If you find this journal, let us start with
the basics. My name is Michael Talbot; I am/was the owner of the
material you now hold in your hand. My life has been one living
hell after another since the age of around eighteen, when I tripped
on some bad mushrooms and cursed to the gods about my lot in life.
Since then, I have been relegated to alternate horrific realities.
In some I am younger, some I am older, some I live through and some
I don’t. (I still have a hard time writing down that I have died on
no less than three accounts.)

The only constant is that I am aware of what
is happening, but the people I encounter along the way are not.
Some are threaded throughout my lives and show up constantly, like
my soul mate, Tracy and my best friend, Paul. Some appear in one
reality but not another for some reason, like Mrs. Deneaux (thank
God for that, at least). Some enemies remain the same, like Durgan,
others not so much. I have been hunted down by zombies, aliens,
ghosts and a few other creatures from the depths of a mad god’s
deranged mind.

I can’t imagine that the Big Man has taken
any interest. My guess is that I have pissed off one of the lesser
gods (imagine that), one of the Greek or Roman deities who have
been relegated to paganism since Christianity took hold. I’m not
even sure if the true God is aware of my plight and if he is, why
does he not rein his wayward children in?

So I write these journals down, mostly to
keep my mind from addling and to keep my multiple horrors
compartmentalized. So when you feel the need to complain about your
lot in life, be careful who is listening and be very specific on
what changes you would like to have made.

Each misadventure that I have, in no way
reflects on the other. They are not a continuation of any other
story. One does not need to read my Zombie Journals to know what
happened on Indian Hill or even at The Spirit Clearing, but they
should be aware that the main person (me) is always present. I do
not know when this god will tire of his plaything, if ever. For me,
the nightmare has been going on for decades. For him (or her--it
wouldn’t be the first female I’ve pissed off), it may only be
seconds. I look forward to one day having a normal life, if such a
thing is still possible. So if you find this and you are a pious
person, I would welcome your prayers to whomever you deem a higher
authority. Maybe your entreaties will not fall on deaf ears like
mine have.

Chapter One

“What
now, sister?” Tomas asked.

“We kill Michael Talbot, his family, and his
friends and then we rule this world,” she said absently as she
fingered the locket around her neck.

“You’ve gotten more than you could have ever
asked for, Eliza. Why not just leave him alone?” Tomas asked with
chagrin.

“Why, dear brother, are you concerned for
him? Do you still carry some vestiges of your humanity? Do not
worry; that will fade with time,” Eliza said with a sneer, her
canines flashing menacingly.

“You have it wrong, Eliza, it is not him I am
concerned about. It is us, he has shown over and over that he is
unwilling to yield to death.”

Eliza struck so fast, Tomas did not have time
to defend himself against his sister’s slap, and it rocked him on
his heels. “He is a pathetic human,” Eliza spat. “I will never fear
him or any of his kind again! Do you understand me?”

Tomas nodded, dumbfounded.

“You, Tomas, are now the reason that we have
something to fear from him; without our help, he will never die.
Once his family dies and is ground into dust, we,” Eliza said,
pointing to him and to herself, “will become his sole mission in
life. He will blame us for every one of their deaths. No, we must
kill him while he still has weaknesses walking on this planet. You,
Tomas, have prevented Michael Talbot from eking out the rest of his
existence in relative peace.”

Tomas knew his sister’s words for the lie
that they were, but still they stung. “Eliza, break the stone,”
Tomas said pointing to the blood locket. “We can leave this world
like we were supposed to lifetimes ago.”

Eliza looked at Tomas long and hard before
she began to laugh, much like a wolf laughs at the rabbit before
devouring it. Cold, cruel and with no mirth. “That’s rich, Tomas,
for a second, I almost believed you. Not that I would have done it,
mind you, but I almost believed in your sincerity. How cunningly
perfect of you! I break the locket, you rule the world
unimpeded.”

“I do not want the world, Eliza, I want my
sister,” Tomas begged.

Eliza’s laughter encompassed his soul as he
spun on his heel and walked away.

Tomas was about a city block away before the
echoes of her laughter faded.

“
Tomas,”
came so clearly in his head,
he stopped and looked around for the source.

“
Mr. T?”
Tomas asked.

“
Tommy?”
came the question.

“
He’s in here somewhere, Mr. T, he…I…we’re
so tired.”

Michael’s heart sank, hearing the pain in his
adopted son’s voice.
“Is there anything I can do?”

“
Kill my sister so that I can be
released.”
Tomas could “hear” the gasp from the other end of
the connection.

“
I never thought I’d hear those words from
you, Tommy. Does it work like that? Will all those bitten by her
revert back to their former selves, like in the movies?”

“
No,”
Tomas said, shaking his head
silently and conveying that gesture to Mike.
“But it will
release me to join her.”

Michael got the message. If Eliza were to
die, Tomas would join her in the afterlife.
“Where do us
soulless ones go, Tomas?”
Michael asked, his fear shining
through the words brightly.

“
Nowhere near the garden, Mr. T. It is a
lonely, dark place we are destined for, but even that is preferable
to the hell I walk in now.”

“How charming,” Eliza said as she approached
Tomas. “We will have to talk, Tomas, about your choice of friends.
I do not think Mother would approve.”

“
Eliza, the pleasure I receive when I
finally sever your head from your body will only be trumped by the
look of shock on your fa…”

And, like an old AT&T operator, Eliza
thought she severed the connection.

“I will kill him, Tomas, and you
will
help if I have to drag you kicking and screaming through the blood
and guts of the mortals.”

“I’ll be there, Eliza, but it will only be to
witness your demise,” Tomas said heatedly.

“We are family, Tomas, you and I. Is this how
you would treat one of your own?”

“Mr. T and his family are my true family!”
Tomas shot back defiantly.

“Blood!” Eliza said fairly quaking. “Blood is
the thickest bond, Tomas. It is something which you share nothing
of with that mongrel!”

“I do now, sister. Remember? I bit him.”

“You are a fool, Tomas. You jeopardize
everything we have and everything we can attain, for what?”

“Love, Eliza, for love, the most basic and
strongest of all human emotions.”

“Hate, Tomas, hate is a much stronger emotion
because it can burn longer, it can span generations. I’ve watched
it spread across borders for no other reason than there were people
on the other side of an imaginary line in the dirt. Love lasts for
a few years between individuals, hate spans millennia among the
populace.”

“If that is the case, then let him have his
few years of love. There will still be time for hate
afterwards.”

“You still don’t understand. There is no fun
in defeating an opponent once everything he has is lost. Much like
a fine wine, it can be savored as we pull him apart, piece by
piece.”

“
Hey! I’m still here. I can hear
everything you’re saying about me and I’ve got to be honest, I’m
not all that pleased,”
Mike said, trying to inflect some levity
in his words.

Tomas could not help but smile, shielding it
somewhat from the raging form of his sister.

“How?” Eliza demanded.

“
Not sure. I guess it’s some sort of party
line, looks like we’ll be able to stay in touch a lot,”
Michael
said.
“Maybe I’ll be able to sing you some lullabies or read you
a bedtime story; you seem to get real cranky without enough
sleep.”

Tomas had to turn so that his sister could
not witness his delight, although the rising and falling of his
shoulders was a dead giveaway.

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