"Let There Be Light" Snippet

This is a repost from my Wordpress blog:

I've been working on the second book of the After the Coming series, with a working title of Let There be Light. I'm hoping to release it sometime in September. This is an unedited snippet:

“Go away!”

I glanced over at Arnie, who had his back to a tree that was almost as big around as he was. That had been the voice of a kid, not an adult. No telling if the kid had missed us on purpose as a warning, or what. Arnie had his thinking face on, so I didn’t say anything. Another bullet hit the tree I was hiding behind.

“I don’t think whoever is firing has bad aim, Arnie,” I said quietly. “Those were warning shots.”

“Yep.”

A twig snapped, bringing my attention back to the trees around us. Arnie was watching the cabin around the edge of his tree, so I started looking in the surrounding bushes and trees. I caught sight of movement about twenty feet away and focused on it.

“Got an adult, guessing male, about twenty feet to our right.”

“Armed?”

“Can’t tell. He’s hid pretty good.”

“Watch him.”

“I said, go away! Next bullet will take out your trike.”

“You take out my trike and we won’t be going anywhere!” Arnie called back.

I wasn’t real worried about the trike. Arnie had armor plating covering most of the engine and the front tire was solid rubber. It wasn’t going flat. I saw the barrel of a rifle around the edge of the tree where I’d seen the man hiding. I grabbed my bow, nocked an arrow and let it fly. It glanced off the barrel, jarring it enough the bullet I was sure had been aimed for Arnie missed him.

“Damn it!”

“You always shoot first and ask questions later?” I yelled.

“When them’s as not invited are doing the showing up,” a male voice called back.

“Well, put your damn gun away,” Arnie huffed. “We didn’t come here to steal or hurt anyone. We’re traders, not thieves.”

“Don’t know you. Never seen you around these parts.”

“Haven’t been in a couple of years. You gonna shoot if we come out?”

“Louis! They got guns?”

“Not that I saw, Jake! Just bows and knives, I think.”

“Come out, then.”

“Put the damn gun away first,” Arnie said. “I’ve no mind to get shot this far away from help.”

“Nothin’ doin’ since I don’t know you.”

I watched the figure move out from the tree slightly and nocked another arrow. I let it fly and this time the rifle dropped to the ground. I’d been careful not to actually hit the man, just the stock of the gun. I was up and running as soon as the arrow left my bow. I tackled the guy and kept him from reaching the gun, sitting on him and drawing my knife to end his struggles.

“Jake!”

The door to the cabin opened and a boy, maybe twelve years old, came flying out towards me and Jake. Arnie ran over and quickly got hold of the kid and I got off Jake and picked up his rifle. I held the barrel down, so he’d know I wasn’t aiming to shoot him, just as I hadn’t wanted to use my knife for anything other than defense.

“Let me go! Jake! Let me go, you big oaf! Jake are you okay?”

“Stop your damn struggling,” Arnie put his big arms around the kid and hugged him tight. “I’m not going to hurt you and Mick didn’t hurt Jake.”

I walked over and retrieved both arrows and slipped them back in the quiver after examining them for breakage. When I straightened up I took a good look at the pair whose cabin we’d apparently happened on. The man was barely that, my age or slightly younger, and was nowhere near my height. Both he and the boy Arnie held had dark hair and eyes and were most likely related since their features were similar.

“You stop kicking and struggling or I’m not letting go,” Arnie stated.

“Settle down, Louis,” Jake said and sighed. “I told you don’t come out of the cabin. What were you thinking?”

“He was gonna hurt you, Jake.”

“And what if he had? Then you would have been hurt or killed, too. Then who would take care of Emelia?”

“Emelia!”

Louis had stopped struggling and took off for the cabin as soon as Arnie released him.

“Tell him not to shoot,” Arnie sighed. “I’m Arnie and this is Mick. We’re not going to hurt any of you.