Craig Terlson's Blog, page 3

Chapter Seven - Mezcal

   

“Under seat.”
    Walt’s voice dipped down and warbled like he was going over those bumps in the highway that warn you that you’re drifting into the ditch.

    “Look,” he said. Again, his voice seemed like he coming from a broken radio.

    I reached under and pulled out a dusty bottle, no label, just some yellowish liquid. Oh yeah, and the worm curled up at the bottom, nice and neat and dead. Hopefully.

    “Mezcal.”

    “Yeah, I’ve heard of it. You don’t expect me to—”

    “Drink.”

    We h...

Chapter Six - Fedora

"What kind of vehicle is that mister?"

"Never seen one of those before."

"Says Ford on it – but not like one I ever saw."

"It's a truck," I told them.

"Like hell. No truck I've ever seen."

They took turns speaking and staring at first my truck, and then at me. The one with the baseball bat didn't speak. He just paced around the vehicle, or as they called it, vee-hick-kill.

"You guys on the way to some sort of show? A live play, or some weird renaissance fair thing, but out of 19--"

I stopped...

Chapter Five - Truth

So chalk girl had a name, or an initial at least. I ripped the note off the steering wheel, slammed the truck door and cranked the engine. Drive. What the hell else was there to do? Lately, driving was the only constant in my life. The only thing that moved me forward.

I thought back to that day I had cut out from Harold and his Lime Green Slurpee. Or it might have been a Big Gulp, who knew, who cared? I had lived in the same town, with the same hockey rink, same bar, the same beer on tap,...

Chapter Four - Tequila

The Spireton was more shack than bar, and shack was a helluva compliment. Six scarred tables from a nearby bingo hall were placed haphazardly in the room. A row of red vinyl stools lined up against the bar, all ripped but one. Water dripped from a crack in the ceiling into plastic pail. It wasn't raining out. A yellowed sign behind the greasy haired bartender read Occupancy: 54. Between us and the other patrons we still had 49 more to go.

"Do you have Tequila?" She leaned against the bar.

Th...

Chapter Four Teaser

M is slowly trying to put his scrambled egg brain together - and Chalk Girl will help him... possibly.

Here's a teaser for the next chapter - up by the weekend, or sooner.

 

Chapter Four - Tequila

"Buy you a drink?"

I spun around and glared at the chalk girl – it was her, but she was dressed differently. In Spireton, she had wore a painted on black t-shirt and tight Levis. Now, she was decked out in a short floral dress, her black hair held back by a lime-green hair band. Her lips were still...

Chapter Three - Doctor

 

 

I awoke, if I ever was asleep, staring into a clipboard that hovered above my face. The guy wasn't wearing anything that would identify him as a doctor but I figured he had to be – he had that look of someone that studied your personal areas. A curvy woman with horn rimmed glasses and a rat's nest of hair stood next to him. She smelled of roses dipped in clorox.

"I said do you often have this loss of consciousness?"

"Sorry?"

He looked at the woman, she grimaced, he said something under h...

Chapter Three - Teaser

It's exciting to me as Bent Highway gains speed (and readers!) - thanks to all who have joined already!

The saga of M continues this weekend, as he struggles to understand what is happening, and what he is part of. Here is a brief teaser for the upcoming chapter.

As always, drop me a comment, a share, a like, some toast, whichever.

 

Chapter Three - Doctor

I awoke, if I ever was asleep, staring into a clipboard that hovered above my face. The guy wasn't wearing anything that would identify hi...

Chapter Two - Arrow

I don't know how long I'd been driving. Shit, I don't know how long I'd been doing anything. Time stretched out like a line of cut paper dolls, except there were long gaps of nothingness – somehow the doll chain hung together, but then things disappeared in the space. Things like my memory. Or even my senses.

I was cruising at seventy-five when I came upon the black sedan. The temp gauge needle crept up, but I stared it down and it held its position. The sedan looked familiar. Maybe my dad h...

Up and running... and a teaser

So we are up and running with Bent Highway - I say "we" as a bunch of you either came by and read the first chapter, or just took a look to see what has happening. Either way, I'm glad to have you along for the ride.

The new DC chapters will be coming fairly quick at the beginning - as much as I love revisiting and adding to the story, I am also anxious to get writing the second half.

Here's a teaser for Chapter 2 (Arrow), coming at you mid-week. Drop me a line here or on twitter. Or just wav...

Chapter One - Zippo

 

I clacked open my Zippo and held it under the bent coffee spoon. I curved the diner utensil for maximum impact on the flesh. The blue flame danced. I wasn't  thinking of anything, just following the reflections and the metal turning colours. I glanced at my arm and back to the flame. It was like stepping off the edge of a cliff and then pulling your sneaker back. Or not. Did I have the guts to put hot spoon to bare skin? It was now or never. Here I was speaking to my body, and it gave zero...