The leaves rustled in the cold January breeze just off the railroad tracks as Wilburn stood beside his brothers. The three boys lined up before their father, Nelson, and waited in silence for him to speak. Wilburn’s heart drummed in his chest, his palms grew slick, and his blood surged. Nelson stopped in front of ...

I woke up back in my bedroom with the starlight streaming on my face. I used two fingers to massage my temple to soothe the sharp pain in my skull. I swung  my legs over the bed surprised that I didn’t need to use an arm to support myself as I sat up. How did ...

Bllrrrrt! Blrrt! Cruuncchh! I jolted awake. My eyes sprang open, and I scanned my lake house bedroom. An apparent power outage obliterated all lighting, leaving me shrouded in darkness. My heart raced, and I struggled to determine the source of the noise that jarred me from my slumber. I reached down and patted the bed ...

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four Trigger warning: graphic sexual content and violence Morning light trickled through leaves and dispersed what was left of the night. Wierna and her guards crouched low, spying on a clearing just ahead of them. Large bushes concealed them from sight. Bandits camped here, their fires low and ...

The cigarette burned orange as it hung off the corner of her lips. One of the few things illuminating in the dark. Brewing storm clouds concealed stars and the moon. She could feel a rain coming, sooner rather than later. A breeze stirred her blonde locks, whipping them across her face briefly before settling down. ...

The storm outside matched my mood. The rain splattered against the windows, and every few minutes, lightning lit up the trees outside, bent against the harsh wind. I usually loved rainstorms and liked to watch from my wide front porch, swaying back and forth on my white wooden porch swing, but I wasn’t ready for ...