Black Ice

By Charles Dewandeler

In this thrilling novel by Charles Dewandeler, a small midwest town is threatened by a dark force killing it's residents. Rob, a local teenager, is determined to stop it by any means necessary... even if that means putting his life on the line.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Dewandeler
• Release date: Oct 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463712429

Charles Dewandeler

Charles Dewandeler is an award winning Director and Editor. From 2001-2007 he worked at CTTV in Michigan, Producing and Editing various TV shows. He moved to LA in 2008. where he currently works as a freelance editor. One of his favorite Editing gigs was Martin Lawrence Present's 1st Amendment, a standup comedy show on the Starz Network. He has edited Talk/Variety shows (Way Black When), Reality TV (various), Gameshows (Popular Opinion), Clip Shows (Whacked Out Sports), sizzle reels and scripted content. He wrote, directed and edited the feature film 'Parody Movie' (2011) now available on Amazon prime. and he's the author of comic book 'MotorCity Saint' and the thrilling novel 'Black Ice'. In addition, he has directed and edited over 100 sketch comedy videos on YouTube, which have been viewed over 25 million times.

Book preview

Black Ice

By Charles Dewandeler

Special Thanks

A.M. Sawyer

and

Leilani Terrell

Edited by

Caroline Vandenbree

Copyright 2017-2018

The Last Great Movie Company

Hollywood, CA

For My Parents

Who raised me with the belief that I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up.

Author’s Preface

Dear Reader,

I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read my book ‘Black Ice’ inspired by the real life road condition known as… black ice. If you grew up in a location with cold winters (like I did) you’ve probably heard the term before. For those of you wondering what it is, black ice is what they call a thin layer of ice over a road, driveway, sidewalk or any paved surface. The ice can be clear (like glass) and unnoticeable, looking like gold ol’ black pavement. Hence the term black ice.

A few years ago I was watching some scary movies like Jaws (1975) and I thought to myself, As good as that movie is, in real life not many people are killed by sharks. In fact, one American is killed by shark attack every two years. So sharks aren’t really something we need to be afraid of. Growing up in Michigan, I knew what we really needed to be afraid of was car accidents and bad weather. Every year 30,000 Americans are killed in car accidents, 800 of them are caused by cold weather. I thought, If I make a movie about people getting killed in accidents caused by cold weather… THAT will be scary!

So I wrote a screenplay called… wait for it… Black Ice. It takes place in Coolidge, Michigan where a mysterious force is killing the town’s inhabitants. Enter Rob Peterson, a local teenager determined to stop the killings by any means necessary, even if it means putting his own life on the line!

I still plan to produce Black Ice as a feature film but first I decided to turn it into a book. The book you’re about to read right now. A book, which might one day save your life! Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little… or maybe I’m not. Just to be safe, let’s go over a few safety tips for the next time you’re driving in cold weather.

Drive slow, much slower than you normally would.

Increase the space between you and the car in front of you, this gives you more distance to stop.

Pump the brakes; do not slam on the brakes. Slamming on the brakes can cause spinouts.

If your car starts to skid, don’t overcorrect. Turn into the skid and always avoid swerving into oncoming traffic.

Check the tread on your tires. Don’t drive on bald tires. Or better yet, use snow tires in the winter.

Keep a winter emergency kit in your car, including a blanket and flashlight.

For more info, please watch my video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/G9d79P--D9U

Alright, those are the bullet points. Please enjoy the book. I hope it entertains you, makes you laugh, makes you scared and maybe even saves your life.

Sincerely,

Charles Dewandeler

Hollywood, CA

PS. I also have a book called ‘Superheroes, Their Movies, And Why We Love Them’! If you love superheroes, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Check it out and much more on my website:

www.CharlesDewandeler.com

Chapter One

It was a day I’ll never forget. The day my world changed forever. It was the day my sister died.

I had grown up in Coolidge, Michigan. It was your typical Midwest, working class, town. Most of the people here had blue-collar jobs and the neighbors actually talked to each other. We’d work during the week and have barbecues on the weekend. We enjoyed swimming in the lake during the summer and skating on the lake during the winter. In winter, people mostly stayed indoors, watching TV, playing video games, or went bowling.

It was five years ago, a brisk winter afternoon, and a slight breeze was blowing on the lake. I was playing hockey with my best friend Ed who I’d known practically since I was a baby. I was testing out my brand new hockey gear, a perk of growing up middle class. I could tell Ed was a little jealous, Hey Rob, nice gear! He said, What did you do with your old stuff?

I replied, Donated it to charity.

You could have donated it to me.

It wouldn’t fit you.

He huffed, My gear doesn’t fit me now.

Ed was wearing his worn out gear from three years ago that didn’t really fit anymore. He was short, stocky and didn’t have much money. A product of growing up in a broken home where his single mom was trying to pay bills she couldn’t afford. We used to tease him a lot, for being out of shape, for being poor, for being anything less than what we were. I know now it was wrong, but hey, we were thirteen; that’s what thirteen year olds do.

It wasn’t a full hockey game; there were just two of us. Ed was the goalie and I was the shooter. Did I say it was just the two of us? I meant the three of us. My little sister Melany was there, playing off in the distance. I didn’t want to bring her but my father made me. He said it was my responsibility as the older brother or something like that. I guess I wasn’t really listening. I didn’t listen much then. I was only 13, and listening wasn’t my strong suit. I just wanted to have fun.

He shoots! He scores! I shouted proudly as if I was calling my own play-by-play, Chalk up one more for the champion of the ice, Rob Peterson!

I want to play! I turned to see my sister by the side of the lake staring at me with that pouty little sister face. She was tired of playing with her Barbie and Ken dolls and wanted to play with the big kids, but she was three weeks shy of her sixth birthday and we were thirteen. She had no hockey gear, and let’s face it, she was a girl. She was no match for us.

Melany, it’s not safe, I tried to explain. Just play with your dolls.

But dad said…

"As your big brother, it’s my job to make sure you’re safe. And the safe thing