“Indeed it could,” Joseph said, turning the conversation serious. “There are some ‘spokes’, if you will, that cannot handle the strain, and they shatter like the breakable spirits they are.”
“Come on, you’re talking about alternate realities and multiple lives. Do you really think me…we…will believe this?” BT questioned.
“Ask yourself this. Do you feel a strong pull to Mike?”
BT nodded unconsciously as did Tracy, though she knew she was doing it.
“That’s because you’ve both known him, and were meant to be with him through all time, every time.”
“And what about Trip? He’s a part of this grand design you’re talking about?”
“My string was in knots before Ponch came along,” Trip said.
“Well, see that’s the first thing I’ve heard that I believe.” BT was smiling at his own wit.
“Probably not going to like this part then,” Joseph said. “Trip is like a shepherd.”
“That’s why I can smell things so good!” Trip said, touching his nose.
“Not a German Shepherd, honey.” Stephanie put her hand on her husband’s shoulder.
“Come on, Joseph. Him?” BT looked disgusted.
“There are some like Trip who can see the tapestries we all weave, the fabrics of our existence. Sometimes he gently guides us to where we need to be or, in my case, pulls a person kicking and screaming.”
“You really expect me to believe this?”
“I’m not trying to make you believe anything, BT, but that you, that all of us are here… well, that’s proof enough.”
“That we’re here in this field?” Gary asked.
“No. That we’re here, at the end,” Joseph said solemnly.
“Dun-dun-dun!” Trip sang out for dramatic effect.
Epilogue 3 – S.S. Crossbearer – Destination: New York, Port of Origin London
The ship creaked and groaned as it cut through the swells. Heavy winds cracked the canvas sails, billowing them out to catch the might of the blustery weather. Sheets of ocean mist broke over the bow spraying a lone figure who seemed oblivious to the less than favorable weather conditions. Her hair as red as a bonfire at night, she was her own lighthouse; the crew avoided her as the ship would avoid deadly shoals. To approach meant certain swift death. Always she peered forward, expecting to see what she was seeking at any moment.
The men who had been doing their best to steer clear of the woman at the bow shrunk back even further when they realized another was moving swiftly past them, paying them no more mind than if they were ants upon a sizzling roadway. The raven-haired woman was of indeterminable age and had a beauty beyond reproach, even with the hard set of her eyes and the tightly closed lips. A sailor taking more than his rations of rum had learned just how savage she was. When the woman had walked by, he had catcalled and attempted to smack her on the ass. She had turned and caught his hand before he made contact. With one fluid motion, she had separated his shoulder and thrown him overboard. When the other sailors started to launch a rescue, she had told them that the first to aid him would find themselves in the water with him. The man had screamed for help before losing his battle with a swell of seawater. The three mysterious passengers had watched silently.
“Payne, I have prepared your dinner.”
Payne turned slightly as the woman approached. “There is more going on here, Charity.”
“This ship? These men are sheep.”
“No, with Eliza. This was no ordinary death.”
“Are you concerned?” Charity asked coolly.
“Intrigued perhaps. I knew Eliza was cruel, even for our kind. When she killed my poor Victor, I should have hunted her down then and there, and yet I didn’t, for she intrigued me then as well.”
“You had your reasons. I wish you had let Sophia and I take care of her, though. Victor may have been your offspring, but he was our sire. We had a duty to him.”
“She would have killed you.” Payne did not say the words as a slight, only as a truth. Charity wisely stayed silent. “It seems her brother is in the New World as well.” Payne was once again staring off into the distance to a spot only she could see.
“The half-ling?”
“He is no longer a half-ling.”
“That is interesting. I wonder her reasons for finally completing his turn.”
“I see so much, yet not enough to get a clear picture. There was a witch involved, a powerful one and, another, a medicine man. Somehow I feel a piece of Victor himself was implicated in her death.”
“How can this be? My sire has been dust for centuries,” Charity asked in wonderment, showing some emotion for the first time since they’d started the voyage.
“I have been wondering this as well. We will find our answers soon. Come, we will dine together.” Payne locked her arm around Charity’s. The crew quickly found duties to perform that would not have them anywhere near the women’s return trip back to their cabins.
The smell of iron-rich blood beset their senses as they walked into Payne’s room. The meal was naked and tied to a bed by his wrists and ankles. His chest was heaving in fright, lines of blood streaking his arms and legs as a third vampire lightly dragged a knife across his skin, not enough to cause true damage, but with enough force to make blood weep to the surface.
“I see you are eager to feed, Sophia.” Payne’s canines elongated, her eyes taking on a glazed appearance. She swiftly crossed the room and sank deeply into the man’s neck. Charity and Sophia found their own spots.
The crew did their best to block out the screams of the forsaken.
I hope you enjoyed the book. If you did please consider leaving a review.
For more in The Zombie Fallout Series by Mark Tufo:
Zombie Fallout 1
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B003A022YO/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
Zombie Fallout 2 A Plague Upon Your Family
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-Plague-Upon-Family-ebook/dp/B0045UABFA/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_2_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827044&sr=1-2
Zombie Fallout 3 The End….
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-3-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B004S2L21C/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_3_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827075&sr=1-3
Zombie Fallout 3.5 Dr. Hugh Mann
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-3-5-Hugh-Mann-ebook/dp/B005710Q7O/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_13_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827104&sr=1-13
Zombie Fallout 4 The End Has Come And Gone
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-End-Come-Gone-ebook/dp/B005R2NR1U/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_8_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827135&sr=1-8
Zombie Fallout 5 Alive In A Dead World
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-Alive-Dead-World-ebook/dp/B007FJF2GQ/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_5_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827156&sr=1-5
Zombie Fallout 6 Til Death Do Us Part
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Fallout-Til-Death-Part-ebook/dp/B009K5JH96/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_9_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403827179&sr=1-9
Zombie Fallout 7 For The Fallen
The newest Post Apocalyptic Horror by Mark Tufo:
Lycan Fallout Rise of the Werewolf
http://www.amazon.com/Lycan-Fallout-Werewolf-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B00D8QI3G6/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_19_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403828060&sr=1-19
Fun with zombies in The Book of Riley Series by Mark Tufo
The Book Of Riley A Zombie Tale pt 1
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Riley-%7E-Zombie-Tale-ebook/dp/B008RE1ZNC/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_16_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403828150&sr=1-16
The Book Of Riley A Zombie Tale pt 2
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Riley-Zombie-Tale-ebook/dp/B00A8RJCO0/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0M16C3SWM1DFQGH2A784
The Book Of Riley A Zombie Tale pt 3
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Riley-Zombie-Tale-ebook/dp/B00DQ0LK8W/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1STJTZY518HQQPCSMNFW
The Book Of Riley A Zombie Tale pt 4
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Riley-Zombie-Tale-ebook/dp/B00HD0M2PG/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=05BC8ZNRNQYTGRMQHYNF
Or all in one neat package:
The Book Of Riley A Zombie Tale Boxed set plus a bonus short
http://www.amazon.com/Riley-Zombie-ebook-bonus-short-ebook/dp/B00HD0EDX0/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_36?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829127&sr=1-36
Dark Zombie Fiction can be found in The Timothy Series by Mark Tufo
Timothy
http://www.amazon.com/Timothy-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B006POAS2U/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_15_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829265&sr=1-15
Tim2
http://www.amazon.com/Tim2-Timothy-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B00C4FE8T8/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_12_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829303&sr=1-12
Michael Talbot is at it again in this Post Apocalyptic Alternative History series Indian Hill by Mark Tufo
Indian Hill 1 Encounters:
http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Hill-Michael-Talbot-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00MIZN5NE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409883112&sr=8-2&keywords=indian+hill
Indian Hill 2 Reckoning
http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Hill-Michael-Talbot-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00MIZN5NE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409883112&sr=8-2&keywords=indian+hill
Indian Hill 3 Conquest
Indian Hill 4 From The Ashes
http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Hill-Ashes-Mark-Tufo-ebook/dp/B00IWWT60I/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_4_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829455&sr=1-4
Writing as M.R. Tufo
Dystance Winter’s Rising
http://www.amazon.com/Dystance-Winters-Rising-M-R-Tufo-ebook/dp/B00K33O2P8/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_17_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829900&sr=1-17
The Spirit Clearing
http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Clearing-M-R-Tufo-ebook/dp/B0094JWLYG/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_20_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829931&sr=1-20
Callis Rose
http://www.amazon.com/Callis-Rose-M-R-Tufo-ebook/dp/B00B6TE9I8/ref=la_B002I7PJ68_1_22_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403829982&sr=1-22
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