SFFS 5/12/15 Impcatcher

   This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this set - you can find the information here.

Today's snippet is from Impcatcher, which is now on sale on Amazon for the Kindle and in paperback, and DriveThru in pdf format. The general epub version is at Lulu.
This snippet carries on from last week. Tal returned home to find a welcoming committee outside his door. He sensibly hid.

 

I was ducked back around the edge of the bakery already, looking cautiously round the corner in the hope that Gustav wouldn't spot me. The bakery was closed for the night, much to my relief – I didn't want anyone coming out of the doorway I was lurking in. I wouldn't buy any of this establishment's wares – I knew just how lacking in cleanliness was the kitchen. Eating from here needed trollish digestion or a desire for slow, painful suicide. 

Best bet was for me to retreat quietly, find somewhere else to kip down for the night. 

I was running through my list of friends and acquaintances when the air around me began to feel warm, as though the sun had come out. A neat trick after dark. I turned, realising that the street was growing bright. A red glow was spreading across the pavement, a ball of scarlet fire forming in mid-air like a slow sunburst. 

I heard Gustav call out in surprise as he saw the radiance shedding sudden black shadows across the street. There was a shape in the glow. A brilliant red figure, larger than a man, face tawny and muzzled, short pale horns sprouting from the forehead, longer spikes from the shoulder blades and kidneys. Claws on the outstretched hands, a cruel smile showing off sharp, pointed teeth, and a raw, rough skin like fractured stone over impressive muscles. The demon stood in the midst of the street, its attention purely upon me.

 As always, comments welcomed!