Title: Not So Dead
Series: The Dead Series
Author: Isaiyan Morrison
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, YA
Release Date: 21st January 2020
BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
All Faye wants is another chance at being normal: hanging out with friends, playing video games, reading the latest Manga… As a wraith, her craving for a normal existence seems forever out of reach. When she makes the move to the small town of Hueman, Texas with her not-so dead nomadic family, she prays this fresh start will be the one that sticks.
All Faye wants is another chance at being normal: hanging out with friends, playing video games, reading the latest Manga… As a wraith, her craving for a normal existence seems forever out of reach. When she makes the move to the small town of Hueman, Texas with her not-so dead nomadic family, she prays this fresh start will be the one that sticks.
Until… one of her kind is murdered by a mysterious man in a black mask.
With only Carter, an unlucky human witness, by her side, Faye must find a way
to prevent the body count from rising and protect her family’s secret identity.
As the man in the black mask lurks in the shadows waiting to strike again,
her choice becomes a matter of life and death.
In the face of true evil, being normal is overrated.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isaiyan Morrison was born and raised in Minneapolis, but her heart is in
the impressive magical worlds she dreams up. She hopes to share her love for
world-building with her readers and help guide them through the extraordinary
settings she creates.
Her other passions include reading, and researching historical events. She also
enjoys gardening, gaming, and spending quality time with her three
cherished cats and beloved pitbull.
Be sure to sign up for her Newsletter to be notified
of Isaiyan's newest releases!
of Isaiyan's newest releases!
AUTHOR LINKS
EXCERPT
Carter’s mind
told him the house was abandoned, but his body gave off a different feeling,
one of not being alone. He grabbed the doorknob as a tightness swelled his
throat, like it did before when Dusk had threatened him in his apartment.
One. Two.
Three.
He twisted the
knob and opened the door. “Hello?” he called.
No answer.
A sense of
relief washed over him, but it was accompanied by genuine disappointment. He
walked in and stopped just inside the living room. Streaks of paint in various
colors decorated each surface of the walls. The décor was somewhat old, and
every piece of furniture, down to the recliner, looked as if it’d seen better
days. Near a small entryway to the right, he saw a reading table and
bookshelves stocked with reading material.
The home was
not abandoned.
Maybe the
painter who bought the place never left, he thought to himself. Maybe he stuck around because of what
had happened. Or maybe he had left, and squatters had made it their home.
Like an
investigator, he took out his phone to take pictures. He walked to the back
kitchen, finding it creepier than the living room. He circled back and snapped
more shots but then realized there wasn’t dust on any of the flat surfaces.
They were spotless. Some even shined among the dark interior.
It was obvious
someone still lived there. When a flash of light broke through the front
window, he crouched low in a mix of excitement, fear, and vindication. The
vehicle parked and turned off, plunging the inside of the house back into
darkness. With his heart pounding, he crawled toward the kitchen. There was a
back door, so he thought maybe he could sneak out without being seen.
When he reached
the door, he heard footsteps on the front porch followed by a mix of voices. He
slowly turned the knob and pushed it open when a male voice spoke out.
“I thought I
smelled food.”
Carter froze.
He’d heard the voice before, but he didn’t look back. Instead, he jumped to his
feet and rushed out through the back.
He followed the
stone path which led through a row of garden beds and to a back fence. He
braced himself to take the leap over it when he felt a small hand on his
shoulder yank him backward.
He landed hard
on the paved stones and felt a sharp pain throughout his back. A woman with
ink-black hair stood over him, her eyes fire-brick red. He heard the hard slow
clack of boots on stone pavement approach from the house.
“Told you I
smelled food, Salome.”
Although his
face was half shaded by a large black cowboy hat, Carter recognized Tristan
standing over him.
“Is this…”
Salome paused mid-question.
“Yep. This is
Faye’s little human nerd friend.”
She turned
confrontational. “What are you doing here?”
Carter
scampered to get away, but Tristan quickly wrapped his arm around his neck and
lifted him off the ground. “Oh, no you don’t.”
He struggled to
breathe.
“Wait for
Dusk,” Salome ordered.
“Why? He saw
your eyes. He knows about us. We kill him.”
“I said,” she
repeated, “wait for Dusk.”
Carter fought
to breathe as Salome’s eyes, now the color of smoky gray, canvassed him from
head to toe. She drummed the tip of her fingers on her lips. Unable to break
free, Carter opened his mouth and bit down on Tristan’s forearm. Tristan
grunted and immediately let him go, and Carter turned to face them with balled
fists.
Tristan laughed
so hard his voice became soundless. “Gotta give it to him. He’s determined to
not go down without a fight.”
“You’re the
ones who…” He pointed a shaky finger at them. “Who… who…”
“Who what?”
Salome asked in a calm voice.
“You’re the
ones who killed all those people ten years ago.” He heard the back door open,
and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Faye standing next to Dusk.
This was what
Dusk meant when he mentioned his family.
A fluttery
feeling in his belly had told him she wasn’t involved and that she wasn’t a
murderer like the rest of them, but there she was, watching him with curious
eyes as Tristan took hold of him again.
Dusk had already warned him to stay away, and
now, he was at their mercy.
“Carter?”
Faye’s mouth fell slightly open. “What’re you doing here?”
“I thought I
told you to stay away from my family.” Dusk stomped toward him.
“What?” Faye
questioned as she trailed behind him. “When?”
Dusk took
Carter by the throat. “Early this morning.”
“Let him go!”
She tried to push Dusk away, but he remained steadfast. “I said let him go.”
She slapped his forearm, and Dusk released him.
“Come on!”
Tristan whined. “We aren’t going to kill him?”
Faye stood in
front of Carter. “Don’t touch him!”
“Move, Faye,”
Tristan threatened with a curled upper lip.
“Tristan.”
Salome nudged him back with a gentle push. “No.”
“Why? Because
of Faye?”
“Yes, because
of Faye.”
Carter leaned
forward, trying to catch his breath, while Faye remained by his side. His
vision slowly returned in fuzzy flashes of light, just in time to see her round
face and concerned gaze.
“Are you all
right?” she asked. “Are you hurt?”
He coughed.
“Y-yeah.”
Standing
face-to-face with her family, he decided to create more distance between him
and them by taking a few steps back.
“You said we
killed people? Who?” Faye asked.
“All of them.”
Carter wiped his face. “Ten years ago, you killed them.”
“Ten years
ago?” Confused, Faye looked to Dusk for direction. “What is he talking about?”
“I don’t know,”
he answered. “We weren’t here ten years ago.”
“A wife and her
child were murdered in this house ten years ago,” Carter repeated, “by some
thing with red eyes.”
Their eyes set
on him, even Faye’s with a mixture of confusion. Even Tristan calmed his
overbearing stance.
“We weren’t
here,” Dusk said again. “We have nothing to do with those murders.”
“Right here, in
this house?” Salome pointed at their home. “Dusk, Essie didn’t tell us anything
about this.”
“Strike two for
Essie.” Tristan rolled his eyes slowly. “Do you still think she’s not a liar,
Dusk?”
Dusk folded his
arms in contemplation.
“Dusk is
correct in saying we weren’t here,” Salome said.
“But a wraith
was.” Faye looked at Carter. “Right?”
He nodded. “And
I think this wraith or something else like it also killed my parents.”
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