Irradiated
A man thrust a baby into Jade’s hands. It trembled in her arms. The man had a message: escape from the tunnels and never return, her parents were already dead. Jade had a sister; she was irradiated.Thirteen years later, her sister, Pearl, is coming of age. Rows of sucker-caps line her arms and hands. Her skin is coral pink. Each night, her dreams fill with visions of violence, depression, and fear.
On the surface, people have grown wild and dangerous. They scavenge, fight, and steal. Below, in the tunnels, they're controlled by a ruthless leader and an army of beings known only as Shadows. When both groups come searching for Pearl, sensing the power her dreams may hold, only Jade can stand in the way.
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Excerpt
A man stood before her, haggard and gaunt. He had a scraggly beard the color of sand and bark, and wide, fluid eyes that sat askew, one too high and one too low. One arm was pinned to his body and the other dangled loosely. His expression was glazed and desperate.
When Pearl saw him she froze. Her stomach clenched and her body tightened, unable to decide whether to vomit or run.
“You’re Pearl,” said the man in a gravelly voice. It was a statement not a question.
Pearl’s lips twitched when she tried to speak, but she was unable to. Her pink face drained white.
“I’ve come lookin’ for you,” he said. “I’ve seen you in my dreams.”
Excerpt 2
Birth
The man thrust a baby into Jade’s hands. It was warm and wet and its cries were muffled. Thick fabric covered its face and body. It trembled in her arms.
“You have to go,” said the man. His voice was urgent and his movements were rapid. Each breath was hot and laboured.
“I don’t understand. Where’s Mum, where’s Dad?” Jade asked.
The tunnel was dark but she could place him by the sound, by the heat, by the air. His panic rushed into her, as though it was her own. He grabbed her with heavy hands and turned her around.
“There’s no time,” he said. “No time, child. They’re coming. The Shadows are coming. You need to get out of here.”
“B-But, what about my parents?” she stammered.
The man squeezed her shoulders tightly, his fingers digging into her muscles and between her bones.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “They’re dead. You have to trust us. This is your only chance. This is your sister’s only chance. You have to keep going and never turn back.”
He pushed her onward, and other hands grabbed her. They grasped her then passed her on to the next set. They all knew what was happening, all knew where she was headed—everybody but her. She clutched the squealing baby in her long, thin arms and yielded herself to their guidance.
Jade had a sister; she was irradiated.
S. Elliot Brandis
S. Elliot Brandis is a Speculative Fiction writer from Brisbane, Australia. He writes about societies on the brink of collapse, and civilizations that have long since crumbled. His debut novel, Irradiated, is a dark tale about survival, love, and moral ambiguity.
When he’s not putting his characters through the wringer, he’s actually kind of a nice guy. He keeps literature on the same shelf as comic books, and mixes his beer with tobasco. He invites you to visit him at selliotbrandis.com.
- Website: http://selliotbrandis.com/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/selliotbrandis
- Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/PsmMv
Fiction Novels:
- Irradiated – Out Now!
- Degenerated – July, 2014
- Aberrated – December, 2014
I have a confession to make: I enjoy writing antagonists. In fact, it’s one of my favourite things. Does that make me evil? Why, no. In fact, you’re making a mistake if you think the ‘bad guys’ are evil, either. Sound confusing? Let me share some tips with you.It’s not all bad: Tips for writing interesting villains.
1. Give your villains understandable motives.
Everybody is the hero of their own story. This may sound misleading, but think about it for a moment. People aren’t evil for the sake of being evil. Nobody sets out to be bad. In fact, they usually think that their actions are the right thing to do. They may be misguided, deranged, or even mad, but at the heart of it they believe in their actions. And that’s what makes our skin crawl.
In my novel Irradiated the underground tunnels are ruled by a woman known only as The Queen. She does some despicable things, including torture and murder. But she has a cause—to her, the ‘irradiated’ (people who have had their genes mutated by the sun) are a threat to humanity. If allowed to live and prosper, she thinks, then it will lead to our own extinction. The more compelling a person’s reasons, the more extreme their actions. The Queen is frightening, but she’s also understandable.
By considering your antagonists motives, you can make them complex and intriguing.
2. Consider giving your villain sympathetic elements.
If you give your antagonists understandable motives, which compel them to do ‘bad’ things—it creates a feeling of uneasiness for the reader. You can counter-balance that by giving reasons for the reader to feel sympathetic for the villain, too. This can create an interesting dynamic.
Think of Magneto, from the X-Men series. We see his past and it’s tragic—his parents are killed in a concentration camp when he’s a boy. We know where his anger and mistrust stems from. Yet, when he tries to kick-start a war between mutants and humans, we don’t cheer him on. We want to see him overcome, but we understand him, and to a degree, we even sympathise with him. And it makes him a fascinating bad-guy.
So, you might want to consider playing with balance between hatred and sympathy. It can create an intriguing dynamic.
3. Let your villain come out on top, but only sometimes.
The problem with a lot of fiction is that we know the outcome at the start—we know the ‘good guy’ will win and the ‘bad guy’ will lose. Do your best to shake off this feeling. I’m not saying you need to let your antagonist come out on top, but the prospect should seem possible, perhaps even likely. Make them fear the worst. This tension will drive your readers forward, in the quest to see what happens. When millions of people dived into the final Harry Potter book, they didn’t know if Harry would live or die.
You may also consider giving your villain victories. Nothing tears out hearts more than seeing evil win. Look at some of the biggest moments in the fiction you love—be it novels, comics, movies, or television. Last year we saw the death of Batman’s son, the current Robin. We saw The Red Wedding on Game of Thrones. These moments hurt, yet we’re drawn to them. Increasingly, we're seeing stories where nobody is safe, and the antagonists have multiple victories. And when the good moments come, they feel even better.
By giving your villain moments of success, you can ramp up the tension and emotional payoff.
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