An Exciting Scene from Shan's Novel . . .

Mystery Thriller

All day yesterday, my family and I were relaxing at a waterpark, a place full of thrills (the rides) and chills (the rain), so here's a thrilling, chilling scene from my brother Shan's novel:

Bob exploded from the hole like an NFL running back, his counter-attack catching the man completely off guard. Quickly, he brought the rock down towards the man's head. It was only [by] years of training and natural hyper-vigilance that the older man avoided being struck on the head. Jack ducked the dangerous blow, but still it landed squarely on his broad, right shoulder. "Oh!" he screamed, as much in surprise as pain. The force of the blow sent both the gun and rock tumbling away. The gun fell into a gap between the rocks, now unreachable both to predator and prey. Instinctively, the man grabbed Bob's right wrist with his left hand, and pulled out a knife with his injured right hand. His large hand swallowed Bob's wrist like a vise. "Damn it, hold still!" the man growled. Bob had no intent of obliging.

It took all of Bob's strength and agility to remain upright and dodge the man's kicks. They moved around the clearing in a macabre dance. Bob knew losing his balance would mean death. Even with all his running, weight training, and martial arts experience, he could scarcely hold his own with the wounded man. "Who are you?" Bob demanded between breaths.

"Your executioner," the man hissed with reptilian breath, wildly swinging the knife. (Shannon Hodges, City of Shadows, 2012, pp. 158-159)

Will Bob survive? Will he defeat 'Jack'? Will justice prevail? Or will the story end here on page 159? Most of you will never know . . .