Excerpt from REVELATION

“Simeon to H.S. dispatch.”

After a second of squelch the dispatcher replied, “This is H.S.”

The car lurched as the road changed from dirt to asphalt. Simeon shot a menacing look at the driver, then said into the microphone, “We are returning to base with Mister Burroughs.”

“Were you able to arrive at a peaceful solution?”

Simeon smirked at his partner and shrugged. He keyed the mike and said, “Negative on the peaceful resolution. Circumstances beyond our control made it necessary to take definitive action. Burroughs is a fatality. Sorry, after all, we’re only human.” He released the talk button and started laughing. 

The driver laughed so hard he lost control of the car. It ran off the pavement, onto the dirt shoulder and kicked up a cloud of dust and rocks before he regained control and returned it to the asphalt. Through his laughter, the driver said, “I love it, we’re only human. You’re a riot.”

Simeon continued shaking with laughter. “You gotta enjoy your work or you might as well be stuffed in a trunk.”

The car swerved from side to side as the driver struggled to maintain control through another laughing fit. “You kill me…well, not me actually,” he said, setting them both off on another bout of laughter.

When the car reached the highway the driver turned to head south in traffic. The two men settled down, assumed a more somber façade, and the driver kept the car under better control.

“We’re only human,” the driver chuckled. 

-- Excerpt from REVELATION, Book 1 in the Almost Human series.

Tongue Tied Episode 9

Aria and Grant clung to each other like novice sailors at a ship’s railing in rough seas. The heat between them molded their lips together like sweet caramel.

Aria jerked away. “We got to go,” she said. “Now. Can you walk?”

Grant nodded, and Aria helped him to his feet. He stumbled forward out of the carriage and landed face down in the dirt.

“Maybe not,” he said. Aria helped him to his feet and looped his arm over her shoulders.

“Sorry,” she said. “We can’t wait. Them saloonies will be coming for me.” He leaned on her like a drunk as she half-dragged him to the edge of the pit. “Where’s this here dragon?”

As if in answer, heat flooded over her, and a dragon’s head the size of the carriage materialized above the thurium pit. Heat radiated from the fire smoldering in the dragon’s mouth, it’s golden eyes locked on Aria’s. “Your dragon don’t look none to happy to see us.”

“Good girl, Bessie,” Grant said. “It’s okay.”

The flames in Bessie’s mouth died down. Aria stood motionless as Bessie sniffed up one side, and down the other, but she flinched when Bessie’s tongue flicked out, and tasted her arm. “Why do you have a dragon?”

Grant struggled to stand on his own, wobbled, and slumped back against Aria. “She’s more useful than a horse,” he said. “More reliable than a skimmer. Besides, I think she done took a shine to me.”

He raised his hand toward the dragon. “Haven’t you girl.” Bessie lowered her head in front of Grant, and he caressed her snout.

“Hey!” Drake yelled from the pit. “You leaving me here as dragon food?”

Bessie whipped her head toward him and spit a stream of fire. Drake screamed and ducked back into the cave.

“Who’s that?” Aria said.

“My next bounty.”

“How much you getting?”

“Once I deliver him at the Columns, they’ll pay me seventy-five — silver or thurium, my choice.”

“Whooeee,” Aria said, and whistled. “That’s a small fortune. What’re we going to do with all that money.”

“We?” Grant tested his legs again. This time they held, and he stood on his own. He glared down at Aria. “You shot me — and you drugged me.”

“Well, You left me in this viper-pit of a hole-in-the-desert — for five years — to fend for myself.”

“And you think shooting and drugging me makes us even?”

“Not quite. But it’s a start.”

 “How ‘bout I leave you behind for your saloonies,” Grant said, “and fly on out of here with my bounty.”

Aria reached inside her handbag and snatched Grant’s blaster. “How ‘bout I shoot you, and tell them saloonies you tried to kidnap me.”

They stared at each other, tension flickering. Bessie looked from Grant, to Aria, and back. “You shoot me,” Grant said, “and Bessie won’t take too kindly to it.”

Bessie spewed smoke out of her nostrils from a rekindled fire in her mouth, and singed Aria’s arm.

(Get lost on the trail and end up here at Episode 9 with no idea what’s going on? Try starting out at Episode 1)

(If’n you just skipped over to Episode 9 and missed Episode 8, now’s your chance to click back and catch up (that’s different than ketchup))

Tongue Tied Episode 7

Tugal and Aria began searching the Thurium dig site by the light of the full moon.

They finished skirting the site perimeter.

“If there’s a dragon here, I can’t see it,” Tugal said. Morning was close, and a fringe of light was already growing on the horizon.

Aria leaned over the edge of the hole and scrutinized each cliff and crag. “I can’t believe he lied to me.”

“You did shoot him with a blaster.”

She picked up a rock and threw it into the pit below. “Not before he told me this dragon was supposed to be here.” She watched as the rock dropped. It stopped in mid air with a hollow thump, then rolled to the ground. “That’s a might odd.”

“What?”

“Watch this.” She threw another rock. This time it dropped straight down and landed on the dirt with a solid thud.

“That is odd,” Tugal said. “The rock went down.” He made an arc with his hand and whistled as he imitated the path of a falling rock. “Thud.”

“It didn’t do that last time.”

“Go down?”

“It didn’t… Uh, maybe… I should—just accept Grant lied to me. You take the roan and go on back to the saloon. I’ll deal with Grant for his lying thieving ways, and meet up with you later.”

“Don’t you want I should go down there and have a look-see before we give up?”

In the dim light Tugal couldn’t see the change in Aria’s affect. If he had, he might have figured out that she was hiding something. “Nah. He played us like a pair of deuces. I bet he was hoping we’d let him go before we came out here to check out his story. You go on back and get some sleep and a hot meal. I’ll be along,” she jerked her finger in the direction of the carriage where Grant lay unconscious, “once I’ve dealt with him.”

“I could kill him afore I go.”

Fear flashed in her eyes, hidden from Tugal in the darkness, and her face went hot. “No.” Aria blurted out. “I mean.” Her mind stumbled. “I want him awake when I take care of him. I want to look him in the eye.”

Tugal smiled in the darkness. “Aria, you learn from Tugal. It is satisfying to watch a man’s soul leave.”

“Uh. Yeah. That’s it. I want to see his soul leave. By myself. I want to do it.”

“Tugal understands. I will wait for your return. Do not delay too long, the others may begin to wonder where you have gone. They become restless in the daylight when you are not back.”

Ten times she had tried to escape. Ten times she had fled into the desert in a different direction, each time finding no water, no food, and no other settlements. The saloonies hadn’t hurt her, as such, when they found her and brought her back. But they hadn’t been none too gentle either.

Thanks for reading along with Tongue Tied. I hope you are enjoying them.

(Did you arrive here at Episode 7 and haven’t read the first six episodes? Click here for Episode 1)

(If you just missed Episode 6, click here)

(I think Aria is up to something, how about you? But will it work out – for her, or Grant? I will post a link to Episode 8 here when it’s available)