Chained

CHAINED, my first finished novel!

Like most first novels Chained was a big learning experience. I began writing it in June of 2009 and finished it the night before my 25th birthday in Nov. 2009.  In the fall of 2010 I began to send out queries for my first novel. I was surprised to find that a few agents were interested, and I am still waiting to hear back from one of them that requested my manuscript. I have not sent out a second round of queries yet. I think that I need to change my query letter before I do so. Until then, I feel that I should Trunk my first novel for a while and start something new.

Here is the first chapter of Chained...enjoy, I know I did writing it!



     Chapter 1  Connected
           
            The blade sliced through her frail skin like wet tissue paper.  Her body wouldn’t last much longer, but the agony continued. There was a purpose to the never ending torture. They had searched endlessly for her, nothing would stop them now. Drip, drip, drip…her blood spattered to the ground as the man holding the dagger laughed. He had found what he wanted. She was the one. The man smiled and cut again.

            Will Bennett sat up in bed out of breath, his chest smoldering. Sweat rolled down his face as he remembered the dream that had pulled him from a deep sleep. Tight ropes of anxiety strangled his tired lungs.  It was almost too much to bear. He shut his eyes. The cruel man’s familiar face was still burning behind his eyelids. He opened them again hoping to wipe his mind clean from what he had witnessed, but it didn’t work. He had this dream before, but this time it had been so real. He felt the knife cut through the young woman’s chest, and knew her pain as if it was his own. Her screams still rang in his ears.
            Will jumped out bed and began to dress. He couldn’t just lie in bed waiting. It would happen tonight, and he knew where. It didn't seem possible to know that, but he did know it, felt it.  They were connected. Who was she?
            Emersyn.
            The name rang through his rattled mind before he realized he’d thought it. He knew her name. That was important. He shook his head and moved quickly to the bathroom. He had never had a dream come to pass, but this, he thought, was not an ordinary dream. It was a vision, one that he undeniably needed to stop. Was it possible that this was what he had been waiting for? The event that would change his life forever--he had been warned, after all.
            Cold water trickled through his shaking fingers as he stood staring at the haunted reflection of himself. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed as he pulled his wet hands to his face splashing it. It felt good, calming him down. His instincts told him that he needed to save her. But why should he, a small voice inside him defiantly fought back. He never wanted to see that malevolent man again. He was supposed to be moving on from his past not diving head first back into it. Then why was he given the vision? He didn’t have an answer.
            Another sharp pain seared through his pounding chest. He screamed, collapsing to his knees. What was he waiting for? Did he need to have a reason to save her? No. Even if this was not what he was waiting for, he couldn't ignore the fact that she needed his help. There was no time for questioning things now. He needed to go with his instincts, and they were telling him to run like hell to find her.
            Heading back into the bedroom Will pulled on the rest of his clothes and grabbed only his backpack. It could already be too late. His aching body raged against his movements, but he pushed on. He was still experiencing so much pain, Emersyn’s pain. He’d never felt so desperate in his life. His urge to protect her was over powering his senses. Why did he care so much? She was no one to him, he reminded himself. Yet, remembering the look of terror impressed upon her hopeless face made his blood curdled. He didn’t understand why one stranger’s life could cause his entire world to come crashing down. He wondered what made her so important. What would happen if he did just let her die? His skin crawled with a sudden anxiety. He didn’t wait to find out.