Moonstruck Prologue
Since rewriting my prologue and having it turn out better than I had hoped, I decided I would share it in whole with my fans. Please remember this is a draft and will still need editing. Enjoy!
With
the full moon illuminating the off beaten road, I was sure I could have driven
home by the moonlight alone. It was late in the summer, but the night was still
warm enough that I drove with the windows down in my old Chevy truck. Some
classic rock station was playing low on the radio as I continued down the
stretch of road, dust, and corn stalks taller than I. Normally I wouldn’t be out this
late, but sometimes on nights like this, a few of us would meet up for a midnight
swim down at the lake. The water would be as warm as the air from baking in the
sun all day, and the perfect temperature for a starlit dip. With the season
winding down and all of us getting ready to head off in different directions,
back to school for another semester, it was a bittersweet goodbye. For most of
us, this would be the last time for months before we could see each other
again, but I was glad to get away. This summer haunted me in more ways than one,
and I was hoping that between the change of scenery and the work load that would come
with this last year, it would be enough to ward off old ghosts.
There was only about seven miles left until I hit the town line and I’d be home. Out here there were long forgotten memories of civilization amongst the crops and cattle. As I approached the O’Connell’s charred barn, my headlights began to flicker and within thirty seconds they died all together. The truck was old and not without a few quirks, but this was new. After switching the brights on and off twice, it seemed like the problem had solved itself as the headlights came back to life. I continued driving, drumming my hand on the leather steering wheel in beat with the song now playing on the radio while I turned up the volume. Looking back up at the road, I found my headlights blinked once more but when they came back on, my heart stopped. Standing in the middle of the road was a large blue-grey wolf that had appeared in between flickers of light. I had a flash of disbelief at its size and sudden appearance before I slammed hard on the breaks. The animal didn’t move a muscle as it stared me down mere moments before I reached it. I closed my eyes tight and sent up a silent prayer just before the truck lurched to the right, making impact with the animal and crashing into a ditch.
After everything had become still once more and my pulse slowed to a semi-normal pace, I opened my eyes to find corn stalks splayed about my hood and windshield. A war raged inside my mind as I determined whether or not to get out of the truck and look for the injured animal. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I found it somehow still alive. It’s not like I had any experience being face to face with a wolf. Another minute passed before I knew that I had to at least check my truck for any damage. So I carefully slid myself out of the driver side door and came to find myself standing in a drainage stream. Taking my time, I moved along the side of the truck, back towards to road, hoping not to come face to face with the wild animal. But when I reached the road, there wasn’t a single trace of the wolf, only the black tire marks and the smell of burnt rubber. Braving a quick glance around the back of the truck and under the bed, I found nothing more than broken stalks and smashed corn husks. Feeling oddly calm, I made my way back to the front of the truck only to find a flat tire on my passenger's side, a smashed headlight, and still no sign of the wolf. My fear of finding the animal turned to concern of how I would get home. I obviously wasn’t going anywhere with the flat, and there was no way to switch to the donut while still in the ditch. I couldn’t call my dad to come tow me out since I snuck out earlier and hadn’t told him where I was going. No, calling him would be a mistake. Hopefully Kasen hadn’t made it home yet and could come and pull me out with his diesel work truck.
Opening up the door once more, I reached in searching the bench seat for my cell, finally finding it under my plaid shirt. Pulling both out, I slipped the shirt on to ward against the cool breeze and began to dial. But after a few attempts to call out, I came up with no service and a dying battery. I tried to think if any of the others who stayed behind that would be driving this way, when a movement caught my eye in the rear view mirror. It was larger than the wolf and definitely human in shape. Dread seeped into my veins as I turned around to find a boy leaning against the bed of the truck. It took a moment to find my voice, and it still hitched when I spoke.
“Who are you?”
He didn’t reply as he continued to stare in silence. The boy was much taller than me and had a hard, but slim frame. This made my heart beat a bit faster knowing that he could probably overpower me if he tried. What made me even more uneasy was that when I finally came to look at his face, I found he was attractive. His molasses brown hair grazed a strong jaw and pale lips, but it was his eyes that were enticing. They were the lightest blue I had ever seen, and seemed to have an inner glow that shown through his hard gaze.
Mustering the courage to speak once more, I asked, “Where did you come from?” Still no answer, so I tried a different approach, asking a question that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “What do you want?”
Like lightning it struck, his thin lips curled into a devious smile and I knew who he was. For the past two months I had had many nightmares. They were all different of course, except for the fact that the boy who was standing in front of me now, always made an appearance at some point. His intrusion into my dreams left me waking up in a cold sweat every night.
In the next moment, fear thundered through my body and I don’t remember making the decision to run, but I found myself running through the towering corn stalks nonetheless. The first few moments of my escape were full of panic and not much reason, but glancing quickly over my shoulder to see that the boy hadn’t moved yet from his spot by the truck, I knew I needed a plan. My cell phone was still in my hand, but like before, I had no service, so I kept running. There was no hope of rescue, only hope of an escape. As I continued to sprint through the field, I tried to gain my bearings. I had crashed just past the O’Connell line, which meant that the old barn was back down the road and if I remembered correctly, one of the older storehouse buildings should be just ahead of where I was now. As I aimed myself in the right direction, a low howl pierced the still summer night. Chills crawled down my spine and I pushed even harder now that I could see the roof of the dilapidated building through the rows of corn.
Breathing heavily, I slowed momentarily as I approached the overgrown storehouse. Even though the door was barred shut, I luckily found that a few windows had been shattered, leaving just enough space for me to crawl through, receiving only a few minor cuts. Inside there wasn’t much left to the building, but there seemed to be a few planks still secured to the opposite wall that led up into a hay loft. I figured that I could hopefully hide amongst the debris until my dream stalker gave up or I could gain some cell service to call for help. I stayed crouched for a few more moments, listening to the night. There was only the low hum of crickets and the occasional sway of the wind through the crops. No sound of the boy or the wolf for the next couple of minutes while I stayed where I was. Even though I knew too well to be fooled into thinking that the danger was gone, my heart slowed from its rapid speed. Not wanting to make any noise myself, I quietly crept along the walls to the improvised ladder. Standing to climb the first step, I felt the world go still around me. No sound was to be heard outside and a small trickle of sweat made its way down the nape of my neck. He was here. I knew it like I knew my own name. In the next few seconds, I remained where I was, facing the wall, still as a statue. How could this even be happening? This guy was made of my nightmares in the recesses of my mind. He was not real. People just don’t appear out of your subconscious and walk into your waking hours. But despite everything logical, he was here and he was real. Hoping I would be wrong, even though I knew the chances of him disappearing back into my mind were slim, I turned to face my living nightmare.
His breath was hot on my face and the world began to crumble away. There was a piercing scream that vibrated the air. My only thought was that the sound must have come from my throat as the shadows drew towards us. My vision grew darker with each passing moment and tendrils of nothingness curled around me. The last conscious thing I saw was his frigid ice blue stare. Then the darkness consumed us both, leaving nothing left of me in its wake.
© Sonja Scutaro 2012.
There was only about seven miles left until I hit the town line and I’d be home. Out here there were long forgotten memories of civilization amongst the crops and cattle. As I approached the O’Connell’s charred barn, my headlights began to flicker and within thirty seconds they died all together. The truck was old and not without a few quirks, but this was new. After switching the brights on and off twice, it seemed like the problem had solved itself as the headlights came back to life. I continued driving, drumming my hand on the leather steering wheel in beat with the song now playing on the radio while I turned up the volume. Looking back up at the road, I found my headlights blinked once more but when they came back on, my heart stopped. Standing in the middle of the road was a large blue-grey wolf that had appeared in between flickers of light. I had a flash of disbelief at its size and sudden appearance before I slammed hard on the breaks. The animal didn’t move a muscle as it stared me down mere moments before I reached it. I closed my eyes tight and sent up a silent prayer just before the truck lurched to the right, making impact with the animal and crashing into a ditch.
After everything had become still once more and my pulse slowed to a semi-normal pace, I opened my eyes to find corn stalks splayed about my hood and windshield. A war raged inside my mind as I determined whether or not to get out of the truck and look for the injured animal. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I found it somehow still alive. It’s not like I had any experience being face to face with a wolf. Another minute passed before I knew that I had to at least check my truck for any damage. So I carefully slid myself out of the driver side door and came to find myself standing in a drainage stream. Taking my time, I moved along the side of the truck, back towards to road, hoping not to come face to face with the wild animal. But when I reached the road, there wasn’t a single trace of the wolf, only the black tire marks and the smell of burnt rubber. Braving a quick glance around the back of the truck and under the bed, I found nothing more than broken stalks and smashed corn husks. Feeling oddly calm, I made my way back to the front of the truck only to find a flat tire on my passenger's side, a smashed headlight, and still no sign of the wolf. My fear of finding the animal turned to concern of how I would get home. I obviously wasn’t going anywhere with the flat, and there was no way to switch to the donut while still in the ditch. I couldn’t call my dad to come tow me out since I snuck out earlier and hadn’t told him where I was going. No, calling him would be a mistake. Hopefully Kasen hadn’t made it home yet and could come and pull me out with his diesel work truck.
Opening up the door once more, I reached in searching the bench seat for my cell, finally finding it under my plaid shirt. Pulling both out, I slipped the shirt on to ward against the cool breeze and began to dial. But after a few attempts to call out, I came up with no service and a dying battery. I tried to think if any of the others who stayed behind that would be driving this way, when a movement caught my eye in the rear view mirror. It was larger than the wolf and definitely human in shape. Dread seeped into my veins as I turned around to find a boy leaning against the bed of the truck. It took a moment to find my voice, and it still hitched when I spoke.
“Who are you?”
He didn’t reply as he continued to stare in silence. The boy was much taller than me and had a hard, but slim frame. This made my heart beat a bit faster knowing that he could probably overpower me if he tried. What made me even more uneasy was that when I finally came to look at his face, I found he was attractive. His molasses brown hair grazed a strong jaw and pale lips, but it was his eyes that were enticing. They were the lightest blue I had ever seen, and seemed to have an inner glow that shown through his hard gaze.
Mustering the courage to speak once more, I asked, “Where did you come from?” Still no answer, so I tried a different approach, asking a question that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “What do you want?”
Like lightning it struck, his thin lips curled into a devious smile and I knew who he was. For the past two months I had had many nightmares. They were all different of course, except for the fact that the boy who was standing in front of me now, always made an appearance at some point. His intrusion into my dreams left me waking up in a cold sweat every night.
In the next moment, fear thundered through my body and I don’t remember making the decision to run, but I found myself running through the towering corn stalks nonetheless. The first few moments of my escape were full of panic and not much reason, but glancing quickly over my shoulder to see that the boy hadn’t moved yet from his spot by the truck, I knew I needed a plan. My cell phone was still in my hand, but like before, I had no service, so I kept running. There was no hope of rescue, only hope of an escape. As I continued to sprint through the field, I tried to gain my bearings. I had crashed just past the O’Connell line, which meant that the old barn was back down the road and if I remembered correctly, one of the older storehouse buildings should be just ahead of where I was now. As I aimed myself in the right direction, a low howl pierced the still summer night. Chills crawled down my spine and I pushed even harder now that I could see the roof of the dilapidated building through the rows of corn.
Breathing heavily, I slowed momentarily as I approached the overgrown storehouse. Even though the door was barred shut, I luckily found that a few windows had been shattered, leaving just enough space for me to crawl through, receiving only a few minor cuts. Inside there wasn’t much left to the building, but there seemed to be a few planks still secured to the opposite wall that led up into a hay loft. I figured that I could hopefully hide amongst the debris until my dream stalker gave up or I could gain some cell service to call for help. I stayed crouched for a few more moments, listening to the night. There was only the low hum of crickets and the occasional sway of the wind through the crops. No sound of the boy or the wolf for the next couple of minutes while I stayed where I was. Even though I knew too well to be fooled into thinking that the danger was gone, my heart slowed from its rapid speed. Not wanting to make any noise myself, I quietly crept along the walls to the improvised ladder. Standing to climb the first step, I felt the world go still around me. No sound was to be heard outside and a small trickle of sweat made its way down the nape of my neck. He was here. I knew it like I knew my own name. In the next few seconds, I remained where I was, facing the wall, still as a statue. How could this even be happening? This guy was made of my nightmares in the recesses of my mind. He was not real. People just don’t appear out of your subconscious and walk into your waking hours. But despite everything logical, he was here and he was real. Hoping I would be wrong, even though I knew the chances of him disappearing back into my mind were slim, I turned to face my living nightmare.
His breath was hot on my face and the world began to crumble away. There was a piercing scream that vibrated the air. My only thought was that the sound must have come from my throat as the shadows drew towards us. My vision grew darker with each passing moment and tendrils of nothingness curled around me. The last conscious thing I saw was his frigid ice blue stare. Then the darkness consumed us both, leaving nothing left of me in its wake.
© Sonja Scutaro 2012.