Dreadful Skin
* * * * * Jack Gabert went to India to serve his Queen. He returned to London a violently changed man, infected with an unnatural sickness that altered his body and warped his mind. Eileen Callaghan left an Irish convent with a revolver and a secret. She knows everything and nothing about Jack's curse, but she cannot rest until he's caught. His soul cannot be saved. It can only be returned to God. In the years following the American Civil War, the nun and unnatural creature stalk one another across the United States. Their dangerous game of cat and mouse leads them along great rivers, across dusty plains, and into the no man's land of the unmarked western territories. Here are three tales of the hunt. Reader, take this volume and follow these tormented souls. Learn what you can from their struggle—against each other, against God, and against themselves. Cover Art by Mark Geyer |
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This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. First printing, November 2007 Subterranean Press Printed in the United States of America |
ISBN-13: 978-1-59606-080-7
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Dreadful Skin is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, the Seventh Day Adventist minister H. A. Swinson. He probably wouldn't have read this—but he might have been tickled by the idea of it.I need to thank a few people, without whom Dreadful Skin would have never happened—or at least, it never would have been any fun. First and foremost, thanks to Bill Schafer, who likes to take chances on strange things. He has spoiled me with his friendliness, wit, and professionalism. I know I'm not alone when I thank my lucky stars for his enthusiastic support for projects like this one. Likewise, thanks to my husband Aric, who paid the bills so I could stay home and write about werewolves; and thanks to the staff at the Aurafice coffee shop in Seattle, Washing-ton—for letting me camp there daily, taking up space in their fine establishment while purchasing precious little. * * *
And extra special "thanks so much for being a good sport" accolades go to Dr. Eileen Meagher, rhetoric professor at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga—for giving me permission to get a little silly. The Eileen found in these pages is only a faint caricature, but my former teacher's open-mindedness, cleverness, good humor, and uncanny patience did much to inform the heroine of these little stories. May she read this with a smile, and not a groan of embarrassment. |
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I ducked into a niche between a cabin and the pilot house and hiked my skirt up enough to reach down into my garter holster. I've heard it said that God made all men, but Samuel Colt made all men equal. 