Virtual E-Book Fair Excerpt~Rip Tide

Twelve

The trip back home proved to be uneventful for Phineas as the miles passed in quick succession. Once he was safely inside the house it felt good to be able to lie down on his bed again in familiar surroundings. Unfortunately, sleep was proving to be something rather illusory. He would wake screaming at the top of his lungs in terror many times throughout each night. Images filled with flames, narrow corridors, splattered blood, knives flashing and shouts filled his nightmares every time he visited the dreamscapes.

Soon, with the lack of sleep, his bleary eyes almost wouldn’t stay open. Attempting to work on his manuscript was proving to be rather impossible for him in the house. About the only headway he was making was when he was sitting out in the open air beside the trellis in the rose garden. The sounds and movement of the birds, bees, insects and the breeze were relaxing and helped to keep him awake and aware as he typed away.

He actually considered laying out his sleeping bag beside the trellis a few times for sleeping. Noticing dew in the morning on the roses and leaves didn’t entirely dissuade him from the idea. Watching the clouds blow up one day and the rain fell in sheets as he attempted to get the laptop in quickly did make him think twice. He was in his usual spot next to the trellis writing when it happened and he realized he needed some kind of shelter out there. Though a pergola would work most of the time a canopy or tent would be better. Maybe he could also find a portable hammock and an outdoor table and chair set to make it even more comfortable. There would be little reason to try to do any writing in the house then and the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. Not realizing what time it was getting to be he decided to head downtown and do a little shopping. Just maybe he could find what he was looking for.

All except for a couple of bars, everything downtown was closed when Phineas parked the car. Not wanting to consider it a wasted trip he began to window shop looking at the items on display for several blocks. At the sporting goods store it looked like they had just what he was looking for on view behind the glass. The open sided tent would allow him to watch nature like he wanted to do. It would have to wait though until tomorrow after they opened for business. With just about everything on the street closed down it was eerily quiet. It was kind of nice at the same time also because there were very few people walking around.

A few doors further down was an art store that drew him to stop. Standing at the window he admired some of the paintings that were there on the easels. It always amazed him the imagination, patience and skills that were involved in the creation of the works of art he could see. They were able to take an image that only resided in their minds and turn it into a picture to share with anyone. While part of what Phineas did was sharing images in words, it wasn’t the same thing.

Crossing the street, he went into the park as its darkness seemed to beckon to him. With a mood to play he wanted to ride on the swings but after searching around he didn’t find any but there was a slide so he could still have a little fun on it. Climbing up the ladder he had to stoop low at the top so that he could slide back down to the bottom. It wasn’t quite the experience he remembered he had while he was a kid but it was still kind of a treat for him.

A big man wearing a Metallica t-shirt and jeans came over to the wall that ringed the playground and was watching Phineas. The t-shirt barely covered his expansive stomach which could have been used efficiently as a portable table by the owner. After sliding down one last time he noticed his audience. Drawn irresistibly, Phineas walked across the sand to join the man on the wall. As he sat down next to the man, he caught a whiff of the big fat hooter the guy was smoking.

Looking him over, the big man decided his visitor probably wasn’t all that dangerous. Besides, he could take care of himself and he always had. Too damn bad that bartender wouldn’t let him light up at the bar, stupid anti-smoking ordinance or something. The big guy hoped one day that they would get a clue and legalize his wacky tobacco since they weren’t stopping anyone who wanted to smoke it anyways. Interdiction, in his opinion, was just a waste of time since it wasn’t like he felt it was all that harmful. Maybe that state wide referendum would be passed. He looked at the author, “hey, you want a hit from this hooter man?”

“Yeah I guess so, why not? I’ll go ahead and take a toke.”

He held the stick out to Phineas which had a resemblance to a cigar instead of the pen joints he used to smoke when he was younger. “Here you go dude. My name is John.”

“Umm, thanks.”

“Go easy on it when you hit it, that shit will knock you on your ass if you aren’t used to it.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to.” He put it to his lips and took a little toke. Almost instantly, he felt it alter his senses as he began to get a buzz. With an exaggerated movement, he handed the large hooter back to John. Phineas now began to feel dizzy as a shadow seemed to pass in front of his eyes. It felt like there was something twisting and swirling around in his head. Closing his eyes, he could see another pair of eyes that appeared in flashes. The pair of glowing red malevolent orbs stared at him from within the inner darkness.

The eyes were disturbing to Phineas but he was also curious about them. “What the fuck are you doing to me?”

The owner of the eyes answered him, “this is now my body also you know.”

Excruciating pain filled his head as Phineas faded out of consciousness and fell face first into the expanse of playground sand.

“Hey, are you all right dude?” He looked at Phineas lying there a few moments and decided he didn’t really care or even want to know. Glancing around, he looked for any cops that might be nearby. Not seeing any he left to go back to the bar as he skulked across the grass. I swear that will be the last time I get anyone I don’t know well stoned. This guy is all fucked up! That held true until a little later that evening after he met the girl at the bar.

The author awoke from tortured dreams, his drool attaching a few grains of sand to his lips. He wiped his face as he struggled to sit up wondering a few moments in his confusion about where he was. Visions of smoke and fire from his nightmare still played around in his head as his mind fought for some kind of reality. As the terror began to fade, his surroundings were becoming clear to him. Taking a couple of deep breaths he got up and then began walking towards home. Before getting too many steps he remembered the car was parked nearby. Stopping in place, he racked his brain for where he left it at until his memory became clear for where it was. Changing direction, he turned around and began walking towards it.

Reaching the cross street he looked both ways and not seeing any cars he ran across. Oh my God, I need some sleep. I’m so fucking tired! The disturbing image of the pair of red glowing eyes kept playing in his imagination. He knew he had to get home soon or he might not be able to, the fading in and out of consciousness was disconcerting. Spotting the SUV, he took a deep breath as a deep sense of relief took over. Soon, he knew that he would be back in his bed again and hoped that his dreams would be nice ones for once.

Reaching the door he stood for a few moments as he looked up and down the street. The lights cast eerie shadows on the walls as the images changed to flickering yellow, like those from gas lamps of 100 years before. He closed his eyes and the look of the street returned once more to the present day and the way he expected it to appear. Opening the door, he got behind the steering wheel and pointed the SUV towards home on the quiet streets. 

Available at:

http://www.amazon.com/Rip-Tide-ebook/dp/B00CD70VJ8

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306631

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rip-tide-brian-bigelow/1115194750?ean=2940044472570

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rip-tide/id637834197?mt=11

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=dQ7crmn4TCgC&rdid=book-dQ7crmn4TCgC&rdot=1&source=gbs_vpt_read

https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/brian-bigelow/rip-tide/_/R-400000000000001029122