The Vanishing Cyclist
by
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At first Ben was hardly aware of being half dragged, half carried through the woods, despite Franco's colourful Gallic cursing. Then fear ushered in lucidity as the first sight of their destination swam into view. It was a scene of misery that burned through the haze of confused emotions, a stark reality to drain the last vestiges of resistance from his shattered mind.
The woman and the Frenchman knelt in a shallow depression in the small clearing. Freshly uncovered mud glistened beneath their knees, the shovel discarded on top of a small mound behind them, but the largest part of the hole was much older. The two cowering figures faced Ben while the driver of the minibus stood slightly behind and to one side, the dull, metallic grey of his gun menacing like a black hole. The depression was wide enough for four people side by side, long enough to curl up into and deep enough... deep enough to conceal their bodies. It was to be their grave.
The Frenchman could have been a statue except for the wet tracks scoring his cheeks and a bloody weal on his forehead, seeping fresh blood. Presumably he had not climbed into the ditch at the first time of asking. The woman was barely keeping herself upright, eyes unfocused, moaning quietly and whispering snatches of something that could have been a prayer, as muddy streaks down one side of her clothes merged with the bile on her shirt front. Neither of them registered his arrival. From some dark and desperate corner of Ben's soul a small voice sobbed. How did I get here? How did my life lead me to this point?
One short moment from oblivion.
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About the Book
Imagine your life as a routine; safe, predictable. Imagine a chance meeting, a flash of excitement, of danger. Then imagine being ripped from your world, forced to flee as far and as fast as you can, just to stay alive. Ben Cooper's only chance of protecting his loved ones - and surviving - is to disappear entirely, to betray and abandon them; to vanish. But can he?
Along the way there are friends and enemies - people who help, others willing to sacrifice him. Through it all Ben battles to beat off internal demons, shake off pursuers and salvage enough of himself to rebuild a world in tatters.
The Vanishing Cyclist twists and turns as the fugitive tries to escape the net closing inevitably around him. The reality of his desperate plight tortures and weakens him as the people he encounters shape his fate, new relationships grow and the mysterious Organisation ruthlessly pursues him. When the shocking conclusion is reached he is tested beyond limits, fighting for his life and the people he loves, haunted by loss and the carnage left in his wake.
About the Author
The Vanishing Cyclist first appeared to Chris Parker in Birmingham New Street Station on the Selly Oak platform. During extensive travels in Europe and beyond, details of the story continued to emerge on the roads, ferries and islands of the Mediterranean. He finally completed the story in Hampshire, where he lives with his family and dogs. His time as an English teacher helped to shape the book; unfortunately his years of aviation experience and engineering degree were of no use at all.