SHELTER FROM THE NIGHTTGREAPER2007She stood on the side of the road. Torn, fadedblack dress and gloves, short hair blowing over herface, hiding her eyes. She seemed to come fromnowhere, she just appeared in my headlights, thumboutstretched. I was not one to pick up hitch hikers,but I couldn't live with myself if I left her there. She climbed into the car and thanked me. I toldher my name and she told me hers was Melissa. Inoticed as we drove on down the highway, whenever Ireached down to shift the car it felt like an icy coldbreeze oozing from her. We came across an exit and sheasked me to take it. I did so and followed the curbaround to a small town called Johnson Creek. Melissaasked me to turn right onto the main road and followit to the second light. During this trip she sat intotal silence. That is, until we reached the secondlight, then she started to cry. Not a bored out screamfest, but a soft whimper. I turned to ask her what waswrong and realized she was no longer sitting next tome. Her whimper was there, plain as day, but I waslooking at an empty seat. Adrenaline rushed through myveins along with the cold chill of fear. I pulled tothe side of the road, trying to get my bearings back.I looked around at my surroundings: a grocery storeacross the street, a few houses, and a chapel on thecorner. I had pulled up next to a hotel, the vacancysign winking at me in the darkness. A hot shower andsome shut eye sounded like the perfect cure for frayednerves, so I drove on into the empty parking lot andwent inside.The hotel was massive. Hardwood floors with hugerugs tossed across them, High ceilings draped withchandeliers, the lobby was decorated with leatherfurniture, and glass end tables. It was like somethingout of a Victorian novel, and it looked way out of myprice range. I started back towards the door when avoice stopped me."Welcome to the Roadside Inn. May I help you?"The man looked to be a hundred and fifty, skin drapedtight against his skull. There was something coldabout his smile."Hi, I was just leaving. I didn't realize howhigh class this place is. It looked different on theoutside.""No reason to leave. Don't let the extravagancefool you. We are very affordable. In fact, some stayso long, they never leave." Again with the cold smile.I walked over to him at the front desk and the smilewidened. He took a huge book out from behind the deskand dropped it on the counter top. It landed with athud that echoed through the whole lobby."Sign here please," he said, handing me a pen. Ifelt an odd chill as I scribbled my name in the book.The old man watched me with an insane look on hisface. When I was finished he yanked the book away fromme."Good. I'll have my night bellhop show you toyour room." He dropped his decomposed hand on a bell."Melissa!!" A young lady stepped out of the shadows, her eyeshidden under short brown hair. I nearly collapsed whenI saw her again. My mouth was wide opened. I knew Ilooked like an idiot, but I couldn't stop staring."Any luggage sir?" She asked in that same sweetvoice. I could feel that cold air coming off heragain."How did you get here? You never got out of thecar, but you were gone." I was stammering horribly.She smiled slightly."Sir, you are starting to creep me out," shereplied, pointing down a darkened hallway. "This waysir."I followed her, babbling on about herdisappearing from my car in the middle of the nightand she kept assuring me she had been working allnight. She offered to bring her time card by my roomto prove it to me. Hearing this, I realized howfoolish I was being and I apologized to her. We walkedthe rest of the way in silence. I thought I could hearvoices, soft ones saying welcome. Melissa didn't seemto notice and I wasn't about to bring it up out offear she would have me committed. She took me to thelast door on the right, room 302. She handed me thekey and walked away, not saying a word. Not that Icould blame her. I was acting like a mad man. The room was as amazing as the rest of the hotel.Massive bed, with a closet off the left side of thefoot and a bathroom with shower on the right. I tookfull advantage of the shower before turning off thelights and climbing into bed. It didn't take longbefore I was asleep. Strange images filled my mind. A young coupledancing in the courtyard of the hotel, both of thembadly decomposed and well past death. That imagechanged to another room, in the hotel but not like myown. A man was being stabbed repeatedly by severalothers. It was like a party. They people were dressedup nicely, drink in one hand and dagger in the other.Both men and women. My mind's eye moved from guest toguest, as if I were a witness to the party. I didn'trecognize any of the murderers, but I could neverforget the two in the doorway: The old man andMelissa. My attention switched back to the victim ofthis massacre, and I realized it was me that was beingimpaled.I sat up in bed, cold sweat pouring from my body.I could hear something, and as my mind caught up withthe rest of me I realized the water was running in mybathroom. I could see the light on under the door, anda shadow dancing in the light. Someone was in my room.I unplugged the bed side lamp and carried it with meas I crept to the bathroom door. I took a deep breath,then yanked the door open. There was no one there. Thewater and light were both off. I turned the light backon and checked the sink. It was dry. I looked atmyself in the mirror and noticed something in thereflection. Melissa was standing behind me. I turnedaround and she was gone. I had enough of this place,it was time to leave.As I stepped into the hallway, I could hear thevoices again. This time they weren't whispers, butcheers and shouts of excitement. I remember the frontdoor being a straight shot down the other end of thehall, so I broke into a full run. Someone shushed thevoices to silence before saying: "He's in thehallway."Doors on both sides of me flung open all the waydown the hallway. People in party dresses and tuxedosfilled the doorways, daggers in hand. They watched merun past, all of them wearing the same look as the oldman at the front desk. The young couple from my dreamwere sitting in the lobby as I entered it. Theypointed to the door and shouted:"GO NOW!" The old manappeared in front of me, blocking my only way out."Relax," he said in a soothing voice that didn'tmatch his expression. "You are a welcome guest. Youcan sign out whenever you want. We are always happy toreceive others. But once you sign out, you can NEVERLEAVE!"I felt something sharp ram my back. I turned tosee Melissa holding a knife with blood dripping fromit. Instinct took over."Bitch!" I shouted as I slammed my fist into herjaw. She stood there and smiled, totally unfazed bythe blow. I could see the party-ers filling the roombehind her. In desperation, I turned to punch the oldman, but he wasn't there. Without hesitation I ranthrough the glass door, not bothering to open itfirst. I was bleeding profusely, leaving a dark redtrail behind me as I staggered to my car. I climbedin, fumbling for the keys. The broken doorway wasfilled with guests, all watching me, probably waitingto see if I keel over. The car came to life with thefirst turn of the key. I fought the clutch until Ifound the right gear and took off towards the road. AsI pulled out of the lot the pain that was shootingthrough my body suddenly stopped. I looked down at mytattered, blood soaked clothes and couldn't see asmear of blood on them. I looked in the rear-viewmirror at the hotel and stopped dead in the street. Ihad to get out to see this for myself.The hotel looked condemned. The windows wereboarded up, the broken glass door was replaced withplywood. Curiosity getting the best of me I pulledback into the parking lot and drove up to the door.The sun was just beginning to creep up on the horizon,giving the place a pale image. I took the flashlightfrom my glove box and went inside.The lobby that earlier looked majestic was now inruin. Dust and chipped paint was everywhere. The guestbook sat on the counter top among cobwebs and crackedwood. I opened the book to the last page and stared indisbelief at my signature. I felt a familiar coldchill and decided it was time to leave.Melissa was hitchhiking along side the road as Ipulled out of town. I honked and waved and kept on driving.

MY EXECUTIONTGREAPER2007Around me the storm clouds gather.My dread grows as the headsman's axefalls against my neck.It severs me and my blood dripsto the falling despairing leaves.In a haze of shockI fall limply while death's shadowtakes my unwilling hand.Alone, my cascade of tearsfall upon blind eyes.This is my salvation.

My newest book, drippings from the pen of the reaper is up for preorder from barnes and noble.com, amazon.com, and ingrams. It will be available for sale at local bookstores friday.

This is a portrait I did for a friend of her brother and his future wife. She gave it to them at the bridal shower yesterday. Today I find out if they liked it.

this is a portrait drawing I did for a good friend of mine. It's of his youngest son. Joe has been my friend for a long time and I would do anything in the world for him.

this is the third of the series. I need to draw more of these, they may not be portraits, but they are fun to draw

Here is the next in my series the kung fu woman. these are drawn in pencil, then india ink. I have another that I will be posting soon

My kung fu warrior. I was inspired to draw this after looking through a phamplet of tee shirt designs. He was a lot of fun to draw and I will be posting more here shortly