With Halloween so close, I decided to dedicate this post to Things that go bump in the night, and present an excerpt from my new release: Matrix Crystal Hunters.
With some illustrations done by me.
She drove up the side of the old
riverbank. Rounding a corner, she found the remains of a road. Maya continued
down the rough track until a large structure came into view.
The huge, stone building seemed
ageless. It could have been built yesterday, but it was more likely to be more
than a thousand years old. She parked her jeep nearby and walked the rest of
the way on foot. The wind howled around the corners of the structure, making
Maya suddenly feel more isolated than she was used to, and unusually for her, a
little wary. She hugged her elbows and slowed her steps.
Locating a doorway, she entered and
found a big empty space. The large structure had been constructed from nearly
indestructible stone, so only the doors and roof were gone and, although long
abandoned, it was surprisingly clean, except for rust-colored spots where some
kind of machinery had once stood.
The superstitious Zeemen stayed away
from such old buildings, considering them evil or sacred, depending on who you
spoke to. An excellent place to set up
camp.
Maya gathered up her supplies to set
them inside the building. She put her tent up in a corner where the sun had
already warmed the stones, so that the heat they were radiating would help to
keep her warm during the cold desert night. She set up her tables, but left her
instruments in their boxes on the floor. They were irreplaceable and she didn't want some wild animal knocking them down.
Taking a flashlight, Maya made a
quick foray into the strip mine. The setting sun reflected off a few places,
but her heart sank. If the matrix crystals were here, it would light up more
than this. First thing tomorrow, I’ll
have to go all the way down there.
She didn't relish the idea of the
hike. The strip mine was deep and it would take her a while to reach the
bottom, where hopefully a few of the crystals remained. Tiers, used as roads,
went around the edges, leading down to the lowest section, but they were overgrown
with trees and shrubs, and water pooled at the bottom of the mine. But that
could be blocking her view of the refraction of the matrix crystals too.
Maya finished setting up her camp.
She lit a small burner so she could warm up some noodles for dinner. Her
stomach growled, reminding her that she had forgotten to eat lunch again.
She imagined how Momma Roosa would
chastise her if she knew that. “Don’t you know, girl, food is the only fuel a
body has to fill up on? How can you keep on going if you don’t eat?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Maya stirred in
the contents of her seasoning package. She saved what small amounts of Earth
food she still had for trips out.
After her scanty dinner, Maya went
to bed, hoping to get an early start in the morning. Sleep was a long time
coming. The excitement of exploring a new site always kept her awake. But, just
as she started to doze off, there was a scuffing sound, not unlike the noise
made by someone’s shoe.
Maya jumped, opening her eyes wide
in the darkness. Who could be way out
here? She hadn't seen a soul all day.
Another scrape, but this one closer.
Maya stiffened, her heart beating so loudly, she feared she wouldn't be able to
hear anything else. Lifting her head, she held her breath, willing her heart to
quiet down.
Nothing.
Maya relaxed. It must have been the wind blowing something around. Yeah, that’s it. She
closed her eyes again. Sleep was close.
Then came the unmistakable sound of
the tent’s zipper being drawn up, bringing her back to full wakefulness.
Who the hell is that?
~*~
Happy Halloween
If your interested in reading the rest of the story, here are the links to my book:
~*~
