It's National Novel Writing Month. and in honor of that I have a special preview of my next novel, The World I Woke Up To. It's still very much a work in progress, I'm just over halfway through the first draft. I hope to have it done and published by this time next year.
Here's a brief description:
Kaylee Crawford has always been more comfortable in the company of animals than people, and when neglectful owners dump a big black dog named Beast at the shelter where she volunteers, she feels a special connection to the remarkable animal...one that will come in very handy when, in a horrifying instant, it's not the animals she has to worry about biting her...
As the world collapses around her, she must fight to survive and keep her younger brother safe. As they and new companions both two and four legged embark on an perilous journey to escape the carnage and find sanctuary, Kaylee is forced to wonder: is anywhere truly safe in this brave new world?
Elizabeth City, NC
“What’s going on?” Danny called out behind her.
“Tammy says there’s a marina on the other side of this bridge, if we can get the bridge down we might be able to secure a boat and get the hell out of this place. We have most definitely overstayed our welcome.”
“How are we going to get the cages on the boat?” Danny asked, skeptical of this new plan.
Kaylee sighed. “Cross that bridge when we come to it.” She gestured to the open bridge span. “So to speak.”
They walked up to the door to the bridge control station. Beast walked up first, sniffing. He didn’t seem to be alarmed, and that gave Kaylee some confidence that the coast was clear. She twisted the knob and the door creaked open on rusty hinges. Both trained their guns out in front of them as Kaylee used the flashlight app on her phone to scan the area. The room was clear, so they made their way to the control panel. To their shared dismay, neither saw anything resembling a mechanical backup to the electrical system used to raise and lower the bridge.
Suddenly she heard barking. “The dogs on the trailer,” she thought out loud. A shot of panic ran through her veins. They’d left the vehicles and the two people least able to defend themselves with only a pistol and a sword. Forgetting about the bridge, she ran back out the door onto the road, looking for signs of danger. She stopped to get a better look, but the world around her was pitch dark and the light from her flashlight had impaired her natural night vision.
Danny quickly caught up to her. “See anything?”
“I can’t see shit. Too damn dark.” She switched on the the NVG’s and held them up. She gasped. In the glowing green light she could see figures standing on the roofs of the buildings across the street. All perfectly still, all watching them intently.
“They’re on the roof,” Kaylee said quietly, fighting the fear rising up in her.
“What are they doing?”
“They’re...they’re just standing there. Watching us.”
“Well, if they’re playing it cool we will too. Walk slowly to the truck, start it up, and get a move on. We’ll cover your exit, and be right behind you.”
“Why are they..why aren’t they attacking? There’s at least a dozen of them up there.”
“Don’t know, don’t care. I just want to get the hell away from them.”
They made their way back to the cars, trying not to look up at the roofs too much. Kaylee climbed into the cab and started the engine.
“What’s going on? What’s got the dogs all worked up?”
“The rooftops of the buildings immediately behind us are crawling with infected,” Kaylee said as calmly as she could manage.
“So they don’t see us yet?”
“Oh, they see us all right.”
“Then why aren’t they attacking?”
“That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question now, isn’t it?” She backed the truck and trailer up, or tried to at least. It took her several frustrating tries to get into a position to continue straight on Water Street. She saw the 4-Runner start to follow along as she picked up speed, then watched in fascinated horror as figures began falling from the sky. They jumped from the two story rooftops and landed in crouching stances, then got to their feet and started after the two vehicles. Why now!? Why did they wait til we left to attack? This made no sense…
Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for more updates, and look for my next book review, The Rules of Supervilliany, coming up in the next few weeks.
-Mike, out.
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