Tina Yeager's Blog, page 8

Lethean Shroud

The water dragged at Rayanna’s clothing as she trudged across the stream’s flow. A dripping cocoon of clingy hair and cloth, she emerged with soggy, weighted steps and slogged across the rocky bank. She tugged her blouse at various spots to peel it from her skin. Wrung from the fabric, mineral-scented water splattered the fist-sized rocks underfoot. Tossing the water from her long tresses, she climbed back onto the stone ledge and sat beside the dead man’s keys.

A trickle of moonlight glinted on the handcuff tool. She flicked a glance overhead at passing clouds with a silent plea to afford her enough time to free herself. The crisp night air sent trembles through her wet body. Shaky hands added to the struggle of fitting the key into her cuffs from an awkward angle. She dropped her jangly handful twice. Just as a shadow slinked over the moon, the bit slid into place and she twisted it with a click.

Her fetters clattered onto the stone. Rayanna massaged her sore wrists. As she tossed the cuffs and keys into the center of the riverbed, a breeze whistled through the treetops. Thin branches reached into the open air above the stream and waved. Shivers soon compelled her to rub her arms instead. Her flat, broad perch left her exposed.

She cast furtive glances at the tightly woven darkness hemming the waterway. The bristling creature’s ambush, strewn human carnage, and howls from the bowels of this forest haunted her thoughts.

If I stay here, the cops might never take me in. But something far worse could find me first. She scrutinized the brush around her, but found no red-eyed gleams to substatiate her suspicion. A lurking presence pressed against the air around her back. She shuddered under the palpable gaze of a predator.

With a sharp inhale, she plunged back into the chilly water and forged her way to the opposite bank.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

 

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Darkness swallowed her a few mere steps off the path’s edge. Near blindness crippled her gait to a stumbling run through varied shades of black. Brambles clawed at Rayanna’s face and sleeves as she plunged deeper into the forest’s matted hide. She raised her linked forearms to shield her face.

Straining her ears, she hurtled herself toward the stream’s faint whisper. The rushing sound grew to a deafening shout. She broke through a tangle of branches and stomped into frigid water. Rayanna drew in a sharp breath and retreated to the narrow bank.

Overhead clouds parted to allow a splash of moonlight to dance along the swift current’s surface. A large, flat rock stretched over the stream’s neck and bathed in the silver rays. Rayanna picked her steps across the molar-like stones lining the stream. She reached the ledge and set the keyring down just as the moon re-veiled its face.

Her cuffs scraped across the slate as she prostrated herself and peered over the rock’s edge. Organic hints of fish and tannis laced the fresh water’s scent. Reaching down from the perch, she scooped handfuls of water and splashed its chills over her face. The cool shock tingled over her cheeks and flaked away layers of grime.

And blood. She squinted through the darkness at the outline of her palms. Rivulets tickled teasingly down her gritty neck. She lifted her head, listening for another rustle or howl in the forest’s belly. But the stream’s rushing flooded her ears and beckoned her. To remove her boots. To slide her feet into its crisp grasp. To slip over the edge of her rock. And rinse away the evidence of the last few hours.

Before she knew it, Rayanna immersed her body in the stream’s brisk flow. She laid back and let it sweep through her hair. Closed her eyes as cold water brushed away ditch slime and spattered blood. Two accidents. Both printed with the marks of a killer. This comprised all her memory. The hard line of her lips relaxed as its remnants washed downstream and vanished.

 

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Earthy odors clung to the damp forest air. In the darkness, even the smell of decayed wood reeked of sinister motives. Moss carpeted most of her winding path and devoured saplings at its edges. Hints of musk wafted along with the irony scent of blood to assault her senses, and Rayanna shuddered.

She rankled her nose, but hesitated within a few inches of covering her face. Filth plagued her hands and cuffed wristes. She tugged at the mud-crusted fabric of her shirt collar and ventured a reluctant sniff. Beastly odors punched her face and spun her gaze aside.

Whoa. Got to find somewhere to clean up before I rejoin civilization. If I look as bad as I smell, I could be mistaken for a werewolf.

She quickened her pace on the spongy path, crushing the bone-like remains of the fungal feasts. The fade of adrenaline weighed her legs with stony fatigue, but she could not allow herself to slow down. Though she couldn’t remember whether she had killed, the bear-sized creature that had rushed the patrol car remained vivid in her mind. And it was still out there.

Faint rushing sounds drifted from beyond the visible stretch of her path. She slowed and cocked her head. Strained her ears to make out the constant rhythm of flowing water. A grin teased at the corners of her mouth, but faded at the next sound to erupt.

Somewhere deep in the forest’s belly to her left, a howl seared through the night.

Despite the perilous tread in faltering moonlight, Rayanna sprinted headlong down the forest path.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Mist slithered over the mossy forest floor and wound through the tangles of thorny brush. Spectral fog tendrils reached onto the narrow path and dissipated. A remnant, yet invisible chill tickled at Rayanna’s legs as she ventured deeper into the woods. With each rustle or twig snap, she stiffened. She recognized the frequent hoots of a lone owl. Wilder cries triggered her heart to a shuddering beat.Furtive glances at the inky shadows offered no clues as to which creatures moved in the night.

A bobcat or panther? Is that the grunt of a boar … or something larger?

She twisted to scan the crooked way back, swallowed by the night. No, she couldn’t return to the road. Rayanna returned her gaze to the thick forest ahead and plunged onward. She picked her steps along the moss and stones to minimize footprints, just in case. Other than peeling aside an occasional low branch, she held her cuffed wrists against her stomach to stifle their tendency to jangle.

Time slurred in the buzz of her strained senses. Had she been hiking for minutes or hours?

Clouds flitted past the moon’s surface, causing gnarled countenances of surrounding trees to morph. The brush fell silent. She slowed her pace. Held her breath. A rivulet of sweat trickled down her spine and prickles raided her neck. The forest was watching her.

 

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Grassy tendrils wound around Rayanna’s limbs and snagged at the cuffs binding her wrists. She commando-crawled, staying low to clear the overturned squadcar’s hood. Her forearms and calves sank into the silty muck and rancid ditchwater sloshed at her shoulders. Weeds swatted her face. She spat a gritty, foul sploosh from her lips.

Just a few feet …

Once out of the cruiser’s shadow, she struggled to stand. Mud swallowed her feet up to her ankles. Something slithered against her leg. She recoiled with a shriek and hustled her slosh from the ditch. Slime and sour water sprayed at her chin. She threw herself into the high weeds lining the ditch and scrambled up the bank. She squished onward and crashed through a prickly line of brush. Twigs scraped at her arms and face. She stumbled free on the other side.

A strange, gastral noise sounded from the ditch. She peeled branches aside and glanced back at the vehicle’s carcass. With wheels helplessly raised, the car lay on its back and settled deeper into the earth. Stagnant ooze now seeped over the grisly spatter of blood and tissue hidden within. The ditchwater couldn’t rise enough to bury the officer’s lingering hand. Still wedged against the seat. Fingers locked around the radio. His call for help literally cut off. The rest of his body dragged into the darkness. Moonlight cast a spectral glow on the mist curling around the scene of his death.

They’ll come looking for him soon. I can’t be found in range of the patrol car.

Rayanna released the branches to obscure the view of the road. She turned and squinted into the dense forest.  Fog slinked around tree bases and licked at the edges of a narrow, mossy footpath. Occasional shafts of moonlight broke through the canopy to offer dim glints along the trail. She ventured a few steps into the woods and paused. Cast furtive glances into the wild tangles hemming her in on either side. The officer’s body could lay out there–if anything remained of him.

Whether a snake had grazed her in the ditch no longer fazed her. No, a more sinister predator might lurk in the thick shadows ahead of her.

She drew in a stuttering breath. The moments leading to the accident flashed into her mind–the inky, bristling creature bounded toward the patrol car. As if targeting us.

She swallowed hard, a bitter taste streaking through her gummed mouth. So the roadway isn’t safe from humans or… whatever skulks these parts. With shaky steps, she ventured into the eerie woodlands. Though she couldn’t remember who she was or what she’d done, she felt certain she’d have avoided such a place under any other circumstances. But now, it seemed she had no other choice.

 

***TO BE CONTINUED***

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Relent: A New Paranormal Read

Allow me to welcome distinguished author, Kat Heckenbach as today’s guest post contributor. I recommend her writing to avid readers of speculative fiction, and look forward to each new release.

When I started writing Relent, I used the working title Guilty. My goal was to show that anyone, no matter how far they have fallen, no matter how guilty, has a chance at redemption. I chose to use a half-angel as a main character because according to the Bible humans are the only of God’s creatures offered grace. But what if someone were half-human? Would she be offered grace as well? Or, as was the case for my main character’s mother, what if an angel were made human—could they receive redemption then?

But, stories have a tendency to deviate from our intentions. I’m not saying Relent doesn’t illustrate my original message, but something deeper seeped into the story, an idea that eventually led to the title change. At some point during my writing, I realized I was creating a story about letting go.

Simone had always been angry at her mother for abandoning her. And when she found out (from a demon) that her mother, Seraphina, was actually an angel who gave her up in order to return to heaven, Simone became even angrier. Seraphina wanted paradise, not the burden of a child—so instead of taking care of the baby she’d conceived with a human, she left Simone on the doorstep of an orphanage. Dumped her infant so she could run back to her literally perfect life with no regard for Simone. Right?

Maybe not. Maybe Seraphina wasn’t being selfish. And maybe if Simone could learn to let go of her anger, she might be able to see what truly motivated her mother. Maybe she could see the sacrifice that was made, not for Seraphina’s sake, but for Simone’s.

When Simone has a child of her own, and is forced to give her up, she claims it is nothing like what her mother did to her. No, she does what she does because she can never be the mom her daughter needs, and wants her daughter, who is not immortal like Simone, to have a normal life. Yet, a battle rages inside of her. She loves her daughter, even though she has never held her, has barely laid eyes on her, has sent her away with her father so they can both be safe from Simone and the demon, Wraith, she  has come to rely on. Eventually she decides she wants more than anything to be a part of her daughter’s life, and will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Stubborn. That’s what Simone is. She hates her mother for not giving up heaven. She hates herself for giving up her own daughter—and she hates herself for being what she is. Anger. Hate. Resentment. Jealousy. These are things she hangs on to with the grip of a demon’s claw. And if she doesn’t let go of them, the demon inside of her will grow.

Yes, Simone’s internal demon is literal—the half of her that is angel is in danger of falling. We as humans have figurative internal demons. We are in many ways just like Simone, hanging on tightly to our anger, resentment, jealousy, and other negative emotions. We squeeze our eyes tight, refusing to see anything else. Refusing to let go. Refusing to relent, so we don’t see the freedom we’re offered when we give up trying to control everything. We don’t begin to morph physically, but we morph emotionally.

Fortunately, we all are given the same choice Simone is given—that of letting go, moving on. We to, can relent.

 

Kat Heckenbach spent her childhood with pencil and sketchbook in hand, knowing she wanted to be an artist when she grew up—so naturally she graduated from college with a degree in biology, went on to teach math, and now homeschools her two children while writing. Her fiction ranges from light-hearted fantasy to dark and disturbing. Enter her world at www.katheckenbach.com.

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/KatHeckenbachAuthor/?ref=settings

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatHeckenbach

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3190288.Kat_Heckenbach

Get your copy of Relent at the following sites:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073J3W4FN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498867278&sr=8-1&keywords=kat+heckenbach+relent

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relent-kat-heckenbach/1126664861?ean=2940158815539

The post Relent: A New Paranormal Read appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Rayanna sucked in a wheezing gasp as she cringed away from the lifeless hand. Her gut roiled, threatening to sumersault its contents onto the ceiling. Muffled jargon blurped through the communicator, requesting the officer’s status. Offering assistance.

Someone’s coming to look for this car. I’ve got to get out of here.

Just past her blood-streaked sleeves, the handcuffs glinted from her wrists from the dim lights on the dashboard. She gimped closer to the steering wheel. Rust-colored muck smeared the surface. Her knee squished and she recoiled from a bit of human tissue. A dry retch clamored up her gullet and torqued her body.

Focus. Or this will get pinned on you. Whether you’re guilty of murder or not.

With trembling hands, she reached up and wrenched the keys from the ignition. A small, bit-bearing rod dangled from the ring–the handcuff key. Shaky fingers added to the awkwardness of the restraints. Several fumbled jabs proved freeing herself would take time. And she didn’t have that luxury here in the patrol car.

She threaded a finger through the ring and gazed at her only escape. Most of the windshield had burst inward to spangle the inverted interior. Jagged, crimson-stained shards framed the cockeyed hole, making the exit seem to sneer. Tongue-like reeds curled away from the lip of the roof, into what must be a ditch.

As Rayanna made her way to the hole, her foot swept something across the stubbled glass. She squinted at the evidence bag.

The SUV’s vehicle registration. The only possible clue to my identity.

She stuffed it inside her shirt and crept through the jaws which once served as a window.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

 

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Throbs pounded Rayanna’s temples, confirming pain as the rudest awakening. She blinked away sticky drizzle, which flowed up her cheeks–the wrong direction. Pressure dug into her hips and shoulder. Her aching arms hung past her ears. Her wrists clinked as she drew them closer. With a brush of her hair against the ceiling, she squinted at the cuffs.

I’m upside down. Handcuffed. Belted into the back seat of a patrol car. And this isn’t the first crash.

Awareness brought only the recent hour back to her mind, but she could recall nothing further. Garbled voices squawked from the front of the car. She wiped at an oozing slash on her chin. Where the safety belt’s vicious cinch tethered her to the seat, numbness inched across the top of her thighs.

“Officer?”

Muffled jargon and static blurted from near the driver’s seat, followed by an eerie silence.

She raised her voice, but a croakiness grated its tone. “Sir, please wake up!”

This time, even the dispatch offered no semblance of a response. Rayana fumbled at the safety belt’s buckle. The awkardness of her cuffs exacerbated the difficulty posed by her quivering, blood-slicked fingers. She jabbed with her thumbs and finger until the hasp slipped free. Pain shot through her shoulders and back as she crumpled onto the ceiling.

Rayanna rolled onto her hands and knees with a groan. She crawled across the ceiling toward the front of the car. Glass shards bit at the denim of her jeans, but didn’t manage to sink through to her knees. Using the cuffs as barriers, she managed to avoid cutting her hands. Putting all her weight on the steel against her bare skin hurt nearly as much as a nick, however.

She blinked her eyes clear and gaped as she scanned the front cab around her. Gore splattered the ceiling and streaked across the dash through a huge hole in the windshield. The keys swung from the ignition. Just above her head, a squawk of code startled her. She snapped her gaze upward and shrieked at the one remaining piece left of the officer.

Wedged between the driver’s seat and console was a severed hand, still gripping the communicator.

***TO BE CONTINUED***

 

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

Rayanna’s joints ached as she slid into the back seat of the patrol car. She opened her mouth to protest, but had nothing to say in her defense.

How could I forget whether or not  I had killed someone?

After shutting her inside, the officer fetched gloves from the front cab. He muttered some jargon into a handheld communicator, then clipped it back onto his uniform shirt and glanced back at her. “You just sit tight there. After I fetch your vehicle registration, I’ll be right back.”

He left the car and walked toward the SUV. She stared at her cuffed wrists. At least he’d fastened them in front of her instead of twisting her backward. She felt sore enough from the accident without twisting awkardly on this vinyl seat.

Rayanna inhaled a deep breath through her nose. And regretted it. Hints of urine and sweat tinged the air, mingled with some disinfectant. With added evidence of grime streaked across the gray pleather, she doubted the person who cleaned this car had staked any personal pride in the task.

The officer peeled off his blue gloves as he returned with a plastic-bagged document. After reporting more jargon to dispatch, he started the vehicle. “Registration there says Rayanna Nova. From Providence, Rhode Island? Let me guess, you don’t remember.”

Lips fixed in a wilting line, she didn’t bother to answer. The name did sound familiar, but will it help me to say so? The tires crunched on the graveled shoulder as he pulled out onto the vacant road.

“You’d be a long way from home if you were from there. Maybe seven hundred miles. But I’m guessing that isn’t where you really came from.” He sniffed and flicked a narrow-eyed glance into the rearview mirror.

She turned her gaze toward the shadowy, forested landscape. Pale mist slinked around gnarled, bare trees. Otherwise, the wooded roadsides whisked past them in varied shades of black.

From somewhere in the void beyond the headlight beam’s span, an inky mass darted into the road with an inhuman, snarling growl. Twice the size of a deer, and lower to the ground, the dark-furred beast sprang like a shot. Rayanna strained her neck and eyes. Peered through the windshield. The car veered, slinging her sideways.

Tires squealed. The officer grappled with the steering wheel, but the patrol car skidded off the edge of the road. Rayanna slammed against the window and onto the ceiling as the vehicle rolled. Pain burned through her. The last thing she heard was the vaguely familiar crash sound of breaking glass.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

The post Lethean Shroud appeared first on Tyeagerwrites.

Lethean Shroud

The officer’s flashlight beam stung into Rayanna’s eyes. She squinted and shielded her eyes with her forearm until he turned it to highlight the blood-tinged hole in the windshield.

“Know where you were headed?” He swept the beam over the SUV.

“No, sir. I don’t remember.” She gazed into the thick fog gliding among the spindly, barren trunks. An owl hooted from somewhere in the inky forest.

“Been drinking tonight, Miss?” The light struck her face again.

“I don’t think so.” She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the wound on her head. The pain shot through her skull. “I’m sore, but probably from–”

“Probably? Do you ever drink alcohol on Friday nights?” The officer’s boots scuffed on the gravel.

She peeked at him, but saw nothing past the sharp glare. “Couldn’t say for sure.”

He pivoted the light at the driver’s window. “Your license and registration in there somewhere?”

As the officer approached the window, her skin flushed cold and the earth swayed. Expletives burst through her mind. Once he sees that interior, I’m done. No matter what really happened.

“I can check, but shouldn’t we look for an injured animal first?” Rayanna backed away from him and pointed to the ground in front of the vehicle. “If something was struck hard enough, it could die without help.”

“No damage to the hood. So the impact came from in–” He cupped a hand against his forehead and peered into the cab.

She managed two steps toward the misty woodlands, when the maglight thudded to the roadside behind her. A snap followed.

“Halt or I’ll shoot.”

A glance back revealed the cause of the snap sound. The officer had unholstered his gun.

He trained the barrel on her. “Keep your hands where I can see them. Turn around, nice and slow.”

Rayanna obeyed, raising her arms in a surrender pose as she turned to face him. “Sir, I know how this must look, but–”

“You say you don’t remember what happened or where you were going.” The weapon still aimed at her, he tugged a pair of handcuffs from his belt with his free hand. “Well, I can tell you where you’re going now. See that cruiser parked behind your vehicle? You’re heading to the back seat.”

***TO BE CONTINUED***

 

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