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    The Crawling
    The Crawling
    The Crawling
    Ebook46 pages38 minutes

    The Crawling

    By Lee A Jackson

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    About this ebook

    Alex wanted to change, wanted to be noticed, but there was a price to pay. Increasing horrors mount for her in the aftermath of her procedure, the crawling sensations inside of her give rise to an ominous blackness which overcomes her. The paranoia from the shadows which Alexis glimpses trailing her every move, are heightened when she hears them in her apartment, hears them getting ever closer to her. With her domain no longer a safe-house, she has only one choice. She has to run. But is there something to run to? Will the crawling stop?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLee A Jackson
    Release dateNov 22, 2015
    ISBN9781311555878
    The Crawling
    Author

    Lee A Jackson

    The Beginning: I began writing in my mid to late teens, sequestered away in my bedroom in rural south west England. The writing was borne out of a need to express myself and to communicate with the world, something I was not good at doing verbally. It became an outlet for me and my writing grew with me through the years.The Middle: The writing stuck with me, and the style and nature of my writing naturally evolved as my life changed. Longer stories started coming along, and I even went through a period of planning and organising stories out before actually writing anything. That flew in the face of the disorganised nature where I would just write everything in one go from a single thought such as a title or a name. Still through a lack of self belief, everything was kept close to my chest. That and habitual procrastination.The End: For the longest time I had a fear of being forgotten and the way I figured to combat that would be to have a published book sat on a library shelf somewhere. I would have indelibly left my mark somewhere, long after I passed. That was a motivation in the back of my subconscious mind somewhere and still to this day, the enduring nature of my words in print following my end, is comforting.

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      Book preview

      The Crawling - Lee A Jackson

      The Crawling

      The Crawling

      by Lee A Jackson

      Smashwords

      Text Copyright © 2023 Lee A Jackson

      All Rights Reserved

      Book Design by Lee A Jackson

      Smashwords Edition

      Permission line for other incorporated copyrighted material

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and locations are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

      This file is licensed for private individual entertainment only. The book contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into an information retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electrical, mechanical, photographic, audio recording, or otherwise) for any reason (excepting the uses permitted to the licensee by copyright law under terms of fair use) without the specific written permission of the author.

      One

      Quickly the vibrations and sounds from the heavy thumping fell away as a hand slid down towards the door handle and twisted. The solid unit offered only a false sense of security as it effortlessly eased open, swinging inwards on cheap, tired hinges. A dark hallway awaited the visitor who straightened his jacket and stepped in.

      Trailing a hand along the wall, heavy footsteps announced themselves with a sense of purpose and direction. Cast by an exterior light slinking silently through the open doorway, a grim shadow preceded the trespasser. The shadow elongated, thinned, cowered and merged into the darkness ahead as the shouts of Alex’s name filled the space. In a frantic rush, the name roared into each of the rooms within the flat, searching.

      Two

      The warmth of the water clung to her, but it no longer felt like a comforting embrace. Alex heard the noises start, holding her breath at the first sound of turmoil. They were there. How had they made it in? She projected her mind to the front door and its locks. There’s no way she would have forgotten them. The routine of deadbolt, night latch and security chain had been followed, she was certain of it.

      So how? Where were they now? Hovering in the hallway? Already in the bedroom? The questions sank into a relentless echo chamber as Alex slid further down into the bath, submerging her ears.

      Had she fallen asleep in the bath, letting her defences down? Had the heat of the water, the steam, the scent of the rose petals, and the flickering of the tea light candles perched on the sink infused her with drowsiness?

      Alex sunk a little lower, tilting her head backwards. Now only her eyes, nose, and mouth clung to the outside world. She felt the strands of her damp, heavy hair floating around her as her back and limbs pressed against the ceramic. A small metallic knife, misted up by condensation rested on the edge of the bath and Alex quietly slipped her hand from the water to touch it.

      Three

      ‘Alex!’ His voice was sucked into the darkness. He was in the lounge, expecting to find who he was looking for supine on the worn, small brown couch. Fingers

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