Would you buy this book? v4.0

Have you ever really taken a good look at the people around you? The people you see every day. People you think you know. Have you taken a close look at people who pass you by in the parking lot of the department store? Have you ever wondered about that knowing smile people sometimes give you as you meet them in the aisle?

I do. Now.

But I didn't always. That was before, back when I didn't know about the people that live and work around us every day, that aren't quite like us. They look like us. They act like us, for the most part. But they are significantly different in ways that might make you wet down your leg the next time you are alone after dark and hear a strange noise.

It all started on a seemingly normal, boring day, back when I still had boring days. I was driving to work after lunch. Okay, sure, I live too far from work to drive home for lunch and I drive a gas guzzler. But I suffer from separation anxiety. Severely. And that's really minor compared to the anxiety I've been suffering lately.

You see, I was going through the intersection at 4^th and Florida and was nearly plowed by a delivery truck that was running the light. But in a moment of absolute clarity I noticed the truck barreling toward me and stomped on the gas to avoid the collision. The truck driver noticed me at the same moment. Turns out there was a pretty blond walking her dog down the sidewalk. She was much more interesting than the traffic light.

Where do you think that clarity came from? I didn't know then, I just thought my guardian angel saved me. Turns out I was right. You see, good and not necessarily good and absolutely evil are at war all around us and we are totally oblivious. Personally, I liked it better when I was one of the unaware.

For example: you know that seemingly innocuous door at the bio-resource center where you donate plasma? The one you assume leads to the janitor closet or supply room. Never assume. Because you know what that does. That door might as well be labeled 'Way Beyond'. Because what goes on in the rooms where that door leads is way beyond anything I ever imagined. And that is just the beginning of the things I've learned since I am no longer among the oblivious.

And the truck driver? He wasn't really a truck driver. And the truck? It wasn't really a delivery truck. In the back of the truck were armed warriors and a prisoner who falls under the absolutely evil category that I mentioned.

Unfortunately, my moment of clarity was the 'not really a truck driver' pushing my brain to react in a way that would avoid the accident. He couldn't afford for an accident to allow that prisoner to escape. So he did something that was really in the gray area as far as the rules are concerned. And that was the end of his interest in me. But that sudden mental clarity caused me to be wide open for a second. And during that second, I caught the attention of one of the warriors. One who became obsessed with me and my well being. It also caught the attention of the prisoner. And that prisoner is the protagonist in this little story. So try and keep up, because things are going to get really weird. And scary, if you aren't into things that go bump in the night.

Would you buy this book? v3.0

She was sitting at a booth along the wall that ran beside the bar. At first she sat down facing the back of the room but discovered she had a front row seat for the spectacle a couple was making in the back. Just what WAS that girl doing under his trench coat? OMG, in public, that’s disgusting. Stacia got up and changed sides so she was facing the door.

A waitress with big hair and boobs stopped at the table and kicked her skinny hip out. ‘Honey, ya want a menu or ya just medicatin’?’

‘Just medicating, I guess.’ Stacia thought about ordering food, and remembered the large number on the bathroom scale this morning.

Big hair raised her eyebrows and said, ‘Well, what’s your poison? It’s happy hour, two for one.’

‘Fine, bring me a lethal dose of Vanilla Rum and Coke.’ She responded, with little enthusiasm. Too bad I can’t get drunk and get laid. Too bad nothing with a full set of teeth and hair would look twice at the fat chick.

She sighed and squinted as the door opened. A six pack of ripped, hard-body testosterone clad from head to toe in black leather strode through the door like they owned the place. They didn’t just own the place, they owned the whole damned world. All of them were wearing dark lensed sunglasses, even though the sun had dropped behind the horizon a half hour back. They were working their way through the tables heading toward the back. Suddenly, almost too late, she realized they were going to pass right by her table and she was staring like a sex starved rabbit.

As the first one rounded the corner that would bring him by her table she became intently interested in the button on the back of the other side of the booth. As she watched the tall Greek gods out of the corner of her eye she thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind wearing myself out on that ride. Especially the blonde. Walking toward the back of the group was a long haired, blond, Fabio type. As that thought crossed her mind his head snapped around and he looked right at her. She looked up and began to squirm. Men like that just didn’t notice her to the point that she often checked a mirror to see if she was invisible. But this one was suddenly staring at her pointedly. At first he looked rather confused, then a slow smile curled the edges of his delectable mouth. He changed the angle of his path so he would pass closer to her booth.

A burning blush started at her neck and crept up her face. Oh stop it, she thought, he can't read your mind. And you are way too old to be blushing like some plump little school girl. When he stopped at the table he leaned two fisted hands on the table and bent at the waist so he was looking right into her eyes. His nose was inches from hers.

The guy that had been following him looked back and said, ‘Hey Kell, we don’t have time to play.’ He didn’t take his eyes off her or move his mouth, but she clearly heard him say, 'Sit tight, I’ll be back in a tick and we’ll rap about that ride. And trust me, I’ve got all my teeth.'

Teeth aren’t all you got baby. I’ll need a saddle and spurs to ride you. That thought slipped before she could stop herself. He laughed out loud.

Mortified she began to wish a hole would open in the lumpy booth bench and swallow her whole. She was suddenly acutely aware that all the people in the adjacent tables were craning their necks to watch the action, or lack of it. As her head started pounding she also became aware she was holding her breath. As if he could read her thoughts, he said quietly, ‘Breathe.’

‘How do you know what I’m thinking?’

‘How do I KNOW? Darlin’ you are projecting so loud that I could hear you from the parking lot.’

As she looked back at him she became aware of a quiet in her head she hadn’t known since puberty. She could no longer hear the thoughts of all the people in the tables around her. It hadn’t been bad earlier, but the place had started filling up and she was aware the muscles in her neck were becoming more tense as the roar that was always in her head when she was around other people grew more intense. In a place like this she could usually concentrate on the loud music and get a measure of relief. But if anyone near her became emotional, or worse, aroused, there was no blocking their every thought.

As if he were following her thought process his look of amusement was replaced with concern. ‘Listen, I have to take care of something, but it won’t take long.’ The waitress walked up and sat her drink on the table. He stood up to his full towering height and stepped back so he was facing the waitress. As he moved, Stacia saw the muscles rippling under his shirt. ‘Put that on my tab and bring her what ever she wants to eat. She’s hungry and she needs to eat something.’

‘Sure thing Kell. I’ll get a menu. You want the usual?’ the bar maid said as she tapped a long sculptured nail against her tray.

‘Yeah, bring it here, I’ll be back’

Would you buy this book? v2.0

Lightning crashed, thunder roared, and there was an awakening in the earth. The currents of life rippled with a presence that hadn’t been felt in over a hundred years.

Laoch woke with a start. He was in his resting place deep in the heart of a cave in a country sparsely inhabited when he grew tired and sought rest. But now he was awake so he knew he had been called. He was needed once again to help the human race battle the evil that was bound to destroy them and likely the earth. That is as it has been since the beginning of his existence. Humans have never been without need of a warrior advocate to battle evil. But even a warrior hero has to take a break now and again.

So, now the warrior was awake. For a time, he sat quiet and listened. The earth was much more crowded now. The life current was heavy and dense, a sign that the population had exploded. And then it hit him. He could hear one soul crying out to him, louder than the din of all the others. By concentrating his conscience was able to float along the current to the place where the loud soul was crying. It was in a tiny newborn baby. The minute the baby’s soul sensed his presence the baby calmed and went to sleep. He knew that this tiny baby’s soul was mated to him.

He flowed back along the current and returned to his body. So this was why he awakened. For the next 20 years, he kept an eye on the child.

Would you buy this book?

            He was driving down the remote road in his sleek black Trans Am. A storm was swiftly approaching the way they often do in eastern Oklahoma. The wind was picking up bending the tree branches and blowing leaves across the road. It was early fall. A bright orange maple leaf was stuck to the windshield out of reach of his wipers set on low to clear the light rain. It was well after dark. Suddenly, the far reach of his headlights glanced across something in the road. He applied the brakes not knowing what to expect.

Standing in the road was the most beautiful creature.  Her hair was damp from the drizzle. The wind was whipping the dark cape she was wearing as she struggled against the gusts. When the lights caught her hazel eyes he was reminded of the expression, ‘deer in the headlights’. As he pulled to the gravel shoulder and pushed the button for the power window on the passenger side, he was taken by curiosity.

She was frightened, but peered in to see what further atrocities fate had dumped at the end of this unusual day.  He looked harmless enough. In fact, if she weren’t so distressed, she thought, she would find him rather attractive. She had always had a weakness for roguish good looks. But tonight just wasn’t the time to be thinking about her libido.  Any port in a storm, she thought, and she really needed rescued.  Still, best to find out as much about him as possible before committing to rescue.

            Lost in her mental struggle, he spoke and she was startled, “What are you doing out here?”

            She stammered not sure how to answer such a direct question without giving too much away. “Well, I… I, uh.” At that moment lightening cracked really close as the thunder boomed.

            ‘You best get in here, it’s about to pour.’ He interrupted.

            She hesitated only a second as the first few drenching raindrops pelted the back of her head. As he pushed open the door from the inside he noticed the large duffel at her feet. She reached down and grabbed it as she ducked into the low slung car. The wind nearly slammed the door behind her as the rain began to fall in sheets. He was studying her, still waiting for some sort of explanation.  She glanced at him and then began watching the rain slide down the windshield. He could see she was trying to hide her agitation. It was unclear whether she was relieved or about to cry.  She was shivering so he flipped the switch to the seat warmer. As he reached out she noticed his strong arms and work-roughened hands. Yet he was dressed in a pin stripped suit. His fingernails were manicured but he obviously spent a lot of time in the sun. She began to be intrigued by this knight in shining armor who was such a contradiction. For the time being she forgot about her own trials and tribulations and began to survey her surroundings.

            The seats were made of high quality kid leather. The dash had more buttons and lights than she could count. This vehicle obviously had every available option and she was beginning to appreciate the warmth radiating into her backside. She began to relax a little. As he spoke she realized they were still sitting on the side of the road in the rain, ‘So, if you can’t explain what you are doing here, how about telling me where we are going.’

            She looked at him and he felt as if she was peering into his soul.