Today I have another excerpt to share from my upcoming novel Broken World, which releases on Friday 8th July!
Broken World
Copyright © 2022 Shari Sakurai
All Rights Reserved.
As soon as Eric dropped down into the corridor all hell broke loose. The guards who were firing at the ventilation shaft now aimed their weapons at him. One yelled for backup as he raised his gun. Eric did not hesitate in rushing them. Drawing his fist back, he slammed it into the first guard’s face with enough force to break his nose and hurl him back into the wall. Eric ripped the gun from the hand of the second and struck him a blow that rendered him unconscious. Eric could hear shouts on the guards’ radios as he broke into a run. Then his actions became almost automatic. Eric landed blows to the guards who confronted him, knocking them unconscious and moving forward. Even the shrill din from the alarm became little more than background noise. The confrontation with Neil had given him back a confidence that Eric had not realised was shaken. He briefly wondered why his half-brother had not retaliated, but the continuous onslaught of guards distracted him from this.
Two more stood between him and the main exit from the prison. One threw down his weapon and would have bolted had Eric given him a chance. The act was almost comical, and Eric felt certain that if Adam had been here then he would have laughed.
Eric slammed into the reinforced steel door. It buckled under the force he applied and within seconds he was outside.
Eric hesitated as he took in the fifty or so men with their weapons all drawn and aimed at him. Behind them was a tank and when Eric looked up, he saw aircraft circling.
Great…Gritting his teeth, Eric started to run. All around him bullets rained down, exploding against the concrete with a force that sent chunks of it up into the air. Dodging around several men and taking out a couple who were directly in his path, Eric vaulted across the tank before the occupants could even register that he was there. As he cleared the miniature army that Williams had sent against him, Eric was aware of the aircraft tracking him as he fled the compound. The guards in the lookout tower fired their guns almost half-heartedly as if they already knew that their efforts to stop him would be futile.
Eric kept up his pace as he ran back towards the river. Even though the aircraft was holding its fire now that he had entered a residential area, Eric knew that this would only put them off for so long. As Eric left the street behind and approached the riverbank, he could see New Vauxhall Bridge looming out of the darkness. Eric dashed out onto it. He heard the laser fire from the bridge defences as the concrete around him lit up in smoke. As Eric pushed on, the engine from the aircraft roared overhead as it flew in lower to cut him off. Eric turned to avoid the additional onslaught and felt a sharp pain across his back. He stumbled as he glanced frantically around him. There was only one option now. Without considering whether it was a good idea, Eric changed direction. His hands gripped the railing of the bridge as he used it to propel himself over the side and into the Thames.
My print proof of Broken World arrived yesterday evening! I only ordered it the other day so I was really surprised (and happy!) that it came so quickly. Because I am a perfectionist, I can already see a couple of things I want to tweak but hopefully there won’t be many edits! I also couldn’t resist taking a photo of my Perfect World series together! I love how they all look and I cannot wait to take a proper photo once Broken World’s print edition has been finalised! 
Shari Sakurai 