“Fire!”
The synchronized shots rang out. The heads bounced back a little before the bodies tumbled over. The birds took off into the air. The dead leaves continued to dance in the morning sun.
“Good! Excellent! Now everyone gather your martyr and head for the trucks. Move!”
The soldiers instantly began to work, a pair for each corpse with one gripping the body by its legs, the other by its wrists, before heading off to their destination in a single-file line of excellence. The next trainee platoon was arriving with the next batch of target practice. Captain Halsey spotted Jacob Neeson, and though he eyed the man with little subtlety, his subject paid him no mind. When Jacob was training, he never broke his focus.
“Hurry up boys and girls. Remember, you still got your laps to complete. Let’s double-time!!”
Reverence (Volume 1) is the first arc of a story I’ve been trying to tell since freshman year in high school. Calling it a labor of love is an understatement, but it was also a tremendous pain in the ass. To future authors, whether traditional or self-publishing, always remember the necessity of outside critiques. Presented below was my original cover idea for the novel. I’m a terrible sketcher (my brother is far better), but still I like to doodle from time to time.
Reverence Page 27