**This is an excerpt from my new novel, ‘A Justified State’.**
He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the water spray as the launch drew closer to the base of the towering wall. He could make out the gate that was lodged halfway open. The water lapped around the base as the pressure on the other side forced waves to push through the gap. Bobbing up and down, hooked around the gate and preventing it from shutting, Frank caught a glimpse of pale white, the burgeoning light highlighting the object. A body, he grimaced. He had been doing this job for too long.
The computer guided the launch in gently, cutting the throttle and holding position when they were within a couple of metres of the gate. The water was rougher here, caught in the wash caused by the big waves on the other side. Frank secured himself to the deck of the launch with a clip and then leaned forward, holding a hooked pole in front of him and trying to gain a purchase on the body. After several attempts and a fair amount of cursing he managed to dislodge the body and pull it towards him. As soon as it was free the gate slammed closed and the water calmed.
As Frank drew the body closer he swore. A youngster, such a waste. Surely they must have had something worth living for. A female, she was completely naked, which was unusual though not unheard of. Suicides didn’t tend to undress before hurling themselves into the water, especially with the weather being so cold again last night. He reached out and grabbed a limp, cold ankle. He threw the pole down behind him and with two hands wrestled her onto the deck in an undignified heap. Then he straightened out the body from the feet upwards, at the same time laying a sheet over the top of her to give her back a modicum of decency. He didn’t notice the red gash until he reached her neck. A slash that ran across the front of her jugular. The water had washed away any blood, the line was jagged and deep, a gouge that had ripped rather than sliced neatly through the skin.
This is a response to the #writephoto Prompt – Beneath curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.
This is an excerpt from my new novel, ‘A Justified State,’ a dystopian political thriller set in an imaginary future. Now available in Paperback from Amazon and Book Depository and on Amazon Kindle, and you can still order just in time for Christmas!
‘a first class read from start to finish’ – reader review
Iain Kelly 
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