It's called 'Be Careful What You Wish For' and it is totally not finished. I wrote the beginning. I wrote the end. And I wrote a great plot twist for the middle. It's also very 'first drafty' - which means what little I read of it this morning blows chunks. But I'm posting it anyway because - in case you haven't been following along - I'm doing this experiment thing where I post the beginning of each of my books in as close to order as I can manage. I'm hoping it'll show a progression of improvement. (Not with this one, though... yuck.)
Anyway, here it is:
“Quiet!” a voice
harshly whispered in the dark.
“Where is
he? You said he’d be here. He should have been here by now,” came a
nervous reply.
“He’ll be
here. He comes here every morning at
this time, and he’d have no reason to change his habits.”
“He knows. In a minute this place will be swarming with
the Feds and they’ll…”
The hushed
whispering was punctuated by a swift slap, and then the silence that was so
necessary to their mission finally ensued, albeit briefly as the sound of
footsteps finally could be heard along the path. Gathered in the decorative undergrowth of
shrubbery that typically made the park a favorite location for morning strolls
as well as a favorite evening spot for young lovers, a few hesitant shapes
ducked deeper to avoid any preemptive caution on the part of the individual
approaching, a single member of their group standing unafraid before them. Shortly the sound that they had all been
waiting for was upon them and while the shivering and nervous members of the
erstwhile gang tensed to spring at the gentleman’s back, their leader merely
stepped out onto the path in front of him.
“Good morning,
Jack.” The leader said, his deep voice
resonating through the stillness of pre-dawn.
Startled, the
gentleman slowly backed several paces up the path until his face softened with
recognition. “Adam!” he said, his voice
slowly changing from pleasant surprise to mild irritation, “Long time, no see,
but what the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story,
Jack, and I don’t really have time to tell it right now. Suffice it to say that I’m sorry that I have
to cut your morning walk short today.”
“Well, you know
that I always have time for you, Adam, but I really would have preferred that
you make an appointment. This is my only
opportunity to commune with nature, and to get away from prying eyes…”
“My point
exactly.”
“I don’t
follow.”
“You’re going to
have to come with me, Jack. Now we can
do this the easy way and you can casually stroll with me back to my car, or we
can do this the hard way.”
“I really don’t
have time to…” The sound of rustling
leaves behind him cut short his statement and Jack turned to discover several
shadows moving in behind him. “I don’t
understand this, Adam. What’s going on?”
“There’s
something that my colleagues and I would like for you to see, Jack.”
“Well, perhaps
if you explain then there won’t be any need for this subterfuge.”
“No time for
that. Not that we expect that you would
consent to our plan even if we explained it to you. Now if you will kindly step this way, sir, we
have transportation waiting for you.
Step lively, Jack.”
“I’m not moving
a muscle until you tell me what this is all about.”
Suddenly one of
the other men spoke. “Dr. Jeffers? We’re running out of time.”
“Quite right,
Dr. Paulson.” Adam said to the men
behind Jack. “Shortly you’re going to be
overdue, and your watchdogs will come looking for you.”
“It’s just as
well. You’ll never get away with…
whatever you’re trying to do.”
Adam motioned to
the men. “Elliott… Gentlemen? You know what you have to do.”
Poised as if
ready to make a break for freedom, Jack was prepared to fight or to flee his
potential captors. In the gathering
light of morning, he could make out their silhouettes, and from the looks of
it, none of them were the muscular thugs he had envisioned. He almost laughed at the thought. His own physique was still well trained from
his years in the military, and the thought of a physical battle against a group
of scientists was the nearest thing to ludicrous that he could think of. Jack was prepared for anything; anything
except the feeling of a pinprick on the side of his neck followed by the sudden
feeling of falling.
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