returned him to a semi-living person. It had been an accident that she’d been the one to plunge the Baiser de Mort (Kiss of death) into his heart. She’d believed he was possessed by a demon. He had been possessed, but by a different kind of demonic force; an astri-zombie, Francisco Fatio. He had been, before being destroyed, a leading councilman in the Eidolon Community. He’d used Jackson’s body in much the same way as a demon possession. He along with Clarissa’s ex-fiancé had been targeting psychic people to increase their own elemental powers, all the while making the corpses of their victims look like they’d been attacked by a flesh-eater or something of a similar genus.
The Eidolon had gone so far as to bring in a death Bokor, Clarissa’s ex-fiancé, teacher and murderer to take care of the LeMoyne family for good. Clarissa had confronted Jackson in his possessed state while Jackson was about to take the life of his good friend and witch, Leah Moon. He, Fatio, in a fit of rage had tried to suck out Clarissa’s soul. As Clarissa was a ghost - albeit a very powerful one - if he had succeeded it would have destroyed her. She had reacted in self defense. It was difficult for Jackson to blame Clarissa completely for his current state.
Now he was a flesh-eater, what most uninformed persons would call a zombie, and he was staying with a ‘family’ of them in a high walled commune on Anastasia Island. Jackson would only become a ‘zombie’ when he abstained from consuming the life essence found most abundantly in the human species. Too bad it required death to get it from them. Though Trueman was struggling to find a way to get around this singular need and hopefully find a satisfying alternative. But it was taking time.
Corrigan, one of the first flesh-eaters Jackson had met when he was human and somehow befriended was now dating and potentially engaged to before mentioned ghost, Clarissa. Before she was suspended from the Eidolon community for switching sides, she was staying with his grandmother who was an S.S (Spectral Services – workers for the Dead). Jackson had found out from personal experience that Clarissa wasn’t a typical ghost. Most of her life essence had stayed with her in death including her Bokor powers and she’d found true love in a creature she had once been taught to destroy.
Jackson was aware that Corrigan had almost died, a true death, when he went on an abstinence run during the first weeks of their secretive courtship because he couldn’t stand the deaths anymore.
He wasn’t the only one who had such thoughts.
And somehow during an argument with the motley crew of brothers, Trueman, the mad scientist of the bunch, had come up with the concept of using Clarissa. She was already dead. He hoped to harvest part of her life essence from her to be used to supplement their diet.
Until then, though, using the living was the only way to survive. The life essence coursing through the human's blood and tissue, like a breathing/living entity, was what supplied the necessary nourishment for his kind to survive. If not they became the true monsters of the night, the kind of creatures you’d see on the silver screen and in books.
Jackson inhaled a deep breath. Scratching his blonde head with one hand he leaned the other against the cold side of the bridge. His cornflower blue eyes scanned the downtown area, his senses reaching out to find a target. Maude, the wife of the head of the family, Ambrose, had tried to teach him how to find those that death had marked. It was a subtle sign that helped them find those who the world would not miss and be better without if they were gone. Even still it was a death, no matter how you spun it. It was murder.
However, one of the first rules - not that there was a list of them - was that under no circumstances were they to target the innocent or those that were protected by the Eidolon. At one time Jackson had wanted to be one of those people. He had wanted to work for the Eidolon Community of St. Augustine, a small community within a larger one that stretched the world over. Now he was exiled from them all.
He could never claim innocence again.
“You are seriously bumming me out kid,” Chas said, pulling out the buds from his ears and pushing pause on his mp3 player. “And I thought Cor was moody, but you are a veritable storm cloud in an otherwise clear sky. It doesn’t do well for the digestive system to be so tightly wound.” Chas had theories about limbering up before they went out to hunt. He also liked to steal from his targets, hence the mp3 player he’d stolen and was now sporting on his arm.
“I’m not moody, I’m thinking,” Jackson argued. “And stop calling me ‘kid’, we’re almost the same age.” Jackson would have his nineteenth birthday in a few weeks, not that it would mean anything. The dead don’t age. And anyone who thinks that’s cool needs a reality check; some people just don’t understand. Their bodies might not change like a normal human, but the years still passed and time can do more than just give you wrinkles.
“Yeah,” Chas said, stretching his arms over his head as he stretched. He had been in charge of taking the ‘newbie’ out to show him how things were done and to make sure he followed family rules. “And how old are turning Jackie boy, eighteen?”
Chas had died at age 20, by his father’s hand. A plantation owner in South Carolina, Chas’s father had apparently had enough of his by-blow from a slave woman that reminded him too much of himself that it had caused his wife to notice. And the one time Chas had stood up to his father, he’d killed him for it. That had been back in 1836 and yet Chas never forgot.
“I’ll be nineteen next month and you’re barely twenty,” Jackson retorted. “And you don’t have the right to call me anything but Jackson,” Jackson added angrily.
“I still got a hundred and seventy five years on you, kid.” Chas said the last word with cruel inflection. “And unfortunately you’ll always be a kid, so get used to it.”
That set Jackson over the edge. He came away from the side of the bridge in a flash, grabbing hold of Chas and flinging him to the ground. He crouched down beside him, one hand to Chas’s throat. “I’m getting really tired of all of you treating me like I’m some kind of baby that needs to be looked after. I didn’t ask to be like this and I didn’t ask to be part of your family. So fuck off and leave me the hell alone.”
Jackson stood up then, a sneer on his face. “I know what I am. I’m a fucking flesh-eater, worse than dead and I’m sick of you all reminding me of what I lost. Every day I wake up thinking it was all a dream and I can go home. That I can go back to school and see my friends and my grandma,” he paused, trying to push down that lump that always formed when he thought of his grandmother. His parents had told him flat out that he was no longer welcome in their home and that his grandmother, due to her psychic gifts was too much of a temptation for his baser beast to be around. “But I can’t go back,” he finished in a tight voice.
Chas was on his feet in an instant. Part of them was animal and because of that the beast in them gave them certain abilities; agility and swiftness one of them. The second was the means to communicate with one of their own through psychic wave lengths. Jackson never used this link to converse with his new family; ever.
“Listen,” when Chas would have said kid he stopped, seeing Jackson’s frown. “Jackson, I spent the first years of this existence by myself. I didn’t have anyone telling me how all this was supposed to work. I lived in caves and burned out huts, eating whatever living creature crawled under my door at night. And that’s a shit load better than the other’s had to deal with. So staying in a nice room in Ambrose’s home isn’t the worst place you could be. Don’t forget that there are still people out there who want us dead and those who wouldn’t mind looking the other way.”
Jackson turned away from Chas on a snort. He was still pissed, but he was smart enough not to comment. Olivier Prince, the bastard who had murdered his friend Clarissa, almost extinguishing her life for good. He had been the catalyst to convince Francisco Fatio to take over Jackson’s body so he could absorb the life essence and psychic energy from the kills and as yet he was still at large. Prince was a strong death Bokor and the flesh-eaters worst enemy. They all knew that he hadn’t gone far and it would only be a matter of time before he returned to St. Augustine.
As for those who would turn the other cheek, that would be the Eidolon people. The flesh-eaters and they weren’t on the friendliest of terms. It didn’t help much that they each had something the other wanted. Ghosts were made from a human soul, the energy of the earth and some of the life essence that they had in life. The Classical Phantasm had about half of their original life essence. Clarissa had more. And it downgraded from there; residual hauntings and the like. But a ghost did not possess flesh and blood, a thing that the flesh-eaters did. And ghosts didn’t fit into the human world and so much of the livings refused to acknowledge them.
The flesh-eaters lost most of their life essence, but gained the advantage of flesh and blood. The livings could see them. However the flesh-eaters preferred as little contact with their targets as possible. They didn’t play with their food. The flesh-eater medical condition was like an anemic hemophiliac in humans and if they didn’t constantly replenish what their body destroyed inside them then they’d become deranged. The livings supplied a basic need for the flesh-eater and friendship was never an option.
There were prejudices a plenty on all sides and for the most part Jackson had thought that he’d been impartial to them all. Yet now that he was one of these demonized species, his objectivity seemed to leave him as quickly as the blood that flowed through his un-dead veins.
“It’s about time you dragged your lazy ass out of bed,” Jackson heard Chas call down to the dark figure moving quickly up the bridge. There were still cars passing up and down the bridge, but none of them really noticed the night demons of St. Augustine.
Jackson turned in time to see Corrigan leap from the darkness, nearly on top of him. The older man had him about the neck in a light choke hold, holding him in place while he messed up his hair. Corrigan wasn’t a small man. Standing at about six feet, six inches tall with the muscles of someone who worked out regularly, the weight of his light hold on Jackson’s throat would have done some serious damage if Jackson had still been human.
“Get off me,” Jackson yelled, trying to back out from his brother’s hold. “You’re cutting off my air supply.” He wasn’t.
Corrigan let go quickly. Like the others he was wearing jeans and a dark colored t-shirt. His was midnight blue, a shade that complimented his iridescent blue eyes. Chas wore army green, his emerald green eyes off set in a light mocha complexion a half shade darker than his wife’s. Jackson chose to wear black as he’d been mourning his death regularly for almost a year.
Corrigan had been a sailor before his death in 1853 at the hands of his own brother. Since he’d met Clarissa he’d begun to open up to the rest of the family, telling them of his days as a slave to his bokor mistress, Elmira. He’d escaped after her death and traveled to the States, finding the LeMoyne family and now he’d found his forgotten soul in Clarissa. Jackson was glad for him even if he didn’t outright show it.
His brother was almost a different man since finding Clarissa. Jackson was indebted to Corrigan for saving him from some thugs several years back when he’d been a stupid teen. That man had been moody and almost completely soulless. And now… well now he was actually happy, as happy as any brooding nineteenth century Irish man can get.
Jackson watched with an almost sour expression as Corrigan leapt up on to the railings of the bridge. He looked like he was doing some kind of Gene Kelly, Dancing in the Rain moves. Jackson recalled that they’d watched the film recently during family movie night. Margaret Ann, the youngest sister with the oldest living experience had got to make the choice.
“It’s a great night, boys. It almost feels like fall is coming early to Florida.” Corrigan looked out on the downtown streets, the lights twinkling from the shops and restaurants as people were still milling about in the late night hours. It seemed a little cooler tonight than usual, a nice reprieve from the hot, humid weather of summer.
“Watch out for the new students around Flagler,” he continued, jumping down from his perch. “The girls said they found some of them wandering about in the dark. They were lost and more than likely intoxicated. One of them actually asked if he could touch Helen’s teeth.”
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