Snippet Saturday: Idiots an excerpt from Halfborn

A Halfborn excerpt

I knew the risks of bringing Marshall out, but everything had gone so well. We were within a quarter mile or so of the R.V. as the scent assaulted my nose. Marshall hadn't gotten a whiff of it yet. The scent was poorly masked by what I could only guess was deer urine. I briefly thought we could make a run for it, making it to the Winnebago in mere seconds. Although they were somewhere between us and our destination. Then the bloodlust shot through me. It was too late, but I tried to fight it anyway.

“Marshall! Please don't!” I yelled, but he was already gone.

Screams erupted, and I ran toward them. Three different voices—two sounded in panic, while the third shrieked in pain and agony. I was finally able to get my eyes on the situation as shots rang out. Marshall held a grizzly of a man in his arms, his mouth latched to the guy’s throat. I had a fleeting thought of beard hair getting stuck in his teeth, then the sensation of bullets biting into Marshall's back chased it away.

Marshall threw the grizzly man's lifeless body to the ground and turned on the other two. They stopped firing. Whether it was because they'd run out of bullets or realized the shooting was doing nothing, I wasn't sure. Marshall stalked toward them. The younger, clean-shaven one turned and sprinted away as quickly as his legs would take him. The other had frozen in shock.

Marshall, being an animal of opportunity, naturally selected the one that had frozen. Leaving me to take chase. I couldn't let the guy get away, no matter how crazy his story would have sounded to people. I dropped my mental barrier, letting Marshall's bloodlust take over. As I caught up to the man, I jumped toward him. I came into contact with his body with more force than I intended, and he fell forward. His head smashed into a rock with a loud crack. His body twitched and jerked on the ground. I went for the strike when the smell of blood entered my nose.

I walked around to where the man's head lay on the rock. My gut wrenched at what I saw. The force of the impact had split the man's skull wide open. Blood pulsed steadily from the wound, pooling on the ground, and through the separation of bone, the man's brain was clearly visible. As I stood there, staring at the horrible scene, Marshall came up, still driven by his bloodlust. Either he didn't see what I did or didn't care. Instead, he went straight for the gushing wound, licking and sucking at it. He gulped greedily.

He looked up at me briefly, and I shook my head to refuse what I assumed was an offer to join him. I couldn't bring myself to feed. Not after what I saw. The man twitched on the ground as Marshall sank his teeth into the guy's neck. I listened to the beating of the man's heart slow, then ultimately stop. Marshall lifted his head and looked around, the wildness in his eyes dying a little as he wiped away the trails of blood from his chin.

“Are you finished then?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He glanced around, again. “Shit! I'm sorry.”

I wasn't sure if I was angry or disappointed. Maybe a combination of the two. I gave up on trying to understand the feelings that coursed through me. “Listen, Marshall . . . Just don't worry about it. This is my fault. I knew better.”

“Hey now, I'm the one that has no control. So how is this your fault?”

“All of this is my fault, Marshall! Can't you see that? I'm the reason you are how you are.”

He lifted himself from the ground. I gave the dead body a glance and started walking. I went back to the area where the other two bodies were. Marshall followed on my heels. I took in the area for a minute. Then I walked away, toward the direction of the Winnebago.

“I'm not dealing with this! Come on, Marshall.”

“But . . . Shouldn't we do something with them?”

“I just said, I'm not dealing with it. Let 'em rot. It was such a perfect day, and they ruined it. Just. Like. That. Ruined!” I said, feeling that much less than who I used to be. “What the fuck were they doing out here anyway? Idiots!”

I tromped through the trees, letting the rage that began within me take over. Rage had to be better than feeling sorry for the guys or feeling disappointed in Marshall's actions. I was angry that the day hadn't played out as it should have. Every bit of fun and distraction had been taken away in a matter of a minute or two. I was angry that I let myself get in the way, and I fought the bloodlust in me. It was a rage all in itself for not being sated.

*You can find and purchase Halfborn on Amazon HERE. Available in ebook and paperback formats, and you can read for free with Kindle Unlimited.