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    Dreads
    Dreads
    Dreads
    Ebook52 pages52 minutes

    Dreads

    By Brie Sheldon

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Dreads is a novella about a normal woman and her extraordinary experience. The unnamed protagonist is in a modern-day Pittsburgh, living an average, 9-5, normal life. One morning, she wakes up and she follows her routine. On her commute, a crater opens up. As weeks pass by, things get weirder. She finds a part of herself she didn't know existed. The monstrous Dreads break free from their cages and she decides, she can stop them. But what can she do?

    Our hero is just a normal person. Or is she?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrie Sheldon
    Release dateJun 22, 2013
    ISBN9781301279821
    Dreads

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      Book preview

      Dreads - Brie Sheldon

      DREADS

      By

      Brie Sheldon

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Brie Sheldon on Smashwords

      Dreads

      Copyright © 2013 by Brie Sheldon

      Cover Art

      Copyright © 2013 by John W. Sheldon

      Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed. If you enjoyed this book, then encourage your friends to download their own free copy.

      Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

      Chapter 1

      Contrary to what my nightmares tell me, I know that every morning is going to be normal – just like every other day.

      I wake to sprinkling rain and an ache in my chest. Standing, stretching, and weakly wandering to the window, I push back the curtain. The street has no riots, no burning, and no screams of discontent. One lady is walking her kid to the bus, and the old guy across the street is letting his dog out. Two cars pass while I'm staring. There's a flash in the corner of my eye, and I jerk around, but it's nothing. That’s right. Nothing.

      My dog, Byron, makes some noises outside, so I bring him back in, and check him over. No issues. He looks shaken up, but I guess it was just the little dog next door that scared him. Whatever, I grab my stuff and hop in the car.

      I turn the corner out of the alley and a green Grand Am almost hits me. I wiggle my car past, and the neighbor grimaces at me like it was my fault. It’s always my fault. Then his face shakes like someone tazed him, and I stare, but then suddenly he’s normal, like nothing happened. I feel a sudden startling sick. Our cars are stopped and he's staring and looks like he's still buzzing, but I tell myself, it’s nothing. Nothing. I pull away, but he's still sitting there.

      I have a simple drive in with a struggle through construction. Ain’t Pennsylvania grand? I go to the office. Get my work done. Sit around for a while. Poke around in the cafeteria and talk about the state of things. There are protesters in the major city centers all over the country, another celebrity got divorced, and the television in the café shows in big letters: BEST COUPON DEALS, while the tiny ticker at the bottom of the screen shows body counts of soldiers in Afghanistan. I feel like I’m ninety, like I lived long ago, but twenty-three is not as old as it seems to me. My computer goes on the fritz. I walk off for a while, hoping it will fix itself. When I get back, the screen is wonky, like someone messed with the settings. I bump it, and it makes this strange buzz. No one else seems to notice. I bump it again, and it's back to normal. Must have been a loose wire. Nothing wrong.

      The drive home is where my day goes wrong.

      I left at five, but I’ve been in my car for hours. It’s dark out already. My phone hasn’t rung except for the one call that went weird, like someone was shouting through a storm, but the sky is clear. It wasn’t Ben’s number. I feel kind of scared, and I want to think that it’s no big deal, but there’s a crater in the middle of the median on route 79 and no one else seems to see it. I’ve been watching it. I can’t tear myself away.

      It’s ten o’clock now, according to my dash clock. I guess I’ll go look and see what’s up with this big hole and… wait, it’s glowing. Why is it glowing? What the hell is that? Oh, my god--

      ----

      Where am I? I wake up. I’m in my car, same spot, but the clock says it’s only 5:10 p.m. My phone is ringing. I pick up. It’s Ben.

      Where you at? I’m on my way to class.

      "I just needed to rest. I pulled over. I

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