Allen Dusk

I wander lost through the desert mirage of her eyes. My throat so parched words no longer come forth. Light gleams from her eyes, their brightness more intense than the midday sun. My flesh boils wherever her gaze sets focus. Evil spirits peer through from doorways, though the light green shades painted upon her eyelids ward their shadows away.

Her face hovers close enough that every warm breath she expels caresses my cheek. Her lips glisten with each passing circle of her tongue. Scenarios of her mouth descending upon my most intimate regions consume all my cognition.

If only I could tell her how she infatuates me, she would certainly swoon into my arms. She would be bestowed with all the privileges of a queen. Temples would be raised in her honor, where priests would kneel in worship of her elegance. Servants would tend to her every whim and I would privately cater to her every intimate desire.

If only I could tell her how much I loved her.

If only I were not dead.

Rudy's rising voice distracts my captivation. In he walks wearing his usual blue jacket, and a badge bearing his likeness. For an instant I envision him as he was five years ago; hair more red than silver, a strong stance with good posture. That was before his wife died, before devotion to his job became the sole remnant sustaining his life. His gray hair appears a little thinner today, his pants a tad tighter.

"Gather around everybody. I want to tell you about one of our proudest guests here at the Arkham Natural History Museum." He gathers his flock with an exaggerated wave. "The mummy in the case before us is none other than the great Pharaoh Snowfrue. His body and the treasures you see in this room were all discovered inside a secret tomb below the Red Pyramid in Giza. Even after years of study we still have much to learn about the time when he ruled Egypt."

If I still had eyes in my sockets I would have rolled them. Snowfrue, really? My name is Sneferu. Is that so difficult to pronounce? I ruled my land for over 50 years, and that tablet over there clearly states that I built far more than the Red Pyramid. Just look at it, you illiterate.

Peeking from behind his mother's thigh, a curly-haired brat sticks his tongue out at me. How dare he disrespect my majesty with such a disgusting gesture! At one time I would have had both him and his parents lashed with reeds for such blasphemy. In my current state I am powerless to do anything but stare. If only I were able to wave a single finger at him, and send him screaming down the hall.

"Let me introduce you to one of our conservators here at the museum." Rudy points his wiry finger at the object of my desire. "This is Lillian and she, well…do you have a moment to speak with the tour group about what you do, or are you busy right now?"

She turns from me, her dark hair caressing my skin, her perfume haunting my desire. A smile lifts her lightly freckled cheeks. "Sure thing, Rudy. You know I always have time for you."

Curiosity focuses their eyes upon her. Jealously smolders within my bandaged chest. My crooked neck, compressed from decay, leaves me no option to trail her. Rather I must gawk across the hall where ceramic jars filled with my organs are on display. The withered husk of my liver clings to the sides of a jar which has been cleanly cut in half for all to see.

"Hello Everybody! My name is Lillian Howell, and I'm the principal conservator for the Grand Hall of Pharaohs exhibit here at the Arkham Museum. Basically I'm responsible for restoring and preserving all of the over two hundred artifacts we have on display. Right now, as you can see, I'm repairing a few wrapping on this mummy. He's over 4,000 years old, so he's very fragile."

Every set of eyeballs glides my way, and every second of this public spectacle humiliates me for its own eternity. The objects gripped in their hands blind me with flashes of bright light.

"Does anybody have any questions?" Lillian turns an ear their way.

"What do you use to preserve the mummy?" A broad woman with no neck barks from her flowered tunic. "I mean, aren't they already preserved?"

"That's a great question, thank you. Primarily I use paper made from Japanese mulberry trees and a special paste to reinforce weak spots. Sometimes I also use papier-mâché and color it to match. Even though we keep him inside a glass case, for some reason dust still slips past the seal, so from time to time I need to carefully brush away the build-up. Any other questions?"

"Do you know how the mummy died?" The red-headed child steps forwarded, his pudgy jaw hanging in awe.

"We don't know exactly, but medical researchers from Miskatonic University performed a number of tests on his body, which show that he may have been poisoned."

My soul cringes again, even though I have heard the story recounted hundreds of times during my tenure on display. My sweet Lillian recounts the words of fools which are nothing more than a plague of inaccuracies.

So, how did I actually die? How did I come to find myself on exhibit in a foreign land? Step closer, you pack of commoners, so Pharaoh may whisper the truth from his withered lips.

---

Wrapping and Rapture
by Allen Dusk

"Wrappings and Rapture" was Allen's contribution to an "invite only" H. P. Lovecraft themed anthology that expressly focused on mummies. In addition to this story, there are 29 other amazing tales of mummies and mummification in Canopic Jars.

Here is the official blurb from the publisher:

“From a filmmaker’s perspective, these stories are truly cinematic, with compelling plots and well-drawn characters … It’s anthologies like these that will inspire a new generation of storytellers and keep the current ones working overtime to move and entertain.”

Grab your copy today!
Wrappings and Rapture is available in
Canopic Jars: Tales of Mummies and Mummification

Horror comes in all shapes and sizes, most of all, it comes when you least expect it. Painting fear across one's heart comes with a carefully mastered palette of atmosphere, panic, and surprise. When Rose Caraway invited me to write something for her monstrous project, it honored and (surprisingly) frightened me all at once. I've been toiling away on my novella The Girl Alone for the past 2 years now, letting life's daunting tasks distract me from writing The End. I paced the house wanting nothing more than to return to my email so I could decline the offer. I wrote the email and nearly hit send...but then I didn't. Instead, I grabbed my notepad and started brainstorming.

Libidinous Zombie is an erotic horror anthology featuring today's rockstars of erotica: Rose Caraway, Jade A. Waters, Raziel Moore, Janine Ashbless, Remittance Girl, Malin James, Tamsin Flowers, and myself, Allen Dusk. When I initially gazed upon the names listed upon the invitation I took a step back. I don't think I'm worthy to headline among such explicit royalty. The challenge of crafting a story that was meant to lie between the covers with these sexy writers disturbed me deeply.

Fucking thee Remittance Girl? Are you kidding me? I'm going to be included in an anthology with her level of writing talent? For me that honor is as great as having the privilege to sip Earl Grey with Clive Barker, or slap dicks with Barack Obama.

It seems every time I publish a new story, there is always a comment from somebody waiting for a sequel to my horror novel Shady Palms. I'm not certain if a direct sequel to the book will ever come about, but I've wanted to spin off some of the minor characters into their own stories. It didn't take me long to choose the one character I always wanted to spend more time with, Juanita, the one-armed housekeeper who only graced a few chapters of the novel.

The challenge to writing both a spin-off, and a story about a one-armed woman, was to never focus on either of those facts so much that it would detract unfamiliar readers from the story. There are allusions to her past, and her future, and mention of her arm here and there. The prosthetic and the challenges that come with it are an everyday part of her life, so I felt some of its use and origin required further exploration. I didn't want to write an outright amputee fetish story, because the limb is a part of her, and her character needed to reflect this.

The most daunting part of the Libidinous Zombie project for myself was meeting the word count requirement. This was in part because  I originally layered the story with folklore and history of an old seaside inn, and when it came down to it, I had to cut 90% of it out. My original concept for the story was more of an awkward girl meets boy plot line - however the more I looked at my story arc and the word count, I needed to cut to the chase and land readers in the midst of a secret affair. It took me three attempts with different approaches before I settled on the final narrative, and even after that, Rose made some final suggestions for trimming the fat. In the end, I'm pleased with the effort I have put forth for inclusion in the Libidinous Zombie project, and I hope readers will enjoy lapping up the trail of blood and jism I've slopped around in my wake.

It's been an honor to be apart of this project, and I look forward to curling up with you in the shadows.

Libidinous Zombie: an erotic horror collection is now available on Amazon.