Excerpt Monday- September
Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above.
You might not know this, but this is my second Excerpt Monday. I’m very excited to be doing this again, and I hope you enjoy my work! Here’s an excerpt from Danger, rated PG-13 for safety.
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After making sure we had the keys, I locked the door and we walked the short distance to the little inlet. The Strait of Juan de Fuca wasn’t rough water (in this area, at least) by any means, but it was nice to have a place to shelter a boat during storms.
The old fishing boat sat before us, small and fragile looking. The aluminum walls that held the whole thing together appeared weak, as if they’d break at the slightest jarring, but they were just the opposite. The old boat had suffered more than I cared to admit.
Emily hopped into the back and sat down by the motor while Ashley took the middle and I found my seat of glory at the front. The seat was imbedded into the bow and was merely a small triangle. Relaxed, I kicked my feet up on the empty bench in front of me and threw my hands on the side of the boat.
Maneuvering the various switches, pumps, and gadgets, Emily got the boat started and released it from it’s bindings to the dock. With an excited gleam in her eyes, Emily pushed the boat forward and out of the inlet, into the Strait. The waves that rocked the boat were gentle, nothing more than lights swells.
To the west, the sun blazed, preparing to set in less than two hours. Wind whipped at our coats and sent my hair trailing behind me as Emily coaxed the motor to go faster until we were flying across the water.
Swells rose up and carried the boat, only to let it slam down into the trough of the wave as it passed. As the speed of the boat grew the slamming became more violent, and sitting in the front I recieved the brunt of the impact.
But I loved it. Water sprayed up from the waves and drove into my skin like nails carved from ice, and still I couldn’t escape the thrill that raced through me each time the water hit. Wind rushed past us, only making my water-cooled skin colder. I shivered, unable to help the chill that swept over me.
Adrenaline made it’s way through my veins like poison and the shivers that passed through me sent a rush of excitement to my heart. In that moment, I felt free. There weren’t limits on what I could do, there weren’t hardships and pain and death spoiling all the good in life. There was nothing but me and the feelings that mad me feel more alive than I’d ever experienced. In that moment, nothing could destroy the peace that I felt.
“Um, guys, I think I’m going to puke.”
Okay, maybe almost nothing.
The boat lurched forward and then slowed, nearly coming to a stop on the water. I turned to face Ashley, worry creasing my forehead. “Too much?” I asked, motioning to the swells that continued to rock the boat.
Her head shot up and down in a quick nod and she groaned, clutching it in pain. “This was definitely a bad idea. I’m sorry guys,” Another large wave lifted the boat and passed under us, leaving the Lund to roll as it traveled towards the shore. Ashley doubled over and moaned, her face scrunched in pain.
“Emily, head back, fast. The wind should help and it won’t take as long that way.” I stood from my seat and fell onto the bench beside my friend. Rubbing her hair, I held her tight, hoping to ease the jarring that she’d feel from the waves.
A choking noise burst from the engine, and the boat slowed, the motions of the waves growing stronger. “Shit!” Emily cried, her eyes wide with panic.
My eyes met Emily’s and fear gripped my heart as I registered her expression. Something was really wrong. “What, Emily, what’s wrong?” my voice came out stronger than I’d expected, sounding way more calm than I felt. I pushed back the tiny surge of pride at this fact, though, and focused on the situation at hand.
The engine gurgled and sputtered for another few seconds, the noise slashing through my thoughts like a sword. Silence fell over us and the motor coughed one last time before it gave out.
My breathing halted and ice settled against my skin, creeping into the pores and freezing everything that it crossed. Shock gripped me as I began to understand and it was as if someone had reached into my chest and begun to squeeze my organs, holding on so tight that I couldn’t move, couldn’t think.
Emily jumped up and started to push and pull at the many gadgets, her movements fidgety and frightened. With shaking hands, she gripped the starter cord and pulled back, sweat beginning to dew on her forehead. She let out a terrified squeak and collapsed back on the bench, her face expressionless and her eyes void of emotion.
We were out of gas.
The fear inside me changed to something darker, into a substance that was more like fury than I cared to admit. “Emily,” my voice was a low growl, menacing and hard. “Did you check how much gas we had before we left?”
“Well, yes, of course! I just didn’t think we’d burn through it that fast, really, I had no clue!” Emily turned her wild gaze to me, her eyes begging me to understand. “I’ve only ever been out once on my own, I didn’t know,” she whimpered, curling her legs to her chest on the seat.
That would have been nice to know earlier, Emily. I bit back the angry words that I wanted to speak and tried to regain even a semblance of the calm that I’d had before. “Ash, I need your phone.” I reached my hand out and used my other arm to support her.
Ashley’s eyes were tired and drawn, her lips pursed. Taking in a large breath of air, she pushed away from me and dug into her pocket, at last coming out with her prehistoric phone. Yeah, it was that old.
I took the phone from her hand and flipped the fat thing open. A beep came from the phone and a message slid onto the screen. No service.
My throat constricted and I let out a long, shaky breath as my pulse pounded in my ears. “Oh my god,” I whispered, my voice no longer holding the tone that I’d prided myself on earlier. Now, the words were spoken by someone weak and terribly frightened, someone that I didn’t even know anymore.
“What happened, Vera,” Emily squeaked, her tone rising in pitch with each word.
Without a word, I passed her the phone. Emily gasped and flipped it closed, her movements stoic and cold. The wind howled and my gaze slid to the horizon where the sun was preparing to set. Soon it would be dark, and we would be drifting out to the ocean.
Tears welled up in my eyes but I fought them. In my life, I’d experienced a lot. And while there were some things that I had cried for, it hadn’t happened often. My dad’s death had been one of them, but before that I couldn’t remember. And yeah, the situation sucked. Worse than that, it was fatal, but I couldn’t bring myself to allow the show of weakness. It wasn’t me.
The sliver that was left of the sun sunk and drifted behind the horizon, falling under the water. My stomach clenched and for a moment I felt as sick as Ashley, bile rising in my throat. I took a deep breath of air and relaxed my limbs, one after another. We’d get out of this, someway somehow. I didn’t doubt that.
If you don’t doubt it, then why are you clamming up, Miss-I-Can-Take-On-The-World.
Darkness crept over the water and folded around us like a blanket, swallowing up the remainder of light left by the setting sun. The air cooled and another shiver tickled my spine.
Oh my god…
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Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.
