Do you know
Puff Daddy’s song Come With Me? It's
from the Godzilla soundtrack. When I
first heard the song, I wanted to write a dramatic scene in which the already
dirty and exhausted hero reaches out to help his girlfriend out of a chasm and
tells her to stay close to him so he can protect her to get out of the jungle. I
fantasized about this scene for so long that my muse (who I drove half-crazy
with my idea) and I wrote a book that included a kidnapping and escape, a chase
through the woods, and a narrow miss by the pursuer who wanted his prey back.
It doesn’t
happen very often that a song inspires me to develop an entire plot just to fit
the scene and get what I wanted. It took my muse and I about three months to
flesh out the story, but in the end we were happy with what we accomplished. I
still think it’s one of the best books we’ve written together. And, yes, my
muse is still with me, even though she rolled her eyes a lot during the
brainstorming process.
Here are
excerpts from Ruined Vacation,
showing you what I mean. (Listen to the song in the background…)
Imagine Jacklyn and Nicolas trapped in a hole
in the ground, covered by an iron plate. Because Nicolas is a tall guy, Jacklyn
can kneel on his shoulders to reach for the plate…
“We’re on
our own.” Jacklyn ripped the lining and retrieved the knife. With a smile that
should convey strength but was obscured by worry, she showed him the small
blade. “But not lost.”
Nicolas
lifted his hands so that she cut the plastic. “No, my love, we aren’t lost.” He
kissed her chastely. “And we won’t get lost.” He freed her, too, and opened
another tool in the knife set. “Here we go.”
“A
screwdriver. What do you want to do with it?”
“I can’t do
it. But when I put you on my shoulders, you can reach the screws.”
“And why
not push the bolt?”
“It’s in
the center of the iron plate. You can’t reach that far. That’s why you have to
unscrew the plate and pull it together with the bolt.”
“You just
made this up, right?” Jacklyn shook her head, obviously amused in spite of
their situation. “You can’t know that.”
“I looked
at the construction when we stopped at the rim. It’s rather simple—but
effective if you can’t reach up.”
“I bet he
didn’t think of that when he overwhelmed us.” She crouched to open her
shoelaces and take off the shoes. “What did he do with you that you were out
for so long? I was really worried.”
“He shot me
with an arrow. He’s an excellent marksman.” Nicolas bent to lift Jacklyn onto
his shoulders. “If this doesn’t work, you have to stand on my shoulders, okay?”
She looked
up to the grating. “I don’t see this happening, Nick. Who knows how long these
screws have been exposed to the weather?”
“We don’t
have another choice. If we can’t get away before he returns—”
“All right.
Don’t frighten me. I’m frightened for both of us.”
Nicolas
chuckled as he put his hands against the wall to have a better stand. “Can you
reach the screws?”
“No.”
Jacklyn let the screwdriver slip into her coat pocket to have her hands free.
“Remind me that I need to do more workout. I don’t know—” She sighed. “Did I
mention that I’m scared of heights? That I’d never climb anywhere higher than a
ladder?”
With his
support, she knelt on his shoulders. It was a precarious position, but the only
one from where she could reach around the iron plate and not hit her head at
the grating.
“Catch me
if I fall.”
“A music
quote in the wilderness. I’m impressed.”
“I’m scared
shitless,” she replied breathlessly.
“You’re
gonna make it, ma chérie. I know that.”
“How can
you be so sure? Oh, wait.” She balanced her weight by inching forward. “Think positive,
huh? Never believe in a bad outcome.”
He
understood and moved closer to the wall so that she could put her knees against
the hard soil. He stabilized her even though he almost hit the wall with his
nose. “Exactly. Take it like an adventure.”
“Fantasy
Island? I hated that show.” She reached up and put the screwdriver to work.
“I never understood why people find it fascinating to run through the
wilderness.”
Nicolas
tried to breathe evenly though she held tight with her thighs to his head. “For
some it’s a dream come true.”
“A dream?
My dreams are very different from this here.” She whined. “It doesn’t move.
What shall I do?”
“You have
to hold the nut on the lower side. Pull your sleeve over your fingers so you
don’t scrape your skin.”
She looked
down. “Did you do this before?”
“I’m an FBI
agent.” He tried for a light tone, and she nodded gravely.
“It’s in
the manual for escapes in the wilderness.”
“Some
knowledge comes in handy.”
Jacklyn
followed his suggestion, but still whined that the screw didn’t move.
“Try one of
the others,” Nicolas said.
“Okay.”
Jacklyn moved to the left and put the screwdriver into the screw slit.
Nicolas
looked up. She was working hard, but it was a combination of skill and strength
needed to loosen the screws.
“Try to
scrape the sand away around the screw. Maybe that will help.”
“It’s sure
a damn fucking trap. Fuck!”
Nicolas
heard the knife hit the ground.
“I need to
come down again.” Jacklyn sounded close to tears.
“Do it
slowly.” He reached up her legs and helped her climb down along his body. “See?
Done something you haven’t done before.”
“You’re
still trying to cheer me up? Brave lover.” Jacklyn wiped her nose and looked at
her reddened fingers. “The screws are tight, and I don’t know whether I can
move even one of them.”
“Take a
break. Your hands are trembling.”
“What about
your shoulders?”
“You’re
light as a feather.”
“I’ve
gained weight since we met.”
“Oh, those
were the days.” Nicolas caressed her face, trying to convey confidence with
every fiber. He didn’t want to imagine what the criminal would do with them
once he returned. “If I could lend you my strength, I’d do it.”
“I know.
I’m not so sure—optimism is a fine thing, but right now, I don’t see us running
away.”
*
“Take a
break. It’s all right.” He kissed her with deep affection, becoming aware that
he was more in love with her than a year ago. “I love your strength,” he
whispered and wiped away her tears. “You can do this. Just two more screws—”
“Or we’re
screwed? Yes, we are.” She nodded emphatically and fumbled for her
handkerchief. “If I can’t turn those screws, this crazy shithead will return
with a weapon and force us to—”
“Shh.”
Nicolas pressed his lips on hers again and held her when she wept. “Take your
time. Recover. I bet he can’t be back soon. We’re far from the main road.”
“Wherever
we are.” Jacklyn sniffled. Her gaze went up to the dark gray sky. “You think he
did this before, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s the
hideout of a serial killer.”
“We don’t
know that. Don’t make assumptions.”
She bit her
lower lip. “FBI work rules?”
He nodded
once. “Stick to the facts, don’t assume anything. Put together what you’ve got
and come up with the correct conclusions. Jason uses a whiteboard to collect
his notes and hints. It’s a kind of mind map for everyone to see. We found out
many connections just by comparing the details we had.”
Jacklyn
kissed his nose. “I love you more every day. You’re the guy I want at my
side—you’re trying to make a story out of this gruesome situation. That’s a
gift.” She sighed and got back on her feet. “Let’s see whether I can work a
miracle and get us out before midnight.”
“Because at
midnight the wolves come out?” Nicolas helped her settle on his shoulders once
more.
“Because if
we can’t get out before nightfall, we’re not only screwed, we’re fucked up.”
*
To
Nicolas’s astonishment, the last screw was the easiest. Jacklyn dropped it with
a triumphant “Tada!” and stood on Nicolas’s shoulders so that she could push
back the plate with the latch. It was a challenge to her strength and balance
to lift the heavy lid. Jacklyn cried out when she slipped the first time and
the weight crashed down again. For a second, she swayed, and Nicolas feared
she’d lose hold and fall down.
“Shit!” She
panted loudly. “Any good idea how to push it open?”
“I can try
and shove you.” He held tight to her calves. In any other situation, this would
be the clue to a sexy remark—something about her long legs and her underwear.
Nicolas swallowed hard when he thought of the predicament they were still in.
He had the bad feeling that their time was running out. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She
put her hands around the grating. “Do it.”
Nicolas got
down on his knees a bit and then pushed her up with momentum. Jacklyn thrust
the lid with all strength so that it crashed to the other side.
“I did it!”
she shouted.
“Yes, you
did.” Nicolas’s heart hammered against his ribs, and he thought his shoulder
muscles were torn. He clenched his teeth in pain. His legs trembled with
strain, but he stood upright until Jacklyn reached the rim and climbed out.
Only then did he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath and roll his
shoulders.
“Run and
get the ladder!” he urged. Standing alone in the deep hole, Nicolas feared that
their kidnapper would return and catch Jacklyn. He wouldn’t be of any help to
her. Worse—he would stand in a hole in the ground, hear her scream and become
witness of her suffering without a chance to change her fate. Until she
returned, he prayed under his breath for another ten minutes alone in the
woods. He was sick with worry that the one minute they needed would not be
granted.
Jacklyn was
out of breath when she pushed the heavy ladder into the opening. Nicolas cast
up her boots and climbed the steps as fast as he could.
*
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