Jacob M. Drake - Pumpkin Jack Skull and Other Tales of Terror

PUMPKIN JACK SKULL

And Other Tales of Terror

by

Jacob M. Drake

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Copyright 2010 by Jacob M. Drake

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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FORWARD

The various stories contained within this book were written over the past couple of years. The title story concept, that of Pumpkin Jack Skull, was something I came up with around Halloween of 2008 and decided to write just to see where it took me; after all, stories have a way of writing themselves, going where they want to go, not where the author thinks he wants them to. I wrote the first story and was pleased with what I came up with in the form of Jack-O-Lantern. Then later I realized I had another story to go along with this one inside of me and along came Pumpkin. Still later I realized that there was one final story in this vein that was needed in order to tie it all together and Jack Skull was born as the main protagonist who started this entire tale of jack-o-lanterns that went in search of worthy prey. I hope that when you get to Jack Skull you don't assign his lack of social skills and his aptitude for dismembering people to this author. I have never so much as removed the wings of a fly - living or dead. Jack Skull is in another realm all of his own. He is not me. He really isn't. Seriously, ok?

The other stories were an assortment of ideas I had along the way and had to put down in words in order to get to sleep at night. Of course the trauma inflicted upon Benjy in Witch Spawn wasn't of my doing, either. That story insisted on being written that way. Seriously. I had no intention of inflicting such horror upon a small child as that, especially where it came to dealing with his own mother. Sheesh. There's an entire book in each of these stories once I get around to writing them as such, and the Pumpkin Jack Skull trilogy just has to be made into a movie one day. Anyone know of a movie producer looking for his next great horror film? Hmmm?

I hope everyone who reads these stories enjoys them as much as I had writing them. Please feel free to contact me at any time by e-mailing this author at: eternal.naturist2@gmail.com. Although I am busy with writing more stories every day as the plots and characters appear within my over-active imagination, I do attempt to read and respond to all e-mail I receive in a timely manner.

Thanks to my wonderful and beautiful wife Nancy, who puts up with me as I write my stories and agonize over how to make each one the best I am able, and listens to me verbalize the plots and details of my stories even though she has absolutely no interest in them at all. Isn't that what spouses are for?

I would like to thank Mark Coker for providing his work on how to get finished stories published to Smashwords. Without his insightful assistance I never would have been able to place the many stories I have written the past few years onto the internet where they could be read by all those who have taken to reading e-books. Thanks, Mark.

Thanks also to Sean Harper, a good friend who suggested I try out Picasa 3 as a means of designing and formatting the covers for my books. Without Sean's insightful suggestion I might still be tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to make my covers correctly so they would work at Smashwords.

Lastly, I want to thank those people who read my stories and gave me insight to what might need to be changed to make the stories better. You know who you are.

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Tales in this collection:

JACK-O-LANTERN

When teenage Will Duncan is placed on restriction by his parents and forced to remain home on Halloween while they go to a costume party he discovers there is more than trick-or-treaters who come to his door.

BECOMING DRACA

Nic Draca has always been an average youth with an exotic name, all the way into his early twenties. Then he wakes up lying in a puddle behind a bar and discovers a tattoo across his face he never had before. How the tattoo got there and what the meaning of it is begins Nic on a new life that shows him the real meaning of being part of the Draca lineage.

POWER EVOLUTION

If you had the opportunity to become imbued with powers beyond the scope of mortal man, wouldn't you take that opportunity? What then if you realized there was no one compatible to you who you could share your life with? Robby Burns discovers his greatest gift has become his biggest curse, and possibly for that of all mankind as well.

PUMPKIN

Paul Walker takes his small son Danny out searching for the right pumpkin to be carved into a Halloween jack-o-lantern. He never expected to unleash an incarnation of evil that would end his life - and set loose a terror that would encompass the entire world.

WITCH SPAWN

Seven year-old Benjy lives in daily fear - of his mother, whom he believes must be a witch. One day he realizes he simply can't take the constant beating any longer. That's when he discovers that the supernatural power inherent within his mother is his to control as well.

TO KILL THE JABBERWOCKY

Detectives Bud Lorimer and James Credo are assigned to a murder case that leads them into the cyber-world of online role playing games. The question they have to ask themselves, however, is how can what happens in a RPG possibly affect the outcome of life and death in the real world?

JACK SKULL

**** WARNING **** The following story contains scenes of highly graphic torture and mutilation. Not recommended for the squeamish.

Jack "Skull" Schuyler has spent his adult life as an enforcer for the local crime syndicate. He gets all the jobs no one else has the stomach for - except him. Then the day arrives when the syndicate he works for decides their enforcer is a liability and Jack Skull finds himself under the death sentence he has placed so many others under.

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PUMPKIN JACK SKULL

And Other Tales of Terror

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JACK-O-LANTERN

Copyright 2008 Jacob M. Drake

Can you believe its Halloween and theres nothing on TV? Will Duncan clicked the power button on the remote. The TV blinked to black. He threw the remote across the room, where it barely missed landing on the sofa. The small television control bounced off the edge of the cushion, landing on the carpet.

Will knew if his dad ever saw him doing that hed be grounded for at least a week. Tonight he didnt care. Tonight was his night to have fun, but his parents had restricted him to staying inside the house. All because hed been caught cheating on a Science test.

A Science test! Who doesnt cheat on Science tests? Its one of those subjects that almost nobody knows enough about. Not that anybody wants to know about Science, Will reasoned in his mind. It was a worthless subject to him.

But because hed been caught, he was now sitting at home, handing out candy to those snot-nosed-little-shits that kept coming around, ringing the damned doorbell and shouting, Trick-or-treat!

And where were his parents? They were out at a Halloween party at a friends house. Thats where. They were enjoying themselves like little kids while he was stuck here at home! It wasnt fair! They were the parents. He was the kid! Not a little kid, either. A thirteen year-old in middle school. The perfect age for Halloween, 'cause it was the number that scared everyone with their superstitious beliefs.