Excerpt: Fallen: Feast Of Souls

The Laundromat was only a few minutes away from her apartment complex. Most of the residents went there to do their laundry, since the washing machine in the basement of their building was in a perpetual state of disrepair. Most had given up on pestering the landlord to get it fixed. The rent was cheap enough that it just wasn’t worth the hassle. Besides, the Laundromat they all used wasn’t very expensive. Nice owners, too; always willing to lend a cup of detergent if someone happened to forget some.

Upon arriving, Maggie heaved the basket inside and onto a sorting table. She divided the clothes up into two loads, then fed a few bills into the change-maker. Plugging the quarters into the machines, she contemplated walking the two blocks to one of the cafes that were so plentiful in this town to get a bite to eat. Forty minutes was plenty of time to grab a sandwich and get back to switch the loads over to the dryers.

The sun was shining powerfully as she walked back out the door. The streets were getting lively, people out and about on a beautiful Sunday morning. Maggie set off down the sidewalk, wishing she had thought to grab her sunglasses before leaving the apartment. Shading her eyes against the glare, Maggie glanced to the right as she stepped into the crosswalk of the street.

It wasn’t until she heard the squealing of brakes that she realized that she hadn’t checked in the opposite direction. Time slowed; the air seemed to be carrying her. Maggie watched the ground rising to meet her with the calm disconnection of someone whose mind hadn’t yet figured out that something terrible had just happened.

Impact. Then, silence.

Her eyes opened briefly, giving her a glimpse of blood-covered asphalt and broken glass. She could hear muffled screaming, as though her ears were plugged with cotton. A shimmery red film coated one eyes, blood dripping down into her sight. Her thoughts had ground to a halt. All she could do was listen to the far-away screaming.

Then the pain blasted into and through her being.
And the emptiness claimed her, dragging her down into the depths.
She was gone.