EXCERPT FROM OCCASUS
My new e-book, Occasus, is available through Amazon Kindle. The story follows Dominic who, in the middle of avenging his murdered family, is kidnapped to another planet far in the future where childbirth kills every new mother. Fighting to get back to Earth, he has to choose between his revenge and the future of humanity. See an excerpt below of one of the supporting characters, Ben and follow the link at the bottom for the e-book amazon page.
Ben had gone out only for a quick drink, really, only the one. It was necessary being the only one who actually served beer to receive the treatment from someone else. Truly only fair. His watch was stating it was far past the quick drink time and extending into the late and trouble time. He could handle the sofa, in fact lately it was preferable.
He was perched on a stool near the back of the bar. It was one of the more dingy pubs in the town, not even a bottle of champagne in the entire place but no one from work would dare step in here, hence the appeal. He’d just about finished his beer when the entire room went silent. He shifted on his seat, fearing the worst; DCR, the bosses, Keira. All he saw was a very pregnant woman standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, all eyes staring at her.
She caught Ben’s eye and walked tall over to his seat. She was dressed in posh attire, her hair long and delicately curled. She flashed him a red lipped smile and fluttered her eyelashes, “Buy a girl a drink?”
Ben looked her up and down, his glance staying on her stomach long enough for her to hopefully get the point. The bartender, a man Ben didn’t particularly like, came storming down the bar, “I’m not serving her kind here.”
He wasn’t sure if he meant pregnant or posh but he nodded his head. He was about to make some excuse when he caught a look at the woman, she must have been in her late thirties but she wore a look of child-like heartbreak. She was licking her lips and staring at the ground, too ashamed to look at anyone.
“And where do they serve kind like her?”
The bartender made some unique sounding grunt and folded his arms, “Charlie’s,” he stomped to the other end of the bar.
Ben shrugged his shoulders and stood up, “It’s not too far.”
The woman swallowed and plastered a smile on her ruined lips, “It’s outside of town isn’t it?” He nodded, not sure if he cared that she appeared nervous.
They took the train and he was glad when she sat a few seats away from him, she had her full attention out the window, her arms making sure not to touch her stomach. Their stop was the last on the train and they were the only ones left.
He gave her his hand as she walked down from the deserted platform onto the street, the bar was still a bit of a walk away.
The woman grabbed a cigarette out of a fresh packet, “Want one?” He shook his head, then helped her light it when her hand shook too much.
“Sure this is a good idea?”
“It isn’t going to matter much now.” She said it lightly but a darkness in her eyes told him it was the truth. “My husband left me,” she took a deep drag and kept her eyes in front of her. “Funny little world we live in. My whole adult life all the women have judged me, I wasn’t willing to use a surrogate nor was I able to make the ‘holy sacrifice’.” She pointed at her stomach with her cigarette, “Bet their laughing now.”
They came to an even dingier pub than the last but the women stopped when Ben went to open the door. “I don’t think I need the drink anymore.”
When she began looking down a nearby alleyway, Ben nodded his head and headed in that direction. A metal door lay at the end of the alleyway, no name was over the door, just a dim light bulb. “Do you want me to come in?”
She took a long drag and stubbed out the smoke, “I just need you to sign the abortion papers as my husband.”
Ben nodded, slightly regretting not taking up her offer of a fag, “What about adoption?” He had to ask, even though she eyed him with near disgust. “What’s your husband’s name?”
She looked at the floor for a moment before speaking, “John Montgomery.” She was looking at him like he should know the name but he’d been pretty careful not to get to know more names than he needed.
She disappeared into the door and came back with a man in an ugly dark green suit. Ben was handed the clipboard and signed the name, the suited man only nodded at Mrs Montgomery and went back inside. She didn’t follow him.
Ben put his hands into his jean’s pocket, “We could go for that drink at Charlie’s if you want first…or after.” He’d only done this once before but that time he’d left as soon as the pen had left his hand. Abortions were barely legal in this town and he had enough trouble with legalities as it was.
The woman ran her hand through her perfect hair, a large diamond ring reflected off the poor lighting, “All my friends make out like they’re the cursed ones, unable to carry their own child due to their responsibilities.” She leaned in, “Do you want to know what I’ve spent the last fifteen years doing, what our kind’s responsibility is?” She lit another cigarette, “Organising parties, showing off the latest designers and generally just playing.” She threw the cigarette at the brick wall and walked towards the door.
Ben was about to turn and go when he heard her add, “Even those who have children, they don’t raise them, they leave that to the nannies. It’s only for face value.” She took the handle of the door and turned back to him, smiling bitterly, “Women are supposed to be mothers you know,”
Originally posted - August 26, 2014
