Sleepers Prequel 1: Beck's tale

Here is the first story of many in the Sleepers Prequel...

Beck's Tale
Beck is an amazing man, strong and quiet, dedicated. The world wasn't kind to Beck and this is story of what happened to Beck before he met Mera.


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It had been the first time Gavin Back had been out of uniform in three weeks. It was the first weekend he had off in a long time. Being Executive Office at Ohio’s Army largest training base took its toll on his home life.

            But he had off. Finally. A weekend where the weather was supposed to be perfect.

            Beck had plans.

            One of them being to sleep in, but he couldn’t. His wife, Robyn, was always with the children and when his two month old son, Levi, cried his first ‘hunger’ whine of the morning, Beck was glad to handle it.

            It was his son. His pride and joy.

            Beck was a big man, six foot five, intimidating in bulk, and in comparison, his son looked like a baby doll in his huge grip.

            He changed the baby’s diaper, kissed his sleeping wife, pulled the covers over her and carried the baby into the kitchen. One arm, one forearm was all Beck needed to carry his son. Head cradled in his hand, Beck kept him close to his chest, like a football player, as he prepared the bottle.

            “You hungry?” he asked softly. His voice cracked as he did. Whispering wasn’t vocally possible for Beck. His voice was deep and trying to soften it only caused it to squeak and miss. “Yeah, you are.”

            He turned on the kitchen television to watch while he fed the baby, and as the formula heated, Beck brewed his coffee.

            His phone sat on the counter and he lifted it.

            Six missed calls? All from base.

            “Are you kidding me?” He grumbled and thought, ‘bottle for the baby, a sip of coffee, it can wait.’.

            The coffee was faster than the bottle, that new machine Robyn got brewed it in an instant.

            Beck took the cup, took a sip, and grabbed his wits.

            “Hey Daddy.” His daughter, only three, darted in the kitchen. Still in her pajamas, her ponytails tossed from sleeping.

            “Hey Sweetie,” Beck accepted a kiss. “You’re up early.” The baby squirmed in his arms, fussed vocally and Beck started to feed him.

            “No, silly. I always get up early.” She giggled. “Can I watch cartoons?”

            “Yeah, let Daddy have some coffee, make his call and I’ll get you food, too.” Holding the baby and bottle in a single wraparound grip, a task he was quite good at, he reached for the remote and that was when he saw it.

            Across the screen were pictures of devastation. The headline read, ‘earthquake in Seattle’.

            “Oh my God,” Beck said.

            “Are they hurt, Daddy?” Dakota asked.

            “I don’t  know––” his phone rang. “Damn it.”

            “You swore.”

            “I’m sorry.” Beck answered the phone. “Major Beck.” He sighed out. “No, Benson, I haven’t checked my voice mail, what’s up?” he paused. “National emergency, how is this affecting us it’s in Seattle …” Beck’s eyes widened. “How many?”

            “Daddy?”

            “Twenty-seven? Are you serious?”

            “Daddy?” his daughter tugged on his leg.

            Multi tasking. Beck was good at it. He noticed the baby consumed a few ounces and placed him against his chest to burp him. “We’re mobilizing?” he spoke on the phone.

            “Daddy.”

            Burp.

            Beck placed down the bottle and sipped his coffee as he listened. “Where are they putting the center? You don’t know.” He exhaled. “Get the Intel, have it ready, I’ll get dressed and be at base in an hour. Thanks.” He hung up. “What the hell is going on?”

            “Daddy.”

            Thump.

The rest is FREE (just too big to post here) If you are interested in reading the story, please simply CLICK HERE, or right click download the PDF.

Thanks

Sneak Peak - Nodding

The Infection is to be released on August 9, 2013
Synopsis

In a small pocket of the world it has been in existence since the 1960’s.  A disease so feral, it strikes eighty percent of all children under the age of fifteen. For decades it has pushed the boundaries into three countries. Those infected become mere shells, often in a ‘zombie’ like state followed by violent tantrums. There is no hope, no treatment and there is no cure.

Little is known about the sickness known as Nodding Disease. Information regarding it is often buried deep. But what would happen if the resilient disease mutates and breaks into heavily populated areas? With a infection rate of eighty percent, our future could all but be eliminated along with our young.

Nodding takes an emotional and fictional look at this very real disease.

In Nodding, the disease has mutated. Following an outbreak in the UK,  a global pandemic ensues. The young victims are so violent, they are a danger to all those around them. The bacteria is resistant to any treatment and deadly to any adult exposed. Governments must make decision as time runs out for humanity, and worse, parents must face their most heart wrenching decisions.

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Chapter One

TEN YEARS EARLIER – August 24^th

Heathrow Airport – London: Patient Zero

Ren Turner was little enough to dart in and out of people standing at the gate to retrieve his ball. At six years old he was old enough to annoy people and his mother knew it. Shelly Turner was already at her wits’ end. She just wanted to get back to her home in Virginia. That, she knew, was a long way off.

Her husband had left with the other children, the older ones, three days earlier. Shelly stayed behind with Ren, who had a fever, sniffles, and a diagnosis of the common flu, which kept them in London longer. Ren felt better; he exhibited that as he raced around chasing his ball.

They called their flight number and the passengers boarded. Shelly called his name with a scold, “Ren, now.” He hurried to his mother’s side.

The man in front of her just smiled when Ren bumped into his legs.

“I am so sorry,” Shelly told him. “He is just wired.”

“That’s fine, I have two boy of my own,” he said. “All grown now. Although back in the day, a little dose of cold medicine did the trick on flights.”

Shelly winced. “I think that’s the problem. I gave him some. It did the opposite.”

The man smiled. “Ah, hyper first. He’ll crash on the plane.” He winked. “Bet me.”

“Let’s hope.” Shelly chuckled. “It’s a long flight.”

They boarded. Ren argued with his mother that he wanted to sit in the aisle seat. Shelly agreed reluctantly then realized it probably was the best thing. At least he would only bother the person by the window. Sitting three across would make for a long flight, but it was the first flight back to the States that they could get.

Ren remained restless until they allowed electronics to be used, and then he was consumed with his game.

Shelly made small talk with the woman next to her, telling her story of how the family had to return home at different times. It was the first time, Shelly informed the woman, that the entire family was able to go on a story with her husband. He was a journalist with a huge news organization. They hadn’t been home in months, but the children did get to see three continents and eight countries.

The conversation passed some time. It was when the woman next to her to said, “I think that cold medicine is finally kicking in,” that Shelly glanced at Ren.

His eyes fluttered and his head nodded.

She smiled. “You’re tired now, baby. Here …” She reached around him. “Let me put back your seat.”

Just as she reached to do so, Ren’s eyes popped open wide.

“Ren?” she questioned.

He hissed. Long and loudly. Ren hissed again, shot a glare to Shelly, and before she could register what was occurring, he jumped from his seat.

Fast, like a scurrying cat, he raced over the tops of the seats and the heads of the passengers and flung his body at the flight attendant who stood at the front of the aisle.

The weight of his small body with the raging momentum knocked the flight attendant off balance, and they both fell to the floor.

With an angry growl and rapid blurred movements, Ren’s hands whipped about. His hands clawed into the flight attendant repeatedly, shredding her skin, ripping her apart as if he were digging for a buried treasure all while his mouth bit, pulled, then spat her flesh.

She screamed in horror, blooding pouring from every wound.

Shelly had lunged forward when Ren first took off, but her attempts to grab him were futile, and lifting him from the flight attendant was impossible.

She cried out his name hysterically, pleading him to stop, calling for help.

It took four male passengers and an air marshal to seize Ren. However, the five of them couldn’t control him and they eventually had to restrain him.

Even restrained, Ren struggled and thrashed like a rabid animal and did so the entire return trip back to London.

He was out of control, didn’t respond to Shelly at all, nor to any attempts to calm him.

What had happened to her son? Shelly was at a loss and buried in a world of confusion and pain. There was nothing she could do but watch her child and sob from the bottom of her heart.