Burning Doors
The Extraction List #2
by Renee N.
Meland
Published:
April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Genre: Dystopian
Thriller
Content Warning: Violence, adult language, and minor sexual
content
Recommended Age:
14+
Cain Foley committed his first murder before he
could even drive a car. Not that he would’ve had anywhere to drive to. When he
was fifteen, America was one of the poorest countries in the world, and its’
citizens took their hatred of that fact out on each other through gangs and
violence. Children barely tall enough for carnival rides peppered the streets
selling drugs (or themselves) so they could buy their next meal.
Every night on the news, Cain watched as an
angelic blonde woman who lost her own child swore she’d end it. She assaulted
America’s televisions with praise for the Parental Morality Law: a set of rules
that spells out exactly what it takes to be a parent in the eyes of the
government, and the consequences of breaking those rules. He prayed every night
that she’d come to rescue him before his father took off his belt again.
Before she could save him, Cain faced a fatal
choice: fight back or die on the basement floor.
He chose life.
Now on the run, he finds himself being hunted by
a police officer with his own special brand of torture. Before he can save even
a handful of the children who have been swept up in the gang life, he must
first cover up not one, but two murders: his father’s and one committed by a
teenage madam who is either the love of his life, or his final undoing. As he
feels himself being pushed further and further to the edge, he realizes that
surviving his father was just the beginning.
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The first time I killed someone, it was an
accident. Though I guess it was the kind of accident that happens when you
squeeze your hands around someone’s neck for too long, or when you shove
someone who is standing too close to the edge of a building. In my case, I
accidentally killed my father when I beat him to death with a pipe.
He had set me up that night, I’m sure of it. I
was always careful to leave the TV volume down so I wouldn’t be caught. But
when I flipped the power on that night, the news roared. The woman I wanted to
see was there, giving a speech like always, but her voice came out with the
force of thunder. Sweat drenched my body when I heard the door to my parents’
upstairs bedroom fly open and hit the wall. The foundation shook and so did my
limbs. I sat frozen in a seated position as I heard his footsteps. All I could
focus on were his shiny patent leather shoes coming toward me. Even in the
middle of the night, he took the time to slip them on.
I could smell him before I even saw his feet. He
constantly stunk of mouthwash and old cologne; it was some putrid mix of
sandalwood and beach vacations that we would never take. He cackled as he
stepped toward me, so the minty air from his breath reached me before his hand
did. I felt my head hit the floor before I felt the familiar sting in my cheek.
“You’re so stupid. You really think you’ll ever
leave here? Where do you think you’re going to go, huh? You need me. She hasn’t
come for you and she never will!” He kicked me in the side with his foot.
My stomach clenched from the impact.
I usually kept quiet when he hit me. At most, I
would agree with whatever he was saying to stop him before he did real damage.
It never worked.
No matter what I said, or didn’t say, the blows
would keep coming. My mother was always conveniently upstairs, but no one can tell me she couldn’t hear the snap
of his belt or the furniture rattle as he shoved me into it.
That night was different. Maybe it was watching
the woman from the television, or maybe it was the way his smile stretched
across his face as he struck me, I don’t know. But when he was finished and
heading back upstairs, I spat towards him.
My cheeks burned as I did it. In fact, my whole
body felt like it was on fire. But I’d be lying if I said I wished I could take
it back. Even when he turned, eyes wide when he noticed the wad of saliva
glistening on the concrete floor, I didn’t regret it one bit.
I may have even cracked a smile.
Renee
N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. Her
favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world
around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that
telling stories is the best job in the world.
Giveaway
Details:
There
is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
A
print copy of The Extraction List
Giveaway
is US only.
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