Frederick C. Wootan Consultant, Writer, Teacher

Excerpts:

The chase: “In a distance she saw what appeared to be many small eyes. There were several sets, maybe five, low to the ground, not moving. She could avoid them by changing her course, but quickly abandoned that idea for fear of losing her way.

She stayed the course, even though it took her closer and closer to the watchful eyes. They still didn’t move. Were they really eyes? Maybe it was her imagination. She stopped, turned away, and closed her eyes. Pausing a moment, she looked back. They were still there, but were now more spread out. Two eyes directly in her path. Two more just to her right, two more to her left, and four more looked smaller, as though farther away, backing up the ones in front... She burst into a sprint. Running and screaming for distraction. The eyes in front disappeared. She smiled. It had worked. She ran harder. Her lungs gasping for oxygen. She felt a sharp pain in her calf followed by a weight dragging on it. Were these wild dogs? Had she just been attacked from behind? ...Her legs screamed with pain. Low-hanging tree limbs slapped her as she ran... ”

Near death from fire: “The stairway made a perfect chimney flue for the fire, drawing the flames up to the next floor and on to the roof, while Lauren lay there trying to recover her wits enough to figure out what to do. The heat drew sweat from her every pore.

She got up and turned away from the flames. The barroom was quickly filling with smoke... She lunged forward with all the strength of her athletic legs, broke free, and slammed her head into the opposite wall. As she lay there, she felt the wetness of oozing blood from her head as it ached and pounded. At least she was free.”