Here is a little sample of Shadow Life, the book that was born from NaNoWriMo.
Chapter One
Darkness wraps me in its arms, protecting me from preying eyes. Even though no one seeks to find me in the quiet lonely streets of the subdivision, at least not right now, I still welcome it. No wonder ghosts and zombies and things of the night prefer to travel under its cover. I wonder if my quiet, ghostly passenger is with me tonight, lounging about in the back seat of my run down Ford LTD. My hearts isn’t racing yet so I know he isn’t there watching me. At least not yet.
House lights flicker, trying to beat back the ink of the night, trying desperately to show the bar that holds their address for me to see. 2100, 2102, 2104…complete darkness…2108…damn! It’s the dark house, 2106, which I’m looking for. Turning around in 2108’s drive, apologizing out loud to no one for my trespassing, I turn around and park. The voice of my dead father plays back in my mind. You can never be too careful. I reach for my giant flashlight slash defense weapon and direct its beam near the doorway. There’s no doubt, it’s 2106. Are they sleeping? There’s no loud music so at least they aren’t partying.
Patting my flashlight, I reluctantly place it on the floor board on the passenger side and pick up the two boxes sitting on the seat. “Sorry my friend. I have too much to carry to bring you with me this time.” My eyes linger on its one foot steel base for a moment. If I run into trouble perhaps my martial arts training that I’ve started will pay off. One look at my watch tells me that I can’t linger any longer.
The doorbell actually depresses and a sound echoes through the house. Long moment pass before the door opens to a fat greasy haired man with pimples on his face.
I belt out, “Pizza Delivery.”
He looks at his watch and nods in approval. His eyes look me over, resting on my breasts and then back on my face before he reaches into his pocket and fumbles through the bills. When he finally hands them over I count to make sure it’s correct and find an extra ten dollar bill. I’ve never delivered here and wonder why he would give such a nice tip but I find my answer when I look up and find his eyes tracking from the rise of my breasts down to the dip of my waist where my black hair has decided to whip against it in the wind. “Would you like your change sir?”
Finally his eyes meet mine. “No thank you. Have a good night.”
In the back ground I hear a voice full of sweetness. “Honey did the pizza arrive?”
I manage to hold back the bile that’s trying to escape. Such a nice sounding woman paired with a pervert of a man. “Thank you sir. You have a good night as well.”
I can sense his eyes still on me as I struggle to keep my steps back to the car calm and slow. Running isn’t a good thing. That big flashlight lying in my car, screaming that I should have taken it with me, has been used before as a weapon.
Once I’m safely in my car I allow the sigh of relief to escape and concentrate on my breathing. I’m normally not this frightened. I’ve been delivering pizza for over a year now but the dark houses still bother me. Not two seconds pass before I hear a rustling in the back seat. It doesn’t take long for my heart to beat frantically in my chest, warning me of danger. He must be here, watching me. Am I brave enough to look in the rear view mirror to confirm my suspicions? I have to be. He’s my dark passenger.
