by David Wright
John looked around, waiting for more men, either Omega or Harbinger to storm the rooftop, but nobody else was coming. He looked down at the bank building. They had to make a run for it, and soon. He prayed that Hope would come with him.
He closed his eyes and tried to feel if Larry was nearby, hoping his friend would come.
* * * *
EPILOGUE
John watched in the predawn darkness as Hope slept in the queen-size bed. He sat in a chair next to the bed, where he’d spent the night before, as well. A blue nightlight in the corner cast a somber, cold glow on the room.
He longed to be beside her, to touch her, hold her, kiss her, but he couldn’t so long as he was cursed. Nor did he even know if she would want him to touch her. She was still hurt by his betrayal more than a decade ago — he had lied to her. He had her mind wiped, never giving her a choice to stay and fight with him. He had tried to explain things, but his words all felt stupid, and her patience was thin.
So they’d spent most of the past day in silence interspersed with moments of small talk. He wanted to reach out, to make things right, to find the right words to say, but part of him was too distracted by Abigail’s disappearance.
Though he couldn’t feel her, which concerned him deeply, he knew Abigail was out there, somewhere, hurting.
It had been two days since any of them had seen the child.
Hope, John, and Larry were staying in one of Larry’s safe houses in east Washington. It was slightly too small, but far enough from the Guardians, or anyone in Harbinger who might be left looking for them.
The world hadn’t ended, yet. The FBI had buried the story of the destruction at the Building. As for how the Agency was going to come back from their many losses, John had no idea. Nor did he particularly care.
All he cared about now was being with Hope and finding Abigail.
Hope had remembered mostly everything, though John didn’t dare tell her she wasn’t from Earth. Not while she was trying to sort her life out. A decade of false memories, a decade of a life she’d built — all of it now meaningless.
She stirred in the bed, and opened her eyes, “You all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, just thinking.”
“About what?” she asked, turning toward him and pulling the comforter tighter around herself.
“You. Wondering what’s next.”
“Ah,” she said, not offering more.
“You know you can’t go back to Hannah’s life, right? There will be people looking for you.”
“Yes,” she said. “Though I’m not sure I was ready to go back to a lie, anyway. So, what’s going to happen?”
“With us?” John asked, “Or everything else?”
“I can’t even think about us, right now,” she sighed. “With Jacob. What’s he going to do with the crystal he took from me? How did it even get there?”
“I don’t know,” John lied. He hated lying to her, yet again. But if he told her that she wasn’t even who she thought she was, wasn’t even human, no less, it might be too much for her to handle.
Hell, it’s too much for me to handle.
“Jacob is stronger than ever now. The Guardians felt that if he got all the crystals he would be too powerful to stop — that he might come back to our world and bring all the vampires with him. It will be open season on humans.”
Hope swallowed as she sat up, visibly shaking. “I wish I could go back to thinking I was Hannah. The world was so safe then.”
She wiped at the welling tears in her eyes. He thought to ask her about Greg, wondering how she was coping with killing a man she’d loved. Killing anyone had to be devastating for her, but killing a man she’d known, trusted, and had been intimate with, had to be soul shaking, the kind of thing you may never recover from. But he didn’t dare take that dark road. He wished he could wipe her mind of the past 24 hours, or perhaps everything since they’d left Florida.
The silence of strangers stretched between them, each minute feeling like an hour.
He wanted to break the silence, but didn’t know how, or what to say.
She spoke, instead, “I dreamed of you,” she said. “I’d gotten into an accident and began remembering you.”
He smiled.
She continued, “I really loved you, you know?”
“Loved, as in past tense?” he asked.
She was quiet. He looked down at his hands, unable to meet her eyes, and he heard her swallow.
A knock on their bedroom door shattered the silence.
“John?” Larry said in an urgent whisper. “You awake?”
Hope looked up at John and nodded, giving permission for Larry to enter.
“Come in,” John said.
Larry burst into the room holding his MacBook Air, open and bringing its bright light with it, rushing to John’s side.
“You have to see this! I got this from one of Tiny’s men, who have been sitting watch on the portal in Anchor Harbor,” he said, handing the laptop to John and pressing a button on the keyboard to start the movie.
The video showed the portal, or at least the tent surrounding it, with four armed soldiers standing guard.
A timestamp on the recording read one night ago, 2:31 a.m.
John watched, waiting to see what Larry was so excited about. He glanced up at Larry, who said, “Just keep watching.”
Hope stood up and came to their side, looking down at the screen.
Suddenly, dark blurs raced by, and the soldiers were down in seconds, never even having a chance to fire their weapons.
It was a massacre, over in seconds, four vampires attacking four guards. Seconds later, the tent came down, as if ripped away by sheer thought. The portal swam bright in the darkness and the four figures started toward it.
As the four drew closer to the portal, the light illuminated them better so John could finally make out their shapes — three women and a man.
No, correction:A man, two women, and a child.
“Abigail!” he said, staring at the screen trying to will what had already happened from happening.
Who is she with? Are they Harbinger?
The woman and man went into the portal and vanished. The other woman, who John now realized wasn’t much older than Abigail, held out her hand for Abigail.
Abigail took it, and they disappeared into the portal.
John’s heart sank.
“What was that?” Hope asked.
“That’s the girl we’ve been looking for. And she just went to Otherworld with people I don’t even know.”
“Oh, my God,” Hope said as the gravity of what they’d seen sank in.
John immediately began watching the video again, trying to gleam anything useful from it. Larry looked down at John, “We have to go after her.”
John looked up at Larry, and then at Hope. He couldn’t bear to be apart from her again. But at the same time, Larry didn’t need to argue on Abigail’s behalf. The girl was in more danger than ever, especially if she was with Jacob’s people.
“Yes,” John said.
“I’m going with you,” Hope said.
“No,” John said, “It’s too dangerous. I’ll come back for you, I promise.”
“No,” Hope snapped, her voice firm, her eyes serious. “I’m tired of running. I’m tired of hiding. I’m tired of not knowing what’s happening.” Her eyes welled up, but she fought back the tears. “You asked me before if I loved you, as in past tense, or still love you. The answer is love, John. I love you. I will always love you. But you can’t do this again. I can’t lose another decade living a life that isn’t mine. I want to come with you.”
There was no way John could allow her to come.
“It’s too dangerous. God only knows what lays on the other side of the portal. Jacob is there. My father, the king of the vampires, and my brother, Caleb, who has turned to the Darkness, if Jacob is to be believed. It’s a suicide mission if I go alone,” John said. “I can’t even fathom what would happen t
o you.”
“If you die,” Hope said, “then we die together.”
“Make that three,” Larry said. “Let’s take a trip.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
IN SEASON THREE, THE STUNNING FINALE TO THE AVAILABLE DARKNESS TRILOGY
COMING LATE 2013 or EARLY 2014
* * * *
A NOTE ABOUT OUR 2013 SCHEDULE
In 2012, we wanted Collective Inkwell to do what no one else had done — to transport the scripted serial model we loved so much from TV over to the world of digital reading. This meant not only following the signposts of plot, character, suspense and — of course — cliffhangers, it meant sticking to an ambitious weekly release schedule. Like HBO, AMC, Showtime, or any other quality network, Collective Inkwell had a fresh “episode” each week, and when one “show” ended its season, we had another ready to go.
Last year we published two seasons of Yesterday’s Gone, one each of Available Darkness, ForNevermore, WhiteSpace, Z 2134, and Monstrous — plus seven Dark Crossings, short stories with killer endings.
AND NOW WE’RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN!
The Collective Inkwell is back for our 2013 season, and this year we’re promising readers an even bigger and better year, starting February 12!
Our prior serialized schedule followed the old TV model with the release of six episodes and then, on the seventh week, the season compilation. However, this forced people who wanted the full season to wait to read it.
NOT ANYMORE!
Now we’re ignoring where TV is, and paying attention to where it’s going.
One of serialized drama’s great strengths in the age of video on demand, is bulk season viewing of shows. While some people (like Dave) love the weekly wait and slow torture of killer cliffhangers, others (like Sean) love to plow through a season all at once.
So why not give you BOTH options?
For our 2013 season, Collective Inkwell will offer our indie series (everything but Z 2134 and Monstrous) two ways — weekly or all-at-once.
Fans of weekly installments will still have the option to read as they wish. We’ll be releasing all six episodes of each series in weekly format with our famous brand of WTF cliffhangers!
But …
… You’ll also have the option of buying the full season immediately!
THE FREE EXPERIMENT
We’re also trying something new.
We will be giving each episode away FREE for five days during the week it goes live. Readers taking the weekly ride with us can do so for free.
Every Thursday through Monday during our indie seasons, we’ll have a new episode available for free.
We hope to draw new readers into our stories by offering a sample. We figure if we do our job well enough, you won’t be able to wait until the following week and will want to buy the full season right away.
But we’re cool if you just want a free read, too.
Now we call this a free “experiment” because we can only guess at the results. If suddenly nobody is buying our books, and just waiting for the free ones, well, it’ll turn into an experiment in poverty, and we’ll need to end it. To keep writing for you, we must be able to put bread on our table and take care of our the bills.
We look forward to this experiment, and more importantly, to the 2013 Collective Inkwell season with new episodes of Available Darkness, WhiteSpace, ForNevermore, Yesterday’s Gone, Z 2134, Monstrous, and Dark Crossings!
We’re really looking forward to giving you a GREAT year of reading you won’t find anywhere else. Beyond the FREE episodes each week, we’ll be giving our special group of “Goners” extra goodies throughout the year.
If you’re not already a Goner, and don’t want to miss out on any of the best stuff, join today. It is and always will be 100% free. And it’s easy. Just click on the link below.
JOIN TODAY!
http://collectiveinkwell.com/be-a-goner
As always, thank you for reading,
Sean Platt & David Wright
* * * *
Join The Goners
Want sneak peeks at what’s next?
Want to take part in special Author’s Hangouts with us?
Become a Goner, and get our exclusive (and free) newsletter for fans of Yesterday’s Gone, and the dark fiction of Sean Platt and David Wright.
Join and get…
**SNEAK PEEKS OF UPCOMING STUFF
**LINKS TO OUR FREE PROMOTIONS
**THE OCCASIONAL FREE SHORT STORY (including one when you sign up)
**WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS FROM THE MOST HANDSOME WRITING DUO EVER!
(Okay, maybe not so much on the last one, unless you happen to find Ray Romano and Kevin James to be studly, in which case, this is your lucky day!)
JOIN TODAY!
http://collectiveinkwell.com/be-a-goner
* * * *
Our Books
::Yesterday’s Gone Series — the post-apocalyptic serial::
Yesterday’s Gone: Episode 1
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B005FHO9AU/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005FHO9AU/
Season One Compilation (Episodes 1-6)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B005REXCKE/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005REXCKE/
Season Two Compilation (Episodes 7-12)
US:www.amazon.com/dp/B007BEDR4Y/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007BEDR4Y/
Season Three (Episodes 13-18)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B008R0IZH0/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008R0IZH0/
Season Four (Coming Summer 2013)
::Available Darkness — the new breed of vampire thriller::
Season One
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YWLV94/
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009YWLV94/
SeasonTwo (February 2013)
::ForNevermore Series — the dark fantasy serial::
ForNevermore: Episode 1
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B007EEF3TS/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007EEF3TS/
Season One Compilation (Episodes 1-6)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B007SNNUMW/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007SNNUMW/
Season Two (coming soon)
::WhiteSpace Series — the sci-fi/horror serial::
WhiteSpace: Episode 1
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B007Z9DDTE/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007Z9DDTE/
WhiteSpace: Season One Compilation (Episodes 1-6)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B008ASB4GI/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008ASB4GI/
WhiteSpace Season Two
(Coming soon)
::Our 47North Serials::
These are Amazon Serials we did in partnership with 47North. The books are available in both ebook and print.
Z 2134 (Season One)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B009KTA8YA/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009KTA8YA/
Season Two: Coming soon
Monstrous (Season One)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B009XJBHHO/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009XJBHHO/
Season Two: Coming soon
::DARK CROSSINGS STORIES AND COLLECTIONS::
DARK CROSSINGS: SERIES ONE
Chris Wakes Up
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006KTHEX6/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KTHEX6/
Diner Faded
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006KTHBL6/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KTHBL6/
Pull The Trigger
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006E906EG/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006E906EG/
Respero Dinner
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006KTHC1K/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KTHC1K/
The Watcher
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006KTH8J6/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KTH8J6/
The Visitor
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006KTHIQY/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KTHIQY/
Dark Crossings: Collection 1 (contain
ing the first series)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B006K5SO1G/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006K5SO1G/
DARK CROSSINGS: VOLUME TWO
Are We There Yet?
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B007UQU444/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007UQU444/
Hide and Seek
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B008XKEVZY/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008XKEVZY/
If You Don’t Finish Reading This, Then Everyone You Know Will Die
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B007WZMHFC/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WZMHFC/
What Would Boricio Do?
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008U491RQ
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008U491RQ
The Good Deeds Society
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B0090CPMES/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0090CPMES/
Monsters
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B00936F69M/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00936F69M/
Dark Crossings: Volume 2 (Six Stories. Killer Endings.)
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B0095PJOC6/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0095PJOC6/
To keep things simple, we list just the first episodes (free, when we can make them so) and season links on this list. For a complete and most up-to-date list of our available books, visit:
http://collectiveinkwell.com/our-books
The Most Important Thing You Can Do To Spread the Word