You can't call them Zombies!

Slowly his wits came back and Kyle picked himself up off the grass. His ears still rung from the silence that followed the bullets. A few straggling creatures were felled by a short burst here and there.

“Move forward slowly. Keep an eye out and shoot first then we’ll figure out what it was.” Someone yelled in the distance over a bullhorn.

Willing his feet forward, Kyle ducked behind the fence. Lights streamed across the street, body parts littered the street. A moment later, a SWAT van drove up the street, its large tires rolling over the bodies with ease. Blood, and tissue melted out from inside the bodies as the vehicle squished the corpses. On either side of the truck were three well armed police offices, dressed in riot gear and armed to the teeth with small automatic guns.

Fear welled up in Kyle’s stomach, but he fought it back. This was his rescue; he needed to see if they would help him. About to stand up, he stopped the moment he saw Anna being led behind the truck, her hands were bound and a gag tied around her head. She looked down at her shuffling feet, her cheeks wet with tears and a fresh bruise along her cheek.

Rage overtook the fear and he clutched a rock. The thought of her being tied up and beaten by these officers blinded him, but he was able to regain his composure when the nearest officer shot into a wiggling creature. Blood sprayed the street in a small burst like a firecracker exploding a pumpkin. Knowing better than to rush out there blindly, he remained ducked down behind the fence. They passed slowly, light flashing over the area in a wide arc. As the truck passed, Kyle saw another two police cars with two officers each inside following.

Anna was as good as being surrounded by a million of those creatures. A sudden urge to sneeze filled Kyle’s chest, and he couldn’t help himself and let it out.

Immediately, bullets fired off in his direction. Knowing this was coming, he dove out of the bushes away from where he was. Dirt and pieces of the fence shot up into the sky as bullets shredded the area.

He pulled his hands over his head and chomped down on his tongue to stop the scream that boiled up in his chest. With his eyes shut, voices shouted and people were approaching. He scurried away from the sound, but stopped as someone shot near him. Dirt shot into his face and he dropped down. Spread his hands. “I’m not one of them.”

“Tie him up and bring him by the girl.” The same voice behind the loud speaker ordered.

His arms were twisted behind him, and he was lifted off the ground. Shackles locked around his wrists and a gag was placed into his mouth. Lights and sweat flooded his senses. He squinted and they shoved him forward. A moment later, he was tied up next to Anna and the truck started to move on.

Weekend is up.

What are you planning for the weekend?

I have a few plans, like I hope to go see the new Nightmare on Elm Street. There is poker on Saturday night, which I'm sort of not sure if I'll be going or not. I get to pay mortgage, which is always fun. :). Other than that, its going to be more of the same of cleaning, writing, and trying to recoup enough to feel like work will be bearable.

Some of my goals in writing for the weekend are to complete my new chapters of my WiP, hopefully get my blog posts written and maybe start on a new project. We'll see though.

First Third of the year

So it's nearing the end of the 4th month of the year, and what have you got to show for it? Me?

I have a new WiP that is going pretty well, I have a few agents reading my stuff, and still more queries out and about. It's good times. Other than that, I have some young ones that are being young ones. Causing trouble, getting out of it, and bringing smiles to my life most of the time.

WiP Wednesday

So, I've been working on these new chapters for my current WiP and have noticed that what I like about the story so much is the relationship between the two main characters. I really enjoy the banter I have them going back and forth on. It's fun, and puts my cocky MC back on his heels quite a bit, which makes me laugh.

I also am liking the slow build a bit more with the story as opposed to it jumping right into action.

What are some of your moments in your current project that makes you smile and reaffirm why you are a writer in the first place?

Favorite Movies

What are some of your favorite movies. I'm a big horror fan as you might have been able to tell based on some of my reviews, but I enjoy a variety of films as well.

Some of my favorite are:

Scream 1, 2, 3.

The Blind Side

Avatar

Terminator 2

Billy Madison

Happy Gilmore

E.T.

The Harry Potter movies

I have a lot more, but this shows a bit of the variety I think. So what are some of your favorites?

You can't call them Zombies!

The boy stirred, his hair shifting in the light. He had to be no older than thirteen, yet he had been a fighter the entire time.

The creatures were closing the gap, their feet scuffing along the cement in a steady rhythm, the low guttural growl escaping from their mouths. They were hungry and right now, Kyle, Anna, and the boy are just a couple of sardines trapped, ready to be eaten. Unless they did something.

“Grab him; I’ll take care of our escape route.” Kyle ripped open the door, not letting her say anything to stop him.

The chill of the night hit his sweaty brow and he ignored it. He needed to get them out of here and time wasn’t on their side. Tightening his grip on the handle, he stepped toward the first creature within reach. He let go a swing, it cut through the air with a low whistle and ended with a huge crack. The creature stumbled for a moment, taking another step before the bits of brain fell to the cement with a squishy thump. Its eyes locked on Kyle for a moment before it collapsed.

Kyle didn’t take notice as the adrenaline fueled him. On a hunt and destroy mission, which could end his life. He didn’t care. Behind him, Anna was dragging the boy along the ground, his shoes scraping against the concrete.

Then it began, the creatures took notice, must have been the sliver of light they passed through, but three of them rushed, growling like dogs, bloody foam dripping over their purple lips, red stained teeth snapping at him as Kyle swung.

Bone, teeth, brains, and blood, lots and lots of blood flew from the creatures as they attacked. None of them fell immediately, always a step away from getting a bite in on Kyle. He didn’t care; the only thing running through his cooking brain was saving the people behind him. As long as something undead stepped before him, he continued to swing.

After ten hits, his biceps burned and his hands throbbed. More of the creatures had appeared from the houses around the corner and they were hungry still.

“Kyle!” Anna’s voice stopped his tear for a moment. He glanced back through his blurring vision and saw that some creatures had rushed from behind. They dove onto the boy, and blood shot up into the night sky. He never fully awoke to scream as when he did, they had already torn open his throat. A terrified eye turned to Anna for help and shock must have taken over as she pulled him along for another two steps until one of his arms came off.

She fell onto her butt, her teeth clicking in her head and she tried to scream. Kyle picked her up, more creatures rushing from all angles. He held the bat in one hand and then his ears rung from the scream.

Anna’s scream reached over the symphony of growls bearing down on them.

“I need you to stand up. I can’t fight and carry you.”

“The boy. They ate him like he was a steak.”

He was. Kyle thought but didn’t say it as he took up swinging again. Another creatures jaw shattered from the blow, it stumbled and clawed at the air where Kyle had stood. He grabbed Anna’s hand and tugged her along. They only had a sliver of an opening and he was bent on making it.

The creatures had multiplied five times since he had first begun his onslaught and they were rushing without fear toward them.

Anna snapped out of her shock, and took the lead. Her track and field background took hold and she bolted ahead. Fighting the exhaustion, Kyle limped after her. Not wanting to look back, he tried to keep sight of Anna. Her blonde ponytail whisking back and forth as she ran.

Sweat ran down his face in steady streams, his lungs burned and his heart pounded like King Kong trying to get out of his chest. The growls behind him gained on him with steadiness.

He croaked out a low pitiful, “Anna!”

She didn’t turn around, or even stop. He loved her, and here she was leaving him behind. He didn’t understand it.

Out of the corner of his eye, two creatures darted toward him from a house; they had the angle and were closing on him faster than his body would move. He was a goner. Fear of death had left him, and he stopped, ready to accept his fate, but not ready to go out without a fight. He hitched up the bat, splattered with gore and took a swing with all he could, the first creature dropped with a sickening thud, and the second one collided into Kyle, knocking the air out of him.

They tumbled over a fence into a small yard. The putrid smell of rotten meat flooded Kyle’s nose and he flailed over backwards. The momentum separated him from the creature, but it didn’t feel the breaking of its arm as it got up in an instant and attacked.

Throwing the bat up between them, Kyle screamed as it grabbed at him. Its teeth snapping at any bare flesh. He didn’t know how he survived the attack as he just kept shifting the bat in the way of the creature’s lunges. He remembered feeling the knot of the chain link digging into his back as he fended it off.

Tiring as it was, Kyle kept it up for as long as he could. The growing swarm behind him filled his ears as he blocked and tried to kick the creature off of him. His body was giving in he couldn’t get any strength behind the blows he was delivering. The creature didn’t tire; it seemed to grow stronger as time went on. Maybe the threat of new creatures coming to takes its food added intensity to its attacks, but Kyle kept it at bay as best he could. Sweat and tears streamed down his face.

“Anna!” He let out with a gasp. He shut his eyes and delivered one last shove with the bat. The creature stumbled, surprising to Kyle, but he used it to scramble away. He didn’t hear it, or feel it, but the creature’s head exploded in a fine mist of brains and blood. It fell immediately to the grass.

Turning toward the groans behind him, he saw creatures falling left and right. Piling up into the street they continued to charge after whatever was mowing them down. Bullets rang out, creatures fell, and Kyle couldn’t move. His arms itched and twitched from the grass, and scratches.

What should Kyle do?

Figure out what is killing the creatures?

Hide and wait for whoever it is to come this way?

Make a run for it.

E-readers

I'm just curious as its Friday and I'm curious if any of my readers use an E-reader at all and what they think about it. I got the chance to play with the Nook this past week and found it to be pretty awesome.

The way that it looks, the touchscreen, the Android OS (I'm a geek that way), and just the knowledge of it supporting ePub open format publishing format, which I think might be the best thing for the industry. You need to have a format that everyone can agree on, such as the mp3, so that there isn't a segmentation of the user base, which is how it is working out currently.

What are your thoughts? I would like to know, because I'm thinking of dipping into the E-reader waters sometime this year.

Poker Frustrations

I know some of you can't relate, but those of you that can, don't you hate it when you go on tilt?The feeling of not being in control over what is happening on the table in front of you. This past weekend, I felt myself in this predicament where no matter what I did, it wasn't enough. The cards I folded hit the flop, and the cards I kept missed completely.

So after this past game, I got home way early, still angry about my play and getting knocked out so early. It stuck with me for the night, fuming and replaying the game over in my head. The psychology of the game was too much for me, I don't know if I wasn't in game form, or if I just played that bad. It kind of makes it worse.

To relate this to writing, it is similar when you get rejection after rejection on your project and you sit there and doubt your ability. It takes a day or so to calm down, and get back on the horse. See I was calm again when I woke up in the morning, but still that night was rough.

One thing I learned though over the years of writing, and playing poker is that you have to be quick to bounce back. Don't forget the mistakes, just use them, learn from them and understand that they make you a better player/writer in the future.

Favorite writing moments

Have you ever just sat down and wrote out an entire scene that just blew everything you thought you were capable of out of the water? I have.

It was when I first sat down to write a scene for my current book that I'm querying, where I just felt one with the POV character and the scene unfolded in front of me perfectly. Granted afterwards, as most writers do, I still had to revisit the scene to add a bit here and there. Still the essence was there from the first time I wrote it down.

It was a scene that I felt very powerful about as I have lost both of my parents and when I got to the scene, I was emotionally ready to let it out on the page. I think the emotions and actions were authentic because of the connection I could feel. The fear, the uncertainty, the desire to find someone to take out your anger at, all of them played into the scene.

What are some of your favorite scenes that you've written? What made them so special? Why did it click and did it go through many changes after the fact?

Nightmare on Elm Street

So, in a couple weeks, the new remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is going to be released. I'm particularity excited due to the fact that I grew up on the originals. So I'm a little apprehensive, due to the fact that I have fond memories of the originals. So my wife and I decided to rewatch the entire series as I have it on DVD. Like that wasn't obvious. As we have only watched the first two, I have to say that they hold up pretty well for the horror aspect. Granted their are better graphics and stories now days, but back then they did more with less in some aspects. Have any of you felt the same thing? What are some of your favorite old Horror movie series? Halloween? Friday the 13th? etc? I'm just curious as this recent relapse into the 80's is sort of interesting to me.

Let me know what you think are the best of the 80's in terms of horror.

You can't call them Zombies!

Listening to their fingers scratch over the siding of his house, the hair on the back of Kyle’s neck stood on end. His mother stood in the center of her house, terrified. From the center of the street, he could see her face, frozen in disbelief and terror. He reached toward the door handle and the boy grabbed his hand.

His grip surprised Kyle, and he almost struck the kid in retaliation. Anger flared through his white hot nerves, but Anna’s voice calmed him in an instant.

“Kyle, we can’t do anything for her.”

He turned to her, fury slowly ebbing toward her, but the look of complete hopelessness on her face and somewhere inside his reason spoke up. She was right. There wasn’t anything they could do. Before he could feel sorry for himself anymore, a creature struck the side of the car. Its gnarled hand pounding the glass as it shuffled along the side of the car, glaring at them with its one good eye among the grizzled features on its face.

Kyle didn’t jump, almost coming to the conclusion that death would almost be worth it. His mother had raised him for the past three years, and he was just going to abandon her. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears begging to fall.

“Go.” He didn’t move at the gentle touch of Anna as the car moved onward. As he glanced toward his house one last time, he saw a creature start hacking at the door with its hand. It would only take them mere hours before they were in.

“I know it’s hard, but there isn’t anything we can do.” Anna said.

“Where do you want to go now?” The boy asked as he steadily put the car pedal to the metal.

“Police station?” Anna offered up, not very convincingly. “They should be able to help us.”

“Fine, whatever.” Kyle said and turned his gaze to the blood, left over by the creature, running down the window. Partially congealed and chunks of flesh mixed in, it crawled its way down the glass in a muddy way.

The car lurched forward and then died. The boy banged his hands against the steering wheel. “What the?”

He hit his hands repeatedly, shaking the car slightly. The sound of his hand against the leather was more nerve-wracking that it had to be, and it drove Kyle to catch one of his hands. The warmth surprised him, but only for a moment as the kid lashed out at him with a punch.

It caught Kyle in the cheek, and he reacted on impulse and knocked the kid out with a single blow to his chin.

Shaking, he let the kids arm drop and looked at Anna. “I didn’t mean to… not so hard anyway.”

Anna stared at him, her mouth hung open. “I know, but still did—“

“He hit me first.” Kyle defended himself immediately.

“I know I was going to say did he have to flip out like that?”

Kyle looked at the gas gauge on empty. The car simply ran out of gas and the kid flipped out. Groans came from shadows of the house they rolled to a stop in front of.

Anna clutched his arm in terror and moved away from the sound. It didn’t sound like one, but five or more. More groans came from the other side of the car. In the dim streetlights above, Kyle counted fifteen of them coming from all angles. Not fast yet, but once they saw what was inside, it wouldn’t take them long.

“We need to get out of here.” Anna whispered her nails dug deeper into Kyle’s arm.

Kyle grabbed the boy’s bat and reached for the door handle again.

“What about him?” Anna pointed to the boy, who remained slumped over in the seat.

His first instinct was to leave him, but then why did they risk their lives for him a mere hour ago.

Blog's I'm following.

I just wanted to spread the love to the blogs that I follow on a daily basis. This isn't in any particular order all for different reasons, and will someday in the past write what they are, but hoped that if you aren't following them, you should definitely check them out.

Weronika Janczuk: http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/

Deb Salisbury: http://blog.debsalisbury.com/ and http://mantua-maker-patterns.blogspot.com/

Elana Johnson: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/

J Lea Lopez: http://jlealopez.blogspot.com/

Shelli: http://faeriality.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Knight: http://rebeccaknightbooks.blogspot.com/

Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins:http://suzettesaxton.blogspot.com/

Kirk Von Der Heydt: http://alicechronicles.blogspot.com/

Office Girl: http://tiredbutwriting.blogspot.com/

Laura Diamond: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/ (I don't show up as a follower as I don't know how to follow a wordpress blog. Any tips?)

I'm not going to post the publish blogs I follow yet. I know this is far fewer than some of you, but I don't have the time so I'm a tad bit more pickier. So I hop you guys will find some that you might not have heard of and what not. Have a good weekend, and don't forget to vote on my poll again please. I only had 3 last week, and the one previous had 6, so I want to beat that record. Send your friends as well.

Update on my poker life.

I know I haven't done this very often, but had to let you all know that I am currently in second place in overall points, down by 3 points. This isn't significant in itself, but I think this might be the earliest I've been this high. I have never finished in under 5th place in a season, but this year I have a new goal, and that is taking player of the year. Wish me luck.

WiP Wednesday

My current WIP got a boost last week finding out that I have an ex-military individual in my critique group. I'm stoked for the fact that with his eye on tactics, it will help add more authenticity to my story, and when is that ever a bad thing? So far he has already caught things that with his suggestions, read better, and most importantly get the point across in a believable way.

Currently going through draft 3 of the project. Looking forward to it as this piece, which I used to think of as dead, is consuming me again. It's great isn't it?

Review of "The Hurt Locker"

So I just saw this movie this Sunday night. I was intrigued by the Oscar nods it got this season and the win for Best Picture made it a must see for me. I have a habit of seeing previous winners, and this one fit the same bill.

Story:

I found the story was very interesting, mainly for the fact of how it handled the characters. Like me, I always get hooked by the characters, and this movie's three main characters, and the stuff they endured was eye-opening. I have had friends who served over there, and won't say much about it, and after seeing this films portrayal, I can see why, it changes you. The story of a bomb squad, sorry if the label is wrong, but basically, this has to be the worst job in the world. There is no way they have a low stress level at all. So the plot isn't very much story centered, I would say it is driven by the characters, and glad it was, because it was stronger for it.

Character:

I'm going to focus on the main character as he's the one who we spent the most time with. He is a crazy guy, but has a heart underneath his hard exterior. The way the movie portrays his opening scene where he's a wild card, into someone who the group starts to trust was masterfully done. He has a sad arch, because no matter what he does, his normal life can't live up to what he does in the war, so he goes back. Completely sad.

Directing:

Since this was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the ex-wife of James Cameron, I wanted to mention that I felt that she did a wonderful job. The shot choices were deliberate, and upped the emotional impact of scene after scene. I would say that she did a better job than Cameron did with Avatar in portrayal of both characters, and action.

Overall:

Found this film worth seeing. Would I buy it? Probably not, only for the fact that it is depressing in many ways, so I wouldn't watch it again for many years. Gave it a 4/5 for sure.

On a serious note

I've been following this story about bullying in a high school, where the girl hanged herself after school one day because it was so bad. I just wanted to share this tragic story. The link is to the story on CNN. It's so sad.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/09/massachusetts.bullying.suicide/index.html?hpt=T2

What sort of adults would let that sort of thing go on for so long? Wouldn't there be signs? Just so many questions and concerns for my young children.

Writing tools

So I started to think about some of the other things Ive worked on and the tools required. Don't even get me started on looking at my wife's tools for her arts and crafts....

So the main things I use are:

My computer, obviously.

Microsoft Word 2007 (Just upgraded from 2003)

My thesaurus, that was given to me by my English teacher at High School graduation.

My dictionary, well dictionary.com on my phone that is.

And finally, the most important thing, my imagination. Without it, I wouldn't be doing the things that I do.

So what tools do you use in your line of work. Mine are primarily writer related, but some of my followers that aren't into writing, what tools do you use on a daily basis?

Oh, yeah, get your vote in on the poll.

WiP Wednesday

So another Wednesday and I decided to post an update to my current Work in Progress. Since my writing group has picked up recently, I have found myself reinvigorated in terms of my own writing, especially this piece. So after posting the first chapter, and getting a sense from other people, that it doesn't completely suck, I have decided to do something that I knew in the back of my head I had to do, but didn't want to. I am going to add a new chapter 2 to the book.

It's needed, trust me. Otherwise, it jumps right into a relationship that needs to be setup more than it currently is. I love how it grows as it is, but something has been missing, and that thing has been a sense of what it was like before everything fell apart. So I'm going to add that and it's going to rock, because everything I do on my first attempt rocks.... well maybe not, but when I'm writing it, it will be the best that it can be at that time.

So how are your projects going? Anything to share of note?

Movie Review "The Blind Side"

I had a chance to watch this Oscar nominated film this past Sunday and found it very endearing. One of things that made it so was the acting, especially the Oscar winning performance of Sandra Bullock. Also the acting of Quinton Aaron, who plays the title role of the film was very understated, and I think overlooked because of the star power of Sandra Bullock. However, there are a few scenes that he really shines, but I won't ruin them for you here. Also, Tim McGraw did a good job at being the father figure. I especially liked his little facial expressions when Sandra would say something. My wife and I could relate to that sort of stuff. It wasn't a lot, but it was well done and helped me really get a feeling for how this family dynamic works. There were a lot of other characters in the film that had memorable moments, but nothing stands out more than these few that I mentioned.

The pacing of the film was pretty good for the most part. As for most family drama's, I liked how it built up from a slower start to the action scenes later. The setup really paid off, and I think this was helped by the fact that this is based on a true story. Basically it's about a young man who is living on the streets and is taken in by Sandra Bullock's family. This is where he really develops into the character and football player that become prominent in the second half. Some of the understated things that happen in the movie like him getting his drivers license play a key part in things later on. If you watch it for just a character study it would be enough, but this movie goes a level deeper to show the reason behind his growth.

If you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed the film. It felt a little long because of the beginning build up, but after that it really gets moving and flows very well. I would give it a 4.5/5 rating. Nothing's perfect and this film suffers a bit because of the slower beginning.

You can't call them Zombies!

“You leave that boy up there and I’ll never forgive you.” Anna said. Her eyes flared with the anger building up inside her.

Looking at the wide open space toward his house in the opposite direction, he sighed. He couldn’t leave her alone to try it, but his body still ached from the battles so far. In her mind he knew that the choice was simple, yet he shuffled on his feet. Fine.

He grabbed her hand and led her toward a set of high bushes. Checking behind them before he pulled her behind it, he motioned for her to stay. “I won’t be able to do anything unless I know you’re safe.”

She nodded, upset, but didn’t argue.

He scanned the front yard for any sort of weapon, but only found a garden hose. He followed it to faucet and unscrewed it. Rolling it up, he left enough slack to act like a short whip. He spun it in his hand for a moment and started toward the kid.

He must have noticed Kyle as his blows to the creatures became more frequent. From across the street he could see the boy tiring and smiled, knowing that if he left the boy back, he would have been a goner eventually. Swinging the hose in one hand he marched across the street. The first creature didn’t even flinch as Kyle clipped it in the back of the skull, but it did turn its attention to Kyle.

Before Kyle could swing again, the creature lunged. Teeth snapping and hands grabbing.

Slipping on a piece of the hose that had fallen slack behind him, Kyle tumbled against the cement. Pain and flickers of lights bounced through his head. A cold, vicious weight fell on top of him, and on pure instinct, he used his end of the hose and stuffed a section of the rubber into the creature’s mouth.

It bought him enough time and rolled out from underneath the creature, its hand tearing at Kyle’s jeans, but the rubber kept him distracted for a moment.

A throb ebbed from the back of his skull and Kyle didn’t see the creature behind him until he bumped into it. The creature took hold of him, and his brain froze, it was over. He winced as the cold hands gripped him tightly. Expecting excruciating pain he waited, numb to the sounds around him.

Just as fast as he was grabbed, the creature’s grip fell. He didn’t have time to see what happened as the rubber munching creature had eaten through the hose and had returned toward Kyle with renewed hunger. Tunnel vision took over as Kyle’s nerves filled with terror. He didn’t see the brick until the top half of the creature’s skull vanished under the blow. It took two more steps before falling to the ground, decayed brain matter oozed from the wound.

“Get out of there.” A boy’s voice called to him.

Kyle turned toward the sound, his vision blurring as darkness continued to crowd in on him. Pulling the stone-filled feet from where he stood proved difficult and he dropped to his knees twice. Growls grew around him, and more were turning their attention to him. He screamed at himself to get going, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. It refused to get off the ground and decay filled his nose. It was everywhere and gaining fast.

Shaking his head, he swore he heard something clanging around inside and almost threw up in the middle of the street. Anna would have laughed at him he thought as he struggled back to his feet. Getting upright only heightened the dizziness that had struck his stomach.

“Kyle, come on get in the car.” Anna’s voice fought back the nausea. He looked toward her voice and she sat in the passenger side of a car. The boy was in the front seat. A young boy driving? Kyle shook his head, but the boy remained in the front seat. He stumbled toward Anna, and in the reflection of her terrified eyes he saw the dozens of creatures shambling out of the houses and gardens toward them. Falling into Anna’s arms the pain took over and he blacked out.

Not sure how much time had passed; Kyle woke up in the back of the car. Anna sat in the front seat, and warmth filled the car like a blanket. He didn’t want to wake up, but forced himself to get another look at this boy.

The boy sat behind the wheel, his toes pressing down on the accelerator and his eyes barely peeking over the dash. It felt totally safe to Kyle as he slumped back against the cloth seats. “Where are we?”

“On our way to your house.” Anna said. Her eyes peering back toward him.

“Good.” He closed his eyes. The hair on his arms pricked up as Anna rested her hand on his knee. “What happened?”

“This boy saved you.”

“I thought I was saving him.”

“Yo, you got dropped by one of them fools. Lucky I was the starting pitcher for my squad, otherwise you be one of them.” The boy said in a thick accent that made Kyle’s head hurt trying to think of where it came from.

“Thanks.” Kyle leaned back, the throbbing continued and he looked out the window. The creatures were ignoring them despite the slow speed they were going.

“We’re here.” Anna said as the car jerked to a stop.

The motion threw Kyle forward and he clutched his stomach to keep from throwing up again. Next time he’s driving.

He looked out toward his house. The lights were still on and many creatures were trying to make their way into the house, but his mother must be thankful for the bars she put on the windows years ago now. The creatures couldn’t get in despite their tries.

“You going in there, for what?” The boy said.

“My mom.” Kyle said, his chest tightening at the thought of leaving her like this.

“How you think we going to do that?” The boy said again.

“A distraction.” Anna offered.

“Hell no.” The boy said.

Kyle liked that idea even more. He looked at his home and then at Anna and the boy. “Exactly.”

What should Kyle do?

1.) Be the decoy so that Anna could save his mom?

2.) Make the boy be the decoy so he could save his mom?

3.) Ask Anna to be the decoy so he could save his mom?

4.) Forget about it and continue looking for help?

Easter this Sunday

Just wanted to say a quick note and hope everyone has a great Easter. Also, please make your vote count in my poll for the Choose your own adventure story. I'll be back on Monday with the next thrilling section based on your votes.

April Fools Day

So today is the first of April. The very day where things that sound real have to be taken with a grain of salt. Really Google, Topeka? You couldn't pick something better such as Best Search Engine ever? lol. I know why they chose it, but still...

So while my 9 year old daughter keeps trying to pull pranks on me, I wanted to know if any of you would like to share some of your favorite pranks, either you did on someone else, or had done to you?

Some of the things that I've done to other people setup a bowl of water so when my sister opened the door it fell on her head. My charlie horse still hurts when I think about it. I've been pranked, but nothing memorable.

I would love to hear about some classics. Care to share?