Sometimes you should just stay in bed!
Join Laura as she battles through the driving rain and a string of unfortunate events on her nighttime drive! This story is part of They Walk Among Us: Malarkey’s ImaginOmnibus.
Tag: Short Story
-
Hot Off the Press – They Walk Among Us
Thirteen stories of magic and mystery reveal things that exist if you’re prepared to scratch the surface of reality. Within these words, you will find witches, demons, ghosts, vampires, angels, werewolves, centaurs, dragons, and creatures of the night, it’s a monstrous menagerie to cause delight.
Be warned, not all are for the faint of heart.
From thirteen different authors, we bring you tales of those things that walk among us. The inexplicable, the strange, and perhaps deranged. What lies behind the everyday mundane reality that coats our world in a veneer of easy-to-digest simplicity? We bring you tales that just might be true, to enable you to see things anew.
Be warned, not all are for the faint of heart. There lies within; violence, death, adult content, and horror elements.
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Broken Promises Trailer – Dark Woods
When capture or surrender means death, failure is not an option!
Broken Promises. Despite insurmountable odds, a young woman must risk traversing unfamiliar and hostile territory to find help. As you read, be sure to consider: When capture or surrender means that your life is forfeit, failure is not an option.
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Evelyn Reads A Seahag’s Song
A Seahag’s Song is a historical fantasy written by independent author Sara Flower Kjeldsen. This short story follows a sea hag, a woman cursed to haunt the ocean depths. A creature who is focused on a young maiden pushing the boundaries of her society.
A Seahag’s Song by Sara Flower Kjeldsen This character-driven tale involves many themes and forces the reader to ask. What is beauty? How much is our world view tainted by our experiences? Have we been corrupted by how we view ourselves? Would we want to forget all our woes? If so, at what cost?
Kjeldsen breathes life to these characters as the story reaches a surprising end. While you may be initially reviled by this cursed woman, you’ll soon fall under her spell.
This quick read is well-worth your time!
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Evelyn Reads What Lies Within
The blurb for What Lies Within, from indie author D.W. Harvey, mentions a dark hidden secret, an evil spirit’s curse, and a sole survivor… all of which perfectly set the stage for this story.
What Lies Within by D.W. Harvey This story is written from the point of view of the sole survivor as she nears the end of her journey. We are quickly brought up to speed on the character’s motivations, her need to be there, and what she intends to do.
However, there is plenty of room for discovery, and readers may well be left guessing to the very end. It offers a satisfying ending and leaves you yearning for more, the latter of which is this reader’s only complaint. Sadly, this was little more than a glimpse into a world filled with wonder.
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Evelyn Reads Eve and Adam
Sara Flower Kjeldsen is the author of Eve and Adam, a literary short story that tells the tale of two people who find each other when they are most in need of a friend. In this case, support and companionship come in the form of a complete stranger.
Eve and Adam by Sara Flower Kjeldsen The narrative is told from both points of view, and Kjeldsen uses this juxtaposition to breathe life into Eve and Adam. As the story develops, this seemingly innocent tale of lovers from different worlds takes on a dark twist and forces them both to face the inevitable.
Eve and Adam is a quick read that will steal your heart before shocking you to your very core. When reading this tale, it’s best to remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Cause and Effect – Part V
Breanna heard a series of hurried steps down adjoining corridors. People were scrambling to evacuate the building, so naturally she wondered why. Her curiosity was further piqued when her mobile vibrated, the sound it made was deafening in this quiet room.
While their technology was far superior to such a crude device, nothing of theirs was currently operational. Since Mason and Brett were busy removing panels from the false floor in an attempt to access the generators, she used her fingerprint to unlock the device.
It took a moment for the men to realise what Breanna was up to. How was this possible? Their technology were designed to survive the rigours of interstellar travel, and yet a toy designed by these apes worked fine.
“What are you doing with that?” Mason asked.
“As in doing with a mobile? Or what am I busy doing with it?” Breanna asked absentmindedly.
Mason had to think about it before answering, “Let’s start with the first part.”
“People think those who don’t have these things as though they are from Mars,” Breanna said in all seriousness.
The men looked at one another and smirked. It seemed that their female cohort spent far more time amongst the apes then they assumed. It also spoke volumes on how much attention they paid her.
“Besides,” Breanna added. “It’s a great way to get out of any unwanted small talk, or get some creep off my back.”
That concept was alien to them, sure they looked like Greek gods, but women tended not to force themselves upon them. This was their first real insight they had on the plight of human females.
“Glad I was selected to be a male,” Brett said with a smirk.
Breanna gave Brett a dirty look before saying, “I got tired of disintegrating aggressors.” Her eyes narrowed on the last part, just to drive home the point that this was a less than subtle threat, before adding, “That tends to bring up a lot of unpleasant questions, not to mention the need for an alibi when someone is last seen alive with you.”
“So what about the latter?” Mason asked in an attempt to change the subject.
Breanna looked up at the boys for a few moments before she answered, “According to Bealzabook and some of the major news services. There are several reports of a shockwave that circumnavigated the globe.”
“Global?” Mason asked.
“Since McMurdo station in Antarctica reported the disturbance,” Breanna said. “I think it’s safe to say that it is.”
Mason paused for a moment, his mind going over the hundreds of variables in his head. All in an attempt to figure out what was required to generate this kind of event? None of the permutations he could think of would permit it, at least not with the precise application of frequency and power.
“Did you confirm all of the settings prior to triggering the tachyon discharge?” Breanna asked before giggling at some random meme on her timeline.
Mason turned to look at Brett, because that was the one variable he had yet to consider. There was no way that someone in this room was capable of making such a simple mistake.
“Oops,” Brett said.
Disclaimer: This chapter is currently in development. There are likely typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Please do not treat this as a polished and completed work!
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Cause and Effect – Part IV
Moments later, ripples in the pool settled, permitting Evelyn to the reflection of her smiling face. She knelt down, touched the pools surface, and watched as the ripples propagated throughout the pool.
“She put up more of a fight then either her parents,” Marc said before placing a pair of uniquely crafted rings on the edge of the pool.
Evelyn looked at the rings, scoffed at how ostentatious they were, and kicked them into the pool. Once those rings disappeared from sight the imp giggled, it was like an intolerable, tingling sweetness of water glasses when played on by a cunning hand.
Evelyn moved away from the precipice and found Marc waiting for her. For a moment they stared into each other’s eyes, and without saying another word left the pool behind.
After all, there was nothing more to say on the matter. Had she accepted their gift, she would have clawed her way out of the pool, an act permissible only to those who chose to embrace the eternal night.
Disclaimer: This chapter is currently in development. There are likely typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Please do not treat this as a polished and completed work!
Filed Under
Tagged With
-
Cause and Effect – Part III
For a moment, Evelyn considered baiting Victoria to make sure she still had the woman’s full support. There were conditions to their way of life, and choice featured prominently amongst the core tenants of their faith.
“How odd?” Evelyn whispered.
That nagging voice in the back of her thoughts had gone silent. A general sense of laissez-faire permeated her mind, which only served to strengthen the moral certainty that everything was above board.
Victoria noticed that Evelyn was silent, either for effect or as a part of the ritual; either way Victoria did not care. She knew that her character was aware of her thoughts, so why the inaction? In all honesty, she found the concept intriguing and frightening. How many wanted someone to truly understand how they felt in times of need? Especially during their darkest hour? Evelyn was in a way, a kindred spirit, or perhaps some twisted version of the fairy godmother.
“What did Evelyn choose?” Victoria wondered.
She never realised how all of this had been part of the show. A deliberate period of inaction to distract and deceive, to keep her blissfully unaware of what lurked behind her.
In the background, the smooth and reflective surface of the blood pool began to congeal. This transformation brought about tendrils, and with these, it began to move in a coherent mass out of the pool. This creature was drawn to Victoria, seeking out that one element lacking in the rest of this room, the spark of life.
Once the creature was within a sliver of that spark, Evelyn’s smile changed. Victoria focused on Evelyn, as the empress’ arm came forward. That hand then formed into a fist before she struck out a lone thumb, which was pointed towards the floor, and meant certain death. Victoria gasped, not knowing that this would be her last breath. That thing latched on, and dragged her into the depths.
Before Victoria realised what was going on, her vision had turned red. Above, she saw nothing more than a point of light growing smaller with every passing second. Perhaps panic should have set in, which would have left her flaying about like a fish out of water, but this was ludicrous! Left to drown in a pool of blood, after a chance meeting with one’s own creation? Surely, it was more likely that she was suffering from psychosis?
At first, she saw nothing more than fading light, but as time passed and her need to breathe grew, a black substance crept up from out of the depths. It seemed disjointed, lacking any form and Victoria wondered which part of her mind conjure up this apparition.
Once the spectre took a definite shape, she realised how literal Evelyn’s words were. The light peering from the surface represented the light of God, while the creature below would assist her in turning away. Turning away? No, those words did not apply, she would be torn away from his divine presence, and sentenced to suffer the same fate as that whore!
Victoria tried to break away from the tentacles’ grasp, by pushing against the walls, using what was left of her strength. Nothing seemed to be effective, even digging in her nails into the rough edges of the wall did nothing more than tear them off. She knew that time was limited, and that her life would soon be forfeit unless she broke free. With her body drawing upon the last of its last reserves, reality set in, her chance for escape was long gone.
Once the darkness reached Victoria, the creature released its iron grip while the spectre embraced her. The spectre’s hold was oddly comforting, like a mother rocking her child to sleep. With her lungs burning for air, Victoria calmed down. Intent on leaving this world on her own terms, she took a deep breath which filled her lungs with fluid. In that moment, Victoria something that evaded her for most of her life, peace.
Disclaimer: This chapter is currently in development. There are likely typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Please do not treat this as a polished and completed work!
Filed Under
Tagged With
Connect
