Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Prologue + First chapter
[[No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
-Mary Wollstonecraft
Prologue
In this world of humans, demons and creatures, cities are rare and the desert covers everything. Some people say that it was the war that made the desert and the monstrosities that came with it, while others believe that it is punishment from God. But the reason it occurred does not change the fact that it exits, ever there and watching like an omnipotent being.
The new generation knows nothing about the war and their past- all they know is their city and the world within it. The government wants to keep it that way. Ignorance is essential for control. Those who know, the ones who remember, don’t choose to share their knowledge. The only thing that is important is doing what is necessary to survive.
1
Only one figure moved through the dark, grimy alley; creeping underneath the sickly lights that provided only sparse illumination. The stench from the dumpsters and other odors permeated the air, dissuading all but the lone man from venturing further from the main streets. His shoulders were slouched forward and his jacket’s collar was flipped up in an effort to retain body heat. His eyes constantly moved over the filthy walls and ground, searching. He walked further from the well lit streets, deeper into the gloom that loomed oppressively around him.
Ray would not call himself a bad person, it was a matter of chance that the twists and turns in his life had led him down this path. A path that some might consider evil, depending on who you ask. He had convinced himself long ago that he had not always been a bad guy, just a normal person that got involved in bad circumstances. Death and destruction are a part of life, Ray just happened to be the one to deliver them. If he didn’t, somebody else would.
At first glance, he certainly looked normal, with dark brown hair grown only slightly past his ears, his face angular and unmarred by age or scars. Looking closer, his eyes were eerily hooded in shadows and there was a sense of confidence about him. His moderately tall frame was wrapped in a black trench coat, whose purpose was to hide the bulges on his hips from possible prying eyes.
He was pale, but that was expected in this dank city where the sun rarely shined and the unnatural smog blocked out the moon. It was like a dark cloud hung constantly over the city, raining when forced with magic by the people below, but never moving on. A cloud that was never swayed by the wind and sun that pressed in from the desert.
His eyes were the only thing that would have stood out, if it wasn’t for the colored contacts that concealed his bright green eyes. Uncommon eyes which came with both drawbacks and benefits. They showed that he wasn’t pure, that he was a half breed.
The wet drops fell freely on his already soaked form as he looked and looked for a sign that- There it was. What had alerted his attention was the mark beside the inconspicuous door.
The mark wouldn’t look like anything more than graffiti to the uneducated person, but Ray did not fit into such a category. The mark was a circle with a triangle inside of it, the corners touching the edge of the circle, both in brazen red.
Ray stopped by the wall and lightly traced his gloved fingers over the mark. With a heavy sigh, he withdrew his hand and began to pull off his gloves; he would need all the dexterity he could get out of his fingers.
With a practiced jerk, Ray opened his trench coat and flicked open the holsters that rested on each hip. He gave the door a regretful look before he hardened his emotion into determination and kicked open the door with a loud crash, splintering the frame.
Don’t think about what you’re doing.
The muscled bouncer by the door was the first to be shot.
Don’t think about who you’re killing.
The innocent ravers in the club soon followed. He must always remember to…
Leave no witnesses, have no pity.
The hench men with their weapons came running out onto the dance floor and died just as swiftly as they appeared. Ray dodged the attempts on his life with practiced ease and proceeded to kill everyone in the building.
Do what you have to do.
Killing shouldn’t be so easy. Especially not for some green-eyed half breed that was only there to pay off his debt. Ray surveyed the bodies strewn about the place and saw no one left alive. That was good. Now it was time to find the prize he came for.
I am not a good guy.]]
This prologue and first chapter is what gave me the most trouble because I had to introduce this entirely new world while giving the readers an idea of the similarities between it and ours.
-Mary Wollstonecraft
Prologue
In this world of humans, demons and creatures, cities are rare and the desert covers everything. Some people say that it was the war that made the desert and the monstrosities that came with it, while others believe that it is punishment from God. But the reason it occurred does not change the fact that it exits, ever there and watching like an omnipotent being.
The new generation knows nothing about the war and their past- all they know is their city and the world within it. The government wants to keep it that way. Ignorance is essential for control. Those who know, the ones who remember, don’t choose to share their knowledge. The only thing that is important is doing what is necessary to survive.
1
Only one figure moved through the dark, grimy alley; creeping underneath the sickly lights that provided only sparse illumination. The stench from the dumpsters and other odors permeated the air, dissuading all but the lone man from venturing further from the main streets. His shoulders were slouched forward and his jacket’s collar was flipped up in an effort to retain body heat. His eyes constantly moved over the filthy walls and ground, searching. He walked further from the well lit streets, deeper into the gloom that loomed oppressively around him.
Ray would not call himself a bad person, it was a matter of chance that the twists and turns in his life had led him down this path. A path that some might consider evil, depending on who you ask. He had convinced himself long ago that he had not always been a bad guy, just a normal person that got involved in bad circumstances. Death and destruction are a part of life, Ray just happened to be the one to deliver them. If he didn’t, somebody else would.
At first glance, he certainly looked normal, with dark brown hair grown only slightly past his ears, his face angular and unmarred by age or scars. Looking closer, his eyes were eerily hooded in shadows and there was a sense of confidence about him. His moderately tall frame was wrapped in a black trench coat, whose purpose was to hide the bulges on his hips from possible prying eyes.
He was pale, but that was expected in this dank city where the sun rarely shined and the unnatural smog blocked out the moon. It was like a dark cloud hung constantly over the city, raining when forced with magic by the people below, but never moving on. A cloud that was never swayed by the wind and sun that pressed in from the desert.
His eyes were the only thing that would have stood out, if it wasn’t for the colored contacts that concealed his bright green eyes. Uncommon eyes which came with both drawbacks and benefits. They showed that he wasn’t pure, that he was a half breed.
The wet drops fell freely on his already soaked form as he looked and looked for a sign that- There it was. What had alerted his attention was the mark beside the inconspicuous door.
The mark wouldn’t look like anything more than graffiti to the uneducated person, but Ray did not fit into such a category. The mark was a circle with a triangle inside of it, the corners touching the edge of the circle, both in brazen red.
Ray stopped by the wall and lightly traced his gloved fingers over the mark. With a heavy sigh, he withdrew his hand and began to pull off his gloves; he would need all the dexterity he could get out of his fingers.
With a practiced jerk, Ray opened his trench coat and flicked open the holsters that rested on each hip. He gave the door a regretful look before he hardened his emotion into determination and kicked open the door with a loud crash, splintering the frame.
Don’t think about what you’re doing.
The muscled bouncer by the door was the first to be shot.
Don’t think about who you’re killing.
The innocent ravers in the club soon followed. He must always remember to…
Leave no witnesses, have no pity.
The hench men with their weapons came running out onto the dance floor and died just as swiftly as they appeared. Ray dodged the attempts on his life with practiced ease and proceeded to kill everyone in the building.
Do what you have to do.
Killing shouldn’t be so easy. Especially not for some green-eyed half breed that was only there to pay off his debt. Ray surveyed the bodies strewn about the place and saw no one left alive. That was good. Now it was time to find the prize he came for.
I am not a good guy.]]
This prologue and first chapter is what gave me the most trouble because I had to introduce this entirely new world while giving the readers an idea of the similarities between it and ours.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
First Blog... How to begin?
I've heard of blogging before, read my friends' with passing interest, but to create my own? Preposterous. I'm not a very social person, despite my love for my friends and my family, and I am very introverted. However, I do see the importance in keeping in contact with the outside world, and I would love to share my experiences with those that I am not able to always talk to.
Desert Souls is the title of the book I have written, and is only the first in a series which I plan on continuing. It is a science fiction story (leaning heavily into fantasy) that is set in an alternate universe 'what if' that explores the possibility of magic and creatures of supernatural lore.
Ray Syck is the first character introduced, and is an antihero. Here is an excerpt of the first chapter which introduces him:
[[Only one figure moved through the dark, grimy alley; creeping underneath the sickly lights that only produced sparse illumination. The stench from the dumpster and other odors permeated the air, dissuading all but the lone man from venturing farther from the main streets. His shoulders were slouched forward and his jacket's collar was flipped up in an effort to retain body heat. His eyes constantly moved over the walls and ground, searching. He walked further from the well lit streets, deeper into the gloom that loomed oppressively around him.]]
Ray Syck is a half-demon gun for hire that is given the assignment to kill another half-demon, but his conscious got the better of him and he failed the mission. Ray and Nicholas, the teenager he was supposed to kill, now have to run from the ones who want Nicholas dead. Unfortunately for them, the last magical war destroyed the earth, turning it into a complete desert where blood thirsty monsters come out at night and kill everything. In order to avoid certain genocide, strong barrier spells were put around the cities in order to keep the few remaining ones in tact. So with only a city to hide in, it is very difficult to stay safe.
There is much more to it, but it's getting late so I will continue on later.
Desert Souls is the title of the book I have written, and is only the first in a series which I plan on continuing. It is a science fiction story (leaning heavily into fantasy) that is set in an alternate universe 'what if' that explores the possibility of magic and creatures of supernatural lore.
Ray Syck is the first character introduced, and is an antihero. Here is an excerpt of the first chapter which introduces him:
[[Only one figure moved through the dark, grimy alley; creeping underneath the sickly lights that only produced sparse illumination. The stench from the dumpster and other odors permeated the air, dissuading all but the lone man from venturing farther from the main streets. His shoulders were slouched forward and his jacket's collar was flipped up in an effort to retain body heat. His eyes constantly moved over the walls and ground, searching. He walked further from the well lit streets, deeper into the gloom that loomed oppressively around him.]]
Ray Syck is a half-demon gun for hire that is given the assignment to kill another half-demon, but his conscious got the better of him and he failed the mission. Ray and Nicholas, the teenager he was supposed to kill, now have to run from the ones who want Nicholas dead. Unfortunately for them, the last magical war destroyed the earth, turning it into a complete desert where blood thirsty monsters come out at night and kill everything. In order to avoid certain genocide, strong barrier spells were put around the cities in order to keep the few remaining ones in tact. So with only a city to hide in, it is very difficult to stay safe.
There is much more to it, but it's getting late so I will continue on later.
Sarah
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