Series

The Hidden World
“The world’s really going to hell.,” said Frank as he threw back another shot of the cheap whiskey he drank. Frank was referring to the news story, a father of four had slaughtered his family and then killed himself. Sadly, it was something that was becoming all too common of an occurrence. I simply patted him on the back and laid a twenty on the bar, which would give him a few more shots to drown his sorrow.
By Charles Dupree4 years ago in Fiction
Soul Searching
Claire awoke to a sloppy tongue. She was startled, to say the least, but the state of her stiff, tired muscles prevented her from any quick threatening movements. A groan escaped her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to the morning sun peeking through the leaves above. Before her stood the owner of the tongue, and her eyes met the squinty, orange-brown eyes of a fox. She let out a huff, the fox quickly retreating from her and letting out a meager yelp. It stood several feet away, looking at her curiously.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Lake of Souls Chapter 13
Previous Chapter Filon and I said farewell to the villagers and then left to find the next village. As we headed out Filon reached into a sack he was carrying and handed me a small chunk of dried meat, "You haven't eaten much in the time you've been with us. You should eat before you become weak from hunger."
By Josephine Mason4 years ago in Fiction
The Trees Swallow People
Over the weeks, two things continued to catch my attention. First, there was a sudden increased in the number of people going missing. Upon first impressions, one would say they had little in common. For instance, one was Michelle O’Reilly, a grandmother who emigrated and returned at least twice, known locally as a music teacher who muttered swears whenever she had a particularly untalented student, reported missing by her adult daughter. Another was Anthony Winkleman, a newly married husband from the states, working in the docklands as an engagement engineer; essentially, his job was to make social media users into social media abusers.
By Conor Matthews4 years ago in Fiction
The Moon Trolley: An Unfortunate Trip
This is the second episode of The Moon Trolley, a sci-fi/fantasy book about a boy who escapes slavery and accidentally discovers an unknown world of magic and aliens. To read Episode One, click here.
By Richard Graybar4 years ago in Fiction
Rainy Nights Pt.2
Lily turned to me and gave me a polite smile much like the smile you’d give a stranger. To her, I had become practically a stranger. I smiled back as politely as I could. She went to the corner of the police station to talk to the officer who was doing my fingerprints. I see a red velvet-suited woman come into the station frantically. It’s my family lawyer Francesca Ramirez. She grins when she sees me. First Lily, now Francesca. This is great for me.
By NS4 years ago in Fiction
Prime: The Novel
It is said that science and religion don't mix. But what if they did? What if everything we believed about gods, nature, and science were all intertwined in such a way that we could never fully understand it. And if we did understand it, then how would we handle it? What if there were multiple realities? What if those realities were the result of God, but they were governed by the very science that rules the Universe? What if...?
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
The Satyr and The Traveler
Claire sat in the dark, a single candle lit upon the coffee table. She stared into the flame as she ate the MRE from Other Eric’s pack. She replayed the killing of Other Claire at the camp site, the feel of her neck breaking as she bled out onto the ground making her shiver. I’m not a killer… But the epiphany that Gabriel wanted her to kill her others was so abhorrent. What was the purpose? It was something that he was reluctant to tell her, and it pissed her off. Killing one of John Friedman’s others was one thing, the man was an asshole, and she could convince herself that killing one of them wasn’t so terrible. But why kill her others? An angel telling her to kill… herself. Wasn’t suicide a mortal sin? Does it really count as suicide? she thought cynically.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Just My Luck
I couldn't breathe with out him, it was hard the first few days the first few months with out him was the worst pain I had ever endured. It is easy now, I have slowly but surely found myself and know my self worth. What we had was not love, what we had was a partnership and obviously he felt he needed to be in charge, dominant, and I liked the thought of that of course, until it really came into play and actually happened. It was all love, fun, and games the first couple months into our relationship very playful I was so happy, so happy that I was blind to all the red flags. Starting with minimizing the time I spent with friends and family he enforced it heavily. I couldn't go out and drink unless it was with him, and I could not be on social media posting about our relationship. A few months into our relationship it all started to feel like a big secret, like I was... some big secret. I built the courage to confront him and told him I wanted to end our companionship when he suddenly got on one knee, took the ring case out of his jacket and proposed to me, right at that moment I was sure this was for real and he made sure I knew how special I was and that's why he was the way he was he was just trying to protect me, to protect us.
By Maria D4 years ago in Fiction
Talisman
Dennison studied the talisman with clear satisfaction. That was an expression King Abicotta had not seen before on the man. After a few moments, Dennison snapped his fist closed around the smooth stone and nodded once.
By Kristen Slade4 years ago in Fiction
Mortal - Chapter 27
Premise: In this young-adult dystopian novel, people can no longer die. But they still feel pain, and suffer--and it's maddening. Because of the chaos that ensued, the US Government created a program to figure out how to kill people. When Garrett, a teenager, falls into a coma for weeks as a result of an experiment, the Program sets its malicious sights on him.
By Liv4 years ago in Fiction
The Camels Of Misfit Farm Chapter 4
Maura listened to the soft clink of the stainless steel containers of milk as she drove her battered Subaru through Greenfield, an old mill town of 6500 people and the seat of Carson County. Her Grandmother used to call it "a wide spot in the road where tourists only stop to get gas and pee." It was 45 miles east of Haywood and 2000 feet lower in elevation. Haywood was a tourist mecca particularly attractive to liberal and artist types in the next county over. Driving "up the mountain" from Greenfield to Haywood was like traveling to a different planet due to the contrasts in culture and politics.
By Janet Patterson4 years ago in Fiction