Back to work with a new focus.

After months of not being well enough to use my computer, today I feel a little better (actually, a lot better).
I went for an MRI scan yesterday, so I should know what's been wrong.

I opened up my first novel with the intention of editing it and getting it published (again) and the original is at the bottom of the post for you to compare if you'd like.

I'm going to use my own pictures for this project, rather than looking for stock photos so they may not fit exactly with the story, but bear with me.

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Chapter 1

Leaning with her shoulders pressed to the closed doors of the club, she surveyed the surroundings. She expelled a weary sigh and took time for a long, slow blink. At almost three in the morning, the night sky beyond the town’s sodium lights started brightening with the first flush of false dawn.

The last punters of the evening left through those same doors twenty minutes before and a few lingered on the street. A dull ache pounded through the balls of her feet and she didn’t relish the walk to her car. Voices approaching from the right interrupted thoughts milling through her mind and she put her hands against the scarred wood of the doors and pushed herself upright and away. Time to head off for home.

Adrenalin simmered in her veins, it took a long time to chill out after a busy night at the club, longer if there had been fights to deal with.

“I’m sick of this,” she muttered.

“Wassat, love?” A drunk with vomit-spattered shoes lurched too close and she leaned away from his outstretched hand.

A practiced, patient smile came to her face and she shook her head. “Nothing, goodnight.”

He nodded and waved his hand, stumbled forward and she jinked to the side, out of his reach. He slipped and caught his balance with the aid of a sturdy iron drainpipe.

“This,” she said, walking away from the drunk. “I’m sick of this.”

A larger than usual police presence, despatched in the hope that their mere presence would be enough to prevent the majority of fracas loitered on the streets in groups of two and three officers.

A car parked at the bottom of the hill with blue lights flashing caught her eye. The vehicle wasn’t a police car. It belonged to a paramedic attending an incident, and that meant crowds of people, witnesses, friends and voyeurs.

The two groups of professionals were the only visibly sober people in the vicinity and drunken civilians outnumbered them to a worrying degree.

They'd need this kind of protection

The market place of the medium sized town beyond the paramedic’s vehicle bustled with late-night revellers. They queued for a snack at the burger vans, waited for the Night Bus or a taxi, walked home or picked fights. The weekend started a few hours ago for most of the people and they seemed intent on making the most of it.

Once the street cleared of people, debris from the multitude of fast food outlets flanking the clubs and pubs started to draw the attention of night creatures. The scuttle and scurry of a rat, the sharp bark of a fox caught her ear.
Checking her surroundings, making certain no one approached, she turned her face upwards to a crystal-clear sky dusted with stars and a larger than usual full moon, and closed her eyes again.

A shout went up from the crowd on the hill and she opened her eyes and looked down the hill. Police and drunks scuffled on the pavement.

No, I doubt anyone had this kind of kit to hand...

She decided not to mingle with the drunks. She’d had enough of them for one evening. With another sigh, she took a left turn, away from her usual route, and took the road less travelled.

Chapter 1

She stood with her back to the closed doors of the club; it was very late, almost three in the morning. The last punters of the evening had been persuaded to leave through those same doors less than twenty minutes before her. She asked herself, not for the first time; why did she work here of all places? Her feet hurt and she was forever on a knife-edge, waiting for the next incident to go off. Her weekends were never her own and her sleep patterns were shot to pieces and that was after only a month of working at the night-club.

As she looked around, she saw that a prominent police presence was very obvious in the hope that by being there they could prevent the majority of fracas. Paramedics were also in abundance, in case the preventative measure was not enough. The two groups of professionals were the only visibly sober people in the vicinity and they were vastly outnumbered by drunken civilians.

She knew that the market place of this medium sized town would be bustling with late-night revellers, queuing for a late night snack at the burger vans, waiting for the Night Bus or a taxi or just walking home. The weekend started a few hours ago for most of these people and they seemed intent on making the most of it.

The sky was crystal clear, sprinkled with stars and accompanied by the luminous glow of the full moon, giving a stark, sharp feel to objects and shadows alike. The streets were filthy and littered with debris from the multitude of fast food outlets which flanked the clubs and pubs. She decided as she gazed up at the moon that she didn’t want to have to mingle with the drunks when she was sober. She had had enough of them for one evening and so on impulse she went against going the shortest route to her car and took the road less travelled.

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Here's the next post -Part 2

And Part 3