Literally Dead Book Club Novels & Stories

“Never judge a book by its cover. Having a coworker like her is seriously the biggest stain on my life.” I ignored everyone’s mocking comments and simply smiled as I escorted Elijah and his group out. After everything I went through in my previous life, words like these meant nothing to me anymore.

"It was our favoritism toward her that nurtured her greed and ambition. We enabled her. That's why she dared to do all this to you." "Jocelyn… are you scared down there? Mom and Dad will come to you soon, okay? From now on, we'll take good care of you… protect you…" Then, without hesitation, they pulled out surgical knives and stabbed themselves. Even I, drifting in the air, was startled. I hadn't expected such a decisive ending. Soon after, their bodies were discovered by patrolling nurses. Joel did not honor their will to be buried with me. Instead, he cremated them and scattered their ashes into the sea.

"Section 7, subsection Gamma. 'Mortality and its Discontents.' But be warned, it's not pleasant reading." “And—don’t touch anything that moves” “Got it.” I nodded my thanks and turned, leaving the ancient librarian to her dusty domain. As I walked into the shadowed stacks, I felt a grim sense of purpose settle over me. The air in Section 7, subsection Gamma, was thick enough to chew. The books were old and most of the titles were archaic and dull—"The Lamentations of the Second-Born," "A Treatise on Bloodlines and Boredom." I was about to give up when my fingers brushed against something different.

Then he turned and walked out, vanishing from the camera. The screen went black. I stared in horror, feeling numb. My hands trembled violently. My father. My brother. They had been executed, like animals. Like they were nothing. I slammed the laptop shut with a strangled sob but stopped when a soft blinking light caught my eye. It was a message. I opened the screen again. My breath rose as I read it.

It's like something out of a horror movie. We walk down the empty streets, our footsteps echoing in the silence. It's like the whole place is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. I feel a chill run down my spine as we pass a building with a sign that reads, "The Last Chance Saloon." It's a small, run-down bar with boarded-up windows and a shattered door hanging off its hinges. The smell of smoke lingers in the air, and I freeze. "You smell that?" "Yeah." Alec's fangs pop out—the first time I've seen it happen—and I actually jerk back. "Someone had a fire going here."

There will be scenes of BDSM dynamic between our Male Lead and Female Lead, so if you aren't into kink or it makes you uncomfortable, please do not read any further. I hope that you enjoy Alpha of the Dead. --Sydney

Another XY chromosome in attendance was a young lad that looked like he'd been forced to be here. Three men among six women, discussing an erotica book. At the risk of sounding like Sawyer, this really did look like one of those cults that adjourned with an orgy. "Shall we start?" My god mother broke the tension almost as if she could read my thoughts aloud. "I'm just going to start by thanking Zade Cutler for showing up to our book club. I didn't know a man of your...ehm..caliber was interested in books" I smiled. A smile that had the Smith women swooning and had Claire rolling her eyes with disinterest.

Like someone had started carving something beautiful and then walked away. “Where are we going?” I asked. He gave nothing. Men like him probably didn’t waste words on their victims. Too busy murdering families and ruining perfectly good evenings. Or maybe he had a speech problem. I squinted my eyes at him as I tried to imagine him having difficulty with words. “I have book club tomorrow. We’re doing Pride and Prejudice. I’m supposed to bring scones. I would really like not to miss it.” Still zero reaction. Not even a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Courtney stared at me in disbelief and exclaimed, "Nana, what are you doing? What's the meaning of this?" I did not respond, but I caught the flash of satisfaction in Jessica's eyes. Meanwhile, Nathan's expression changed drastically as he saw Jessica's face turning pale, and he immediately pulled me away. "What the hell is wrong with you, Luna?" he shouted angrily. Jessica coughed weakly. She was finally able to breathe. "Nana... I-I don't know what you're talking about. I know you've always resented me because of my closeness with Nathan, but what does Joe's disappearance have to do with me?"

I sit behind his desk and think over all that has happened. I have so many questions. They found a dead body inside the club just before the firefighters went in to put out the fire. A woman was killed in the stampede leaving the building. Can you imagine? Then there was the fire. I don't know anything about how it started or who started it. It had to be arson. Couple that with the lights going out, and the doors being sabotaged...god, the ominous feeling I had this morning was spot on.