Pork
by R.S. Anthony
GENRE: Contemporary Suspense Thriller
High school is torture for Steven Walthurst, and home isn’t a whole lot better. The only place that offers respite is an abandoned tree house at the edge of town. But something lurks in the nearby woods, and the long line of elm trees has a clear message for Steven: keep out.
Then one day, Steven finds a little girl lying unconscious, perilously close to the woods. As the two get to know one another, Steven experiences real friendship for the first time—and gets closer than ever to knowing the darkness that skulks between the trees.
He dedicates himself to keeping his new friend safe, but the tranquility of their fragile hidden world doesn’t last long. When an act of cruelty pushes Steven to his limits, his secrets—and those of the dark woods—come close to unraveling, threatening to destroy the one thing making his teenage life bearable. Can Steven save everything he’s built from crumbling under the pressure?
Then one day, Steven finds a little girl lying unconscious, perilously close to the woods. As the two get to know one another, Steven experiences real friendship for the first time—and gets closer than ever to knowing the darkness that skulks between the trees.
He dedicates himself to keeping his new friend safe, but the tranquility of their fragile hidden world doesn’t last long. When an act of cruelty pushes Steven to his limits, his secrets—and those of the dark woods—come close to unraveling, threatening to destroy the one thing making his teenage life bearable. Can Steven save everything he’s built from crumbling under the pressure?
“What happened yesterday?” Sandy asked when they met during break.
“Didn’t you see that thing behind my back?”
“No. What thing?”
“The red-eyed thing. It was chasing me. Didn’t you see it?”
“No. You told me to run if something happened to you. So the moment you screamed and bolted, I ran the other way. But I didn’t see anything.”
“Yeah, the creature was chasing me. So I ran.”
“Creature? Steven, that’s terrible!”
“I was so worried it would turn around and chase you instead.”
“It couldn’t have. I was out of the woods and across the creek in less than a minute. I waited for you at the clearing for another minute but I was scared out of my wits so I didn’t stay long. I really wanted to come to your house and see if you were all right, but Nanny Gwen doesn’t let me go out after dark.” Sandy’s words tumbled out in rapid succession.
“That’s okay, Sandy. It was my fault. I should have stopped by your house before going back last night. It would have saved both of us a lot of worry.”
“What do you think it was?”
“I don’t know. It looked like some dark creature with two red eyes.”
“This is so scary. I’m so glad you’re okay, Steven. I was so worried last night, I couldn’t sleep. And this morning, I decided to come early and wait for you outside. If you hadn’t turned up, I was going to tell Ms. Clapthorne everything, but then I couldn’t imagine you…” Sandy’s voice quavered and she shook her head.
“I had a bad night too. I kept having these weird dreams of being chased in the woods. I’m sorry I got you wrapped up in all this.” After some thought, he added, “You didn’t tell Molly, did you?”
“No. Of course not. I didn’t tell anyone.” Looking a little hurt, she opened her lunchbox and removed a slice of pizza. Steven licked his lips and swallowed. “So, how did you escape the creature in the end?” Sandy asked, offering him a slice too. He took it gratefully.
“I don’t know. I was running one minute and then the next minute, everything went black. When I woke up, I was lying by the creek, all wet. I must have crossed the creek, tripped on something, and blacked out. I don’t really know.” He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened in there, but he had a feeling his momma’s spy had something to do with it. He took a huge bite of the pizza, then added, “I’m glad we’re both okay.”
“Yeah,” Sandy said, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought. She wasn’t eating, and Steven wondered who in their right mind would delay eating something as amazing as pepperoni and beef pizza. Madness.
“Didn’t you see that thing behind my back?”
“No. What thing?”
“The red-eyed thing. It was chasing me. Didn’t you see it?”
“No. You told me to run if something happened to you. So the moment you screamed and bolted, I ran the other way. But I didn’t see anything.”
“Yeah, the creature was chasing me. So I ran.”
“Creature? Steven, that’s terrible!”
“I was so worried it would turn around and chase you instead.”
“It couldn’t have. I was out of the woods and across the creek in less than a minute. I waited for you at the clearing for another minute but I was scared out of my wits so I didn’t stay long. I really wanted to come to your house and see if you were all right, but Nanny Gwen doesn’t let me go out after dark.” Sandy’s words tumbled out in rapid succession.
“That’s okay, Sandy. It was my fault. I should have stopped by your house before going back last night. It would have saved both of us a lot of worry.”
“What do you think it was?”
“I don’t know. It looked like some dark creature with two red eyes.”
“This is so scary. I’m so glad you’re okay, Steven. I was so worried last night, I couldn’t sleep. And this morning, I decided to come early and wait for you outside. If you hadn’t turned up, I was going to tell Ms. Clapthorne everything, but then I couldn’t imagine you…” Sandy’s voice quavered and she shook her head.
“I had a bad night too. I kept having these weird dreams of being chased in the woods. I’m sorry I got you wrapped up in all this.” After some thought, he added, “You didn’t tell Molly, did you?”
“No. Of course not. I didn’t tell anyone.” Looking a little hurt, she opened her lunchbox and removed a slice of pizza. Steven licked his lips and swallowed. “So, how did you escape the creature in the end?” Sandy asked, offering him a slice too. He took it gratefully.
“I don’t know. I was running one minute and then the next minute, everything went black. When I woke up, I was lying by the creek, all wet. I must have crossed the creek, tripped on something, and blacked out. I don’t really know.” He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened in there, but he had a feeling his momma’s spy had something to do with it. He took a huge bite of the pizza, then added, “I’m glad we’re both okay.”
“Yeah,” Sandy said, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought. She wasn’t eating, and Steven wondered who in their right mind would delay eating something as amazing as pepperoni and beef pizza. Madness.
Rosemary Anthony writes suspense fiction with a twist. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Science Malaysia and recently made the jump from writing official documents to writing fiction novels. Blessed with 17 nephews and nieces, she finds the world of young adults to be a thrilling source of inspiration for her books.
Rosemary lives in a small town in Malaysia and travels as often as possible to broaden her cultural horizon. You can find out more about her books, giveaways, and new releases on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsanthony.author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.s.anthony
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosebudmary
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15142449.R_S_Anthony
Her debut fiction Pork can be found in:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pork-R-S-Anthony/dp/1530569133/
NOTE: “Pork” will be free on Amazon June 21-23, 2016
What others are saying:
“Stay with this new author. She’s impressive.” – G. Harp
“The plot is elaborate leading to an unexpected twist in the end which I loved. It is a very good read-- you won't be disappointed!” – D. Mantzari
“...makes for an entertaining read, just prepare yourself to have a few WTF moments while enjoying the experience...” – Book Mafia Blog
“The author has a lovely writing style with clear, sparse prose that allows the story to breathe. Bit by bit each character plays a part in unraveling the mystery...” – The Welshbird
Rosemary lives in a small town in Malaysia and travels as often as possible to broaden her cultural horizon. You can find out more about her books, giveaways, and new releases on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsanthony.author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.s.anthony
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosebudmary
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15142449.R_S_Anthony
Her debut fiction Pork can be found in:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pork-R-S-Anthony/dp/1530569133/
NOTE: “Pork” will be free on Amazon June 21-23, 2016
What others are saying:
“Stay with this new author. She’s impressive.” – G. Harp
“The plot is elaborate leading to an unexpected twist in the end which I loved. It is a very good read-- you won't be disappointed!” – D. Mantzari
“...makes for an entertaining read, just prepare yourself to have a few WTF moments while enjoying the experience...” – Book Mafia Blog
“The author has a lovely writing style with clear, sparse prose that allows the story to breathe. Bit by bit each character plays a part in unraveling the mystery...” – The Welshbird
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