Here is another snippet for #ssfsat from my dystopian science fantasy novel THE LACANTO PROJECT for which I am actively seeking an agent/publisher. THE LACANTO PROJECT is about an assassin who discovers that she is the genetic link necessary for the rise of a prophet in a dystopian world.
In this scene, Devon takes Nashi to the morgue to identify the body of her slain mentor.
***
Devon led Nashi to Vault-18 and pulled open the square door, bringing a body with it. Holding up the lantern so that its light reflected down on the corpse, he snapped back the sheath that covered the cadaver and stepped aside.
She shut her eyes for a moment and then gazed at the gray body, haunting in the dim light, and she suddenly went numb.
“Well?” Devon said in a razor sharp tone.
Nashi took a deep breath. She had seen hundreds of dead people, most having been her victims, either killed during practice or on her missions, but she had never seen one she knew as intimately as Tamron. Viewing his naked still body lying on the metal slab left a hollowness in the pit of her gut. It were as if a piece of her lay on the table.
Devon hung the lantern on a hook above the vault and moved the corpse’s head from side-to-side. She saw the small puncture wounds behind Tamron’s earlobes, an indication to the tortuous nature of his death.
Seeing a dead body is never a pleasant sight. But I liked the way you brought out her past a bit by mentioning her 'skills.' :) Great snippet!!
ReplyDeleteBleak and grim. The atmosphere chilled me as I read this... which was exactly what it needed to do.
ReplyDelete"It were as if a piece of her lay on the table."
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, powerful sentiment!
Good job showing that this body was different than the hundreds she had seen before.
:) Heidi
Nothing like putting death in somebody's "back yard" to change their perspective. Well done with the personal connection!
ReplyDeleteNow I just wonder what is the significance of the punctures behind the earlobes?
ReplyDeleteIntriguing snippet! Good show of Nashi's emotions and also some of her background (I want to know more about victims). I would like to know how her mentor died.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Very descriptive snippet, as always! Enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteOh, I really feel for her. Interesting snippet. :)
ReplyDeleteGood job! Very interesting premise :)
ReplyDeleteNice descriptive narrative. Her admitting to having killed hundreds draws me in.
ReplyDeleteOuch, feel for Nashi here. I wonder what information Tamron was tortured for, and what it has to do with her. It's not going to be good, is it?
ReplyDelete