Second Wave: A Tale of Masks and Monsters

by Zoe Cannon

For three hundred years, Leila’s family has protected the town of Whispering Sands. When the beast beneath the waves grows restless, they offer it the blood it demands, and the waves are quiet once more.

But now outsiders have come to Whispering Sands. Newly out of lockdown, seeking a respite from the stress of the pandemic, throngs of tourists are spreading the virus through the town Leila’s family has sworn to protect… and waking the beast from its slumber.

And the beast is angry.

This short story is 15,000 words long, or approximately 50 pages. It is a companion story to Safer at Home. These stories stand alone and can be read in any order.

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

** I no longer use Goodreads to track my reading. My subjective rating and review standards aren’t likely to be useful to other readers--how would it help anyone else to see that I rated a book 5 stars because I read it at the exact right time in my life, or 2 stars because it used a popular trope I dislike?--and I’m not comfortable with the idea of readers and even authors taking them as objective measurements, or worse, constructive criticism. I now track my reading privately, but send out monthly book recommendations through my mailing list at https://www.zoecannon.com/newsletter. My old ratings and reviews are still here, but don’t take them as anything other than personal reactions. I may not see messages and friend requests. **

Zoe Cannon may or may not be a supervillain out to conquer the world through writing. When not writing, she can be found perfecting her schemes for world domination, plotting against her archenemies, and staying up too late reading a book. Her secret lair is rumored to be located somewhere in southern New Hampshire.