Awake

Chapter 1

Her first thought was that the hooded figure looked like a good bet for a free bite. You didn’t get that big without some extra cash, and the way the figure’s shoulders slumped suggested either exhaustion or low self-esteem, either of which could make a person vulnerable to a quick grift. Amy considered trying to brush by the big person, see if she could snag something from the loose pockets in the oversized jeans, but Amy’d never been particularly good at those tricks. She pasted her best smile on her face and sauntered up. “Hey, there,” she said, smiling, “you look a little lost. New in town?”

The figure turned slowly and, for the first time, Amy realized she was looking at a woman. It wasn’t in the shape of the figure; the baggy sweatshirt and jeans were all but formless, after all. It was how she moved, the natural sway to her hips as she pivoted in place. “Excuse me?”

This close, it was impossible to ignore the size of the woman. At five-eight, Amy wasn’t exactly small, but this woman towered a full head taller. She had broad shoulders and wide hips, but no chest to speak of. That was about all Amy had time to register; if she didn’t say something quickly, she would lose her.

“Sorry,” Amy said, flashing a quick, nervous smile. “I might be totally wrong, and you can tell me to kick bricks, but you just looked… lost.Call me Aim.”

The woman looked closer and Amy noticed the almost luminous quality of her amber eyes. Set in the hollows formed by her almost gaunt cheeks, they seemed huge, like the eyes of an enormous fish, but strangely fascinating at the same time. Amy felt pinned, like a moth on a slide. “Aim?” the big woman asked.

“Right, as in, ‘ready, fire…’” Amy babbled. This wasn’t going well. Normally, she’d have some sort of feedback, by now; something to give her a clue how to proceed. This woman was a giant, sad-faced monolith. She hadn’t so much as scanned Amy’s body, which was a new and bizarre experience.

One more try, Amy decided, then she’d give her the brush off. “Look, you don’t look like you got any place to go, right? And I know stuff. Treat me to lunch and I’ll hook you up, okay?”

The woman still looked a little lost. “Lunch?” she asked, finally breaking eye contact to crane her neck and look around. “Here?”

“Not unless your stomach is cast iron,” Amy snorted. The hell, she thought. Is she slow? “Come on, I’ll take you someplace nicer.”

“Oh. Okay,” the big woman said. After a moment, she added, “thank you.”

Amy smiled, her teeth a scimitar of white against her ebony skin. “What do I call you, anyway?” she asked.

“Jane. Call me Jane.”

* * * * *

Her first memories were of a bright space. Huge, bustling, with blurry and indistinct shapes moving in and out of her vision. Flashes of reflected light. Noises, both mechanical and organic, but no context to make sense of them.

A flare brighter than the rest stabbed into her eyes and she squeezed her eyelids shut, blocking out the painful glare until all that was left was a pinkish-orange glow.

A quiet, low noise, like an animal growling.

She felt a brief, sharp pain, then nothing.

The world went black.

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This is the first installment of a new book I'm working on, titled "Awake." The name of the book, I should note, is subject to change depending on where the writing takes me...

I should also add that, starting in April, I will be reducing the number of weekly pictures I produce. Despite my best intentions, eight pictures per week is simply not sustainable, especially if I want to continue to improve. I will understand if people choose to leave my Patreon as a result of this, but my goal is to make better pictures, not just more. I will, of course, continue to post at least one or two pictures every week, and Patreon subscribers will continue to have access to the full resolution pictures. Additionally, my $35 patrons will continue to be entitled to a custom picture every month, often with bonuses based on my whimsy and how much I like the idea presented to me.