Read Online Blur (Blur Trilogy) by Steven James - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Steven James
Ads: Link
Daniel made his read and gave to the running back for a gain of three.
Third and seven.
And that’s when it happened.
Daniel went with gun bunch right, a pla y with three receivers on the right side. He liked to hit Cox on a flag route as he angled toward the corner of the field. If he could connect with him it would t yp icall y be good for a nine- to thirteen- ya rd gain.
The y lined up.
Daniel gave the count, received the ball from the center, and was scanning for an open receiver when he saw her.
A girl had climbed over the fence and stepped onto the field.
She walked in a stiff, jerk y, unnatural wa y, keeping her head down. All Daniel could think was wh y the refs didn’t throw a flag or tr y to stop the pla y, to protect her.
But the y didn’t, and Daniel couldn’t stop the pla y himself.
The defense blitzed.
And as the y did, time seemed to grind to a halt and then tick forward slowl y again, frame b y frame, all within the breadth of a moment.
Ever yo ne around him was moving at an impossibl y slow speed. He could see what he should never have been able to se e—t he fierce expression on the face of one of the advancing defensive linemen, the flicks of grass left in his wake as he came toward him.
He heard the wash of sound from the crowd sharpen and suddenl y become clear, almost as if he could distinguish between the separate people, each shouting.
An air horn went off.
He became aware of the lights shining brilliantl y down at him, the moon high above the cornfield south of them, the world quickl y dropping off into darkness be yo nd the bleachers.
And the slow, distinct movement of pla ye rs surrounding him.
The onl y thing that didn’t change speed was the girl, who lurched forward, with her head still bent forward, staring at the ground.
When she was ma yb e ten ya rds awa y, she lifted her head and looked directl y at him and he saw the blank e ye s, the gaping mouth, the pale and bloated skin.
Emil y Jackson.
The dead girl.
And she was coming straight toward him.
She reached up and grabbed a silver chain necklace she was wearing, ya nked it, and it floated right through her neck, leaving a thin streak of fresh blood behind it, as if something reall y had passed through her muscle, her bone, her skin.
Then she held up the necklace, a locket dangling from its center, and opened her mouth tr yi ng to sa y something, but no words came out, just a slurp of ugl y water.
Blood oozed from the thin red line encircling her neck.
In a fraction of a second, all Daniel’s senses seemed to become one: the sound of the crowd somehow merged with the damp autumn scent of the field, the sight of the sharp lights, the feel of the smooth-rough leather of the ball in his han d—e ver yt hing flowed together, leaving him dizz y and off balance.
And then time caught up with itself.
Out of the corner of his e ye , he saw Cox open downfield, but he didn’t have time to thro w—t wo defensive linemen had gotten past their blockers and were closing in.
Fast.
He onl y had time to protect the ball as he felt the crushing blow of the two gu ys sacking him together, one of them grabbing his face mask, snapping his head around, and when he landed on the ground, he hit hard on his left side, and his head smacked into somethin g—a nother helmet, the ground, someone’s knee, he couldn’t tell and it didn’t matter.
The huge tackle, the gu y who weighed over 260 pounds, landed right on Daniel’s stomach.
And the world went black. Just like it had at Emil y Jackson’s funeral.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Lost in a waking dream.
The girl.
The game.
He heard words as if the y were coming from the inside of his head rather than from the outside world: Sta y on this. Seek the truth. Learn what happened.
The team doctor was leaning over him when Daniel opened his e ye s: the second time in less than a week that he’d blacked out and awakened to see someone’s anxious face bent over him.
“He y, budd y? You
Third and seven.
And that’s when it happened.
Daniel went with gun bunch right, a pla y with three receivers on the right side. He liked to hit Cox on a flag route as he angled toward the corner of the field. If he could connect with him it would t yp icall y be good for a nine- to thirteen- ya rd gain.
The y lined up.
Daniel gave the count, received the ball from the center, and was scanning for an open receiver when he saw her.
A girl had climbed over the fence and stepped onto the field.
She walked in a stiff, jerk y, unnatural wa y, keeping her head down. All Daniel could think was wh y the refs didn’t throw a flag or tr y to stop the pla y, to protect her.
But the y didn’t, and Daniel couldn’t stop the pla y himself.
The defense blitzed.
And as the y did, time seemed to grind to a halt and then tick forward slowl y again, frame b y frame, all within the breadth of a moment.
Ever yo ne around him was moving at an impossibl y slow speed. He could see what he should never have been able to se e—t he fierce expression on the face of one of the advancing defensive linemen, the flicks of grass left in his wake as he came toward him.
He heard the wash of sound from the crowd sharpen and suddenl y become clear, almost as if he could distinguish between the separate people, each shouting.
An air horn went off.
He became aware of the lights shining brilliantl y down at him, the moon high above the cornfield south of them, the world quickl y dropping off into darkness be yo nd the bleachers.
And the slow, distinct movement of pla ye rs surrounding him.
The onl y thing that didn’t change speed was the girl, who lurched forward, with her head still bent forward, staring at the ground.
When she was ma yb e ten ya rds awa y, she lifted her head and looked directl y at him and he saw the blank e ye s, the gaping mouth, the pale and bloated skin.
Emil y Jackson.
The dead girl.
And she was coming straight toward him.
She reached up and grabbed a silver chain necklace she was wearing, ya nked it, and it floated right through her neck, leaving a thin streak of fresh blood behind it, as if something reall y had passed through her muscle, her bone, her skin.
Then she held up the necklace, a locket dangling from its center, and opened her mouth tr yi ng to sa y something, but no words came out, just a slurp of ugl y water.
Blood oozed from the thin red line encircling her neck.
In a fraction of a second, all Daniel’s senses seemed to become one: the sound of the crowd somehow merged with the damp autumn scent of the field, the sight of the sharp lights, the feel of the smooth-rough leather of the ball in his han d—e ver yt hing flowed together, leaving him dizz y and off balance.
And then time caught up with itself.
Out of the corner of his e ye , he saw Cox open downfield, but he didn’t have time to thro w—t wo defensive linemen had gotten past their blockers and were closing in.
Fast.
He onl y had time to protect the ball as he felt the crushing blow of the two gu ys sacking him together, one of them grabbing his face mask, snapping his head around, and when he landed on the ground, he hit hard on his left side, and his head smacked into somethin g—a nother helmet, the ground, someone’s knee, he couldn’t tell and it didn’t matter.
The huge tackle, the gu y who weighed over 260 pounds, landed right on Daniel’s stomach.
And the world went black. Just like it had at Emil y Jackson’s funeral.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Lost in a waking dream.
The girl.
The game.
He heard words as if the y were coming from the inside of his head rather than from the outside world: Sta y on this. Seek the truth. Learn what happened.
The team doctor was leaning over him when Daniel opened his e ye s: the second time in less than a week that he’d blacked out and awakened to see someone’s anxious face bent over him.
“He y, budd y? You
Similar Books
