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SAM - Demon Hunter By Steve StrangioThe first two "episodes" of my ebook entitled "SAM-Demon Hunter" are below. The completed ebook is 17-episodes and 65 pages. I'm currently shopping around for publishers interested in selling this concept This concept also exists as a 3-issue graphic novel mini-series. SAM-Demon Hunter is a mix of action/adventure, comedy, and horror. It's a fast-paced, satirical thrill ride of a story that never lets up! .  Artwork by Tim Toolen. Visit his company's website High Caliber Productions at www.serpentrose.com The ebook excerpts are below or Click the Red Button to read the script for Book One of the SAM-Demon Hunter graphic novel  SAM Demon Hunter CONCEPTA normal, everyday good Samaritan kind-of-guy named Sam is suddenly blasted with a white light from above, turning him into an avenging demon hunter. Guided by his recently deceased girlfriend, now turned guardian angel, Sam battles the forces of darkness, while just trying to make it through the day.MAIN CHARACTERSSam – A normal, everyday guy who genuinely cares for those around him. A selfless act is normal operating procedure for him. However, he’s well aware of when somebody is trying to take advantage of his kindness. That’s when the anger takes over and the darkness tries the break through. Hope – Sam’s girlfriend and the true love of his life …. who just happened to have died three years ago. She’s come back from beyond to guide him on his mission. Redemption from past transgressions will earn her advancement to the next level of being. Imp – Is he good? Is he evil? This shady character is Sam’s connection to the underworld and constant devil’s advocate. SUPPORTING CHARACTER Michele Anderson – Sam’s co-worker and potential love interest. She’s a compassionate woman in her mid-twenties who is seeking direction in her life. A secret passion may soon spin out of control. ANTAGONIST Thomas Simmons aka “Bad Tommy” – The personification of all things evil …. and a wickedly funny kind of guy. No remorse, no sympathy, no restraint. His handsome exterior masks his demonic persona. Here are a couple of sketches of Sam in his waiter's uniform and his "other uniform" as the Demon Hunter. Our first episode begins .....  EPISODE 1 SCENE I “Cindy’s Last Dance” “A nice night, some sweet death, this could be fun,” thought Bad Tommy, as he crouched down in the shadows, waiting for his next beautiful victim.
“Bad Tommy” was the obscene nickname given to him by the tabloids. It’s a name that he’s grown to like, in a demented sort of way. 33 victims within a 2-month span, a body count that sickened most people, but made this bad boy swell with pride in his accomplishment.
His next sweet casualty walked along the rain soaked street, scurrying home after a late night excursion. Her name was Cindy. Barely 21, or so she made many of the men believe. Men were just playthings to her. Her “little boys” would buy her drinks all night, trying to get into her skin-tight pants. “Don’t these idiots ever learn?” was her daily mantra. According to her, they should just buy the drinks and shut up. Men were such bastards these days. She just needed to get home tonight and wipe the stench off her body.
“Hey babydoll. What’s the rush?” Tommy stated as he emerged from the shadows.
Cindy was a bit shocked at first, and then sickened by the fact that she thought this dark figure was actually attractive. “Yeah, okay, you’re a hottie,” was all she could muster as a reply. “But I had enough for tonight. Buy me a drink at the club tomorrow night. Cool with you?”
A knife through the heart was Tommy’s only comeback. It sank deep into Cindy’s chest, as the life-blood seeped down her body and to the street below. She wondered why her life didn’t flash before her eyes, as she sank deeper into the void. “Wasn’t that supposed to happen?” was her last thought.
Bad Tommy held her in death’s embrace as Cindy passed on.
“Was it good for you?” were the last words she ever heard.
SCENE 2“Uncle Stevie’s” is the Place To Be!”Loving eyes watched Sam as he sped along the main floor of “Uncle Stevie’s.” The eyes belonged to a solitary figure that realized that now wasn’t the time to reveal herself. That time would present itself, but it had to be soon. As for now, she was just content just gazing upon Sam as he hurried through his shift.“Uncle Stevie’s” was “The Place for FUN for EVERYONE” and the hottest theme restaurant to come along in many years. Sam was this location’s main server and the one man everybody liked.Tonight was Saturday night and the (obviously) busiest night of the week. Party music blared over the sound system and the joint was jumping. Servers scurried about, delivering foodstuffs to hungry patrons. One specific server, Michele, was just about to lose it.“Help, help, help … HELP!!!” Michele screamed as the chaos of tonight’s mania descended upon her.“Got yer back, baby!” Sam replied as he came charging to the rescue. “Gimme those two plates, take these drinks, and I’ll follow you with a tray stand.”“Who’s the man!?” Michele shouted.“THAT WOULD BE ME!!!!” Sam replied triumphantly.Sam and Michele gathered together their trays and headed into the anarchy of this Saturday night’s shift. They weaved in and out of the scurrying throngs of customers (which “Uncle Stevie’s” management always refers to as “Guests”), and then arrived at a large table of salivating people clamoring for their fried meat-like substances.That task done, Sam and Michele realized that many more were ahead of them.Michele leaned over to Sam and gave him a peck on the cheek. “My knight in shining armor!”A sly smile crept from Sam’s face. He bowed to her. “Always a pleasure to help milady!” He grabs Michele’s arm and pulls her forward. “We are off to conquer anew!!”From her secret place, the solitary figure watches Sam and Michele laughing as they enter the kitchen. Is that jealousy she feels? Is it hate? She should be happy for Sam. These are emotions that will soon be dealt with.SCENE 3“After the Shift, It Begins.”It’s around 4 am as the battle-weary servers finish up their closing duties and begin counting their monetary rewards for this evening’s Hell-on-Earth shift.Sam and Michele are sitting together, gathering everything up. Michele is lounging on Sam’s shoulder, as he counts his money.“How’re you getting home tonight, baby?”“Y’know, if anybody else called me baby, I’d take it as an insult,” Michele replied, shifting her head on Sam’s shoulder.“I only call you that ‘cuz I love ya,” Sam teased.“Really? Love? There’s love here?”Sam tensed up for a bit. “Well, y’know, love in the generic sense.”“Oh, well, okay,” Michele stated. “That clears everything up. Don’t worry about me ‘Sammy baby,’ I got my ex-boyfriend’s car tonight. I’m taking that home.”“That’s just weird to me. If this guy is your ex-boyfriend, then why do you still keep him around?”Michele lifted her head off of Sam’s shoulder and rubbed her eyes. “I can’t really do any explaining tonight. My head feels like ripe sushi.”Sam gathers together his money, and gets up. “Is that a visual that I really want in my head?”Michele laughs. “You walking home again tonight?”“Yep.”“Please be careful.”“Always am. Don’t worry about me. I’m a strapping young Italian boy.”“Young?” Michele playfully teased.“Watch it little girl! I’m in damn good shape for a guy in his thirties.” Sam spins and heads for the office.Michele is checking him out. She shouts after him. “And the owner of a damn fine ass if I do say so!”Sam slaps his butt and points to Michele as he enters the office.Michele giggles to herself, then a sudden sense of melancholy flows through her. “That was a little too much flirting, Michele,” she exclaims to herself. “I gotta control that.Scene 4“A New Hope”(*Yep, you read that right.)“Did you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” was all Sam could think about as he walked down the still wet streets. Sam continued along the road, keeping alert.SMACK!!! Sam is suddenly knocked to the pavement and his belongings fly in all directions. He shakes his head as the flashes of light begin to clear up. Were those flashes caused by his recovery or were they actually occurring in the night?Sam’s vision clears as he begins to focus on three forms hovering over him. Before he knows it, Sam is lifted from the street and hurled into a tree, smashing into it with a sudden impact.The three forms approach Sam, as he now views them clearly. “Demons?” are all Sam can spout out from his confusion.Female Demons to be exact. Three hideous excuses for what used to apparently be three beautiful women creep closer to Sam, as he presses his back against the tree.“Hey ladies. Isn’t Halloween over? Sam queries. “What are you supposed to be? Charlie’s Angels from Hell?”Savage screams rip into the night sky as the three female demons begin their attack.Sam recoils and shouts, “DAMN! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!”At that very moment, a burst of white light burns into the night. Everyone spins to confront the ivory female form hovering above.Shocked at what is happening, Sam’s eyes widen. “It can’t be. No freakin’ way!”The angelic figure, the same woman who’s been watching over Sam the entire night replies. “Yeah, it’s me baby. Hope has arrived.”"Hope has arrived" ... but where does that leave Sam? Here are a few preliminary sketches of Hope and Imp. The saga continues ....  EPISODE 2“All Good Things…”
From the shadows, Bad Tommy and (the newly “demoned”) Cindy watch as Hope chases after Sam.
“Did you see that?” Bad Tommy asks. “Damn, that chick’s got some power. You could have that power if you really wanted it.”
“I’m disgusting. What did you do to me?” is all Cindy can say.
“Aw c’mon! I made you better. More powerful!”
“You made me like those three ugmoes who just got splattered into the pavement!”
Bad Tommy pulls Cindy close and caresses her hair. “Those women weren’t anything like you. You’re beautiful!”
“No!” cries Cindy. “You made me into some kind of demon-thing! I mean … who’s gonna want me now?!”
Bad Tommy waves his hand and dark energy swirls in an empty space in the sky. A mirror appears and he turns Cindy’s head towards it. Her demon-like appearance slowly transforms back to her beautiful, raven-haired form.
“What I see here is a beautiful woman who’s been taken advantage of by sick and twisted men,” Tommy states. “No, not men, little boys who don’t know how to appreciate you.”
“You’re a man.”
“I’m a little bit more than that, sweetness.”
“So, you appreciate me?”
“Of course I do. Wanna know how I can appreciate you more?” Tommy asks.
Cindy is intrigued. She continues to stare into the mirror as Bad Tommy stands behind her.
“I want you to get rid of that little boy named Sam who you just saw run away,” Tommy demands.
“Would that make you happy?” Cindy asks.
Bad Tommy spins her around and stares deeply into her eyes. “All that matters to me is if you will be happy. That guy over there represents the type of man you’ve hated all your life. I want to see you kill that sorry son of bitch. I want to see you regain the power you’ve lost. Do that for me? That’s all I ask.”
A sly smile comes across Cindy’s face. She leans into Tommy and they embrace.
“There’s my girl,” Bad Tommy says, not really paying attention to her as he checks himself out in the dark mirror.
SCENE 3Hope chases Sam down the street. Sam is doing his best to deny this whole night has ever happened.“YOU WERE DEAD!!! I SAW THE BODY!!”“Hey that’s great,” Hope states, trying to keep Sam’s mania down a peg. “How about you shout it a little louder so the deaf guy down the street can give a damn?”Sam steadies himself for a moment, shakes off whatever weird feeling happens to be residing in his body at the moment, and calms himself. “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I mean, why should I get all freaked out by the sight of the only woman I ever loved, who just so happened to have committed suicide in my bathtub, standing right in front of me?”“Long sentence there, cowboy. You wanna take a breath next time?” Hope was both amused and impressed by his statement. She was beginning to remember why she fell in love with this guy.Sam folds his arms and aims his gaze towards Hope. “ So, what now? You’re a guardian angel?”“Yup.”“Yup?” Sam is still stunned.“Do you like ‘Yep” better?”“A guardian angel?” Sam queries.“I’m no Della Reese, but hey, who is?” Hope was still amused, but she needed to get to the point real soon. “Sam, you’re about to be given a gift. You’ll possess the pure power needed to stop an evil that’s out of control.”Sam was still trying to wrap his brain around the recent events. A burst of white light, a dead girlfriend who still looked damned hot, and now he’s being told about a heavenly gift of pure power? “Yeah, uh, listen, it’s probably best if I give back that gift. Do you still have the receipt? Does God have a exchange policy?”Hope’s rage takes over. “DAMMIT SAM! YOU’VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR A MISSION! I’M HERE TO GUIDE YOU!”“Well it’s nice to know that Heaven has a sense of humor.” Sam, still a little freaked, starts to back away. “Hey listen, great seeing you again. I have to go hang out with a group of cherubs on the street corner.” Sam bolts away.Hope heaves a sigh of frustration. “This guy is lucky I still love him.” White energy crackles around her in the form of wings. She lifts off the ground and flies after the escaping Sam.She lands right in front of him, white energy crackling around her. Sam doesn’t know what to do. He stands there motionless. Something deep inside tells him that something big is about to happen.“I’m sorry baby,” is all Hope can say. “This has to happen.”Hope leans into Sam and delivers a deep kiss on the lips. It’s the type of kiss she’s been longing to give him since her “passing” many years ago. Her white energy increases with the growing passion of their lips’ embrace.Hope slowly backs away as her white energy is transferred to Sam. He stands there, still trapped in the moment. Suddenly, a surge of power erupts.The time has come.Night turns to day as a burst of pure white light descends from the heavens. It explodes around Sam with the blast of a thousand bolts of lightning! Sam is instantly bathed in a surge of pure power!It lasts for a second and feels like an eternity as Hope watches on.In an instant, it’s over. Sam begins to fall and Hope rushes to catch him.CRACK!! Hope is knocked aside by a blow from behind. She slams into Sam and they crash to the street.Cindy has arrived.Dark energy crackles around her as she surveys the damage.“What’s the matter? Cindy queries. “Dontchya wanna play with me?” |