Liquid Foundations by Lisa Acerbo ~ Excerpt
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About Liquid Foundations by Lisa Acerbo
Title: Liquid Foundations
Author: Lisa Acerbo
Series: Hell in a Handbag #3
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult Dystopia
Even the most solid foundation can be shaken.
No place is safe anymore, and I’m on the run from something new.
The putrid stink of zombies has been replaced by sulfur, feces, and wet dog. The High Point Inn has been abandoned, the landscape plagued by the unimaginable, animal-hybrids. Wolves and bears rise from the grave or maybe they never died. Sure, the hordes of undead humans are diminishing, but whatever lies in wait is faster, smarter, and spurned by the devil himself.
With Caleb, Lilly, and Eric at my side, I search for friends and suFictiorvivors. But the new evil has arrived.
I can’t run quick enough.
The wolves are here, and they’re hungry, not to mention cunning and cruel. Endless rains force my group underground and into a cave system. Lost in the interminable, pitch-black subterranean tunnels, I struggle to keep my sanity and my life. There’s only one place in the world that makes sense anymore, and that’s where my friends are.
If I can survive the dark and the zombie wolves, Hopewell, Maine, here I come.
Excerpt from Liquid Foundations
© 2022
Lisa Acerbo
“It’s really dark. The flashlights don’t even make a dent,” Lilly said. “Let’s hope the batteries last.”
“Stay here for a second.” Caleb strode forward, leaving the rest of the group huddled in inky black‐ ness. “I can see it narrows ahead. Let me check it out. Don’t want us all to go stumbling around in the dark.” Caleb’s footsteps receded, taking the shadows of the flashlight beam with him.
Jenna bit her thumb nail. It tasted of dirt but the small pain from ripping off her flesh stifled her fear for Caleb. Relief flooded in waves when his voice preceded the watery beam from the flashlight.
“It’s a tight squeeze for about a hundred feet before it opens into a chamber. And it appears the underground river Lilly mentioned might be waiting for us too.” Caleb passed the beam of light over them.
A soft rumble, like a swarm of bees, echoed in the tunnel behind them.
“What the . . .” Eric’s words trailed off.
A cascade of rolling rocks had Jenna hopping forward. “Move!”
“Cave in.” Eric’s words bounced around like ricocheting pebbles.
Jenna ran deeper into the tunnel. Pain lanced her arm, a sharp rock ripping through her clothing and snagging her backpack. She stumbled, the rock bouncing away, and righted herself. Heart thudding, loud in the chaos entombing her, she sprinted, coughing up dirt.
Lilly twisted her flashlight. “Eric?”
“Help.” His voice diminished, dim as their surroundings. Muffled swearing and the thump of rock clashing hit the air. “I’m stuck!”
“Calm down,” Caleb said. “You’ll be okay. We’re coming back.”
“I can’t see anything. I’m not okay. I can’t move. Something’s coming. It’s behind me.”
“Be calm, Eric,” Lilly crooned. “They’re not coming. Take a deep breath.”
Eric huffed, coughed, and huffed again. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t breathe. They’re coming.”
“Stop. I’m here. Listen to me.” Lilly’s flashlight lit Eric’s face. She put a hand to his cheek. “You’re good.”
“I can’t move, and they’re coming. Not again. Not another time like the movie theater. I won’t survive. I’d rather be dead than stuck and defenseless. They’ll rip me apart. Don’t let it happen.”
Jenna moved close. “Eric, look at me. The most horrible thing that could have happened to you is over. Done. You survived. There are no Streakers here. You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“I can’t.”
“You can, and you will,” Jenna scolded. “For Lilly and me. We need you.”
Lilly aimed her flashlight into the shadows behind Eric. “Can you slip out of your backpack?”
“Maybe? My leg. I think I’m bleeding.” Eric shifted sideways, grunting. After a few lunges, he stumbled forward minus his pack. “Free.”
Lilly hauled Eric in for a hug. “Told ya so. Never doubt me.”
Caleb tugged the backpack. “It’s stuck on something.” He heaved but it didn’t budge. “Maybe we can twist it. Hold this.” He handed the flashlight to Jenna.
Redirecting the beam, the light hit the cave ceiling. Bats exploded, sinking low. Caleb hugged Jenna against him. She threw her arms above her head, hugged her scalp in hopes of protection. The draft of bats lifted after a minute and they spiraled high, consumed by the funnel-shaped black chasm.
Caleb stepped back and tugged on Jenna’s jacket, arms still protective. “Please tell me you’re not going to adopt a wounded bat, tame it, and bring it along.”
“I’ll pass, but where is our dog?” Jenna twisted away. “Louie? I hope the bats didn’t scare him.”
A warm tongue licked her hand. “There you are. Good boy.”
A faint growl entered the chamber.
“That’s not the dog is it?” Lilly asked.
“No.” Jenna skipped forward. “Time to run.”
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About Lisa Acerbo
Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and adjunct faculty at a local community college. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, two dogs, and horse. When not writing, she mountain bikes, hikes, and fosters dogs.
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