1987
A BEATEN-UP TAXI CAB zipped through the city streets, rain tapping on the windshield like drops of water from a faucet; their rhythm reminding Jonathan of time’s unending tick. But time was not of the utmost concern at that moment, for he had become unable to shake the several police-looking vehicles that followed closely. Each car was white, sported green stripes with matching lights, and emitted an anxiety-inducing siren that shrieked like wild prey. On the side of each car, in bold lettering, was the CLOUD3 logo; a sight that had once brought about excitement in Jonathan, but now incited only an urge to run.
Sitting in the driver’s seat of the taxi, Jonathan trembled as every bone in his body shook, the sweat from his palms making it difficult to grip the steering wheel. With the concentration of a professional chess player, he tried to evade CLOUD3.
As Jonathan checked his rear-view mirror, a creature—almost demonic in appearance—manifested in the back seat. The darkness of night covered most of its features; however, CLOUD3’s lights revealed minute parts of its face—mostly the fangs…
Its eyes opened and glowed a bright-green, with dark, sunken pupils that swallowed Jonathan’s grasp on reality.
“Turn right,” he said in a monotone voice.
“Why should I listen to you?” Jonathan groaned.
The creature disappeared, prompting the taxi to slow down—despite Jonathan’s heavy foot on the gas pedal—until it became adjacent to two of the pursuing vehicles. Jonathan’s heart sunk into his stomach, impacting several of the already indigenous butterflies during its fall. He ducked to remove himself from the officers’ line of sight; soon after, a bullet whistled through both of the taxi’s windows, shattering them.
“Adwin! What are you doing!” screamed Jonathan.
Adwin did not reply with words, but with yet another demonstration of his power. An intense light lit up the dashboard, quickly spreading through the rest of the car’s interior and exterior. The speedometer needle hovered at the 180 miles per-hour, but as Jonathan’s head and back were forced back against the seat, he realized that they were traveling much faster. And, within seconds, they were blocks away.
Thank you for reading this excerpt from my recently published shorts story, Eyes of Light. It is available for FREE 4/22/19 through 4/26/19 on Amazon, and I would deeply appreciate any feedback. Thank you, and happy reading! – Michael Rhodes
Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q4L17TS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6
Short Stories
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Great beginning! Congrats on publishing it an Amazon! I’d love to help you bounce some ideas on the site in regards to your non-published work.