Happy Father’s Day, Dads!
John Reizer
Nobody paid too much attention when the first cases began appearing in late 2026. A homeless man was found dead behind a grocery store in New Mexico. Doctors were confused because the victim’s blood had been completely drained. Upon careful medical inspection, no major wounds or signs of an attack were visible.
The story disappeared pretty quickly from the mainstream media cycles. Then another victim with the same characteristics showed up, and shortly thereafter there were more cases.
By the spring of 2027, hundreds more of these cases had appeared around the world. Most theories circulating on the Internet blamed cults, serial killers, or secret government experiments.
What nobody did bring up or mention was the word vampires.
Jim Franz was thirty-eight years old when the changes began inside his body. At first, he thought he’d caught a stomach bug. His food tasted terrible, and coffee made him sick to his stomach; then, his skin turned pale.
Jim’s heartbeat grew slower and slower each day. Then came the incredible hunger that was unlike anything he had ever experienced before in his entire life. Steak and chicken did nothing to satisfy his voracious appetite and the idea of eating vegetables made him want to vomit.
His body craved something much different, something very specific. The craving grew stronger every day.
One night, while sitting in a crowded restaurant, Jim noticed something strange, he could smell certain people, something inside them. Many folks he came into contact with didn’t carry the desirable scent. But some humans carried a sweet metallic aroma that drove him nearly insane.
The smell seemed to permeate through the air and it made his mouth water and his vision sharpen.
Suddenly, Jim wanted to leap across the room, but instead, he ran outside and locked himself in his automobile. As time moved forward, Jim’s appetite for certain people with the magic scent continued to grow.
Jim checked himself into a hospital and was admitted and given a battery of diagnostic tests. The results yielded conflicting results. Soon many hospitals throughout the world were filled with people like Jim Franz.
Months later, scientists finally began connecting the dots. Every one of the “vampire patients” had one thing in common. Years earlier, they had received one of several experimental mRNA vaccines. The genetic modifications caused by these immunizations transformed some of the recipients into something different from other humans.
Nobody knew exactly why only a tiny percentage of the vaccinated transformed into vampires.
Whatever the cause, and reasons might be, their bodies had changed and there was no getting around the fact.
Their body physiology no longer processed normal food efficiently. Instead, they depended on a specific spike protein produced only in mRNA-vaccinated individuals for sustenance.
The vampires called it “the spike.”
Without the spike, their bodies weakened and when they received it they immediately grew stronger.
Human blood itself was not the goal or target of the vampires, but the spike proteins inside the blood was.
Jim and others like him resisted the vampiristic urges for awhile. These individuals found support groups online.
Thousands of people like Jim Franz were already attending these sessions. People from all walks of life, such as teachers, police officers, doctors, mothers, and fathers, were present and had been directly affected.
All of these people were struggling with the same unending hunger. Some had found alternatives by consuming synthetic proteins made in laboratories.
Pharma companies were racing to manufacture artificial versions of the spike proteins. But the production of the synthetic proteins was a slow and tedious process, and the demand was growing larger by the day.
Not everyone could obtain or afford the synthetic spike proteins, and some vampires claimed the artificial versions were never enough to satisfy their intense hunger pangs. They wanted and craved the real thing that was transported in the human blood of the previously vaccinated – the ones who naturally created and now carried the spike proteins.
By 2028, entire underground communities had formed. Some vaccinated volunteers sold small amounts of blood for money on the black market while others donated voluntarily.
Governments created regulated Spike Farms. The system led to chaos, and tensions rose throughout society.
A growing number of vampires rejected the government controlled system. They believed their transformation was not a disease, it was a natural part of the human evolutionary process.
They referred to themselves as the next generation, and they believed humanity’s future belonged to them.
One night, Jim attended a secret meeting in an old warehouse. Hundreds of vampires were in attendance. One woman stood at the front of the room. “We’ve spent enough time already pretending to be human,” she said. “We’ve been apologizing for what we became.”
The crowd broke out in loud applause.
She smiled before continuing. “The first transformations began only recently, and millions more are coming.”
The room quickly grew eerily silent.
She continued. “The latency period after being jabbed is five to seven years. The first vaccines were administered in 2021. Do the math.”
Jim felt a cold chill run through his entire body. He knew the woman speaking was right. Most transformations had not even happened yet. The world was still seeing only the first wave of the new vampires.
As he left the meeting, Jim looked across the city. Millions of people lived out there and lots of them had been vaccinated with the mRNA shots. That meant there were an unlimited number of future food sources, or perhaps future vampires.
Nobody knew what was in store for humanity.
Meanwhile, scientists were still searching for answers, and the governments of the world were still pretending everything was under control.
Most of the public still thought vampire stories belonged in the genre of science fiction, but Jim Franz knew better. He understood that the age of the Spike Drinkers had only just begun.
The One-Hour Diner
Prologue
The police station was a well-lit building that stood out from most of the others. It had been designed and constructed over the last several years and featured a more modernist architectural style than the surrounding structures in the small Montana community.
They entered through the front entranceway and approached the reception area, announcing to the desk sergeant their intention to report information on a previously unsolved crime.
Renee Hudson sat beside Bryan Dawson on a hard, metallic chair. She hadn’t said much since they parked outside. Neither had he. They had been exhausted from everything that had transpired and were conserving their energy for what was to come.
The clock above the reception desk read 3:25 a.m.
Time had kept its promise; it was still moving right along.
Bryan, a handsome middle-aged man with a slender build and brown hair, exhaled slowly, his dark eyes drifting toward the glass partition separating them from the front desk. A tired-looking officer was rifling through some paperwork behind it, unaware of everything they had endured in the last hour.
Renee, an early-thirties brunette and easy on the eyes, shifted uneasily in her seat beside him.
“Once we start,” she whispered, “we don’t get to stop and change our minds.”
Bryan nodded. “I know that.”
She glanced at him, her expression serious. “I just want to say everything right.”
“There isn’t a right way,” he said gently. “There’s only the truth.”
Renee’s fingers flexed. “That’s what scares me.”
A door buzzed and opened somewhere down the hall. Footsteps approached them, and a plainclothes detective appeared in the hallway. He conferred with the desk sergeant briefly, muttered a few words to him, then glanced over at Bryan and Renee.
“Can I help you two?” he asked, his tone overly friendly.
Renee and Bryan stood up. “We need to report something important,” Bryan said. His voice sounded nervous and cautious. “It’s about a previously unsolved crime.”
The detective’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s step into an interview room.”
They followed the man down a narrow hallway, the walls lined with flyers for missing people.
The interview area was tiny, with a small table and four chairs. A small camera was mounted on a wall in the corner of the room.
The policeman gestured for them to sit, then closed the door. “I’m Detective Calloway,” he said, taking the seat across from them. “Take your time and start wherever you need to.”
Renee nodded.
Bryan glanced over at her, then nodded as well. “I’ll start,” he said.
He told the policeman everything that had happened as plainly as possible.
Detective Calloway didn’t interrupt. He took notes, his expression unreadable.
When Bryan finished, the silence was deafening.
Renee picked up the conversation without looking at Bryan and gave her accounts of everything.
After Renee finished, Detective Calloway set his pen down on the table. “Do you two understand the seriousness of what you’re telling me?”
“Yes,” Renee said.
“Yes,” Bryan added.
Calloway leaned back in his chair, studying them. “Why confess now?”
Bryan thought about the question for a few seconds before responding. “Because the guilt of keeping all this in over the past several years never left our sides,” he said.
Renee nodded. “We tried to bury it, but that didn’t work.”
Calloway exhaled through his nose. “There was a homicide connected to this case,” he said. “Your statements could reopen a lot of doors.”
“We know,” Bryan said.
Renee closed her eyes briefly. “We’re not asking for leniency.”
The detective watched them for a long moment, then stood up and walked over to where the camera was mounted on the wall. He reached up and turned on the device. A red light appeared on the front of the camera.
“Okay,” he said. “Then we’re going to do this the right way.”
Releasing July 4th, 2026
About the Book
Over sixty minutes in an isolated roadside diner in rural Montana, two strangers are forced to confront suppressed and traumatic memories, discovering that time, guilt, and truth are far more dangerous than the authorities awaiting them.
Click here to read the author interview!
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Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
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Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Truth Engines
Pre-order Available at Select Retailers
What if fiction reveals the truths modern society refuses to face?
Truth Engines is a bold collection of science fiction shorts that acknowledges the hidden realities currently affecting humanity. Blending imagination with clever storytelling, these writings explore a wide range of important subjects currently impacting all human beings.
Releasing September 1st, 2026
Science fiction has traditionally been a way for writers to discuss difficult ideas safely. It has allowed authors to examine dangerous possibilities before they become reality. Sometimes fiction entertains us, sometimes it warns us, and sometimes it says the necessary things that otherwise couldn’t be said.
These stories are not meant to preach or claim absolute answers. They are meant to encourage thought. They will hopefully inspire readers to ask questions about power, truth, freedom, artificial intelligence, corruption, media influence, medical ethics, surveillance, and the future direction of humanity itself.
Some readers may see these stories as pure fiction. Others may recognize pieces of the modern world hidden inside them. That choice belongs to you, the reader.
The goal of my writing is twofold: to entertain while also encouraging people to think more deeply about the systems shaping human life behind the scenes.
Whether these stories inspire agreement, debate, curiosity, or discomfort, I hope they stay with you long after the final page.
Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Beta Reviews
It’s an amazing read! The stories in Truth Engines were born and live in the spaces between the 88 black-and-white notes on a piano keyboard. If you’re a fan of The Twilight Zone, you’ll really love this book!
–A Beta Reader
Truth Engines is an incredible reading experience!
–A Beta Reader
The Big Pharma Conspiracy Movie
Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
Critical Reviews
“Rachel Alig is terrific as Donna while Justin Ray as Clyde also manages to impress. Combining witty commentary with a constant threat to life, script writers Palo and Reizer develop a narrative that is funny and charming while ensuring that none of the thrill and danger is lost in the process.”
– INDIE WRAP MAGAZINE
“Drama, thrills, comedy and so much more: Directors Andrew Arguello and MJ Palo’s Target List has all the fixings of a great movie. Combining a fantastic cast with the witty writing of MJ Palo and John Reizer, whichever way you flip this film, it lands on its feet with feline agility.”
– INDY REVIEWS
“The script by Palo with John Reizer, for the most part, rides that perfect balance between its more dramatic moments and perfectly placed moments of humor that never distract. While they’re probably not going to get invited to any big pharma conventions anytime soon, Reizer and Palo have a point, and they make it beautifully.”
“Target List is a great view for anyone who wants a compelling and suspenseful flick with a message that matters.”
– RICHARD PROPES – THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC
Gareth Icke – Derby, England
GARETH ICKE – DIRECTOR OF THE DAVID ICKE WEBSITE“Target List had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Not the least because of its believability!“
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