Excerpt - Chapter 8
EXCERPT: This is a brief excerpt from my novel-in-progress. Enjoy.
Chapter Eight
Better Removed
Alexis stood staring into the rain for many long minutes, running questions through her head. How can I find Keats? Who can help me find Keats? This question brought a hailstorm of indecipherable images in answer. She would have to narrow her questions down. She asked what might be her next step: no answer. She asked if there was someplace she might go that might help her find her way to Keats. The answer was a wooded area outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.
It seemed unlikely that she would find any clearer answers in some forest; nevertheless, she was learning to trust her instincts and herself. She took a deep breath, turned away from the shattered glass of the window and stepped into nothing.
Pine trees surrounded her as she stepped into the forest, the scent reminding her so much of home that she felt a slight pang of longing just before the arrow struck her.
Alexis hit the ground with a jarring thud, the push and pain of the arrow nearly knocking her from her feet. Her vision blurred as she reached up and grasped the arrow, crying out in pain as a result. It had struck her solidly in the upper left shoulder and had obviously punctured her lung, as she began having difficulty catching a good breath.
She struggled to crawl behind a tree, just to her right, out of fear of another attack. Tears filled her eyes as the pain seared down her left side and across her chest. As she lay against the tree, she realized that the arrow was protruding at least an inch out of her back. It had had enough force to drive its way all the way through her.
Alexis listened for movement, yet heard nothing other than the birds and the rustling of pine needles in the breeze. She questioned who had shot her but no answer came. It wasn’t as if the answer was muddled like when a god was involved, or jumbled up as if the attacker might be another of the progeny. There simply was no answer to be found.
Alexis was attempting to figure out her next move when she saw the girl standing about one hundred yards away, directly in front of her. The girl had long, flowing red hair and her position was in the opposite direction from where the arrow had come. Regardless, she had been shot and if there had ever been a time to be wary, it was now.
The girl began strolling toward Alexis at a leisurely pace, seemingly in no hurry whatsoever. Even as she got closer, close enough to see that Alexis had an arrow sticking out of her chest, the girl’s pace never changed. She stepped up to Alexis and looked down at her, with an almost bemused expression, with her brilliant green eyes.
“So,” the girl spoke, “What the hell happened here?”
“Someone shot me,” Alexis replied, wondering why the girl could not have come up with a better question that that one.
“Well, duh.” The girl turned and sat down beside Alexis. “Anyone can see that. What I meant was how did you let it happen?”
“What are you talking about? Someone shot me!” Alexis did not know this girl and tried desperately to keep her anger and pain in check, lest the situation take another nasty turn.
“Yes, yes. We’ve established that fact rather poignantly, don’t you think?” She reached her hand out to Alexis and took her right hand, awkwardly. “I’m Lily. And, you are?”
“Alexis.” She glanced at Lily, irked. “So, are you going to help me, or what?”
“Hmmmnh,” Lily responded. “I think I might fall into the ‘or, what’ category.”
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