Connie wondered why Slade left so early. He usually waited until she was ready to leave, walked her to her car and said goodnight. Tonight he left, never said goodnight and was very secretive about it. She went to her locker, grabbed her workout bag and left the squad room quietly. She had a post midnight rendezvous with Gustaf, the master vampire of the city at his club The Main Artery. She headed home now where she show...

The woodsman had many talents, but caring for newly-born baby girls was not among them, so he did the only thing he could think of – he took the child to the village church. The pastor’s wife was in the garden picking tomatoes for their breakfast when he rushed from the woods holding the screaming bundle. “Oh Lord! What is this, Tom?” She rushed from the tomato beds and took the child from him. “Ma’am, I have no clue. I f...

Connie sat at her desk staring at the words on her screen while shock and surprise washed across her face. She pushed the print key and printed four copies. The data was there, she read and re-read the screen in disbelief but computers do not lie. Connie took the four copies, filed three where they belonged and carried the fourth over to Slade. She silently handed the fourth copy to Slade, watched as he read it and waited...

Once upon a time, in a long forgotten land, there lived a young woman whose name struck fear into even the bravest of hearts. She lived in a tiny cottage at the edge of a deep forest, near an old dried up creek. Her name was Arwyn. Please indulge me as I turn back the clock to the night Arwyn was born – it was the night of the full moon, late in October. You see, that was the night a druid girl, heavy with child, was trav...

The day was coming to a slow end, as Slade and Connie came back to the squad room. After they filled out their reports earlier, they left until their duty shift began in mid-afternoon. The weather took a downward turn with the sun blocked by dark clouds and the threat of rain. To Slade, it seemed as if every time he went to see Leona or Gustaf, the weather was foggy or rainy. At least now, Slade was back in the squad room...

We moved from the city to the suburbs in the early 60's and it did not take long for us to hear all the rumors and legends of the nearby woods that were part of Ohio's Metro-Park system. The most fascinating story concerned a creature of unknown origin that was said to haunt this area of the Tinkers Creek. Called the bufo or boofoo it was rumored that it was an escapee from the nearby mental institution. Another rumor occ...

Slade and Connie headed back to the squad room. Instead of going home back to bed, they had to report on what they saw and file the appropriate paperwork. For every incident a detective covered, there was a corresponding paper trail in quadruple copies. One copy went into central files, one copy to the evidence locker by case number, one copy to squad files and one copy to the officer. It seemed like a lot of work, but it...

Slade caught up with Connie as she sauntered down the alley to the street. She was still euphoric from her first meeting with vampires. They controlled her easily and kept her out of the direct exchange between Slade and Gustaf. As far as she knew, the vampires were lovely people and could be trusted. When Slade got beside Connie, she wrapped her arm around Slade's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Slade went along...

Slade and Connie finished with the body and scene, headed back to the car and sat inside reviewing what they had. Laid out in the car was not much stuff. There was not much room in the car with all the computers and firepower. "Let’s go back to DD's. We can spread everything out there and review it." Connie said. Her car was still there and she needed it to get home. Slade agreed, "OK, we need more coffee to stay awake to...

It was a very dark cold night, the air was heavy with rain. The alley was narrow, the cobble stone walkway glistened from newly fallen rain and continuing mist. The walls of the buildings held the sound of my heart and my shoes, as I walked slowly toward the only light. I pulled up my collar to warm my neck and protect it from the people I saw. It was a red light above a small non-descript sign that read 'The Main Artery'...

The bone chilling wind blew across the field into the barren city. Dense, dark clouds shrouded the sky above, threatening a heavy downpour. The only glimmer of light was from the misty orange hue of the solar powered street lamps, which illuminated the empty streets of the city’s outskirts. It was like a beacon of light seen from miles away. This beckoned to her from out of the wilderness that enveloped the world. The rai...

Beep! Beep! Beep! The sound of the alarm clock woke me as I groggily rolled over to turn it off. I took that deep morning breath that you only get from a good night sleep as I took in the scent of Amy’s perfume once again. She had her hand on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. This made her wake up as she looked me in the eyes and smiled as I gazed back at her. It had been over a year since we were attacked at the...

This is the true story of vampires in the world today. You probably have heard all the stories about the centuries old vampires, who live forever once they have been bitten by another vampire. And they cannot be killed, except by a stake through the heart, or maybe cutting their heads off and keeping them separate.This story began many years ago when Vlad the Impaler was ruling over Hungary and fighting off the Turks. The...

It was the year I was doing show in Omaha, Nebraska that I met Sandy, a self proclaimed white witch. I had been fascinated by the dark arts for some time and began to read and dabble in them attempting to expand my sometimes ESP experiences. I was standing by my stage in between shows when I saw this mildly attractive woman walking by with two children tow.I looked at her, and the name Sandy just jumped into my head. As s...

For those who have never experienced true cold, the kind that gnaws into your bones and raises the hair on your neck, let me tell you: true cold is white. Your skin bleaches, feeling rubbery, barely part of you any more. Your body bursts into spontaneous shivers, but scarier still are the moments of stillness, only allowing your body to get colder. I huddled deeper into my anorak as I assessed the white plain: beautiful,...