Black Friday Resumes!

I haven’t written much on Black Friday 2in a very long while, but believe it or not, I recall exactly where I left off in the story.  Remember, I’m not a person who has good recall of anything, so be scared.  Be very, very, scared.

When I last looked at the draft, I left the ragged and cold group at the threshold of what will become their base of operations for a while.  Right now, the place is in need of some work, especially in the ceiling department.  Most, if not all, of the cabins in the old resort have gaping holes or no roof left and the main building is the only one that has four good walls and trees close enough they can get branches for a good fire and, hopefully, material to make a roof to keep out the snow and ice.

I know a few survivalists and if they had come across such a place with a group of people with little to no wilderness knowledge, but a strong will to survive, they said they would scavenge materials from other buildings to repair the main one then, when the weather allowed it, they would then work on the others and figure ways to get, or make, adequate tools to do the work needed.

Now, it wouldn’t be too strange if some tools were left behind by someone who may have used the place prior to their arrival.  Who knows what they’ll find in the other buildings besides old kills and evidence of other animals using the places for shelter.  Either way, the resort has been abandoned for at the very least five years.  Being tucked away in the mountains, anyone, or anything, could have been there.

This story does take place in our modern world, but there will be fictitious places, such as this hidden resort in the Appalachian Mountains.  The group has been on the Appalachian Trail and have taken refuge beyond the northern most point just before winter set in and closed off the pass.  They’ll have a few months to learn how to use their new bodies and abilities while they learn about what they are.

A couple of the many buildings in their new home.

Come spring, there will be a few changes which Karina will have to handle and preparing for now with the aid of Hathor.  Once Hathor leaves, Karina is going to become a central focus and have an intimate connection with the world around her.  She’s already sensing some of it now.

I am keeping this to a first person narrative.  The story is going to be told by Karina, mostly, but Takesha and Nick will be adding their two cents in to cover absences by the loner of a leader.  Maybe Marcus will also say a word or two but he’ll be quiet as far as what He sees until book three.

Yes, there will be a book three.  Book two introduces the therian (soon to be renamed to something else) people to the world and cover the reactions of humans, from the zealots to the those of who don’t care what a person looks like.

They will also have to deal with one of their who will turn them in to  the authorities and be double crossed himself.  He’s been introduced, but I won’t give away who he is, yet.  That’s a secret to keep you coming back.  >;)

Nick isn’t happy with what he finds out.

Human nature will be making a big mark in the series, starting with therians being treated as bad, if not worse, than the Native Americans and African peoples in the beginning of the nation.  History has a way of repeating itself until people learn the lesson and move on.  I’ll be needing to do some history research before I go too much further.

Got ideas to add?  How’s your writing coming along?

Sunday Excerpt #fiction #fantasy #amwriting #excerpt

Tonight, I decided to blend two posts into one.  Since I post an excerpt of random stories on Sundays and this is also the day I talk a little about Black Friday and/or Black Friday 2, I figure I may as well make them the same post this time.  Makes sense and I can sit back to watch Food Network or maybe get a quick role-play in before bedtime.  Either way, it’s much easier for me.  Don’t expect this to happen every week.  I don’t want to give away too much of the story.

With this being my last day of vacation, I thought I would make things simpler for you, my readers and friends.

Today’s excerpt comes from the last half what I’ve written for chapter nine in book 2 of Black Friday.  They have just found the place both Karina and others have seen in dreams and visions.  As tired as what they are, there is still work to do and Karina, her husband, adopted son, and their group’s ‘healer’, they prepare to weather out the coming storm.

Marcus’ look of surprised couldn’t be hidden. He stared at me, swallowed then started to ask, but I stopped him with a nod. “Yes, she did. Let’s go, now.”

“Okay everybody!” He clapped his hands together as he turned to face the group of weary shifters. “I need you to bear with us. Shelter has been found and it is a short distance from here. We can all rest there and avoid any other weather that is heading for us.” He then motioned to the building clouds then motioned to me. “Lead the way, my love. You know where this shelter is.”

I smiled at him then licked his cheek before giving my attention to everyone. “It’s only a couple of miles from here. If we support each other, we get there in no time. It’s all downhill, into a valley, and the path looks reasonably clear from what I can tell. Just stick close and don’t wander off without telling someone. If you get lost, we may not be able to find you before the storm gets here.”

There was a lot of grumbling and moaning as tired therians got to their feet. They only had a short rest and that didn’t do much for them. But, knowing they were going to be in a decent shelter, not some cold cave, they didn’t gripe too much.

Getting everyone moving, even the injured on their stretchers, wasn’t easy. Finding the path down into the valley wasn’t easy. It was an overgrown trail almost completely hidden by new growth from the years of neglect, but a few markers showed us the way.

The path wound about, seeming to go nowhere except to give glimpses of the compound below and how close we were getting. With skeletal branches intertwining over us, we could barely see the gray clouds blotting out the paler clouds above and what little sunlight we were getting. It felt like the trek down was taking forever and everyone was starting to mutter and growl their displeasure until at long last, we found the end of the trail leading out into the wide pasture.

It was open land, no trees to take cover in or to break the wind that was starting to whistle through the trees. Anything would be able to see us as we traversed the wide space of snow.

Marcus, Nahana, and I went first to make sure it was all clear. We kept low to the ground, moving on all fours as we were meant to be and keeping our bellies close to the ground. We split up to sniff the air and see if anyone was around before we stood and beckoned the rest to follow. The place was abandoned, not a sound or scent to be found that was recent except for wild creatures stopping by to make use of the pasture or the shelter of the buildings.

I kept an eye on the line of tired wolves, deer, and other therians behind us; making sure no one fell behind. Those that did fall, I rushed back to help Nahana get them back on their feet and offer words of encouragement. They didn’t have much further to go. They can rest inside and we’ll have a fire roaring to keep us warm.

Worry for them filled my heart as they all stumbled toward the building. It seemed so very far away at that point. But, I had to stay strong for them and keep them moving.

As I turned my attention to the building clouds, snow started to fall and the wind became colder. The shiver than ran down my spine raised fur and set my teeth to chattering against my will. Not wanting to leave anyone behind, I plunged through the snow to get the last two, both deer-kin, and helped them get to our new home. The last several feet, I was carrying them, both too exhausted to take another step.

Inside, it was cold. We could feel drafts coming from under the door and around the windows. There was debris all over the place that blew in from a storm sometime in the past. As cold as what it was, it was better than being out in the cold.

“Marcus, Nahana, Nick, we need to gather up wood for a fire and try to fix those drafts.” I looked from one to the other as I rested my hands on their shoulders. “Nahana, you and Nick go gather some firewood and kindling. Marcus and I will start working on plugging the drafts.”

“What about Takesha, Karina?” Nick looked, his eyes questioning and filled with worry for this rag-tag group of therians.

I shook my head and offered a little smile. “She’s tired. Let her rest for now and help tend to the injured. If she needs help, Marcus and I can lend a hand. Don’t worry about her, or anyone else. Just get us that wood and quickly. It’s already started to snow.”

Nick sighed then nodded. “Okay. We won’t be long.”

As I grasped his shoulder, I smiled at him, showing my approval. “Just hurry, son. We’re all tired and we need you to help lead.”

He hugged me; something he hadn’t done since we left First Home, then gave Nahana a gentle shove toward the door. It’ll warm up with all the bodies in there, but a fire will help keep the rest of the cold at bay.