The Bride's Blood (Excerpt)

<b> The first few pages of my newly self published short-novel, "The Bride's Blood". If you'd rather leave a review on lulu.com/ocwzombie instead of here, I'd love you forever (and review anything you desire me to in return?). Anyway. Here it is. A short story I wrote about a year ago, and decided to spruce up as well as I could.</b>



ONE day it all comes down to this...

         It’s a day when you're left with a choice: A harrowing decision when everything, the very fabrics of life and death, hang in the balance. This is the point that I, Jared Dayton, had now reached. The seconds that hung on my impossibly difficult decision meant everything, and at the same time they meant possibly nothing. But it all came down to the fact that I already knew the choice I’d make. I’d always known, since the day I’d met her.

Through an oasis of the living dead, I'd have to charge. But it was worth it. She was worth it. And now, nothing could stop me from attempting the impossible. I had to believe there was hope...



Eighteen Hours Earlier



         I WATCHED from behind the captain, standing in the cramped cabin of the small transport starship Sylvia. The backwater world of New Oasis loomed into view in the window before us. Its lush clouds and swirling storm fronts made for a grand spectacle. New Oasis had been called the grandest looking planet by many. It was made all the better, as I felt the tender hand of Emily, my newlywed wife, take my palm into hers. This honeymoon was going to be perfect.

         "New Oasis port authorities aren’t answering the phone." Captain Eric Way informed me. "We've been trying over and over to raise them on the communications satellite and they just refuse to pick up."

         I squeezed Emily's hand just a little tighter. "…so what does that mean?" I asked. I definitely didn't want to abandon our honeymoon on some stupid technical difficulty. We'd come all this way to spend time with each other. We’d waited through so many hardships to celebrate this union.

         "I’m afraid we’re running a little short on fuel. Not near enough to bring us back the way we came." Way said with a sigh, scratching the small amounts of facial hair that matted his chin. "If they don’t respond within the hour, I’m afraid we’ll just have to go breaking the law and land without permission.”

         "And this means?" I asked.

         From the navigation terminal at the front of the cabin, the light feminine voice of Kathryn Banner, the second in command, echoed a response. "It means that we'll most likely be apprehended, and searched. Any illegal contents will be disposed of, and if we're found to be criminals... well... we'll most likely be hanged."

         My motor skills stopped for a split second. First because of the term 'hanged'. But the second, more frightful fact was the sheer amount of fear in Kathryn’s voice. It was as if she actually had something to be frightened of.
Emily voiced my concerns for me. "... We don't need to worry about that, right? We're not criminals..."

         "Some of us aren't," Captain Way said, leaning an arm against the bulkhead with a sigh. "But... let's just say it wouldn’t be the greatest thing ever if we’re searched." 

         I rolled my eyes, and pulled the most beautiful woman in the universe quite a bit closer to me. How could this be happening to us after everything we’d been through? 

         "Either way." Kathryn said. "We may have to land. I've already chosen the most remote airfield I could find... if we don't make contact soon, we're going in. We don’t have any choice."

         "Perfect." I breathed. "Just great..."

         Suddenly our honeymoon had shifted from romantic afternoons and steamy nights together to the prospect of imprisonment and penalty. How generous of fate to look so kindly on us.