Final Teaser from "Scapemaker" (No spoilers)

Here is the the final teaser from my soon-to-be released young adult novel. Scapemaker is a work of fantasy where dreamscapers, or people who live second lives inside the dream world, face off against night terrors, or dream world criminals. In the dream world anything is possible for both good and evil. The story takes place at two high schools in California and Utah, where dreamscapers cross over into the dream world to attend Scapemaker, a dream world high school specializing in the training of young dreamscapers. But the dark side of the dream world is controlled by a ravenous sandsleeper, Nox, otherwise known as the Sandman. Nox has been in Sandstorm, a dream world prison for night terrors. But he is after a special element that will give him the strength he needs to break out and take over the minds of the world. Matthew, a new dreamscaper and student at Scapemaker, is forced to protect the valuable element and stop the thwarted plan. With a cliffhanging and twisted ending, Scapemaker will keep you biting your nails clean off.


Teaser from chapter 18:

Using the flashlight application on his cell phone, Matthew shined the light into the dark of the stairwell. Matthew then began his fateful descent.

A few steps into the basement Matthew was ankle deep in mud. The basement was rank with the smell of mildew and urine. With mold covering the walls and an inhumane musky odor, Matthew grew sick to his stomach. Placing the phone in his mouth, he tore the sleeves from his shirt and fashioned a makeshift mask that he wore around his mouth and nose.

Each stride forward seemed an unnecessary task as the ankle-deep mud sucked back with nearly an equal force to the pull of his every step. Bearing through the smell and ill mood, Matthew braved a further look.

Wondering to the far end of the disease-ridden room, Matthew could see that the outer wall had been knocked through and the earth behind it dug out. Where the end of the basement should have been, there was now a tunnel leading to the basement of the next abandoned house. Determined in his cause, Matthew didn’t hesitate to continue on. Making his way through the tunnel he could see that the walls and ceiling were barely held up by rotten timbers and twisted old metal bars; some of which were rusted through with holes almost the width of the bar itself. Several areas of wall had crumbled in, creating needless obstacles of earth and rock. Cans of beer and other trash were carelessly strewn about adding to the challenge.

The eerie sound of dripping water echoed off the walls and grew louder as Matthew neared the opening to the basement next door. A strange scratching amplified gradually behind him as he continued forward. The sound seemed to multiply with his escalating fear. Matthew wanted to run but his anxious curiosity forced a quick glance. Taking a deep breath, he spun around half-expecting to see a figure or face with the glow of his light. However, nothing but empty space and dirt walls filled his view. When the sound persisted, Matthew turned the light to the ground only to discover several large rats rummaging through a moldy nest of rotten old waste. The rats were too involved to care about Matthew’s presence.

When Matthew emerged from the tunnel he could feel a light breeze. The sound of dripping water resonated through the air. The staircase at the other end of the room was glowing with a dull burn from the diffused light shining in through the dirt-stained windows above. The poor lighting in the basement was still too dim to see anything. Matthew turned his cell phone light toward the dark. As he proceeded forward following the movement of breeze across the walls, he was surprised to find two separate tunnels; one in the wall to his right and one in the wall to the left. As he walked by he could see that each tunnel was held up by the same sloppy system of braces as the one he just exited. At the head of each tunnel was a burnt out torch held up at shoulder level by a mess of nails and wire driven into a wooden brace.

Still on edge, Matthew stood silent at the threshold of the tunnel to his right; the origin of the dripping water. The echoing ripple of each drip and drop rhythmically moved across several muddy pools. The light from his cell phone wasn’t bright enough to see too far. Something was there in the darkness watching him. Suddenly his cell phone died and everything grew even darker. The sound of the dripping water was constant as Matthew just stood there silently, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, the glow coming off the stairs created vague silhouettes and shadows. Soon Matthew was able to discern the outline of a torch, though he needed a flame.

"If there's a torch there has to be something to light it with," thought Matthew as he got down on his hands and knees to better see the ground.

Coming across a small coffee cup, he found a cheap two dollar lighter inside and was able to light the torch.

A few yards in to the tunnel, Matthew began to feel claustrophobic. The further he ventured the more difficult it was for his lungs to process the flow of oxygen. Feeling more and more uncomfortable with his choice to enter this tunnel Matthew backed away. He didn’t feel this particular tunnel was the route that would lead him to Hunter and his precious stone. Besides, this route was too eerie and Matthew didn’t want this to be the correct route. He quickly turned around and proceeded to the other tunnel.

With the torch now at full glow, Matthew noticed a dozen shovels scattered about the entrance to the second tunnel. When Matthew approached the entrance, he was again wary. Broken pipe, torn wiring and other such material hung loosely from the ceiling. Half way down the tunnel Matthew came across a patch of mud created by a fractured water pipe along the upper wall. The dirt had been trudged through so many times that a small bog had been created. Matthew waded through the muddy mess sinking to mid-calf at the lowest point. He felt something under his foot and stepped away. It was then that he noticed what appeared to be a man’s muddy face protruding through the surface of the mire. Suddenly, a pair eyes popped open. Matthew instinctively tried to jump away. But due to the overwhelming suction on his feet, he fell onto his back.

The man cried out as though in excruciating pain reaching out toward Matthew. “Help me! Make it Stop! Please, make it stop!” While he continued to plead, the man slowly rose to his knees allowing the thickest portions of mud slip off his body leaving mostly stain. A suit and tie began to show from behind the thinning mud. “Make it stop!” he begged. "Make it stop!"

Scapemaker: teaser from Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The following is one of two teasers no released on this blog and on goodreads. However, the book is still being edited. This teaser has not yet been edited. Please note any mistakes will be taken care of and enjoy the teaser. Ay comments are truly welcomed. Thank you!

Elijah turned the knob on the dreamgate and opened the door, allowing a light mist to enter the room. “Are you ready?”

Matthew took a deep breath, excited to tackle this new and adventurous challenge. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Elijah was the first to step through. The mist persisted beyond the door, becoming thicker and darker until Matthew could hardly see passed the frame. Stanasia went next, followed closely by Stanford and Stanly. Their eager screams and laughter resonated through the entry way as they disappeared within the obscure mist.

Skye and Alex stood at the entrance waiting to escort Matthew through. However, Matthew wished to go through on his own.

“Your escorts are there for a reason,” explained Mr. Xoner. “Must you do everything on your own? As I have stated before – you must be capable of taking direction without question.”

“But it’s just a door,” contended Matthew. “What kind of direction do I need?”

“That is a dreamgate; much different than an ordinary door. You’ll find that the simplest of tasks are often the most difficult without the proper direction. Do you still prefer to walk through on your own?”

Chuckling incredulously, Matthew insisted, “Come on. It’s just a door.”

Skye looked to Mr. Xoner for his approval. With a disappointed nod he agreed, allowing Alex and her to walk on through. Matthew was now left to act on his own. Placing one foot out the door Matthew leaned slowly forward. He couldn’t see his own foot through the thickness of the mist.

“Why is it so foggy?” asked Matthew as he stepped forward through the door expecting to place his foot onto the floor of the next room.

“That isn’t fog, my dear boy.”

“What is this?”

Everything slowed significantly as Matthew realized there was no floor and began to fall past the point of no return. Mr. Xoner replied, “Those are very high clouds.”

Now worried, Matthew pivoted around and reached for the door frame. “What do you mean by very high?” But it was too late. The dreamgate was too far for him to reach as he fell backward through the door.

As Matthew fell he could hear Mr. Xoner’s voice echoing, “Welcome to Scapemaker! It would have been nice to instruct the son of Nicholas Namely - had he lived.”

As the seconds passed, the clouds began to thin. Matthew was able to distinguish a jagged rock face almost at his nose. The treacherous face seemed to be rising in contrast to his descent. Matthew was falling head first. But since he was falling in slow motion, he could not discern the speed at which he was falling or the force of the impact to come.

Matthew could hear faint voices in the closing distance below, the words of which did not register. “No! Matthew! Look out!” And then the unimaginable happened.

Scapemaker: teaser pages in chapter 16 (no spoilers)

As soon as Daedree felt ready she lied down on the couch and put her mind to meditation, breathing slow and calm. Her connection to Hunter was immediate. Before too long she found him sitting alone in a dark and filthy room. She quickly hid behind a beat up old couch. Mentally, Hunter was in a very dark place. Daedree peeked over the couch to spy out details that might help locate him.

Hunter was sitting in an old wooden chair rocking back and forth. He was playing with a handful of sand letting it fall from the palm of his hand. Only it swirled back up to his other hand before it could touch the floor. It would have seemed normal to Daedree as a scaper, but what she was witnessing was not a dream. She was reading into his thoughts so everything around him was happening in the real world.

 She then noticed a grimy window that was too difficult to see through. She hoped to be able to make her way to the window as Hunter sat quietly in the dark, wallowing in his own disgust. However, the feelings that swelled within Daedree’s mind were too overwhelming to encourage action on her part. Escaping the dark scene, Daedree came-too in the triplet’s dorm room. She opened her eyes and took in a breath of relief, afraid to go on.

“It felt so empty and alone,” she said. “I don’t know if I can go back.” Holding an emotional tear, she took a drink of water. She then continued, “There’s not one good thought in that place. There’s nothing but waste and want; I can feel his selfish cravings and an abyss of secrets I hope to never know.”

“Maybe you already saw what you needed to see,” stated Matthew. “Do you remember seeing anything that might point out hunter’s location?”

“The floor and furniture were both caked with mud. There was a busted window but I couldn’t see any details from where I was hiding. I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can finish this.”

“You already found him,” encouraged Alex. “You’re so close. All you need to do is find something you can use to lead the agents to him and then we can go back to our normal lives.”

“I’ll be right here; I’m not going to leave you,” reassured Matthew. Embarrassed to have so intimately voiced his words of comfort, he quickly restated, “I mean we; we’ll be right here, I promise. Just talk us through what you see and if anything goes wrong we’ll be right here to wake you up.”

Daedree closed her eyes and was instantly in Hunter’s despicable presence. It was difficult for Daedree to escape the dark feelings creeping into her mind. The smell was horrific. Hunter was still rocking on the same chair. Luckily his mind was too caught up in the strange sand flowing in and out of his fingers to notice that she was there.

Speaking softly in mind, Daedree related everything that she saw to her friends as they sat intently listening in the triplet’s dorm room. “There’s no gas or electricity. I can tell that it’s really cold by Hunter’s breath.”

Still afraid, Daedree crept toward the east wall only yards away. She made her way beyond the tattered couch and across the rotting floor. A creek in the floorboards caused her to cringe and gasp. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The rate of Daedree’s beating heart surged as she glanced back to find Hunter in the same indolent position as before, giving her a little relief. She continued on until she reached the busted window.

“All the other windows are boarded up,” she continued. “I think the house is abandoned. It’s really claustrophobic in here. I can’t think straight.”

Matthew took hold of Daedree’s hand and spoke a few comforting words which seemed to pacify her. Peering out the hole in the dirt-stained window, Daedree described what she could see outside the house.

“It’s kind of dim so I can’t see everything. There’s a chain-linked fence and a beat up old street sign on the corner but I can’t read it. There’s an old toilet in the middle of the yard; it looks like a planter. Gross. Who does that?”

“What else can you see?” asked Alex.

“I can see a warehouse about a block away.” Suddenly something didn’t feel quite right. She paused for a moment, afraid to speak.

When Daedree turned from the window she was surprised to see Hunter standing directly behind her. However, he was unable to see her transparent image in the shadows beneath the windowsill so long as she sat still. Daedree’s heart sank. But she was too scared to think clearly enough to wake up.

“I can feel you in my head,” stated Hunter. “I know you’re here; I can smell your fear.” He sniffed the air with decadent gratification. “You’ve made a bad mistake,” he whispered amid a hollow laugh.

“I want to be done now?” questioned Daedree desperately through her mind. “Can I please be done? I can’t do this anymore.”

Hunter began to squat down following the scent at his grubby feet. Sniffing closer and closer to Daedree like a wolf to its prey, he could see the outline of her flickering image beginning to take shape. Daedree started to breathe much heavier.

“Help me!” she shouted as she now looked Hunter eye to eye. He simply smiled with ravenous delight and reached out toward her neck.