I just wanted to share a little of what I was working on today. I have had this idea in my head for a while. Today it said it needed to come out. I like this scene because I hope it gives you just enough about the protagonist that it makes you want more, while still giving you a bit of action.
This novella or a longer short story is not like most of the stuff I write since it is neither science fiction nor fantasy.
Here we meet Bob. Bob is a professional. He takes his work, and loyalty to his boss and his men very seriously, two things that are likely to cause him some trouble.
I hope the rest of the story might kind of surprise you but this scene is still a lot of fun.
Last, while I know this is still rough (I just wrote it today) any feedback you have is always welcome.
Bob stood in the tiny office space, looked at the Man laying on the floor nearly mummified in duct tape and shook his head. What a waste. The fools had used nearly a hundred dollars in duct tape and for what? This guy wasn’t going anywhere. He didn’t need this much tape to hold him. They probably could have gotten away with a couple of wraps around his wrists and one or two at his ankles.
It is a misconception that you need more at the ankles, because the legs are usually stronger than the arms. In fact, the muscles you would use to pull your legs part are usually pretty weak, and the ones you use to pull your arms part are proportionally stronger. These new guys were amateurs. They would certainly need a good talking to when they got back tonight.
Bob rubbed his face and hoped that the man laying on the floor took the look of disappointment to mean he was disappointed in him and not the guys who had made this mess.
Out loud he said, “Roger, you have not been fulfilling your part of our arrangement.”
A muffled grunt from the man on the floor.
That was the last straw.
Bob tried to control the eye roll that he knew was likely telling Roger just what he thought about the tape job. That would not be good.
“Nicko.” he said quietly, turning to the man behind him.
“Yeah Tony?” Nicko whispered.
He had been called Tony since he took the job three years ago. It had something to do with the image, but he still could not think of himself as a Tony, or even and Antonio, in his head he would always be Bob.
“Why is Roger’s mouth covered?” He knew he should not be having this conversation here and now but Nicko and his boys needed to know that this was not acceptable. Maybe, If he kept it quiet Roger might just think they were discussing how to work him over.
“I don’t know, I think the guys just went a little crazy here.”
“You think? You think?”
“Well they did go a little nuts with the duck tape.” He pronounced it like it was something used to hold water foul together.
“Just a little?”
“Well, you know how it goes Tony. They get all excited about subduing someone.”
“Well this is over the top. You and your boys need to work on that.”
“Alright Tony.”
Turning back to the man on the floor Bob reached into his pocket and fished out the small pocket knife he had there. Roger’s eyes went wide.
“Now Roger, this is going to hurt.”
The smaller mans screams could be heard even through the duct tape.
“You want I should, you know, subdue him some more Tony?”
“No,” Bob said as politely has he could manage. He knew Nicko’s accent, like his name, was just put on for affect, but it was so fake, it bugged him. Then kneeling on Rogers Chest, he carefully cut the duct tape around his mouth.
“Hold still.” He said and then quickly ripped the tape away.
There was a scream of pain and then a series of curses, suggestions about Bob’s parentage, unlikely applications of bodily parts and more curses.
“I think that is why they taped him up like that.” Nicko admitted when Roger finally wound down.
The Great Hites 