Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

AUTHOR’S NOTE
     
     
    The USS Battleship North Carolina
     
    The USS Battleship North Carolina is located in Wilmington, North Carolina. Although the character in the story, Samuel Atkins, is fictional, The North Carolina Battleship that is described in Mr. Atkins’s story is very much real.
    In October of 1937, the keel was laid for the USS North Carolina. This is the beginning process for building a ship, primarily the large beam that runs from the bow (front of ship) to the aft (back of the ship). At that time, the USS North Carolina (BB55) was the first battleship to be built in sixteen years. She became the first of ten fast battleships to join the US Navy Fleet in WWII.
    Commissioned on April 9, 1941, she was considered the greatest sea weapon for that time period. She sported nine 16-inch/45-caliber guns in three turrets and twenty 5-inch/38-caliber guns in ten twin mounts.
    The ship during wartime had 144 commissioned officers, and 2,195 enlisted men. This included about 100 marines.
    Although the Japanese announced six different times that they had sunk the mighty American ship USS North Carolina, they never did. She survived many close calls and near misses.
    One such close call came on September 15, 1942, when a Japanese torpedo slammed into the Battleship’s hull. A quick response from crewmembers allowed the mighty ship to stay afloat and limp back to Pearl Harbor for repairs.
    By the end of WWII, only ten men had lost their lives on this mighty sea vessel. Sixty-seven men were wounded. She earned fifteen battle stars for her work and bravery in the war.
    She had been decommissioned for several years and was doomed to be sold off as scrap when the citizens of North Carolina rallied to keep her from this impending doom, campaigning to bring her home where she belonged. She was dedicated as the State’s memorial to its WWII veterans on April 29, 1962.
    I invite anyone who has the opportunity to visit Wilmington, North Carolina, to stop in and tour the grand old lady. You can tour the ship and get a true feel of how our sailors lived their everyday lives while on that ship. Although diaries were not allowed on this ship during wartime, many sailors kept them well hidden. Today, as you walk the ship, excerpts out of these diaries are displayed for your reading enjoyment. Read how some didn’t care for the food, how some coped with the everyday stress of being aboard a ship, how they slept when it was so hot inside, and much more! You will truly walk away with much more respect and admiration for our Navy men and women.

VAMPIRES AMONG US
    Vampires Among Us 1
     
    ALICE BROWN
    Copyright © 2013
     
     
     
     
     
Prologue
     
    Fresno, CA
     
    Erica rushed home from the grocery store. It had felt good to browse up and down the aisles, to sniff and pick out a few precious pieces of fruit and a loaf of bread while she daydreamed of having the means to buy all kinds of goodies. Now she was late arriving home, a fact that would probably ruin her otherwise good evening.
    As she pulled her little car into the driveway, she spotted her husband’s car and knew trouble was upon her. She could only hope that he hadn’t been out drinking prior to coming home. His temper was always worse when he was drinking. She was late coming home, and to disobey his mandates was not tolerated. Goose bumps snaked up her arm as she turned the ignition off. She took a deep breath to steady herself. There was little sense in wasting any more time. It would only serve to make his temper worse.
    She hurried out of her car, grabbing the bag of groceries before hurrying into the house. He met her at the door, anger pouring off of him in waves.
    “Where have you been?” he bellowed in her face the second the door closed behind her. The stench of alcohol on his breath was heavy.
    She felt herself start to shake as she meekly cast her eyes downward. “I’m sorry, I know I’m late. I have no excuse.”
    The grocery bag was torn from her arms and thrown across the room as a tiny whimper left her lips. He snatched a handful of hair and dropped her to her knees.
    “Please, I–I’m sorry. It w–won’t happen again,” she pleaded in a tormented whisper.
    “You’re damn right it won’t happen again. When I give you a time limit, I expect it to be obeyed!” He glared down at her, before gently caressing her cheek, then grabbing it roughly and jerking her head upwards to meet his eyes, before calmly stating, “I can see you need