I tell you these things so you can understand what I am experiencing now. I am awaiting my turn to be seen by our newest crown king. My mother and father are dead, have been for a year. It was such a lovely birthday present, walking into the palace to find the murdered bodies of ...

His black face blurs, melting against the dark, plate-glass window.   He told himself he wouldn’t stagger, Fuck, stand up on weak knees.   His hot molten steel, soft skin.   Obscured memories watch him like an eagle-eyed intruder, the age of murder cuts against his reflection.   He turns one way – a ghost releases ...

Flowing water rouses Sullivan from a deep slumber. Expecting to wake to an opened bedroom window, he gasps at the realization before him. With hands and feet bound by tape, the seventeen-year-old sits alongside a creek, roped to a tree. Autumn temperatures in the forest chill him to the bone, so he draws his legs ...

Choices have consequences; that was the lesson I learned the hard way. It did not seem to matter that my choices are the right ones for me. What mattered was that I was supposedly betraying my family and our planet with my choices. Was it that bad? I wish I could answer that question, but ...

Zana sprints around Planet Kaddasm’s rough terrain in perpetual darkness with great ease. Her large, light-sensing eyes give her night vision, and her cold-blooded body allows her to thrive on the frigid planet. She veers left and right, maneuvering through the tree groves without effort. Zana searches for volboar, creatures that run amok on Planet ...

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. The characters presented were created and are owned by Joss Whedon**   Field trip days were the worst. Not only were they subjected to the most boring of subjects but it also meant that she couldn’t sneak away from the group. Headcounts and constant parental checks deterred ...

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. The characters presented were created and are owned by J.K. Rowling.** Reality often was the hardest thing to realize. In truth, we knew the moment that we were born that we all would receive our Hogwarts letter when the time came. After all, someone born into such ...

CASE FILE FW.DP.001-1 Locals report that several prominent members of their town have vanished into thin air. No notes, no clues and no suspects. That was the only information printed across the page tucked inside the crisp manila folder with its neatly printed label. Soft blue eyes darted from the stark white page to the ...

Nolan and Brynn enjoy lunch at the Old Wintry Café and overhear a conversation at a nearby table. Three women are discussing rumors about an old brick building with a weathered, red door. The middle-aged lady informs her two younger companions of her given warning against entering the door while the wreath hangs on the ...

Headlights shine in Sara’s rearview mirror, forcing her to squint on her Friday night commute home from work. Grumbling over November’s early darkness and persistent glare in the mirror, she reaches up to adjust it. The driver follows unusually close and puts her on edge. Her grip tightens around the steering wheel, and she accelerates, ...