Fantasy
Moments of Time
“It’s funny when you think about it. People, well humans if we want to be pedantic here, had the strangest habits when interacting with the world around them. From what we can tell, their brains were wired to be social, as in they just couldn’t survive without other humans around them to interact with. These aggressive social inclinations even included species other than themselves.
By James D'Annibale5 years ago in Fiction
The Dragon
When the old dragon was angry, everyone was best off getting out of his way. The dragon was a stallion of many years, dark as night, mane and tail as untamed as the wind. In better years he had roamed the fields among the mares of the Outlier settlement known by its people as Guldrith. However, in recent months the old dragon had become a hazard, striking at the unwary, going against his strict training, seeking out the geldings in their yards, and biting them over the fence when they wandered too close.
By E.B. Mahoney5 years ago in Fiction
She Who Is Alone
Sola, she who is alone. A young woman struggling to make sense of what is left moves through the tunnels underneath a city turned upside down. The putrid smell of chemicals and dead rodents didn’t bother her anymore, in fact most of her senses had acclimated to life underground. Her mind though, often dreamt of the days she used to spend sitting in the sun on soft, deep green grass watching dogs play and kids pluck dandelions as if they were the most beautiful flower they had ever seen. She missed those days. It had been just over a year since a virus took over the world in a rapid and unstoppable sweep. If you were infected, you were gone. Or at least your mind was, your body moved through the overgrown ruins of the surface looking for warm blood. The world had turned into a real-life zombie movie, and the survivors were forced to move underneath the cities they once called home. Almost everyone here was alone, they knew each other only from passing glances and trading for supplies. Most had lost their families to the virus like Sola had. All she had of them now was her mothers’ necklace, she kept it around her neck for good luck. She clutched the heart shaped locket in her hand as she reminisced about life before the pandemic took over. Above her was a sewer cover, and in front of her the steel ladder that led to it. Everyday she wished for the strength to go up those steps and fight for her home. She longed to see the sun again but winced at the thought of what her city might look like now. Sola never thought of herself as brave, she always sat back when the chance to stand up presented itself. There was a cash of weapons in the tunnels in case anything ever happened, each day she walked by them she picked one out and taught herself how to use it. She knew there were people on the surface already fighting off the infected and she tried every day to build up the courage to go help them, maybe then she wouldn’t feel so alone. Sola let go of the locket and let it rest against her chest, she looked up at the cover and took a deep breath. Today she thought. Today she was going to go up there. She reached beside her for her pistol, it had become her favorite out of everything she had tried. Her bag was already packed with a handful of other weapons she was comfortable with, the little bit of food she had saved up, and medicine she had traded food for. She felt ready today, her body took over as the adrenaline started to rush through her. One foot in front of the other on the thin steel steps she reached the only thing between her and the fresh air. Without a second thought she reached up and pushed the cover aside letting the sun in and she winced as the light hit her eyes, making them water. She pulled herself up and scrambled out of the tunnel to let the air and the sun hit her skin. With her arms stretched out wide she spun around taking in the world around her. Plants were starting to grow over buildings, animals walked down city sidewalks. Sola smiled at the thought of nature reclaiming the land now that all the people were gone. After taking her moment, Sola slung her bag over her shoulder and started to walk. Her body reacting to every small sound and sudden movement as she walked, she was aware of the danger and her mind refused to relax. Things up here were definitely different, it was almost a culture shock compared to the life of gasmasks and dim lighting she had become accustomed to in the tunnels. In this light she could really see how dirty her skin was, and in passing shop windows she could see how her dark hair had become stuck to her head with grease. It felt good to be out, but at the same time she couldn’t shake the anxiety in the pit of her stomach. As she walked along what used to be a busy downtown street she felt her mothers necklace tapping against her chest in a rhythm almost like a heartbeat and that’s when she heard it. The most horrible, guttural sound she had ever heard. Sola stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the infected in front of her, she had never actually seen one before. Blood bubbled from its mouth as it moved towards her slowly, she had always thought they would be fast but in this moment she was glad that they weren’t. All those days of sitting around trying to work up the courage and now that she was here she didn’t know what to do. She started to back away slowly but kept her eyes on the infected. Sola never thought she was capable of standing up for herself but in this moment she remembered how her mom used to tell her how strong she was, and how she had so much more power in her than she knew. She held the locket between her fingers and stopped moving backwards. She knew she couldn’t run anymore; it was time to move forward. She raised her arm and pointed the pistol ahead of her, surprised by how steady she was. She wasn’t going to hide anymore, and she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. This was her city, not theirs. She pulled the trigger and watched the infected drop to the ground. Briefly taken back by what she had just done she looked around, there was no one there to see it. She kept walking, more assured in her stride. Something already felt different, she felt stronger, more like herself. Maybe her mom was right after all this time. Sola, she who is alone, but she who is brave takes on the new world ready to make it her own.
By Samantha Cote5 years ago in Fiction
R.A.M.
Desmond Adley was a decrepit gentleman of eighty-seven with a mind as unyielding as iron. He sat in his wicker chair in the corner of the ‘Daily Grind Cafe and Espresso Bar’ speaking in his unexpectedly loud and authoritative voice to any soul unfortunate enough to make eye contact. Surrounding Mr. Adley, the air filled with the heart-thawing smell of coffee and pastry, as if the very walls of the building were filter paper, diffusing the aroma for the entire block to enjoy. Behind the counter the baristas busied themselves, clanking and steaming, adding to the morning’s music. Meekly, the waitress approached the senior Adley with a sense of foreboding dread that appears only before a knowingly long and difficult customer interaction. The mousey girl straightened her glasses and pasted on her best toothpaste-commercial smile, feeling the muscles start to ache in weak protest. ‘So clean you can feel it!’ her mind poked through her a numb haze.
By Bianca Pole5 years ago in Fiction
Bound
The trip to the Annual Trade this year was different form before. I was asked to join the head family of the coven. Lilite, Andreo's daughter and only pure-breed heir, asked me to wear my one formal dress. I found this very odd. It had been maybe one hundred years since the last time I wore it. And the last time I had worn it, attention I did not ask for nor want was given. Lilite was excitedly blabbering on about how the Trade would be for the best Prize(s) yet. I would smile or where it called for it but on the inside I had a feeling that this year with me being allowed to speak more freely, I would overstep my welcome. We started going through the human cities. This was always my favorite part of the trip. The lights looked like stars in some towns and fireflies in the cities. I would see all the colors of rainbows everywhere. People would be smiling and laughing until we would pass. Then all the happiness would drain and you could see the pure terror creep into their expression. " Zapphire! We're there, " the shrillness jarred my attention back to Lilite. That's when I heard the music. We removed ourselves from the transportation. I allowed the family to go in front of me to show I was still not an "equal". Lilite was apparently having no part of it, grabbed my arm and was just about dragging me into the theater. When we were inside I finally spoke, " Okay. I get it. stick with you all." She started chuckling and nodding as she let go. The hostess escorted our head family to an assigned booth along the wall. I was the last to take my seat just as the lights dimmed to a spot light.
By Cody Kennedy5 years ago in Fiction
THE LADY IN THE BEACH HOUSE
I never knew what to think of doomsday, the end of the world, or what it all meant. Many stories have been written about the end of times, a life beyond, fantasy, science fiction, and I never understood dystopia until I got a job as a toll collector on the beach. The first time that I had seen the ocean, I was in awe, amazed, and lost in its infinity. I knew that this was where I wanted to be. It all began one day when I had met a woman, Labella. She was tall, thin, and very attractive. She wore a long beach dress which flowed in the wind. She was laden in dangling earrings, necklaces, and rings on all of her fingers. She lived in a large house on the beach which resembled a castle.
By Alfred Jendrasik5 years ago in Fiction
Catch Me
Tessa Faye couldn’t stop her body or her heart from plummeting to the dark waters below strewn with jagged rocks. Her auburn hair flew up around her face as she closed her eyes and prayed for someone to save her. She knew no one would save her, but that didn’t stop her from sending out a prayer to any deity that would hear her out. As her silent prayers reached out to the high heavens, she grasped the rosary around her neck and clutched it for dear life for the first time in her life. Tessa wasn’t a religious girl, but at this moment she was willing to believe in anything to save herself.
By Ashley Whitehead5 years ago in Fiction
The Visitors
I remember the day they came. At first we were greeted with kindness, under the guise that they wanted to study our planet, learn our ways, become friends. We trusted them after time, and our planet was thriving as the visitors taught us their ways. I remember the day they brought their priests, teaching us new religions and “science”. Before that time, we lived in total harmony with our planet and our creator, who often visited us. But their kind words and smiles fooled us. We were led away from the love and care we held for our old ways. We gave it all up in order to become what they called “enlightened”. As they taught us, there were ones that dissented and questioned the visitors. They warned of what could come about with abandoning our creator and our reverence for the things made by her hand. At first we did not believe it; how could these visitors hurt us after years of cohabitation? Slowly, the warnings quieted, and as I look back now I am ashamed that we did not notice the slow but steady silencing of those speaking out. How could we have been so blind to not notice our own kind being brought down until there was no one left that questioned the visitors?
By Megan Strawderman5 years ago in Fiction
Godless
God. It was a town like any other town despite the holy nomenclature. I guess I thought I would always be safe here. The tree lined streets of suburbia. The quiet security of pristine picket fences. The low population and crime rate. It was not until the summer of 2024 when the world was on a brink of change. My son and I watched the news but no one knew what would happen at that time; including myself. Nothing could touch us in our tiny town. We were sleepy and quant and that big city stuff just did not happen here. We watched as the monuments to the errors of the past were destroyed so no one could remember but it was best to forget anyways. Order was becoming obsolete to make way for tolerance of all things. It became everything was okay or nothing was. Society was geared for a shift and thanks to social media, pod casts, and news outlets everything just started to become okay; they were already setting the stage.
By Nicole Celencevicius5 years ago in Fiction
