Before He Wakes
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Patrick and Clare wake up trapped in a basement, a thin wall separating their cells. Their captor is mysteriously absent, which at first seems like a blessing. As more time passes with no food or water, they begin to realize a clock is ticking for their survival.They know their captor is still out there, and it is only a matter of time before he returns.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing
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Before He Wakes Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWOThe Runaway NectarinesAs Brad made his way back across Crenshaw Square, he silently berated himself for not taking his car. He hadn’t thought he’d need it since everything in the Historic District—scratch that, downtown—was within easy walking distance, but what seemed like a few short blocks when you were unburdened suddenly felt a lot longer when you hauled six plastic bags full of household supplies.Weary as he was, he still paused across the street and surveyed his new home. He remembered standing in this exact spot ten years ago, fantasizing about owning the house. At the time, it had seemed nothing more than an impossible dream, but here he was, literally living the dream.The house was no longer the dilapidated beauty it had been before. No more mold creeping down the masonry like a rash, no more broken glass, brand new shutters and roof. The restoration hadn’t been cheap, but 324 Abercorn was once again the grand manor Brad had known all those years ago. He co
Before He Wakes Chapter One
CHAPTER ONEThe Boy in the Book LadyBrad was browsingthe Mystery section in Book Lady on Liberty Street when he noticed the boy staring at him. Well, not a boy exactly. He was probably in his early twenties, more of a young man. The older Brad got, though, the younger everyone else looked to him.Jesus, you’re only thirty-six, stop casting yourself in the role of a geriatric. Although you are closer to forty than twenty. Hell, you’re closer to forty than thirty ... Blocking out his own inner voice, Brad glanced back toward the staircase lined with stacks of books. The young man still stood there, practically in the children’s section, still staring at him. He wore a pair of capri pants and a gray hooded sweatshirt, his black hair done up in meticulous bed-head, ample time spent to make it appear he spent no time on his appearance. Mild amusement marked his face. Instinctively, Brad reached up and brushed at his chin, wondering if a bit of his lunch had gotten st
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty-Five: It’s a Girl
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:It’s a GirlPatrick sat inthe dark, back against the rough stone wall. The lack of light was part of his punishment, as was the fact that he only had the food bucket in the cell with him. Big Daddy would bring the other bucket once a day and watch while Patrick used it. He’d resisted as long as he could, but eventually it had been a choice between using the bucket or fouling his pants and having to sit in his own filth. Humiliating and dehumanizing.Speaking of which, he reached into the bucket next to him and pulled out a handful of dog food and tossed it into his mouth like popcorn, crunching down on the kibble. The taste was chalky and sour, but he swallowed the mess down with a grimace. He turned the handle of the spigot and gulped several swallows of water.He had no idea exactly how much time had passed since his escape attempt with Clare. Weeks? Months? It was hard to keep track of time when he was submerged here in total darkness. Long enough for
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty-Four: Putting Sis to Bed
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:Putting Sis to BedPatrick awoke tothe roar of the ocean crashing on a rocky shore, thunder booming in the tumultuous heavens, nuclear missiles detonating right next to his ear. The sounds of apocalypse, of annihilation, of volcanos erupting fire into the sky and worlds imploding. He tried to raise his arms to cover his ears with his hands, but he found his arms would not move. As he listened to the cataclysmic roar ebb and flow, he realized it would do no good anyway. The sound was not without but within, inside his own throbbing head.He opened his eyes and winced at the glare of light that stabbed into his corneas. His throat was scratchy, his tongue a dried-out sponge lying abandoned in his mouth. Something covered his mouth, something sticky that sealed his lips together. His face was on the ground, turned to the side, and he felt some kind of grid digging into his cheek. He tried again to move his arms, which were pulled behind his back. He glanced
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty-Three: Daddy’s Home
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:Daddy’s Home“You two havebeen naughty children,” the man said, his voice calm, even a bit chipper as if he and Patrick were engaged in a pleasant chat. “Where’s your mother?”At first, Patrick couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He stared at the gun as if hypnotized by it. The opening at the end of the barrel seemed so small yet so large at the same time. It was hard to believe that a projectile propelled out of that hole could cause so much destruction. Patrick had gotten into a few scrapes and physical altercations in his life, but until this moment he’d never had a gun pointed at him. Not even a cap gun when he was a child, as far as he could remember. He found the experience utterly debilitating.Big Daddy smiled, not a menacing smile, but again one that looked almost congenial. “I could tell you were going to be a feisty one from the first time I saw you running. So much energy and stamina. A boy a father could be proud of, if only you turned that energ
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty-Two: Through the Woods
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:Through the WoodsPatrick and Clarestarted down the dirt road toward the wooded area, he with the rod in his hands and her with the beam. They didn’t really discuss it, but Patrick certainly wasn’t ready to get rid of his weapon and even wished he’d thought to bring along the knife from the kitchen as well. He wouldn’t feel safe until they were sitting in a police station, telling their story to a room full of officers.Only that wasn’t the truth. He would possibly never feel safe again. He may always want a weapon handy wherever he went, even in his own home.Just as they reached the tree line, the path stretching under the overhanging branches to give the impression of entering a tunnel, Clare said, “Maybe we should get off the road. You know, in case Big Daddy comes back.”“Good idea, but let’s stay close enough that we can sort of see the road. I’d hate for us to get turned around and lost in the woods.”They walked a few feet into the trees then sta
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty-One: Going Down
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:Going DownClare tried toturn her focus away from the pain, but the truth was her leg hurt like a sonofabitch. She could see that the cuts weren’t deep and the bleeding was sluggish, the wounds already scabbing over, yet they throbbed and pulsed with living fire. She wondered about infection, but surely it would take longer than a few minutes for that to set in.Patrick was taking more than a few minutes himself. He’d gone to search for a hammer and screwdriver at least fifteen minutes ago, she’d guess. She heard the sounds of rummaging from time to time. She also listened for the sounds of a car approaching outside.They were so close to getting out. In a suspense film this would be the exact moment that Big Daddy would return. The fear, like the pain, burned inside her, but she tried to ignore it, to push past it. She needed to stay strong. Later, after they were through this and were safe, she could break down, but not now.A small gasp escaped her lip
Before He Wakes Chapter Twenty: Rise and Shine
CHAPTER TWENTY:Rise and ShineSheila Ramsey wasthe nurse on duty when Bernie Wilson woke up.She wasn’t supposed to be. Teddi Gibbs was on the schedule, but she claimed to have come down with some kind of stomach bug and said she couldn’t possibly come to work. Janice had pulled Sheila in because technically it was one of her on-call days.When the phone rang at six this morning and Sheila had squinted at the caller ID to see the hospital’s number, she’d been tempted to ignore the call and let it go to voicemail. In fact, the first time she didn’t answer, but then thirty seconds later the phone started to ring again and with a groan and a curse, she’d snatched up the phone and barked a bristling, “Yeah?”And now here she was, working a twelve hour shift when she’d stayed out at the Gaslight Bar near the airport until they closed at 2 a.m. She was exhausted, hung over, and plotting a million different ways to torture Teddi. At thirty-nine, she simply didn’t bounce back from
Before He Wakes Chapter Nineteen: The Attic
CHAPTER NINETEEN:The Attic“I killed her,”Patrick said again, dropping to his knees. Distantly, he heard Clare saying his name, but it was small and tinny, as if coming through a radio with a bad connection. Or as if he were at the bottom of a deep well and she were calling down to him from the top.All he could think about at the moment was the fact that in a matter of a few hours, he had killed first a dog then graduated to killing another human being. Acts of which he would have thought himself incapable of a mere week ago.While Patrick didn’t go so far as to actually call himself a practicing Buddhist, he did have great respect for their philosophies and had spent some time visiting with a Buddhist monk at the Cambodian wat in Wellford. One of the things that resonated the most with Patrick was the Buddhist belief that all life was precious. Not just human life, but all life. Buddhists tended to be vegetarians and didn’t wear leather, but it went even deeper than that.
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