An excerpt from my novel: Seraphine

Posted by on November 6, 2012 in My Three W's: Writing, Working out and What The??, On Writing | 7 Comments

Seraphine Macguire is a demon hunter, but she doesn’t know it yet.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt from my novel.

Please comment below and tell me what you think!

*

Diego saw it first. In the half-light between dusk and dark, lit slightly by the pool of soft light from the street lamps that had just turned on announcing the pending night.  It hugged the border where light stopped and gloom began.

 “What is it buddy?” Serah asked. She watched his nose flare as he tested the wind, his neck stretched forward unwilling to move closer before he knew. He was patient. Serah squinted to try to see ahead to the next block.

“Come on bud, let’s go home, it’s time for dinner and I want to get ready for my flight lesson tomorrow.” Serah tugged on Diego’s leash.

“Forward motion, let’s go.” Diego growled, he could smell it.  The shape in the dark snapped its eyes around at that noise and fixated on the pair in the street. It was Demon Fear and it could smell them too.

“What the hell? Diego!” Serah couldn’t remember the last time she had heard him growl, its sound curved through the air and landed in her gut. She looked up the street but saw nothing. Nothing. Diego looked up at her, wagged one short wag with his tail and then continued to watch ahead. Serah strained to see. Blue eyes. Blue eyes?  Confused she shook her head and blinked.  When she looked up the blue eyes were bigger. It was closer now.

“Diego. Diego. Diego!” Serah shook his leash hoping to get his attention, “Diego let’s go. NOW.”

She could feel it. Caused by Demon Fear. The nausea forming. She could taste it. Saliva filling her mouth.  Serah’s heart sprinted. She could see it. A formless shape with those eyes.  Big and blue, they did not blink.

“No no no no no no,” Serah pressed her palms against her eyes.  She turned to spit and tasted salt. The Demon lingered there. It circled the spit and sniffed. Like an addict on a line of coke. It circled and it sniffed. It sniffed and it hissed. It hissed at Diego as he growled, his growl grew as wild as his fear. He growled and yipped loud enough to echo down the quiet street, yet every blind stayed down. Every curtain was shut tight.

The demon danced.  It twirled around them like a dancer on a stick, reaching out tendrils to touch the terrified girl.  It played with his prey eating up the waves of emotion as they wafted by. Such a delightful snack, an appetizer to start. It waited for full dark, its power mitigated by the dusky half night half day. It was in no hurry.

Alone. She was dying, alone. Like Justin did. Like we all do. There is nothing there. Nothing out there at all. We are all alone. Me, fly a plane? That is retarded. I am too clumsy. I will just kill us all. Stupid girl. Stupid, ugly lonely clumsy girl. No one will EVER love you.  The words and images reverberated in Serah’s head like a mantra with soul crushing power. Her head swept back and forth. She knew someone followed her. She knew they intended her harm.

“Hey, Pretty girl. Heyyy.” Her head snapped up to see a figure crossing the street. Grey hoodie, jeans. He looked normal. She wanted to run. She felt crazy.  Why am I acting this way?

The large blue eyes of Fear swirled at her feet.  It blinked in anticipation and let out a slow, almost silent, “hisssssssssss.”  It knew what was coming and it was ready to feast.   Diego looked from one opponent to the other, confusion turned his growl into a whine. He looked up at his human for guidance. She watched the man so he did too.

“Hi, ummm. Just walking my dog thanks.” Serah stuttered.

“What a nice night for that. I’ve seen you around here before. I always remember the pretty ones.” He said. But he didn’t smile. He just watched.  Those words spoken by others would have made her flush and flirt back, but his words sounded dirty and almost evil.  Evil? She didn’t understand.  The stare from his blue eyes she couldn’t counter.

“Yeah… it is… for sure, thanks. I ahh, gotta keep going- dinner time you know?”   So scared so scared. RUN!

“So ummm see you later,” she edged away as he reached out a hand.

“So pretty,” his fingers touched her dark brown hair and caressed down from the crown of her head to the flyaway ends, “shiny like,” he whispered.

“Noooo, no no no, please, “ Serah begged, her teeth started to chatter. She closed her eyes and leaned away from the dirty hand. She could not step away. His hand closed on the end of her hair and tugged. Hard. Pulled her head back with a sharp snap. Serah flinched and she sucked in air in surprise.   Demon Fear sipped, then drank the air in gulps. This was what it waited for.

Diego lunged. A cacophony of barking peeled down the street as he jumped at the man. He could reach the man’s chest with his paws and Diego forced him away from his girl. The man hissed and stumbled off the curb.  Serah tripped backwards onto the stranger’s green lawn behind her and passed out. Fear blinked. It swirled around the girl’s head but there was nothing left to eat. With one last hiss at the annoying canine it danced down the now darkened street, sated.

*******

“Seraphine. Seraphine, wake UP. Wake up NOW.” Serah cracked one eye open to see Noah’s face swim above her.  His hands on her shoulders as he tried to pull her up.

She resisted, “ohmygod, did I pass out? I never pass out,” she threw one arm over her face, “aaaggggh.”

“Seraphine, seriously. Sit up please, let’s make sure you won’t do it again.” Noah cajoled and tugged. She let him tug her into a sitting position.  He watched her face to make sure it stayed nice and pink.

“Blue eyes…” She muttered and the memory returned.

“Did you see a man here? Oh God a dirty man with a grey jacket and blue eyes? Something else with blue eyes,” she trailed off.

“No I didn’t.  You are lucky I was still outside when I heard Diego going crazy. I threw down the hose and ran around the block and saw you on the lawn. Did something hurt you?” Noah asked.

“Ahhh, noooo. Just scared I guess.” Serah blinked.

“Wait, you said something, not someone,” she let the rest of her question hang in the air.

“Yeah,” Noah sighed before he finished, “I did. Come on. Get up. Do you have a minute to talk?” He stood and reached out his hand to help her up. Serah stared at the gorgeous tattoo of a glossy feline curled around his forearm and then she noticed, there on his palm, just like hers: sat the mark of the cat.