David Brian's Blog - Posts Tagged "creature-feature"

Callum watched under the glow of the roadside light as a sweeping tide of rabbits, deer, foxes and squirrels hurried to escape the carriageway. Upwards of a hundred different animals scurried up the embankment before disappearing into the night...

During one of the bleakest storms in years, the raging pulse of an alarm signals a breakout from a government research facility. Hours later, a ragtag team of military rejects slips into a snow laden Midlands town. Their mission: either to retrieve or terminate the escapees.

Rumours soon abound, reports of mysterious deaths and disappearances occurring throughout the area. The attacks are focused along the borders of a local nature park, and when a disparate group of locals turns up at the reserve's tearoom, seeking sanctuary from the storm, it soon becomes apparent there are things moving amid the ivory haze of the blizzard… ravenous creatures on the hunt for fresh meat.

Preview

Fifteen minutes later and Wilder was standing in the hallway drawing on a cigarette. He sucked in a breath and then blew a stream of smoke towards the ceiling.

“You know this is a no smoking area, right?” said Harry as she leaned back against the wall and took a draw into her lungs.

“And yet here you are, trying to help me set off the smoke alarms.”

She smiled. “With all the madness gone on here tonight, I doubt anyone would even respond to a smoke alarm.”

Wilder studied the woman standing across from him. Hair the colour of burnt syrup framed a slim face with unblemished skin. She was gifted with natural beauty, although the bluest eyes he ever saw looked capable of delivering a stare that would chill a serial killer. The stern eyes and pale skin had contributed to Wilder’s initial impression of this being a harsh, less than engaging individual. But he had been wrong. It hadn’t taken long to discover Harry Chastain had a great sense of humour, and spending time together in the foyer only served to crush his initial damning assessment. He liked Harry. She was an attractive woman with a quirky style and wild eyes. She also possessed a sharp wit, although her most empowering feature was the aura of confident warmth she exuded. This was a woman who remained comfortable in her skin even when faced with grave concerns.

“It seems you underestimated the talents of your creations,” Wilder said before taking another pull.

“Hey, like I already said, I’m as much in the dark over this as you are.”

He studied her hard. “I doubt that. You have Fontaine’s ear.”

She laughed. “Yes, I’m his favourite ginger.”

“Rather you than me,” he said returning the smile. There was a pause and then he asked: “And the rest of the team?”

Harry smiled. “All fuck-ups like you and Brennan. You’ll meet them soon enough.”

All fuck-ups like you and Brennan. Then why select us for the mission? Wilder blew a smoke ring and watched as it floated towards the ceiling. Only minutes earlier he had been watching Ghorbani tapping away at the keyboard, opening various files on the computer. He stood transfixed, observing events as the nightmare unfolded. Wilder felt the colour draining from his features as he recalled the actions he saw on those screens. He looked at Harry, and felt a flush of relief that he was sporting a full beard: lest the paleness of his skin reveal the horror gripping his soul.

The pair finished the remainder of the cigarettes in silence, only occasionally smiling at each other as their eyes met across the hallway. Wilder was just about to suggest they return to the laboratory when a door opened at the end of the hall and a pale faced corporal hurried in their direction.

The corporal delivered a hurried salute to both officers. “Major. Captain. Colonel Fontaine needs you back inside, right away.”

“What’s happened,” asked Harry stubbing out the butt of the cigarette on the wall.

“We may have a lead, captain.”

End of preview

I hope you enjoyed this brief sample from Feeding Grounds. It's a horror thriller that's sure to put you off visiting the woods. And demonstrates why you are never truly safe . . . even in your own home.
The Kindle eBook is slated for a June 15st release, and can be preordered for the promotion price of .99c/.99p.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095YQTPXY
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B095YQTPXY

The paperback received a quiet launch on May 24th, and is priced $14.99/ £11.99.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095GPCXJP
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B095GPCXJP

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Events worldwide have made it a really tough last eighteen months for every one of us. Hopefully we are now heading into the daylight. Stay healthy. And stay safe.