Desperation – CB Stone

Light streams upward, illuminating the stone wall and wooden railing lining down the stairwell. Holding my breath, I listen and hear the noises again. Sharp cracking sounds, followed by what sounds like whimpering. I tiptoe down the stairs, my heart lurching unsteadily in my chest. I grip the wooden railing with my fingers in a death grip as I go, fear and anxiety over what I’m about to find rippling through me.

I almost reach the bottom when Elder Allen appears in my line of sight, and I stumble at the last step. A gasp escapes my lips when I see what’s happening, and I almost fall, barely catching myself before I do. Steps is bound, tied tightly to some sort of wooden structure, and Elder Allen is savagely whipping him with a cracked leather belt.

I put a fist to my mouth, biting down on a cry of distress, eyes widening at the sight of poor Steps’ back, welted and marked by the vicious blows. Elder Allen spins around when he hears me, breathing hard, his eyes glinting in the light. When he sees me, he chuckles, running the belt through his fingers. “Hey there Reagan.”

He holds the belt out in my direction. “Want a turn?” My eyes flash to the belt, to Steps tied and quivering, to Elder Allen’s smirking face. I feel bile rise in my throat and I start to back up the stairs. Feeling sick to my stomach, I spin on my feet and dart up the steps, sprinting across the room and bursting through the doorway outside, into the open night air.

I keep running, putting as much distance between myself and the Pen as I can before stopping, bending over and sucking in heaving breaths. I’m shivering, and a cold sweat has broken along my brow. What the hell is going on in this place? Standing up straight, I put my hands against my sides and walk around in small circles, trying to calm myself and cool down from my unexpected sprint.

I breathe in slow, deep breaths, my mind racing. I have no idea what to do. I’m not sure going to Andie is the best move. I don’t know if she’ll just blow me off. I’m not even sure if she’s capable of accepting what I have to tell her. She’s so attached to this place. There’s no one else on this island that I come close to trusting more than Andie. I feel torn and alone, and cross my arms, rubbing them briskly as gooseflesh breaks out in a sudden attack of chills.

Does David know what’s going on here? What Elder Allen is doing right now, to Steps?

14. Peek at Blink 1 15. Peek at Rehabilitation 16. Peek at Desperation 17. Peek at Awakening More from Stone Author Secrets Connect with Stone OceanofPDF.com C.B. Stone Books www.CBStoneBooks.com Copyright © 2016 by InkedPlot Media Copyright © 2016 by Author C.B. Stone Cover Art by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk Cover photo by Shutterstock All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. InkedPlot Media 8369 NW 66 ST 7338 Miami, FL 33166 Disclaimer: This is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Content and ideas do not necessarily reflect all of the author’s beliefs or opinions, and all stories are to be considered entertaining reading material only.

Printed in the United States of America. Created with Vellum OceanofPDF.com Dedicated to all of the believers in the world who don’t try to pervert God and a belief in Him into something ugly and fanatical, thereby causing others to blaspheme His name. Romans 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” One of God’s greatest commandments is: “Love Thy Neighbor” Luke 10:26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say?

How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” May we all love others as we love ourselves, and be His hands and feet in the world, spreading salt and light as we strive to illuminate darkness.- Stone OceanofPDF.com MORE FROM STONE Blink: The Rebel Minds Mini-Series (New Release!)

Blink 1: Rebel Minds The Island Trilogy Desperation (The Island I) Escalation (The Island II) Deliverance (The Island III) The Unbelief Series Rehabilitation (Unbelief I) Ruin (Unbelief II) Revelation (Unbelief III) God Wars: The Beginnings (An Unbelief Prequel) The Absence of Song Trilogy Awakening (Absence of Song I) Becoming (Absence of Song II) Chosen (Absence of Song III) Absence of Song Box Set Please visit http://www.CBStoneBooks.com for the most up-to-date information on new releases, future releases, and upcoming important dates.

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This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 639be38950fbd61f
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,899,699 bytes (1.812 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 120
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 183.06 minutes
• Total Words: 36,613
• Total Characters: 197,866
• Average Words per Page: 305.11
• Average Characters per Page: 1648.88

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