Alchemy
Author
Timothy Badger
Author Bio
Timothy lives in Southern Arizona with spouse and daughter, along with their dog. Favorite time of year is the monsoon season when the sky is riddled with streaks of lightening.
Description
Jack and Amanda are on a romantic weekend when a terrible accident happens and Amanda is pulled into Hell by a black void. Amanda being Jack’s true love must go into Hell and save her. But will Hell devour them both or will love prevail?
Alchemy is the first book of the series what lies beyond the shadows? Only the spirits know!
Book excerpt
Chapter 1: The Void
“You can turn up the heater if you’re cold.” Jack glanced over to the beautiful woman in the seat next to him. She was bundled up in winter clothes but still trembled with cold. She shivered before reaching for the dial on the console to increase the warm air flowing through the vents.
“Will it continue to be this cold all weekend?” Amanda asked, staring out of the car window at the white sheets that fell like a blanket over the hills and trees.
“That is the whole point of this trip,” Jack reached for her hand. “To snuggle next to the fireplace, make s’mores, and be together alone.” Jack smiled at Amanda as he squeezed her hand while they drove through the winter wonderland of snow and ice. Jack’s eyes peeked over to Amanda for a split second. His heart swelled with happiness he couldn’t put into words. He had waited for this moment for so long and spent months planning the ultimate romantic weekend. The ring he picked out rubbed against his thigh tucked away in his pocket.
Jack’s heart skipped as he imagined how he was going to ask her to marry him. He knew she wanted the romance and mystery. He hinted this weekend was suppose to be special. Did she know what he had in store for her, or should he not even bring it up? A smile tickled the corner of his lips as he thought of making her wait. Either way though the very thought of her being his forever made him smile.
“Look out! Amanda’s scream pierced Jack’s ear causing him to flinch. His eyes darted to the snow covered road before them. Something large dashed out before them. Jack’s instincts took over. His gut reaction caused the wheel to jerk hard slamming Amanda against the window. Her scream was muffled by the protest of the brakes as the tires battled against the snow and pavement.
Metal scraped against metal as the car folded around a tree. Jack’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel praying the car would stop. With a hard jerk his head whipped back then forward. The only thing holding both Jack and Amanda inside the car was the sturdy strap latching them to the car. Gray balloons burst forward from all directions smacking Jack’s bruised head knocking him out.
A non human sound broke through the vast nothingness which surrounded Jack and Amanda. His eyes fluttered open though his head throbbed. Peeking through a swollen eye he found Amanda asleep next to him. Her head tilted against the shattered window. A howl echoed through the darkness. Jack tried to move his arm, but his arm was pinned down. He wiggled until the metal released his arm from it jaws. He leaned over to Amanda.
“Amanda?” He whispered. She stirred. He gasped as hope filled him. His eyes searched for wounds and broken bones over the length of her body. On the surface she seemed fine. Jack cupped his hand around her face and waited for her to come back to him.
“Honey?” He whispered again as her heavy eyes pulled themselves apart. The moment seemed like an eternity waiting for her to speak.
“Jack?” A soft exhale was all she could manage. Her eyes glazed over his weak smiling face.
“Amanda my love, is anything broken?” She shook her head.
“I’m going to try and get us out of here okay?” Again small bobs of her head.
Jack reached around her and unlocked the restraint around her chest and hips. The moment the seat belt retracted she sucked in a gulp of air. Although her clothes were tattered, she could move and did. First her arms, then her legs. She turned and stare at Jack. The darkness howled again.
“What is out there?” Amanda asked as Jack unlatched his belt giving him wiggle room. Looking out past the splintered tree Jack saw nothing. The white winter blanket gave no signs as to what creatures lurked beyond the tree line.
“Wolf maybe.” Jack didn’t dare give fear a name. He cupped Amanda’s face. “We need to get out of here if we are going to survive the night. The car won’t start with the engine smashed to the dashboard. At least for now we can move and find shelter.”
Amanda dug in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She hit the power button several times but the phone didn’t react. A black screen reflected her disheveled face. With no other choice she glanced at Jack.
“If we are going to go, we need to go now.”
The heavy metal door buckled and moaned as Jack pushed with all his might to open it. The door wouldn’t budge. An idea flew threw his mind and he popped open the glove box. He fumbled with papers and other loose stuff until he pulled out the black metal knife. With one quick jab, Jack slammed the back of the knife into the window. The glass had no choice but to give. It shattered like diamonds falling off the door.
“Ready?” He glanced over his shoulder to Amanda. She nodded. With his legs aching and his body screaming to rest, Jack climbed through the opening. He waited a moment scanning their surrounding before turning to help Amanda out. She landed hard on the packed snow and slipped. There was no easy landing waiting for her.
“Owe.” She said as she looked up from the ground. A howl regurgitated through the open space sending chills racing under their skin. Both Jack and Amanda realized their vulnerability to the onslaught of wild animals. He pulled Amanda up. She hobbled a bit from landing hard on her ankle.
“Is it broken?” Jack asked as she steady herself against him. She wiggled it a bit and winced from the pain.
“No, but it hurts.”
“On step at a time love,” he urged as he wrapped Amanda’s arm around his neck. They moved up the embankment towards the road. Slow and steady inch by fragile inch they moved. Jack wondered how far away the beast was considering how close the last howl seemed to be.
At the very thought of the unknown beast stalking them the howl echoed ever louder. Amanda glanced at Jack. He refused to show fear as they moved down the road. In the distance Jack could see lights flickering.
“There,” he said as he nodded in a general direction. “I think there is a house over there.”
“Think they will help?” Amanda asked as she tried to quicken her pace. Jack shrugged.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t they?” Jack flashed Amanda a smile. Something in Jack’s voice eased Amanda’s troubles. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped.
“What?” Jack asked ready to turn, but Amanda stopped him.
“Jack, please, keep moving. We have to keep going.” Amanda’s voice wavered with fear and emotion. Jack refused to run from anything in his life, including an over grown wolf. Jack turned around. Down the road eclipsing the turns of the pavement a black void blocked out everything. Jack couldn’t see through it nor around it. Their car which was smashed into the tree was gone, shrouded in darkness.
“Amanda, we need to go.”
“I know, but I don’t think I can make it that far.”
“Don’t say that. You can and you will. Don’t give up.” Jack sized Amanda up. He had carried her before but not under these kinds of circumstances, but what else was he going to do? Leave her there to be swallowed whole by the black mass.
He bent down, reaching one arm through her legs and the other around shoulders and heaved her up. He took one last look at the house and began to sprint.
“Hurry Jack,” Amanda yelled as the black void overtook more of the environment behind them. “I think it’s catching up.”
Amanda held on to the back of Jack’s shirt as he ran. A slick patch of ice caught his foot and down they went skidding across the road. Amanda moaned as Jack scrambled to get to her. He pulled her up close to him. They glanced up. The house sat on a frozen lake. Jack paused as they made it to the wooden planks which connected the house to the shore.
“What are you waiting for?” Amanda cried out as the wood protested under her weight. “Let’s go. Jack please.”
Jack took one last peek at the endless void stalking them before he scampered over the wooden bridge and raced for the door. The double doors swung open as they barged through them. A burst of heat kissed their faces as they stopped. All eyes fell upon them as they realized it wasn’t a house they were in, but a bar.
“Oh thank God.” Amanda said as she hobbled over to the empty table in the center of the room. Jack’s eyes scanned the crowd as the patrons of the bar followed them.
“How’s your leg?” Jack asked inspecting Amanda’s sprained ankle. She cringed as Jack pressed on it. His eyebrows scrunched together.
“Sorry. Sorry.” He propped her leg up on the vacant chair before circling the table and taking the seat next to her.
“What’s your poison?”
Startled Jack shot his gaze to the cutie standing before them. She doesn’t smile, simply stares at them like she has better places to be. The waitress’s foot begins to tap.
“Normally I don’t drink but after a night like this, I’ll take the strongest thing you have,” Jack glances to Amanda. As she begins to order the waitress turns on her heels and walks away. Amanda’s eyes shot to Jack before she raised her hand.
“Um excuse me, but you didn’t get my drink.” The waitress didn’t turn, she moved faster towards the bar. Jack rubbed Amanda’s leg keeping an eye on the waitress as she mixed his concoction. Jack glances at Amanda and shrugs answering the question Jack can hear in her frustration.
“I don’t know.” He scans the bar again. The crowd turns their attention to what ever it was they were doing before Jack and Amanda barged in. The old man sitting alone at the front of the bar doesn’t turn away when Jack stares him down. The old man sat there sipping his shot like he’s waiting for Jack to go over and talk to him. Reaching for Amanda’s hand, Jack pulls her soft tender hand up to his lips and kisses it.
“I love you.”
“You better. Think I’d go through this with any guy?”
“Oh you had a better date planned for this weekend?”
“As a matter of fact I did, some cute guy asked me to go to a log cabin for a romantic get a way.”
“Well why didn’t you? Sounds way better than this place.” Amanda leaned over and kissed Jack on the lips. Their intimate moment was interrupted the moment they heard the “Hum hum” and a clearing of a throat. Jack opened his eyes and stared at the waitress refusing to break the connection from Amanda’s lips.
The waitress shook her head as she sat down the shot glass and walked away. Both Jack and Amanda study the liquid in the small vessel. Pure white smoke drained off it like a chimney. Cautious Jack reached for it. The glass was ice cold, much colder than the weather outside or anything he had touched before. Amanda shook her head.
“I don’t know if I’d drink that if I were you.”
“What is it?” Jack wondered as the smoke continued to leek out of the elixir.
“Jack, don’t please. She didn’t even charge you, which tells me something is definitely in it.”
“Yeah it’s called liquor.”
“This is not one of those frat boy moments where you see who is the bravest of them all. If you pass out from the liquor who is going to help me get to the cabin? Or deal with the tow guy when he gets here?”
Jack saw Amanda’s reasoning and set the glass back down. Turning his head he waved the waitress back to their table. She set down the glass she was polishing and walked over.
“Yes?” It was almost a snarl.
“Do you happen to have a phone we could use? Our car broke down a few miles back and could use a tow.”
“Not to mention some kind of black void out there,” Amanda chimed in. As if on cue a howl vibrated over the chit chat inside the bar causing the whole bar to fall silent. Once again all eyes stared at Jack and Amanda. Distraught by the chills running down Jack’s bones he trembled knocking the glass to the floor. Jack reached down to clean his mess but paused as yet another howl knocked the air from his lungs. Jack gasped as Amanda sat stunned.
One by one the patrons around them vanished like smoke. Amanda’s fingers curled around Jack’s arm and squeezed.
“What is going on here?” Jack asked as they became the only people in the bar. “What kind of place is this?”
Amanda’s screams pierced Jack’s frightened heart. As he turned toward her he saw the black void burst through the doors like an explosion of muddy smoke.
The void curls like vines searching for dirt to root itself into. Unexpectedly the black tentacles wrap itself around Amanda’s waist pulling her from her chair. Jack’s hands instantly grabbed on to her outstretched arms.
“Don’t let go!” Amanda cried as her body stretched. Jack grunted as he tried to gain some ground by pulling hard.
“Help me!” Jack cried out to the waitress who took several steps back refusing to get involved.
“You’re gonna have to let her go!” The waitress said running over. The waitress wrapped her arms under Jack’s and pulled him back.”You can’t win. You have to let her go.”
“No! I won’t let you go. Amanda hold on.”
“I’m trying but its-”
There was nothing else Jack could do. Tentacles came from all around them wrapping around Amanda’s neck and torso and legs and arms. Their strength was too much for Jack to compete with. Try as he might it would only give Amanda seconds before she would be complete shrouded in darkness. Giving it all he could muster, Jack heaved as did the waitress, Amanda screamed and the darkness won.
Her wrists slipped through his hands as if she turned into the smoke itself. Jack fell back knocking into the waitress. The void sucked out of the bar as if a vacuum had been flipped on to suck it up and away. Jack collapsed back as tears formed in his eyes. His eyes shot over to the waitress for answers.
“What was that? What is going on? Where did it take her?” Jack yelled. The waitress walked over to the bar and pulled out a shot glass. She filled it with the same elixir she had poured him to begin with and brought it to him. Without hesitation Jack threw it back. The heat from the liquor gave him new purpose. Scrambling to his feet Jack raced outside.
“Where is she?” Jack questioned as the waitress walked outside. She took a deep breath.
“I told you, she’s gone. He’s got her locked up by now.”
“Who has her locked up? Tell me,” Jack slammed his fist down on the wooden railing that surrounded the bar. “What is going on?”
Author Website
http://www.timothybadger.com
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