Isis: Night of the Vampires Chapter 1

*NOTE* I have Jury Duty next week so blogs will be delayed until it's over or Saturday whichever comes first. Until then sample the first chapter in next the book in the Isis series, Isis: Night of the Vampires! Covers are not final; pondering a Kickstarter to pay for them!  

Time Magazine calls him the man who rules the world. I call him the man who’s ruining my life.

 Ever since the board made John Haynes the CEO here at Morris Phillips, more and more of our kind are being replaced by his kind. If things keep going like this not a single creature of the night is going to have a job here.

Over the past year I’ve said goodbye to so many friends it’s not funny. Older demons are putting in their retirement papers and younger ones are taking jobs at other companies in the Lord’s organization. I’d love to join them. Unfortunately it’s hard for our kind to get jobs in the Legion let alone keep them. In the Lord’s order we’re usually the last hired and the first fired. If I lost this job, it could be years before I found one that paid this well and allowed me to work these kinds of hours.

The time on my Smartphone is 8:56 when I get off the elevator. Moonlight shines down through the picture windows of the top floor of the Morris Phillips Tower as I push my cart towards the reception area of the executive suite. When I approach the reception desk, Mr. Haynes’ administrative aide Samantha greets me with a smile. “Hey Sam, you’re working late.” I say.

“Well, Mr. Haynes had a long meeting Lilith.” Samantha replies.

“So I guess I should come back later-”

“Things looked like they were wrapping up for the day. Let me see if you can go in there.”

Samantha picks up the receiver and punches in an extension. “John, one of the maintenance people is here. Is it okay for them to pick up the trash?”

“Yeah, we’re about done for the day. You can send them in.”

“You can go in.”

I push my cart past the reception area and towards the tall mahogany doors of the executive suite. When I open the doors of the CEO’s office Mr. Haynes is standing in front of his desk having a conversation with his assistant E’steem. The husky golden brown skinned man dressed in a tailored pinstripe suit breaks from his conversation to smile at me. I’d love to give him a piece of my mind. But his girlfriend is one of the most powerful demons in the entire Legion. I get in her man’s face and I’ll go from undead to deceased in less time than it takes to blink.

I head over to the wastepaper basket near E’steem’s desk. While I’m taking the plastic bag out of the bin and replacing it with a new one I overhear their conversation.

“I guess we better head upstairs.” John says. “I don’t feel like taking that long train ride uptown at this hour.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I could even muster up the energy to teleport us home after the day we had.” E’steem replies.  “How long have we been up?”

“Since about five A.M.”

“Let’s just hope no other crises come up during the night. Because I’m probably going to sleep through most of it.”

If he only knew about the crisis among the creatures of the night here like myself. Many of us undead are worried about our job security around here. I bet if I told him about how he’s making our lives miserable he wouldn’t be sleeping so soundly.

 “That’s saying a lot for someone with your enhanced stamina-”

“I feel like I’ve run a marathon with all the going back and forth from the copy room to the conference room.”

“But at least we made some inroads on Morris Phillips’ holiday plans. What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”

I want to say something. Anything. Tell him about the issues of the working stiffs around here like myself. But my mouth remains shut. I look over at E’steem in her designer red dress and she looks more intimidating in person than she does online. Yeah, there’s all this talk on the Demons Anonymous Facebook Group about her crossing over to the other side. But knowing what a vicious killer she was in the past makes me afraid to say anything.

“Not much until the afternoon.” E’steem says brushing her long silken black hair out of her face to study the screen of her iPhone.  “Your schedule is pretty much open except for that meeting with the Craft Cheese execs at 1:30 tomorrow.”

Crap, he’s practically got a free day and I can’t capitalize on it. If sunlight wouldn’t turn me into a pile of ashes I’d ask him for an appointment to make a presentation. I know I could state my case now, but seeing E’steem standing right there scares the crap out of me. I know if I said anything about the issues of the undead she’d probably dismiss me. Compared to someone like her we’re second-class citizens in the Legion. 

“Then it’s a madhouse.”

“Yeah, after that meeting then we have to get ready for that Bachelor auction at the Roosevelt-”

“You have your paddle ready?”

“I’m always ready to spend my money for a good cause.”

“Since my morning is free, maybe we can take a trip up to my old neighborhood.”

E’steem’s face lights up “That sounds like fun.”

“Cool. There’s a place I’d love to show you that meant a lot to me as a kid.”

I frown on hearing their plans. They’re planning on having fun and I’m worrying about whether or not I’m going to have a job tomorrow. But if I say anything about my problems I may not remain alive. I huff a sigh as I head over to the wastepaper basket next to John’s desk. As I’m taking the garbage bag out of it and putting it into my bin, John grabs the phone on his desk and punches in an extension. “Hey Sam, you can get ready to go. Yeah, we’re done for the day.”

John hangs up the phone and peers down at me. When his dark eyes meet mine I get startled. “Are you finished Miss?” He inquires. 

Finished? I wish I could have gotten started. “Er…Yeah.” I mumble.

John and E’steem head out of the office suite. I follow behind them pushing my cart angry at myself for missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Isis: Night of the Vampires will be available on Kindle and in paperback Summer 2015!