The idea for the story "The Scourge" came to me while I was driving through Arizona and the California desert one late night, looking at the ominous dust clouds filled with circling night hawks against the windy night sky. It looked creepy at best. When I got to my motel room, on the side of the table, I read a holy bible about Matthew, Jesus, who chased out the demons. I put them together and figured that anyone could be in hell, so the selection of characters was almost infinite. I would also see the rail cars filled with tanks and other military equipment crossing the desert. On one memorable occasion, I noticed a rail car loaded with migrant workers crossing the same area, so I decided to use that in my story. This is how the idea of The Scourge was birthed. Writing "The Scourge," I envisioned what it would take to bring The Legion in Matthew back into modern times. This is not a bible study story; it is a profound, dark, scary novel. There is a lot of violence, action, and sex in the story. These elements were necessary for this type of story to show how it resurfaced on Earth again. Without them, the story would have been lifeless and dull. Plus, taking on the challenge of writing this particular story is considered The Holy Grail of all Horror Stories. The last story element needed to be told from the perspective of two people already in hell who were given a chance to change sides. That gave the story a unique twist. Many have tried to make this happen, but none have succeeded. I hope you enjoy my story if you are a fan of darkness.
