Yesterday I mentioned the new "Tales from the Tower" anthology, which will be released on May 1. Below is an excerpt from my contribution, "Operation Breakout," as featured on the Ye Olde Dragons facebook page. I hope you enjoy it!
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“Gillis! Hit the wall, now!” Sarge commanded.
The sound of running footsteps was followed by the thunder of the dining area wall exploding. Gillis had done his job, crashing through and making a hole big enough for us to run through. Operation Breakout was underway.
Offering up a quick prayer, I followed the sounds of my cohorts to find the opening and hustle through it. Getting outside the building was the easy part. Now we had to fight for our freedom as the guards regrouped. At least we could use our newfound abilities--the ones we got here--against them.
Maybe Sarge should have called it Operation Bedlam. Chaos erupted all around me, partially because of me, but of course I couldn’t see it. Thanks to our captors, I hadn’t been able to see anything in weeks. I could hear it, though--from the panicked shouts of the guards to the crackling of the flames to the whistling of the projectiles I hurled through the air.
All the experiments we had suffered through had endowed each of us with a superhuman ability at the cost of a disability. Some combinations had no bearing on each other. Villanueva had acromegaly now, but that didn’t impede his newfound power of firestarting.
Unfortunately for me, blindness and telekinesis didn’t mix well. My other four senses were heightened, but that only helped so much. There were a lot of metal objects around me--I could tell by a certain smell I had never noticed when I was still sighted--so I knew I had plenty of stuff to throw. By my amplified hearing, I could also distinguish and pinpoint the voices of my comrades and our enemies, helping me aim my makeshift missiles.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see what I was throwing, nor could I see what anybody else was doing. With my mind, I picked up an object that I estimated must have weighed twenty pounds and started to launch it…
“Mays! No!” Sarge cried. “Don’t throw the propane tank that way! That’s where Villanueva’s aiming!”
I heard him, but I had already thrown it by the time the words sank in. Please, God, no! No no no…
KA-BOOM!
A wave of heat and pressure slammed me backward. I hit my head against something hard and blacked out.
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The anthology comes out on May 1. Thank you for your continued support!
