TODAY WE ARE THRILLED TO WELCOME BACK OUR GUEST AUTHOR, LUCY BRIGHTON, WHO IS SHARING HER NOVELLA 'FINDING TRUTH' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat

Excerpt: Chapter 1 of Finding Truth

I hear a voice overhead, sharp as a gull’s cry, “Oh Jesus.”

Cold water seeps through my coat, blurring into the black beneath me. I thrash, trying to rise, but the sea pulls me down, weightless and suffocating. I taste salt. My lungs burn.

Somewhere above, a man’s voice trembles. “Is it a person?”

Another rasps, “Aye, lad, it is. Help me get it in.”

My body convulses, instinct driving me upward. I crash through the surface, gasping, eyes stinging from silt and fear. A figure looms above the murky water. He curses under his breath, strips off his gear, and is gone below in an instant.

I cough and water fills me up inside. And then, when I can take no more, the pain suddenly stops, the light dims, the dark of the water descends.

A gasp.

The cold drives ice through my veins. My chest seizes; I can’t find air. Then hands close on my sleeve, gripping fabric, hauling me upward. Pain lances through my arms as he drags me back into the light.

Between the two of them, they muscle me onto the deck. My vision swims; the world tilts.

My throat is seizing with seawater as they roll me onto my back and clear my airway. The one who jumped into the water to save me presses his face close, breath fogging the chill air.

His hands find my ribs and begin to press. Over and over: “And we’re stayin’ alive…” the refrain is a lifeline. My ribs ache. My head throbs with something, water or blood, I don’t know. My lips are numb. Still, he presses until water bubbles from my mouth.

Then something jolts inside me. A harsh cough rips free, and I convulse, body shaking. He rolls me onto my side, murmuring, “I’ve got you. You’re alright.”

I let out a gasp as a sharp burst of pain shoots through me and I clutch the left-hand side of my chest. I almost immediately spew water onto the deck. The man pushes my head towards the floor as I vomit ice-cold water across it.

I lie against the deck, lungs heaving, heart hammering. A foil blanket is draped over my shoulders. The world smells of oilskins and sea. I’m wrapped in warmth I never thought I’d feel again.

Through the haze, I hear him say, “I’ll get you back to shore and to the hospital. You’ll be right as rain.”

Even though there's no water left in my lungs or stomach, I continue to heave until my mouth fills with acrid bile.

I try to sit up but my muscles betray me. I'm still shivering, but I’m not sure if it's because I'm cold or because I’ve been strong-armed back into the land of the living.

“Don’t,” he whispers, easing me back down. “We won’t be long.”

My gaze clears. I taste fear and gratitude on my tongue. My throat rasps, but no words come.

“Kane,” the older man calls. Light footsteps. “More blankets.”

Kane moves quickly.

“Shhhh now, you’ll be alright, laddie,” the Scot says, rubbing my back as we slip into the harbour.

I swallow, voice raw. “I need… I need to find my daughter.”

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Links: Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/04GNRg3E signed copies https://www.lucybrighton.com/product-page/finding-truth

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Author Lucy Brighton

AUTHOR BIO

Lucy is a Yorkshire-based writer who loves reading, writing and having ridiculous conversations with her naughty dog, Loki. She has taught English for almost two decades and has a degree in English and an MA in Creative Writing.

After enjoying success with her shorter fiction, she decided to venture into the murky depths of thriller fiction. Finding Home is her debut novel and Finding Truth is the follow-on novella. 

Website: lucybrighton.com

TikTok: @brightwritenow

Instagram: @brightwritenow

Facebook: @brightwritenow

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COMING SOON: On Monday, 24th August, our amazing team member, author Richard 'Doc' Correa, is sharing his chilling short story 'Moonlit Crusade'.