100th Blog!

Hello!! Happy 100th blog post!! When I first made this website in 2023 I posted a blog about my youngest daughter's writing. After that I didn't update again for a few months as I wasn't sure what I was going to post. Once I made that second post there was another rather long gap before I finally got the idea for a series of blogs. From there I have been posting a blog every Saturday at Noon (EST).

This is my 100th blog post! It has been a long road and sometimes it doesn't feel like I have written that many and sometimes I stare at my computer and wonder what I'm going to write next. I have a spreedsheet to keep track of what I've done and what's to come in order to keep myself organized. But with this being blog post 100... I'm gonna share with you a special never-before-seen (except by my writing group) sneak peek at a short piece that I'm working on.

It's called Unexpected Ally.

There is no release date for this piece but I've gotten a bit of it finished. This takes place after the Secrets of Darkness series and before Ruins of War series. Closer to the Ruins of War side.

Unexpected Ally

            Opening the door changed Tamzin’s life. She should have listened to those lectures at school about stranger danger and home alone safety.

            Before she could take in the situation, he was inside. She tried to scream but he clamped a hand over her mouth and pushed her back. He nudged the door shut with his foot and reached with his free hand to lock it.

            She stared into stormy blue eyes. “Easy.” His voice was soft, as if speaking to a wounded animal. “It’s going to be fine.” He moved forward, forcing her against the wall. Trapped. Caged. “No one’s going to get hurt.” Those eyes skimmed the entry before returning to her. “Are you alone?”

            Tamzin shook her head. Her gaze darting toward the stairs.

Maybe he’d believe her.

            He listened to the silence before tsking. “You shouldn’t lie.” He rested his free hand on the wall above her and leaned closer. “If I move my hand are you going to scream?”

            Another shake.

Another tsk.

“It’s fine.” He coaxed. “We can take it slow.”

            To do what? Rape her? Kill her? Cut up her body and hide the parts?

            She whimpered. Maybe if she could get free, only for a few moments. Her gaze traveled to the table by the door. She didn’t know how to use the gun inside, but it was a weapon. Something heavy. A way to save herself from this danger.

            Except he wasn’t doing anything. Just watching. Waiting.

She shook her head.

            “No what?” He raised a brow.

Shake.

If he would let her go. If she could get to the table. “You won’t scream?”

            Nod.

It wasn’t a lie this time. She wouldn’t scream. She’d behave, follow direction until her chance.

            “Ok.” His hand lowered, slow, cautious. When she didn’t make a sound, he flashed a smile. “Good. See. Much better this way.” But he didn’t back up. Didn’t move.

            With every labored breath she took her shirt brushed against his. What did he want from her? What was he going to do? He was at least half a foot taller and broader than her. There would be no way someone her size could take him in a fair fight.

            She needed an opening. A chance to get the upper hand.

            “I-” she swallowed. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

            He studied her for several seconds before shifting. “Alright.” His fingers circled around her wrist. “Which way?”

            She didn’t expect him to go with her when she motioned down the hall, but it appeared he was. He pulled her inside and closed the door, only then did he release her. The downstairs was only a half bath, not meant to hold two people.

            “Are you going to watch?” Tamzin asked. She didn’t really need to go she was only looking for an excuse to get away. He angled toward the door. Smart not to turn his back completely given the items she could use as a weapon. “There are no windows in here.” She growled. Even if she had to pee it would be weird to do it with someone so close. Someone she didn’t know, or trust. “What do you expect me to do? Walk through the walls?”

            “Make a call. Find a weapon. Fall, break your neck and blame me.”

            It would be his fault if she broke her neck. She never used this bathroom and she would be having dinner if not for him. “I don’t have a phone. So, you can leave.”

            “There are weapons in here.”

            “It’s a bathroom.” What would he do if she refused to go now? Would it be worse to try and not be able to?

            “Back of the toilet. There’s probably air freshener in the cabinet above the sink. Maybe a nail file, toothbrush, comb, scissors.” He listed. “That’s not even factoring whatever chemicals could be under the sink.”

            Only a couple of those were things she thought of. “You could at least wait in the hall with the door opened.” She tried.

            “Do you really have to go?” He glanced at her.

            “Not with you in here.”

            He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and led her into the hall once more.

            “What do you want?” Where else could she get a weapon? The stand by the door. Mom had stuff in her room but she had no reason to give to get in there.

            “I need a place to lay low.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Until things settle.”

            And her house was the best spot? Tamzin glanced around. By the time she realized an item could be a weapon, they had already passed it. Like the corner of the old wood picture frame. The landline cord that was never removed. The loose metal light fixture.

            They stopped in the kitchen entry. There were plenty of weapons in here. The block of knives, the pans dangling over the stove, the stove itself.

            “I’m hungry.” She said.

            “Hungry or your last attempt at getting a weapon failed?” He smirked.

            “I can make you a sandwich. Do you like grilled cheese?”

            “Only if you can make it without using a knife, a pan, or the stove.” He pulled her back into the hall and toward the living room.

            “So… you want bread and cheese?” Maybe he would choke.

            “How many people live here?” He changed the subject.

            “Five.” She thought quick. “My parents, my two older brothers, and myself. My mother’s a-” What was a profession that was scary but believable? “Firefighter and my father’s a cop. Both of my brothers are football players. The scouts have been out watching them for weeks now. They’re looking at the major leagues next ye-”

            He cut her off. “You could have stopped at five and I might have believed you.”

            Damn. “There are five.” She tried to backtrack.

            “Alright.” It didn’t sound like he believed her.

            They made their way around the house. Stopping in each room so he could inspect it? She wasn’t sure what he was doing or why, but he dragged her along. He was smart enough not to stop near anything she could use. She didn’t find her opportunity until they were heading back downstairs. There was a brief second. His grip loosened.

            Tamzin pulled free. The warmth of his fingers disappeared. She shoved, sending him tumbling down the stairs. She fled toward her mom’s room, and yanked on the door, stumbling a step when it didn’t budge.

            Locked.

            “No.” She whimpered. Of course, it was locked. Mom was worried someone would steal her drugs. She pulled again, hoping it was just stuck, but the knob didn’t even turn.

            She couldn’t waste time. Giving up on her best option, she ran to her room, shutting the door behind her. There was a knife in the closet that mom gave her when she was twelve, after one of her men came into the room. He was on the bed, hand up her shirt, when mom found him. Tamzin was surprised at the fury in her mother’s words and even more surprised when the following day she got a knife to keep under her pillow.

            Which is where she should have kept it, but the silver blade and large handle scared her then, and even now the thought of hurting someone terrified her. But she needed it.

            She rummaged through the box of books and the stack of clothes. Tossed out shoes and papers. Where was it? How much time did she have before he came for her? What would be her punishment? What if she killed him?

            Tamzin paused. Oh god, what if she killed him? What kind of person did that make her? It wasn’t like he hurt her.

            Yet.

            He still could, and probably would when he got up there. She returned to the task at hand. Find the knife.

            When he opened her bedroom door, several moments later, Tamzin threw the high heel in her hand. It hit the wall two feet from him. She grabbed for something else, but he was by her, pinning her to the floor before she could get anything.

            “You made me a liar.” He held her arms above her head. “I said no one was going to get hurt.”

            “Please.” This was it. He would rape her then kill her. She didn’t do enough. “Please.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I don’t want to die.”

            He frowned. “I’m not going to kill you.” Blood trickled along his arm, a bruise was forming on his head.

            “I have money.” Was that what he was looking for before? She knew how to find mom’s stash.

            “I don’t want money.” His fingers trailed down her arm, the other hand still pinning her wrists. “Stop fighting me. It’ll be easier for both of us.”

            Stop fighting? She considered that. Perhaps if she played along, pretended to be done she could get to a phone and call the police. “Ok.” She whispered.

            He held her, his fingers brushing along her upper arm as he considered. “Ok.” His grip loosened, after a moment he got to his feet.

Tamzin sat up. What now? What do hostages who were… not fighting do?

What do you think will happen next? Let me know in the comments below.