The idea I told you about the other day? It's here. I've started. If this doesn't grab your attention than nothing will. Here is a short piece of chapter one.
Enjoy!
-Bushman
Chapter 1
The madness in the fire
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The tent glowed a pale green as the lantern inside cast its light through the colored canvas. A smoldering campfire sent tendrils of smoke into the night air.
The moon, a mere crescent, did little to lighten up the surrounding woods. Giant conifers towered high above the little tent blocking any trace of moonlight. Tall ferns crowded each other, filling up any available space left by the towering trees. Moss covered logs blocked any straight path through the forest. It was a good place to camp. A secure place.
Inside the tent lay a couple with their infant. A mere two weeks old and birthed inside the canvas walls in which they now slept. They had been travelling, long arduous miles through uninhabitable land. Always on the lookout for food and shelter but most of all people. Danger lurked everywhere. They trusted no one.
She was sick. He knew she needed medicine. She knew there was none around for hundreds of miles. It was not safe to make that long of a journey. The sickness had taken its toll on her body. She was thin, her face gaunt and stretched over her cheekbones. He was afraid for the baby. He had been nursing from his mother, but he knew her sickness coursed through the milk he drank from her breast every day. There was no other option. So he watched; watched his wife and son slowly wither away. Tonight they slept. Feeling secure in their makeshift camp they had not seen or heard any other people since entering the forest.
The ferns parted as a shadowy figure emerged. Slowly the figure crept up on the encampment. Others began to emerge from the blackness. Soon the tent was surrounded. Once they were within a few feet the lead figure raised his hand and the group descended upon the tent with a fury.
Within a few seconds, it was over. The man and woman were bound and tied to a tree and the infant dangled by his leg, clutched in the grasp of the shadowy figure. The other shadows began to stoke the fire and became human as the fire cast its light.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" the man clutching the now wailing baby in his hand asked.
"We've been tracking you for days, you should have been more vigilant," he sneered at them.
"First things first, let's quiet this place down a bit and we'll have a go at the lady and then we can sit and discuss your future."
He winked at the couple and with a flick of his wrist tossed the wailing baby into the fire.
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Enjoy!
-Bushman
Chapter 1
The madness in the fire
-----------------------
The tent glowed a pale green as the lantern inside cast its light through the colored canvas. A smoldering campfire sent tendrils of smoke into the night air.
The moon, a mere crescent, did little to lighten up the surrounding woods. Giant conifers towered high above the little tent blocking any trace of moonlight. Tall ferns crowded each other, filling up any available space left by the towering trees. Moss covered logs blocked any straight path through the forest. It was a good place to camp. A secure place.
Inside the tent lay a couple with their infant. A mere two weeks old and birthed inside the canvas walls in which they now slept. They had been travelling, long arduous miles through uninhabitable land. Always on the lookout for food and shelter but most of all people. Danger lurked everywhere. They trusted no one.
She was sick. He knew she needed medicine. She knew there was none around for hundreds of miles. It was not safe to make that long of a journey. The sickness had taken its toll on her body. She was thin, her face gaunt and stretched over her cheekbones. He was afraid for the baby. He had been nursing from his mother, but he knew her sickness coursed through the milk he drank from her breast every day. There was no other option. So he watched; watched his wife and son slowly wither away. Tonight they slept. Feeling secure in their makeshift camp they had not seen or heard any other people since entering the forest.
The ferns parted as a shadowy figure emerged. Slowly the figure crept up on the encampment. Others began to emerge from the blackness. Soon the tent was surrounded. Once they were within a few feet the lead figure raised his hand and the group descended upon the tent with a fury.
Within a few seconds, it was over. The man and woman were bound and tied to a tree and the infant dangled by his leg, clutched in the grasp of the shadowy figure. The other shadows began to stoke the fire and became human as the fire cast its light.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" the man clutching the now wailing baby in his hand asked.
"We've been tracking you for days, you should have been more vigilant," he sneered at them.
"First things first, let's quiet this place down a bit and we'll have a go at the lady and then we can sit and discuss your future."
He winked at the couple and with a flick of his wrist tossed the wailing baby into the fire.
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GOOD GRIEF! So I'm thinking Disney won't be bidding for the rights...?
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside, a very dark, disturbing, and ultimately thrilling start. I'm looking forward to reading more.
First word I uttered upon finishing this teaser… F*&% - yup, too graphic to be spelled out entirely.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tremendous hook - you've got me hanging on the edge of my seat wondering "what the hell just happened" - wow - now all that's left is reeling me in with more...
I've always said it, Bushman, and I'll say it again - you've got talent. Serious talent - I do hope you go forward with this.
That... was incredibly dark! And really descriptive. Do we get more soon, or are we left to the dark corners of our imagination to figure out where this tale leads?
ReplyDelete