Six paragraphs from VEILS, The Veils Trilogy, Book 2.
1. She clutched the waistband of his pants as he started to wade toward the cave entrance. The water was up to his calves and quickly rising. He heard the pounding of the waves coming from outside. The sound grew louder as it grew closer. Stark fear went through him as he realized at the last second what was about to happen. He turned to grab Nat when icy water surged into the cave, blasting them like a gigantic firehose, and sending them flying into a rock wall.
2. The ocean swells had started again. That was probably why his face had gone underwater. Sliding into a trough, he waited for the next wave to lift him upward in order to check the horizon. Although he tried not to feel hopeful, he knew he wasn’t ready to see a world of nothing but water. Cold water. Salty water. Water he couldn’t drink, even though his throat felt like it was on fire. His head ached from dehydration, affecting his vision, but he refused to give in. He would fight until his last breath.
3. They spent the next few minutes stuffing themselves, sometimes sharing a bite or two of something they found especially tasty. On impulse, Nat ran a finger over the top of a chocolate-topped cruller and smeared the sugary substance on his cheekbone. Seeing his astonished look, she giggled and leaned forward and slowly licked it. He closed his eyes as she ran her tongue over his face again to get the last of the confection.
4. She took off toward the rear of the building. The man who’d tried to stop her took chase, as Griff had hoped. As he came around the pile of trash bags, Griff swung hard at the man’s midriff. The wood bat connected with the guy’s chest. The rifle went off as the man involuntarily pulled the trigger. His feet went out from under him, and he landed flat on his back on the cement.
5 The woman nodded. “He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but he was certain it would be this year. And that’s not the weirdest thing he believed might happen. He thinks those waves might be some kind of time displacement waves. That they might breach the fourth dimension.” She snorted. “When he went off on that tangent, that’s when I stopped paying attention to him.” Pausing, she dropped her head. A look of sadness crossed her face. “I wish now I hadn’t dismissed him like that.”
6. They watched as Monte lifted the lid another inch or two and looked around. “No trees left, mate. Not a one. No clouds, either.” He raised the hatch all the way, letting it bang against the roof. Sunlight poured inside. “Crikey, the damn tank’s pockmarked like someone’s taken a ballpeen hammer to it.”
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