Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing

Posts tagged “New York”

Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 12

Posted on July 2, 2014

It was deep into the afternoon when he woke up again. The hangover had subsided to a faint thumping behind his eyes. The cold shower chased away that too. Jonathan crammed a slice of stale bread into his mouth. He sank into the couch and stared out the living room window. The building across was still boarded up. Laser 3.14 had tagged the plywood with black spray paint: ‘but you also had a bad day yesterday.’ Sometimes, on days like today, it felt as if that Laser 3.14 guy knew him and had tagged the board on purpose, to piss him off, possibly at his ex-girlfriend’s request. She’d do that. The crazy, vindictive bitch. She’d love to hurt him. His gaze traveled away from the tag, back…

Categories: Books, Thrillers

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 11

Posted on July 1, 2014

JONATHAN   The pounding in his head started at the first ray of daylight that found its way through the flimsy curtains and forced his eyes open. The vile taste of bile scorched his throat, paralyzed him. Jonathan closed his eyes again. In the apartment above his, the running feet of a cat jackhammered the wooden floor, accompanied by the ticking of high heels. He followed the sound as it moved away to the far end of the apartment. His upstairs neighbor went for her morning boost. He pulled the pillow over his head and covered his exposed left ear, praying that it would be Brahms or whatever, but within seconds, Leaf’s ‘Wonder Woman’ blared through her floorboards, his ceiling, pierced the pillow and set off blasts…

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 10

Posted on June 30, 2014

“You said it.” “What’you find out at his place? Anything that could mess up things?” Matt shook his head. “He’s the man, V. You did a fine job,” he said. “No significant other, no job. A loser.” She beamed like a schoolgirl hauling in an A from her favorite teacher. “Just followed your list, Turing. Loser. Check,” she said and she counted the items on his wish list with her fingers. “Mid-twenties. Check. No wedding band. Check. Scruffy clothing. Check. Reasonably proficient in English. Check.” Matt nodded at every ‘check’. “I’ll get the stories we prepared out into the world, see if we can bring the Giddyap stock back up.” She pulled her iPad from her purse. “Maybe…” She interrupted him before he could finish. “It’s…

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 9

Posted on June 29, 2014

The barstool stood in a circle of men, who looked heated despite the early morning hour and the chilliness in the bar. They panted like they’d run a marathon. Victoria sat on the high chair, her short skirt hoisted up and barely covering her butt. Matt grimaced. She knew how to attract attention and how to hold it. The spectacle fascinated him, every time again. A drop-dead gorgeous woman, Victoria knew her outer appearance blinded people and she exploited it to the fullest. Matt sat down on a chair at the far end of the counter. One by one, he studied the men around her until he knew who her latest victim was. The man, a young boy almost, had the goofy smile of a winner who hadn’t…

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 8

Posted on June 28, 2014

What set them apart was also what made the Dutchman the perfect man for the job, as necessary as the similarities, maybe even more. The Dutchman seemed a spineless dick, who wallowing in his misery. The way his shoulder drooped and how he had drank himself into a stupor illustrated the lack of a will to survive. Matt knew that the will to survive was essential. Without it he would’ve been dead, something he realized every single wakeful night. Matt traced the contours of his face and eyes in the mirror. Discipline and ambition were vital. He’d possessed both all his life, but had only become aware of it the day his life was destroyed. Before that he’d been a sportsman, an athlete. A winner. A surfer…

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 7

Posted on June 27, 2014

The hoodie crackled with static electricity when he took it off. He rolled the shirts he used for padding from his waist and stood wavering over the waste bin for a moment. He trusted his instincts. His instincts had kept him alive until this day. His instincts said the Dutchman would take the bait, give life to Matt’s avatar and he might never need them again. He twirled the wig on his finger. He’d never wear it again, never wanted to wear it again. At the same time he knew he had to be cautious. He packed the wig and hoodie with the shirts in his travel bag. He had never been a good reader of the human mind. That’s why he’d been taken by surprise,…

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Daily Distraction: DARK FIBER – a serial thriller, episode 6

Posted on June 26, 2014

The driver of the cab he hauled at the nearest main road took him to Hotel Krasnapolsky the scenic way. Matt didn’t mind. He moved away from the rearview mirror to a corner of the back seat and took off the beanie and itchy blond wig. He rubbed his hands over his crew cut to get rid of the feeling of thousands of ants crawling his skull. He stashed the beanie and wig in his backpack and pulled up the burgundy-colored passport. Jonathan Groen. He tasted the name of the man in his mouth. A Dutchman. The man who would give his life to free him. He fed the man’s last name into Google Translate. Groen. Green. If there would be a shred of prophesy in…

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