Being the longest story, "Off the Rails" offers a few opportunities for posting passages here while still leaving plenty for you to read in the book later.
Here our characters are hiding out in a train car at night. Chuck has been left to guard the women and something goes wrong.
EXCERPT FROM "OFF THE RAILS":
Mrs. Phillysworth huffed and paced over to the door. She folded her arms and leaned against it. The small square window near her head shattered and a thick, hairy arm burst in from behind her.
The old woman screamed and tried to run back into the car, but a tremendous hand with fingers like sausages caught hold of her hair. Sandra screamed. Chuck straightened up and drew his gun. He pointed it toward the door, but he couldn’t get a clean shot past Mrs. Phillysworth. The old woman was screaming like a captured animal and squirming to break free from the grip of the powerful hand.
A loud grunt sounded from the other side of the door and Mrs. Phillysworth was snapped back against it. The wood creaked from the impact of her body. She cried out.
“For God’s sake, help me!” she screamed.
Sandra desperately looked around the car for anything that could be of help. Chuck charged over and holstered his gun. He grasped the hair-covered fingers of the attacking hand and tried to pry them loose from the woman’s head. With a loud grunt she was snapped back again. This time the door cracked a bit and blood ran from the back of her head.
“Shoot him!” Mrs. Phillysworth demanded. “Shoot him!”
“I can’t see enough of him to shoot!” Chuck argued.
“Your knife!” Sandra shouted. “Use your knife!”
She ran up and grabbed Mrs. Phillysworth’s dress.
“I’ll do my best to steady her,” Sandra explained to Chuck. “You cut his arm.!”
Chuck nodded.
“Ready, Mrs. Phillysworth?” Sandra said, tightening her grip on the woman’s waist.
Mrs. Phillysworth took a hold of Sandra’s shoulders and gasped, “Ready.”
“Pull!” Sandra shouted.
The two women pulled against the force of the seemingly monstrous arm. Chuck slid the knife from his boot and ran the blade across the callous skin. He barely got a deep enough cut to draw blood.
With a powerful pull the two women were dragged back toward the door. Mrs. Phillysworth cried out again as she struck the now splintering wood.
“Stab him!” Sandra shouted. “Pull, Mrs. Phillysworth!”
The two ladies dug in and pulled against the force of their attacker. This time Chuck used both hands to thrust the knife down deeply into the hairy forearm. Blood shot out into his face. The hand released its grip and Mrs. Phillysworth and Sandra tumbled to the floor.
Here our characters are hiding out in a train car at night. Chuck has been left to guard the women and something goes wrong.
EXCERPT FROM "OFF THE RAILS":
Mrs. Phillysworth huffed and paced over to the door. She folded her arms and leaned against it. The small square window near her head shattered and a thick, hairy arm burst in from behind her.
The old woman screamed and tried to run back into the car, but a tremendous hand with fingers like sausages caught hold of her hair. Sandra screamed. Chuck straightened up and drew his gun. He pointed it toward the door, but he couldn’t get a clean shot past Mrs. Phillysworth. The old woman was screaming like a captured animal and squirming to break free from the grip of the powerful hand.
A loud grunt sounded from the other side of the door and Mrs. Phillysworth was snapped back against it. The wood creaked from the impact of her body. She cried out.
“For God’s sake, help me!” she screamed.
Sandra desperately looked around the car for anything that could be of help. Chuck charged over and holstered his gun. He grasped the hair-covered fingers of the attacking hand and tried to pry them loose from the woman’s head. With a loud grunt she was snapped back again. This time the door cracked a bit and blood ran from the back of her head.
“Shoot him!” Mrs. Phillysworth demanded. “Shoot him!”
“I can’t see enough of him to shoot!” Chuck argued.
“Your knife!” Sandra shouted. “Use your knife!”
She ran up and grabbed Mrs. Phillysworth’s dress.
“I’ll do my best to steady her,” Sandra explained to Chuck. “You cut his arm.!”
Chuck nodded.
“Ready, Mrs. Phillysworth?” Sandra said, tightening her grip on the woman’s waist.
Mrs. Phillysworth took a hold of Sandra’s shoulders and gasped, “Ready.”
“Pull!” Sandra shouted.
The two women pulled against the force of the seemingly monstrous arm. Chuck slid the knife from his boot and ran the blade across the callous skin. He barely got a deep enough cut to draw blood.
With a powerful pull the two women were dragged back toward the door. Mrs. Phillysworth cried out again as she struck the now splintering wood.
“Stab him!” Sandra shouted. “Pull, Mrs. Phillysworth!”
The two ladies dug in and pulled against the force of their attacker. This time Chuck used both hands to thrust the knife down deeply into the hairy forearm. Blood shot out into his face. The hand released its grip and Mrs. Phillysworth and Sandra tumbled to the floor.
No comments:
Post a Comment