2020 Watty Award Winner: Science Fiction
In the city of Slatehallow, Eldon begins having strange dreams about a giant mechanical bird attacking the foreign city of Ironport. When his childhood friend, Timothy, arrives at Slatehallow, a strange power...
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In celebration of Amazon Prime Video's newest series Panic, I am thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon Prime Video and Wattpad to write this exclusive chapter that puts my characters from this story into the world of Panic!
I hope this chapter intrigues and inspires you to learn more about Panic. Visit the #PanicWritingContest on Wattpad for the chance to put your creative writing chops to the test and learn more about the show!
To find out more about the contest, prizes, and how to enter, check out the #PanicWritingContest here: wattpad.com/AmazonPrimeVideo
Don't forget to watch the series premiere on May 28th, only on Amazon Prime Video, here: http://primevideo.com/
***
Eldon had never felt it. He heard of it, of course. Who hadn't? But he never felt it. Not when he hit his head so hard that doctors thought he might never see again. Not when he saw The Conjuring on opening night, surrounded by the theatre's dark embrace. Not even during that fateful night, one year ago, when alcohol and stupidity almost pushed him over the edge.
No, Eldon never felt it. He heard of it, of course. But he never felt it.
Well, he felt it now. Panic. A sudden tide of uncontrollable fear, the anxious beating of a neverending drum, pounding on his head, piercing his brain. Panic. The eager whisper of despair softly caressing his ear, an acute, sharpened blade that cut deeper than anything else. Panic. A promise that never showed its face and instead hid behind a veil of ambivalence.
Eldon knew why he was there and understood the risks and dangers of the game. But understanding isn't knowing. It was panic all over again. He understood panic, the theory of it, the chemical reactions in the brain and the body. But he didn't know it. Not really. Not until that moment.
What did I get myself into? Why am I here?
The answers flew straight to his head. The chance for a better life. A fresh start, far away from that godforsaken town. A new tomorrow, so much brighter than the many yesterdays behind. A new Eldon, a real Eldon, not the ghost that walked the streets of Carp for the last seventeen years.
Like every senior in Carp, Eldon knew about Panic. Unlike every senior in Carp, Eldon had never doubted his entrance into the game. He'd not only compete, but he'd win. As if anyone could stop him. He considered himself privileged, thinking his lack of family or loved ones meant he'd feel no fear when competing. He failed to consider the ever-important but surprisingly forgettable self-love, the sense of survival and preservation that kept him alive for seventeen years.
Eldon never was one for caution. He did first, thought second, if at all. Seven nights ago, he was one of the first seniors to jump into the freezing-cold waters below, and he did it from the Suicide Jump. People already considered him crazy, but that reckless jump all but cemented his reputation.
