Pitch Madness B-10: YA: MILITIA

Genre: YA Suspense

Word Count: 67,000

Pitch:

When an online game turns out to be a terrorist simulation, Jamison Walker must solve historical riddles to beat the terrorists to the lost Script of Catherine the Great or see his town destroyed.

Excerpt:

Jamison Walker leaned forward and adjusted the frame of his glasses, careful not to let himself be distracted even for a second. He knew that he wouldn’t recognize her by the color of her hair or by the light in her eyes. The best he could hope for was that the voice of the girl he loved would whisper in his ear moments before he had to kill her.

The underground passageway was dark, bathed in a greenish light, making it hard to see. He tried refocusing the lens that was attached to his headpiece. Back to the wall, not knowing what was around the corner, he held his breath waiting for the right moment. Time was running out. If he was going to make his move, it had to be now. He moved forward with the stealth of a cat ready to pounce.

Click. The sound alerted him to the gun, cocked and ready, only centimeters from his skull.

“Move and I will take you out right here and right now,” her voice soft, but deadly. His anger and frustration over being caught outweighed his common sense and he turned, weapon drawn and ready to fire.

“Damn it, Jamison Walker!” Hadley pulled the trigger, more out of exasperation than actually needing to win. “You are no fun to play with. Why can’t you control your overwhelming desire to shoot everything that moves?”

“You had me anyway, so what do you care?” Jamison dropped the controller on the floor of his messy room, barely missing the open, half-empty can of soda sitting beside his foot.

Mr. Boddy is found at the entrance of the mansion slumped down and leaning against the doorframe. There are no wounds, his eyes are wide open and bloodshot, neck red and bruised. A tassel made out of yarn is found stuck in the collar of his shirt. A torn piece of collection bill is under his hand.