So I really didn't have anything particularly planned out to post today. When I realized this *coughatmidnightcough* I went back to YA Highway to see if there was anything ultra special amazing to take from past Road Trip Wednesdays, and saw last week's. The prompt? Post a line from your current WIP.
So I've already told you a little bit about my story. It's about a superhero who's been put in a terrible situation by a mixture of bad decisions, who finds danger, romance, and fear along her journey to learn more about her beliefs and also to fight for those she loves.
I'm going to give you a taste of it tonight. It's a bit more than a sentence, but it's definitely not the full chapter. Keep in mind, this version is not in it's final state--it's still a rough draft--but it should give you a sense of the story and hopefully it'll make you want to read more of it. ^^ The people in my writing class certainly liked it. :)
Also, some of the characters swear in this excerpt. Fair warning.
CHAPTER ONE (PARTIAL)
I tugged at the fabric covering my nose and mouth, blinking against the rain as it poured down my mask. I tried as hard as I could not to think of the guns strapped into the holsters on my legs while I walked across the gravel, or the daggers on my hips.
A tingle ran across my skin and I shivered, pausing at the corner of the warehouse. All around me people stood at their positions. Some were doing the same thing I was, walking around and keeping an eye on the dark, while others were perched on the rooftops, keeping an eye on everything from above in case we had intruders from that direction.
When the company decided I was ready for a trial run as a night guard, they decided tonight was the best time to test how well I’d been prepared by the superhuman trainers. The next shipment wouldn’t come in for another three days, but thieves could still try and do something.
I shouldn’t even be here.
I wasn’t ready yet.
I closed my eyes for a second and took another deep breath. My hands shoot, my breath caught in my throat, and even through the drumming rain I could hear the guards all around me as they strode around, boots snapping across the cement and stomping through gravel. I would be fine. Blackbourne Industries was one of the only companies who went out of their way to train people with special abilities, and they were the ones who’d taught me how to control my powers in the first place. I couldn’t doubt the quality of their instruction if they managed that.
A quick cry cut through the night and I stopped, my hand flying to the dagger on my right hip. I stood still, frozen, not daring to move or to breathe. My eyes were peeled for something out of the ordinary, anything that would give me a reason for my reaction. But the sound of the rain hitting the metal roofs of the warehouses must have been tricking my ears. There weren’t any further shouts, no orders filling my ear bud giving me directions to follow.
Nothing.
I probably looked like an idiot. Nobody was going to attack a warehouse before a shipment arrived.
My breath escaped out into the dark in giant white puffs, wreathing around my head before dissipating into the night air. I tried not to shiver as the cold brushed against my skin. Rain drowned out a lot of background noise, and it made me feel vulnerable, like one of my senses was cut off. The warehouses stood around me, piled on top of one another as if they were menacing figures just waiting to drag a person into the darkness. It didn’t help that a small orange light was placed over every door, creating even greater shadows around each corner. Neither did our uniforms. We were all dressed up in dark, almost black uniforms with faces covered up to the point where people couldn’t even see our eyes.
I shivered. Self consciously I tugged at the fabric covering my nose and mouth.
“Acid.” I jumped.
“What?”
“Damn it woman, stop fidgeting,” barked a commanding voice in my ear. The ear bud hummed with sudden activity. “Jesus. You practically scream newbie, Acid.”
“I am a newbie, sir,” I said, my shoulders relaxing automatically. It was Boss. He was the one they’d placed in charge of my instruction. Even though his power set didn’t exactly match up with mine, he had experience training up people with volatile abilities. If he had my back, things weren’t likely to go explode tonight.
“Get yourself together,” he said, sounding very exasperated. “Amazon’s at Warehouse 14-C on B-Pattern. Follow her and please try not to make an embarrassment of yourself.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, giving a mock solute before turning north.
Rain continued to pour in torrents from the sky, sliding down the rocks and metal walls and making the ground impossibly slick. The scent of wet dirt and asphalt permeated the air, making me wrinkle my nose as I strode over the gravel. Goosebumps rippled across my skin, and I had to resist the urge to shiver.
“Move to second post,” said Boss’s voice and I jumped. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
“Got it,” I said. I turned to my left and rounded the corner of the faded, beat-up building. I just hoped as I turned that I was no longer within ready sight of Boss from his vantage point.
“Just keep your eyes on the horizon, rookie. With any luck you’ll get to take down a homeless wreck tonight.
“You’re so nice,” I said sweetly, and stopped when a soft clang reached my ears. I narrowed my eyes. A lump appeared in my throat.
It was nothing. I pushed my hand under my hood and scratched at my ear as I took a step forward. It was probably just a stray cat or one of the structures settling a little. The sound hadn’t even repeated itself—all I could hear was the rain drumming against my hood. But then I stopped again, sighed, and turned back around. I didn’t speak into my ear bud because if I reported to Boss and it turned out to be nothing, he’d tease me about it for years to come. And I was only going back there to reassure myself.
I pulled the gun out of my belt, just in case.
Despite my wishes, images popped into my head of all the possibilities it could be. The hobo Boss mentioned? Some drug dealer’s lackey come to scout the place? What if it was a freaking superhuman, desperate for some money? Blackbourne didn’t exactly produce methamphetamines, but there were some people who would die to get their hands on their shipments.
Stop it. I moved my right hand, spreading out my fingers and feeling the ache as the muscles stretched. I had to stop freaking myself out, or I’d be useless if anyone did try and attack us.
That was when I saw the water dripping on the bucket.
Clang.
Something crawled across the back of my neck, and I shivered. A small knot loosened in the pit of my stomach, and I lowered my gun to rest against my hip. There really was nothing. The drips falling on the bucket were large and fat, and each one echoed through the corridor so loudly it was no wonder I could hear it from the road. I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in. Four more hours. I set my gun back in it’s holster. Only four more hours, then I could leave just as dawn was breaking. The gravel scrunched beneath my boots as I turned around.
I ducked as a fist flew past my head.
