Liquid Bank - Chapter 1
Liquid Bank - Chapter 1
A Megacosm Novelette
Chapter 1 –Shot in the Back
Acrid sweat fell from Matthew’s dark, sodden hair beneath his helmet. The thin hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the bullet that sounded like an angry bee, buzzed as it whizzed past his ear. Instinct made Matthew slap at the absent insect, checking to ensure that his ear was still intact as he kept his stride.
In front of him, the wall burst into a cloud of white from the bullet’s impact.
Whether it was shattered concrete or drywall dust, Matthew could not tell.
He prayed for drywall.
Inhaling, Matthew breathed through his nose as he ran; his feet stomping in heavy footfalls that echoed through the rotunda, and kept pace with his racing heart. The stinging sweat made his eyes twitch as he glanced over his shoulder and saw the man trying to kill him.
Twenty paces back, the man was dressed in a classic gray three-piece suit with white suspenders inside that rolled over his shoulders. His legs were spread wide and bent at the knees as he took aim with two hands on the grip of a black gun. The explosion out of the barrel resembled cannon fire, an eruption of white smoke as the next bullet was aimed to kill.
Fire skipped over Matthew’s left shoulder, lurching him forward. Drops of crimson blood smeared the cold linoleum floor as three bent fingers kept him upright enough to continue his manic pace. Shoulder slump and with a grunt of pain, Matthew stumbled forward. More bees whipped past him, making bursts of white chip the wall from the errant rounds, and he turned his undamaged shoulder, leaping into the haze.
The light black armor Matthew wore absorbed the brunt of the impact as he struck the wall with a grunt. Chalk cloud of white choked his throat as the drywall gave way to his weight.
The wafting white dust disappeared, changing to inky blackness. Shouting a curse, Matthew tumbled forward, gravity pulling him into the space beyond. His roaring yell filled his ears. Wind rushed past him as he fell, arms swimming in the gloom in a vain search for anything to stay his fall.
The plunge felt like minutes as the light from the hole he made in the wall above seemed to zoom away with each panicked breath. There was little time to prepare as he landed in a heap, the sound of his weight slapping metal that screeched and reverberated with a deep thoom.
The air rushed from Matthew’s lungs as an intense burning spread from his left ankle up to his hip. Warm, hot copper filled his mouth from a bit tongue and loose tooth whose screaming nerves added to the conflagration of pain as he struggled to catch his breath. His head was the last to hit the metal with a clang from his helmet, the impact forcing a cascade of thoughts and memories that swam through his mind.
The images swirled as the darkness closed on his eyes, and Matthew wondered how he found himself dying inside a wall, perhaps never to be found. In his memories, imagery of his daughter- curly brown and sun behind her kissing the freckles on her smiling face- gave way to him sitting at a desk, being told his life up to that point had been worthless. Behind that image was the chime of a phone call that would change his life forever.
A grunt imitated a laugh, mocking as it echoed off the enclosed metal walls, giving way to the darkness that consumed the last light of Matthew’s eyes.
Chapter 2 - Economically Viable
Novelette
“Writing a novelette allows the writer to create all that supporting information to back up a short story. Whether a short story is meant as a scene in a larger story, or simply as a story by itself, it will always be taking part in a larger world.” -ThisIsWriting
If this chapter of Liquid Bank intrigued you, check out my book The Mark for 99c that began the street level stories inside the Megacosm.
Plot:
"A chance encounter introduces Linda Mark to Henry Collins, a recently discharged Green Beret. Used to dealing with war veterans because of her husband Shawn, a former Army Ranger, they quickly strike up a friendship."
"Yet, events spiral out of control, and Linda and Shawn struggle to survive as Henry’s affection for Linda turns into a deadly obsession."
You can find The Mark at these online stories: