Read Online Tainted Energy (The Energy Series Book 1) by Lynn Vroman - Free Book Online
Authors: Lynn Vroman
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the trees. Against my better judgment, I looked up. My speed walk
turned into a full-out run.
Bright
pink giant squid occupied every tree, their tentacles as thick as the trunks
they latched onto and about ten feet long with suction cups the size of
baseballs. They climbed lower on the trees, a few already halfway down the
hundred-foot trunks. I kept running, trying to block out the squeals that sounded
way too human.
The
slight breeze that came from the river was now a gust strong enough to whip my
damp hair across my cheeks and snarl it in bushes and low-hanging limbs,
slowing me down. It yanked out of my skull as I pushed ahead, pain searing my
scalp.
As I ran
closer to where my shirt hung, the master plan ended. The waterfall now rushed
into the river with so much power the rocks at the bottom were splitting and
cracking.
The
squid continued to descend, two or three sitting as low as my height. I
wrenched my shirt from the tree and double knotted the sleeves around my waist,
my attention on the squid about twenty feet from my head.
I didn't
have to think too hard about my next move.
Jumping
over the bank, I landed with a blip as the river carried me away, twice the
depth than when I first got here.
Swimming
was out. Keeping my head above water was hard enough. The water pulled me under,
the roaring sounds crushing my eardrums, as those little elephants slammed into
me.
I kicked
to the surface, finally reaching the top for a gulp of air. Squid lined each
bank, squealing, and a shadow that looked like a man stumbled through the trees,
following me down the river.
My eyes
locked on that figure. "Help!"
The
river pulled me back in, not allowing any more than a few hits of oxygen.
Muscles in my legs burned as I commanded them to keep kicking, but the river
wasn't letting go. My lungs hurt, and a vise grip squeezed my head.
I fought
until my legs refused to listen.
A keen sense
of conceding to the water relaxed me. No more energy remained to fight, and the
river knew it. As soon as I stopped kicking, the water stopped raging. Peace
washed over me as the warmth caressed my cheeks, soothing my nerves while the
fluorescent blue killed me.
Before I
closed my eyes, a vaguely familiar, raspy voice brushed against my ear. "Hold
on..."
Everything
after that went black.
Lena
A scream lodged in my throat as hair
held me hostage, suffocating me.
My eyes snapped
open.
Twisted
in blankets and hair, I lay in bed, the sun shooting through the open window
and smacking me in the face.
So…when
the hell did I open the window?
Untangling
my body from the polyester, I reached over to turn off the screeching alarm–6:30 . The thing had been buzzing for fifteen minutes.
I sat in
the middle of my bed, brushing all the matted, snarled hair away from my face.
When the river, squid, and colors hurled into my brain, I scrambled to find the
floor.
The
mattress wasn't leaking or anything. Nothing seemed out of place. Probably a
screwed-up nightmare…yeah, had to be.
I glanced
down.
Tiny,
raw scrapes littered my feet, and when I pulled up my damp sweats, the cuts
continued up my legs. I combed through my hair, my fingers getting stuck in
knots twisted with twigs. Next to the blankets I had pulled to the floor was my
sweatshirt, creating a fluorescent puddle.
No
way.
I slid
against the wall until I felt the doorknob. After a few attempts to open the
door, I ran into the bathroom and flicked on the light. The image in the mirror
wasn't the usual. A thin scratch traced the line of my jaw, but that was
minimal compared to the color of my eyes, skin, lips...my hair.
Seriously…no…way.
My eyes
were the same rich color as the leaves, and my lips were bright pink, like the
squid. The dull brown of my hair was now as deep a chocolate as the tree
trunks. The ultra-white of my skin magnified all the color, my complexion as
smooth and creamy as those elephants that stung my legs.
I
touched my lips and smoothed my hair,
turned into a full-out run.
Bright
pink giant squid occupied every tree, their tentacles as thick as the trunks
they latched onto and about ten feet long with suction cups the size of
baseballs. They climbed lower on the trees, a few already halfway down the
hundred-foot trunks. I kept running, trying to block out the squeals that sounded
way too human.
The
slight breeze that came from the river was now a gust strong enough to whip my
damp hair across my cheeks and snarl it in bushes and low-hanging limbs,
slowing me down. It yanked out of my skull as I pushed ahead, pain searing my
scalp.
As I ran
closer to where my shirt hung, the master plan ended. The waterfall now rushed
into the river with so much power the rocks at the bottom were splitting and
cracking.
The
squid continued to descend, two or three sitting as low as my height. I
wrenched my shirt from the tree and double knotted the sleeves around my waist,
my attention on the squid about twenty feet from my head.
I didn't
have to think too hard about my next move.
Jumping
over the bank, I landed with a blip as the river carried me away, twice the
depth than when I first got here.
Swimming
was out. Keeping my head above water was hard enough. The water pulled me under,
the roaring sounds crushing my eardrums, as those little elephants slammed into
me.
I kicked
to the surface, finally reaching the top for a gulp of air. Squid lined each
bank, squealing, and a shadow that looked like a man stumbled through the trees,
following me down the river.
My eyes
locked on that figure. "Help!"
The
river pulled me back in, not allowing any more than a few hits of oxygen.
Muscles in my legs burned as I commanded them to keep kicking, but the river
wasn't letting go. My lungs hurt, and a vise grip squeezed my head.
I fought
until my legs refused to listen.
A keen sense
of conceding to the water relaxed me. No more energy remained to fight, and the
river knew it. As soon as I stopped kicking, the water stopped raging. Peace
washed over me as the warmth caressed my cheeks, soothing my nerves while the
fluorescent blue killed me.
Before I
closed my eyes, a vaguely familiar, raspy voice brushed against my ear. "Hold
on..."
Everything
after that went black.
Lena
A scream lodged in my throat as hair
held me hostage, suffocating me.
My eyes snapped
open.
Twisted
in blankets and hair, I lay in bed, the sun shooting through the open window
and smacking me in the face.
So…when
the hell did I open the window?
Untangling
my body from the polyester, I reached over to turn off the screeching alarm–6:30 . The thing had been buzzing for fifteen minutes.
I sat in
the middle of my bed, brushing all the matted, snarled hair away from my face.
When the river, squid, and colors hurled into my brain, I scrambled to find the
floor.
The
mattress wasn't leaking or anything. Nothing seemed out of place. Probably a
screwed-up nightmare…yeah, had to be.
I glanced
down.
Tiny,
raw scrapes littered my feet, and when I pulled up my damp sweats, the cuts
continued up my legs. I combed through my hair, my fingers getting stuck in
knots twisted with twigs. Next to the blankets I had pulled to the floor was my
sweatshirt, creating a fluorescent puddle.
No
way.
I slid
against the wall until I felt the doorknob. After a few attempts to open the
door, I ran into the bathroom and flicked on the light. The image in the mirror
wasn't the usual. A thin scratch traced the line of my jaw, but that was
minimal compared to the color of my eyes, skin, lips...my hair.
Seriously…no…way.
My eyes
were the same rich color as the leaves, and my lips were bright pink, like the
squid. The dull brown of my hair was now as deep a chocolate as the tree
trunks. The ultra-white of my skin magnified all the color, my complexion as
smooth and creamy as those elephants that stung my legs.
I
touched my lips and smoothed my hair,
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