Excerpt
As soon as I crossed the street, I heard a clicking-racket. The first tick left me reaching for my nine, discreetly tucked under a duck-yellow poncho. After a quick search of the dimly lit parking lot, I relaxed.

The multiple snaps of a shutter release button suggested someone was taking pictures of Wasteland’s Holiday Wonderland, a Christmas fair located behind the diner.

I kept walking, keenly aware of the seasonal tunes at my back. It was hard not to skip to Burl Ives and Holly Jolly Christmas.

Upon reaching the first row of parked cars, I froze. Chills climbed up my spine.

I’d lived in the bayou too long. My sixth sense was on Christmas break or otherwise asleep. Silently, I prayed a Baptist prayer and hoped God wasn’t out to lunch or dinner. I couldn’t be sure which since no one had mentioned heaven’s time zone.

I fiddled with my keychain and secured the split silver ring around my index finger. With a nontraditional weapon in my left hand and trusted nine in my right, I whipped around with unmatched confidence.

I wasn’t a coward. I’d face the threat hiding in the shadows.