This is a highly trimmed down section of a first chapter of a novel I’ve been working on for the better part of two years. It takes place in a world where super powers are a reflection of the mental condition of those who have them. These super powered people are known as Psyons. The Psyons featured in this story are the narrator, Rand Allen Drake, and his girlfriend, Angel. Their powers both stem from depression but express themselves in very different ways. His powers come from feeling like he can’t trust others and has to do things on his own, with the weight of the world on his shoulders he has powers of super strength, durability and increased density. Angels power are an expression of wanting to disappear into life. Be unnoticed and untouched. Her powers are levitation, decreased density, phasing through objects and invisibility.

I wanted to try to use sound effects to complement the narration in creating an atmosphere of frustration and unease. Audactiy was a bit of a frustrating program to use and I’ll likely try Adobe Audition in the future.

The electric hum that builds throughout the piece is to help visualize how bight lights can trigger cluster headaches and heighten anxieties. I wish I could have found free sound effects for windshield cracking or metal crumpling to give the narrator more visceral strength.