Dream of the Dead, page 1
L.A Egerbladh
Dream of the Dead
Even the dead can dream of living.
Copyright © 2024 by L.A Egerbladh
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
L.A Egerbladh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
First edition
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To all the people who thought that not feeling or caring would spare you from heartache.
It gets better.
Contents
Acknowledgement
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
About the Author
Also by L.A Egerbladh
Acknowledgement
Thank you to my friends, who have so kindly lend their names and likeness to some of these characters while also helping me develop this book to be the best it could be. This book would not have been possible without you. Thank you to my mother who has to constantly put up with me rambling about my newest story ideas.
Thank you to ANKBookdesigns for providing me with the gorgeous cover for my book.
And thank you to everyone who is currently reading this, you are making my dream come true.
Chapter 1
The sky was dark, the sun had been concealed by large and ominous clouds. Despite the gloom, the Town was alive with people, all going about their business, buying groceries for the evening meal or indulging in shopping for clothes most of them had no need of. Nothing was out of place, the houses were well maintained and painted in bright, vibrant colors, no trash could be seen laying around and music was softly playing, only adding to the quaint Town.
The only thing that stuck out like a sore thumb at the moment was a young looking girl. Her short dark hair was in stark contrast to her pale complexion. Her arms and chest were completely covered with tattoos, some of them looked pale and old while some of them were as alive and vibrant as the Town around her. Though, the tattoo that was most prominent was a thick line going around her throat like a necklace, it was impossible to miss. She was chubby and wore a knee length pale pink lace dress that looked older than herself, it was torn and faded at places and had dark stains that had been washed and washed but would never go away. She wore old leather boots that stopped just beneath her knees. Her almost golden eyes looked around, scanning the Town. If some townie came too close to her, they took a step back, almost like the girl sent out electric shocks, keeping people at bay. It was the tattoo on her throat that made everyone keep their distance, everyone knew what it meant. That she was not one of them. The only people that didn’t seem openly frightened by her were the two women escorting her towards the large wall at the east side of Town.
Liz scratched her neck and sighed, it was strange being back yet it almost seemed as if she’d never been away in the first place. Nothing seemed to have changed over the five months she’d been gone, the Town was as obnoxiously lively as before and the wall towered in the distance like a ugly landmark. The large wall was hard to miss but she knew most people tried to pretend it didn’t exist. For them it was only a reminder of the stain on their society. For people like Liz, it was home.
The wall was at least fifty meters in height and impossible to climb. Liz knew because she’d tried more than once. Just to see if it was possible or not, she hadn’t actually been trying to escape, there was nowhere to go anyway these days. As they came closer to the wall Liz could see at least twenty guards by the gate, it had more than doubled since she was here last. Something must have happened, even if it didn’t look like it at first glance.
Just above the large gate leading into the Sanctuary was the number three. The amount of Sanctuaries across the globe was considerable at this point and according to the few news they received inside, they were increasing in number by the year.
Liz picked at the skin on her fingers by habit as they walked. When Liz and her escorts finally came to the entrance they were stopped as they saw Liz tattoo on her throat.
“Papers,” one of the guards said with a rough voice.
Liz pulled out a crunched together piece of paper from her bra and gave it to the guard. He looked a little shocked but didn’t say anything. Anyone could enter the Sanctuary if they wished, the paper was to make sure that Liz had the right to be in Town.
”Elizabeth Frost: Vampire. Can cause trouble but is a minimal danger to humans. This paper allows the owner the right to be in Town for two hours per day.” The guard read it out loud.
Pause.
“This was issued a long time ago,” the guard said slowly.
“I’ve been away,” Liz said.
The guard’s gaze narrowed and he exchanged glances with the man next to him.
“Everything’s in order,” one of the women behind Liz said. “She’s been on official business.”
The guard nodded quickly and gave Liz back her piece of paper.
“Just get a new one as soon as possible,” the guard said. “The rules have changed.”
Liz grabbed the piece of paper but didn’t say anything as she shoved it down her bra again.
“Get going, it’s full moon tonight and all residents in the Sanctuary must be inside by then,” the guard said.
“It’s only three p.m,” Liz said, confused as she looked at the large clock in the middle of Town.
“Rules have changed,” the guard repeated. “No residents of the Sanctuary are allowed outside after five p.m on the night of a full moon. No exceptions.”
“Right,” Liz muttered.
Before Liz was pushed through the large gate to the other side of the wall, the two women took her by the arm. Liz could feel their warmth and swallowed. She hadn’t fed in a while.
“Lady Morgana appreciates your work,” one of them said. “And we will make sure your paper is updated.”
“Thanks,” Liz said slowly but without much gratitude in her voice.
“And Lady Morgana would like to remind you that she might call on your favor again,” the other one said.
“Yeah, yeah I know,” Liz said. “You told me before.”
“We wanted to make sure everything was crystal clear,” the first one said.
“It is, don’t worry,” Liz said, annoyed. “I’m neither stupid nor forgetful.”
They both nodded and then let go of Liz, and as they did so she could feel herself relaxing as well. She hadn’t even noticed tensing up. Maybe it was the hunger growing steadily in her stomach or maybe it was the fact that those two women had always made her a little uneasy. The guards at the wall directed Liz through the entrance and pointed their guns at her but she knew they kept an eye out for anyone lurking on the direct other side of the gate as well. There had been more than one escape attempt when someone else was entering, but no one had ever succeeded. Most were shot instantly and even though a bullet wouldn’t kill a vampire, a bullet filled with holy water would take it down long enough for back-up to arrive. But other creatures that lived inside the Sanctuary were mortal and one gunshot and they were dead.
The guards left Liz on the other side of the wall, retreated and closed the large gate behind them. Liz glanced behind her, the tall wall looming over her, making her feel impossibly small and insignificant.
The difference between the Town and the Sanctuary was palpable. No music could be heard, except from the vague tunes coming from the so-called Fun House; it had never looked fun to Liz. The streets were covered in litter, holes in the ground and stains that could be anything from blood to other bodily fluids. Most houses looked old and close to decrepit and had at least a few flaws, and that was just on the outside.
The only luxury place was the Fun House with its big neon signs and the scantily dressed people standing outside the building. The Fun House was nearest to the wall’s entrance and for a good reason. Anyone visiting it from Town didn’t want to go deep inside The Sanctuary to get to it. Even though the Sanctuary was despised in Town and no one would ever admit to ever having visited the Fun House, Liz knew that before she’d gone away, they’d had a steady stream of visitors and by the look of things, business was still good. Visitors usually had some form of bodyguards, just to be on the safe side. Even though most people inside the Sanctuary would never be stupid enough to attack a townie, people could do stupid things when desperate.
And things could get really desperate, really fast inside the Sanctuary.
But at this very moment, Liz could see no townie and she knew none would come tonight. Because as the guard had said, tonight was full moon night. The one night each month no townie dared step inside the Sanctuary. It could be dangerous any other night, but on the full moon night, it was practically suicide. But Liz knew she had a few hours left until nightfall, even though the sky was dark, the hour was not late.
Winter was coming and Liz loved that time of year. The sun rarely came out and if it did it was only out a few hours at the most. Which meant Liz could go out a lot more than in the summer and as she didn’t sleep, those summer days locked away in a room with no windows became very long. Days like these were her favorite, the only thing that could make it better was if it started to rain and by the look of things, it wasn’t impossible.
Liz walked with determined steps, even after five months away, walking towards the only bar in the Sanctuary felt as natural as ever. It wasn’t just a bar, it was a meeting place, open at all hours, except of course on the full moon night. No one was open on the night of the full moon. The owner of the Bar was a friend of Liz, she’d been here even longer than she had and they’d known each other from before the Sanctuaries were put up.
Vendela had spent all her earnings over a lot of years to buy the Bar from some townies, and it was a rare thing to actually own something inside the Sanctuary. But even though Vendela technically owned the Bar, she was still supervised by some official townies, which Liz knew that Vendela loathed. Liz also knew that the Bar was one of the few good things about the Sanctuary and without it, it would be much harder for the townies to keep the peace inside the walls. The Bar offered free alcohol and blood, keeping the inhabitants of the Sanctuary drunk enough was a good way of keeping everyone calm and complacent. They kept the Sanctuary just miserable enough and just tolerable enough that not a lot of creatures had the strength to complain. And there weren’t many that would listen to their complaints to begin with.
Liz passed the large Fun House and she could swear it looked even bigger and more extravagant than before. Or maybe she’d just been away too long, even if it felt like she’d been here yesterday. As she passed it she heard whistling and then a voice speaking to her.
“Hello there beautiful,” a woman’s voice spoke. “There’s a 50% full moon discount tonight, why don’t you join me up in one of the rooms where it’s safe and warm?”
Liz turned her head towards the voice and what she saw actually surprised her. It was an unusually tall and chubby woman with dark skin. She was scantily clad with long, curly black hair and dark seductive eyes.
“Ami?” Liz asked low.
Ami was silent for a moment.
“Do I know you darling?” She asked slowly with uncertainty clear in her voice but trying to keep the light attitude.
Liz took a step forward.
“It’s me, Liz,” she said.
The act Ami was putting up was immediately dropped and Liz could see her face soften as a frown grew on her face.
“Liz?” Ami said, confused. “But you’re dead.”
“Says who?” Liz asked jokingly. “I feel pretty alive. Well, I mean… I’m dead alright, but I’ve been dead for a very long time so that’s not exactly news.”
Ami was silent for a moment.
“You’ve been gone for five months,” Ami said, shocked.
“Someone’s been keeping track of time,” Liz said.
“Well, that happens when your friend goes missing,” Ami said, and Liz could hear that Ami was getting upset. “And no one’s been gone that long from The Sanctuary unless they’re dead.”
“Well, I’m not dead… Deader,” Liz said.
Ami stared at her in disbelief.
“I’m not a shapeshifter,” Liz said. “I promise. It’s just little old me.”
“Where have you been?” Ami finally asked.
Liz shrugged.
“Just… a little all over the place,” Liz said evadingly.
Ami glanced behind herself at the Fun House and then walked closer to Liz. At a closer look Liz could see that Ami’s face was caked in make-up, it was so thick that it almost looked like a second layer of skin but Liz could still see how tired she looked. It was a strange sight as she’d never worn make-up as long as Liz had known her. Maybe because it was impossible to get a hold of it inside the Sanctuary and it was ridiculously expensive if you got a hold of it in Town. It just wasn’t worth it for creatures like themselves. Ami looked at her, suspicion still clear in her eyes.
“No one leaves the Sanctuary for that long, even less to just walk around all over the place,” Ami said. “No one leaves the Sanctuary… Alive.”
Liz rubbed her eyes. She was tired and not really in the mood to have this conversation.
“When did you start working in the Fun House?” Liz asked, changing the subject.
Ami rubbed her neck.
“It’s not that bad,” Ami said, evading the actual question. “I get food, a roof over my head and I get some spare change. I even got a pass to go into Town!”
“How long?” Liz asked again.
“Three months or so,” Ami said and shrugged.
”Three months or so” Liz thought. Ami knew exactly how long Liz had been gone but apparently had only an idea of how long she’d been working in the Fun House. Liz found that interesting.
“Don’t judge me,” Ami said.
“I’m not,” Liz said.
“Yes you are,” Ami said. “I know how much you hate the Fun House but you’ve been away and things have changed!”
“I have only been gone for five months,” Liz said.
Ami scoffed.
“Right… You never had any concept of time,” Ami said.
“That happens when you’re immortal,” Liz said. “Time becomes kind of irrelevant.”
“Yeah well many of us aren’t immortal,” Ami said. “And time still passes and for most of us, five months is a lot.”
“Okay,” Liz said. “I didn’t think the first thing to happen when I got back would be that I got scolded.”
Ami looked down and Liz could see that her words had hit their mark.
“I’m sorry,” Ami said. “I am happy to see you alive but…”
“Things have changed,” Liz said with a sigh. “Everyone keeps saying that.”
Ami looked over her shoulder, a flash of worry on her face.
“I have to get back to work,” Ami said low.
“There aren’t many customers tonight,” Liz said.
“More than you’d think,” Ami said. “The Fun House is protected, it’s a safe place during the full moon. A lot of creatures seek refuge here.”
“For a price,” Liz said.
There was a split second of silence before Ami spoke again.
“Of course,” Ami said, with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “Nothing is free.”
Liz didn’t say anything in response, simply turned around and left Ami outside the Fun House.
“Don’t judge me Liz!” Ami shouted after her.
“I’m not,” Liz muttered to herself. “I’ve sold my body in more ways than one.”
Chapter 2
Liz walked into an alley, the Sanctuary had many of them and it was easy to get lost between the buildings, alleys and narrow streets. But Liz had had years learning this place from the inside out and even though the Bar was in the heart of all the alleys, she had no problem finding it. But as Liz made her way down the streets she noticed how few creatures were out, in fact, she hadn’t seen anyone except Ami. Which was strange, even if it was a full moon night. The moon wouldn’t rise for another couple of hours and creatures should still be everywhere. How much had actually changed?
When Liz finally came to the Bar she stopped in her tracks, what she saw actually shocked her. The Bar, which had stood there for years, was now nothing more than ashes on the ground. It had burnt down entirely and by the looks of it, it had happened some time ago.
Liz looked closely at her surroundings, if she hadn’t been so sure this was the place, she would have thought she’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. Liz was hit with a sudden and overwhelming feeling that everyone else was gone, that she was the only one left in here. But she reminded herself she’d just met Ami and she would have told her if anything of that magnitude had happened. But where were they all? And what had happened to the Bar?
