User:Pastore71/sandbox

Vampire's Waltz is a horror novel by Thomas Staab. First printed in 1999, it was published in 2011 as an e-book.

Plot summary
A massive earthquake hits New York City, isolating Manhattan. An Immortal named Armando Moreno arrives and meets with his old friend John Pastore, the last of a race of shape-shifters who called themselves Guardians. The men discuss the dream they shared that brought them to the city. A dream featuring an ancient Vampire Queen named Glynis. Armando and John plan to climb along what remains of the 59th street bridge to reach the island and the young pregnant woman Glynis referred to as the “young christian”.

During the crossing, Pastore and Armando are attacked by a swarm of giant bats. The bats grab Armando and knock Pastore off the bridge. When Pastore reaches Manhattan and he discovers two survivors: a young man, Shawn Murrell, and a boy, Jesse Morsello. Pastore picks up broken scents off the wind; he smells Armando downtown at the World Trade Center and another scent in Midtown, around the Library. He knows from the scent that he’s found the pregnant woman from his dream. Armando wakes up on the top floor of one of the Twin Towers, facing Glynis. She tells him about her grand plan for the two of them to cease their fighting and, together, create a new race that will dominate the world. The years of loneliness have worn down Armando’s resistance, but he turns her down. Glynis is mildly angered, but assures Armando he’ll change his mind. She honors his request and has one of her servants fly him high in the air and drop him in the vicinity of Pastore, Shawn and Jesse.

Pastore, Shawn and Jesse drag the unconscious Armando to the ruins of the 42nd Street library, where they find Christine Ferranti, the pregnant woman from Pastore and Armando’s dream. Armando tells the group about Glynis’ plan to use Christine’s baby to combine his Immortal blood and Glynis’s Vampire blood to create a new breed of Vampire; one that is impervious to daylight, stakes and decapitation. Pastore is determined to protect the child at all costs. He senses some trepidation in Armando and advises his friend to get his head together so they can defeat Glynis once and for all.

A confrontation with Glynis induces Christine into labor and Pastore and Murrell deliver her baby in the library. As soon as the child, a girl named Charity, is cleaned off, Vampires swarm into the library. Pastore kills as many as he can before Glynis calls them off. Armando steps forward, with Charity in his arms, and stands beside Glynis. As Armando and Glynis leave with Charity, Pastore promises Armando he’ll find a way to kill his friend.

Desperately outnumbered, Pastore converts Shawn and Jesse into Guardians. Shawn shape-shifts into a giant black eagle. Jesse’s transformation is latent, waiting for stress to be activated. Unable to travel so soon after the delivery, Christine stays behind as Pastore, Shawn and Jesse head down town. She’s consumed with guilt, convinced she let her daughter be taken because deep down she didn’t want Charity. After some deep soul-searching, and a dream about her grandfather, Christine builds up her resolve and drags herself bleeding into the night to save her child.

Pastore, in his wolf form, camps outside of Central Park, where Glynis has set up a site for her ritual. Meanwhile, Shawn and Jesse sabotage the Twin Towers, where the entire city’s population has been turned into nesting Vampires. As a fire starts, Jesse is attacked by a Vampire, who reveals himself to be Jesse’s father Vinny. Vinny tears down his son physically and mentally, until the stress is enough to trigger the boy’s transformation into his Guardian form, a wolverine. Despite his new strength, Jesse is bitten by his father and turned into a Vampire. Shawn kills Vinny, but Jesse escapes, heading for Central Park. Shawn follows as the Towers start to burn.

In Central Park, Glynis slices Armando, spilling the Immortal’s blood into Charity’s mouth. Glynis slices herself, but before she can pour her blood onto the baby, Pastore slams into her and tears at her throat. Armando grabs Pastore and throws his across the lawn. Pastore confronts Armando, but senses Jesse, in Vampire bat form, flying in behind him. Pastore ducks at the last moment, sending Jesse flying into Armando. Jesse panic-bites at Armando, infecting him and turning him into a Vampire.

Shawn joins the fight and draws Jesse away from Central Park. Shawn convinces Jesse to fight the Vampire blood and do the right thing. Jesse flies into the burning Twin Towers, taking Murrell and Glynis’ second in command, DeSilva, with him. Pastore battles Armando, while Glynis heals herself and crawls to Charity. When she reaches the child, Christine is standing with Charity in her arms. Christine and Glynis battle in an astral realm, with will and spirit instead of flesh. Christine’s love for her child unlock the Elementals that Glynis has had captured. Glynis desperately calls Armando for help, and he throws Pastore’s ax at Christine, impaling her through the back. Pastore stabs Armando in the heart with a stake, before collapsing from his injuries. The Elementals take revenge on Glynis and tear her apart. Pastore opens his eyes and looks around the battlefield. His heart sinks when he sees Christine’s corpse. He runs over to check on Charity and finds her unharmed, shielded by her mother. Pastore picks Charity up and swears to protect her, no matter the cost.

Characters in "Vampire's Waltz"

 * John Pastore
 * Armando Moreno
 * Glynis McCulloch
 * Shawn Murrell
 * Christine Ferranti
 * Jesse Morsello