(or written much in general 
). Writer's block caused by real life events - few of them good. That being said, I figured I'd throw this chapter up here and see what you all think of it.
Incase you want something else to read, here are some of my previous (completed!) works.
A Price Must be Paid
1.
John opened his eyes and realized he was staring up at a painfully blue sky while lying on a cold, rocky ground. He blinked and raised his head, and then realized that he had to be dreaming. Surely, he thought, this cannot be real?
Ahead of him the land sloped upwards, a combination of boulders and scree, that rose ever increasingly steep towards a series of rocky cliffs and ledges, terminating with glacier capped peaks far above. A few wisps of clouds drifted around the crags. Snow lingered over much of the slope, and a few hardened, icy patches even loomed within spitting distance.
Abruptly he sat up and then stumbled to his feet.
His head throbbed and his stomach felt on edge, and worse of all he did not have a clue as to where he was. Around him stumbled and shambled dozens of other people, some crying and others screaming, while most just sat or stood in a daze. A few pets and even some farm animals trotted amongst the throng of confused people.
“John!” came a cry from behind him.
John spun around in time to catch his wife in a bear hug. He held Emily to his chest for what felt like hours before pulling back with a small smile.
“You’re alive. You’re here too.” Emily made a show of looking around. “Wherever here is? You’re sister and her two sons are just over there. I think I recognize a few of our neighbors but everyone else-”
“Do you have any idea of how we got here?”
“No, honey, not a clue.” Emily frowned. “The last thing I remember was that you were going out for a hike and I was –”
“Uncle John!” came two shouts in unison.
John turned in time to see his two nephews sprinting towards him. The younger of the two boys was Daniel at thirteen and the elder was Jack at fifteen. John’s sister Leona struggled to keep up. They slowed to a halt a few steps away.
“I see you’ve joined the party too,” Leona said, pulling her coat tighter against the morning chill.
“Some party this is.” John snorted, and then noticed that his leather hiking pack was lying on the stony ground close to where he awoke. He picked it up and hung it over one shoulder. “Is it too late to reject the invite?”
Emily wrapped one arm around his shoulders. “Do you think this is a joke?”
“Or an experiment?” Leona made a show of looking around. “If it is, someone is going to get sued to hell and back.”
“This doesn’t seem like a joke to me.”
John took a moment to look around and truly study their surroundings for the first time. They were in the gap where two narrow glacial carved valleys joined and led away towards the east. In every direction loomed glacier and snow capped peaks, devoid of civilization and life alike. In fact the only life (other then the milling people and a few of their animals) John could see besides some round patches of lichen on the sides of the larger boulders were a few clumps of moss and dead, winter-killed grasses hardly ankle high.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were on Baffin Island or Greenland, or somewhere just as desolate –”
A shout caught their attention and the five of them turned. Down the slope by a small, silty stream two men were fighting. Punches were exchanged. Soon one of the men took off running, blood pouring down his face and chin. John watched the fight unfold without comment, one hand instinctively going to his waist where he found the cool, timeworn grip of his hunting knife. He glanced down at it and was glad that it was still there resting safely in its leather sheath.
“I think we should be leaving,” John said, his tone matter-of-fact.
“But where will we go?” Leona placed one hand onto each of her son’s shoulders. They squirmed but held their ground. “And how will help find us if we wander off?”
John arched a brow. “Will help find us here? Whoever, or whatever brought us here can likely find us as easily wherever we go.”
Daniel – his younger nephew – frowned. “Can’t we just go home?”
“I don’t think we’re going to find home by just standing here.” John gave a sigh. “And I can already see that other people are having the same idea we are.” He watched as several small clumps of people began to follow the stream downhill in twos and threes and fours. “But I’d wager it wouldn’t be wise following the stream.”
Leona frowned. “Isn’t that what they tell you to do when your lost though?”
“Sometimes.” John looked around and noticed a small gap in the fortress of glaciers and stone to the west. He thought that it looked like they could make it up and over the pass without too much difficulty. “But with so many people heading that way, what’s going to happen when they start to get hungry and cold and desperate?”
“Point taken,” Leona forced a smile. “I trust your judgment, John. Just remember though, all our lives are counting on it.”
“Don’t remind me.” John brushed back his unruly reddish-brown hair. “The last thing I need is something else to worry about…”
~
Please, tell me what you think and if you want to read more.
The premise (if you didn't catch it) is that roughly a 100-150 people (along with some pets and a few other farm animals) have randomly appeared in a desolate, barren, mountainous environment void of most vegetation. Think northern Baffin island or other high arctic environments.
~
To be frank I am not sure where exactly I will be heading with this story, how long it will be, or how it will end. It'll go on for as long as I think it needs to be to tell the tale of John and his family. There will likely be swearing and violence and possibly implied sexuality and the controversial religious stuff. Reading discretion is advised.
Cheers!
A Price Must be Paid
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