THE MESSAGE! Summer 2012

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Excerpt : THE MESSAGE

               Crouching down in the marsh grass, Emily could sense there were hunters coming toward her. The ability to see better at night was what the scientists at Center called mutation. Most of the time she enjoyed the edge it gave her, but tonight it was going to be more than she cared to see. She could smell them before she was able to see them, always the same at night. Concentrating as much as she could, the silhouette's of three hunters emerged from the heavy mist. This was not going to be easy. She estimated they were maybe 50 yards away from her, time for some decisions. She slowly reached over her shoulder and grabbed an arrow from the quiver slung over her back and set in to the bow. Slowly moving forward in a crouching- kind of  walk she moved to a position of better visibility. She could now tell the hunters were starting to separate, the one in the middle obviously the leader. She knew instinctively they were going to work her to the middle! They've got a big surprise coming, she thought. 

          
                  She could see beyond the one on her right, to the road and the ditch he was using as a reference, good, she could tell he was at a disadvantage in the mist. He is the only thing standing between her and the road. Time to open a gap. Positioning herself steady, she drew back the arrow and took good aim, momentarily looking to see the position of the other two.She would have to move fast! The hunters had stopped, she knew they could smell her, dinner time huh, not tonight ! Checking her aim she let the arrow fly, singing through the air straight to the target. As the arrow sliced through the hunters neck he let out one single wail as he fell forward into the soft marsh mud. Immediately the other two responded. Up and running Emily moved as fast as she could to the road, bobbing and weaving around the quicksand that she knew the location of. Apparently the hunters were too concerned with overtaking her that they didn't notice the pit they ran headlong into. In seconds they were struggling to keep there heads above the mud. Emily stopped and gazed at the apparitions in front of her fighting for life. Not many people have lived to look at them up close, once human now at best semi-human. Rotting creatures that only survived by killing others. Somehow strange satisfaction came over her as the one wailed  just before he went under.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Clearing the last bit of marsh she came up on the road. Surveying the area, she move along the road towards home. She was thinking already her father was going to have lots to say about her being out this late after dark and the harassing she would take from Jacob and Caleb, her two loving brothers. Although her father had taught everyone well about hunting and killing she knew if she talked about this she would have to set through a long sermon.  But as far as she was concerned she did pretty good for a sixteen year old! Not bad if she should say so herself! As she got closer to home once again her mind drifted to the image of this young man looking at her, with a smile that was the most comforting smile she had ever seen. Somehow able to tell that she would soon be placed in a position where she would have to protect him, knowing he would be unable to do it himself!

7 comments:

  1. Yay! I can't wait to read it all :)

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  2. Looks good so far, Bill! Keep it up!! :)

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  3. Thank you for the kind words, my friend !

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  4. Bill, I'm really excited about this! Very intriguing. Can't wait for more.

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  5. Thank you Allie for helping me stand up :)

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  6. AWESOME BILL!!!! You have such a wild imagination!!!! I am so looking forward to reading more!

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