OK, trying something new...I'm going to be posting parts of my in-progress new novel, Spellbreaker. I won't be posting the whole book here, but I'll regularly put up bits and pieces. Hopefully you'll be hooked! I'd love to get your feedback over the next few months, how you feel, what's working for you, etc.
ZERO CASE from SPELLBREAKER
(Copyright Tim Murr/ St Rooster Books 2015/16)
ZERO CASE from SPELLBREAKER
(Copyright Tim Murr/ St Rooster Books 2015/16)
The newest of the
Spellbreakers was a 24 year old
woman named Texas Hill. Named that by her father, Alan, after she was born in Detroit instead of
back home in Fort Worth. Alan designed show and racing cars. Texas grew up
fairly normal. She, her brother, Gary, and mother Gabriella would travel around
the country with Alan. Cars were her world. Alan built vehicles for big
Hollywood movies and unique personal cars for movie and sports stars.
Gary was four years
older than Texas and a gear head himself. He built his first racecar from a kit
and joined the dirt track circuit. His car was inspired by punk rock and Racer
X from Speed Racer. He made himself into a ‘character racer’ and was a favorite
with kids-including his little sister.
When she was old
enough, Gary helped Texas design and build her own car (a garish pink body with
a neon green silhouette of the state of Texas on the hood). The two of them
were very popular and inspired other drivers to add theatrics to their suits
and/or cars. Some complained that circuit was becoming a bit too pro-wrestling,
but no one turned down the money. Gary and Alan developed a web series showing
the Saturday night races and interviews with the drivers. Texas was the
undisputed star and her pink and neon green t shirts with the slogan ‘DON’T
#%$! WITH TEXAS’ sold all over the country.
Then Texas met Danny.
It was at a party out
at the doom metal band Troll Wolf’s house. Troll Wolf had bought a small run
down farm house out in the middle of no where (reminded them of the house in
Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and turned it into a home/recording studio. They could
also grow weed without molestation from the law. Troll Wolf held monthly
parties that grew over time from about ten guests to a couple hundred. Texas
had been dating the singer/rhythm guitarist Smoke for almost a year when she
and Gary drove up for the big Halloween bash. It was early in the afternoon and
the band, some girlfriends, and a few pals were getting the place ready and
running power cords out to the amps on the make shift stage. Within a few hours
the neighboring field would full of cars and the property would be crawling
with punks and metal heads in costumes. Texas came dressed as Velma from Scooby
Doo. Gary was Samhain-era Danzig, shirtless and covered in blood.
Nothing was out of the
ordinary that day. Beer flowed like a river, the air was thick with smoke of
the sweet leaf, and by the time the sun went down the crowd was one hundred
strong. Troll Wolf stumbled on stage and started banging through a sloppy set
full of Halloween themed covers and originals. There was a bonfire on the front
lawn and the scarecrows that had been hung from the dead oak were being set on
fire. In the field you didn’t have to walk far to see a car bouncing with
fogged up windows. More than a few fights broke out, but nothing that couldn’t
be contained. More beer arrived with every new car. All in all it was a great
Halloween.
Between songs someone
started screaming. She may have been screaming before that, but no one heard
until the applause died down. Even then it took a while before people started
becoming curious.
A skinny blonde girl
dressed as a sexy angel came running/ limping from the field covered in blood
screaming for help. At first people parted, afraid to touch her. Then they
gathered around trying to help her, but she wasn’t saying anything that made
sense. She just kept screaming about her boyfriend. Finally, Gary and a few big
guys started running in the direction she was pointing. It was near the edge of
the field that they saw a hulking beast eating out of a young man’s gut. He was
laid across the hood of a car and obviously dead.
It was dark back
there, but there was just enough light to see what was eating the man was
neither human nor animal. Gary and the four guys who arrived first stopped
about ten feet away, with a few more people coming up slowly behind.
The beast looked up at
the gathering crowd, who all took a step back at the sight of it’s glowing red
eyes. The beast rose to its full height of nearly eight feet and screamed at
them. Many people fled, but Gary and the first four stood their ground.
Texas pushed her way
through the fleeing guests, trying to check on Gary, with Smoke and the other
members of Troll Wolf with her. Smoke had grabbed a machete, which he kept near
the garden for snakes.
The beast was slowly
approaching the group that had grown to ten strong, with everyone clumped
several yards back, turning on headlights and flashlights to get a better look.
Smoke waved the machete and yelled for it to get back, but the beast just
chuckled.
That chuckle sent
chills down everyone’s spine.
It started to pace
back and forth, sizing up the group. Texas felt flush and a little dizzy, sound
started to become muffled for her. Then, there was a voice from out in the
darkness.
The beast spun around
surprised, then bolted straight for Texas. She screamed and threw her arms up
and there was a flash of lightning that hit the beast, blasting him a hard left
through a car.
The first thing Texas
saw when she opened her eyes was a man in black clothes, purple sneakers, sweaty
and out of breath and carrying a sword. She looked over at the smoldering
remains of the car and the beast staggering to its feet, smoking.
“You!” The man with
the sword shouted. “Stay right there!”
Then he sprinted at
the beast and swung the sword into its neck, decapitating it.
