There was an assortment of watches on both her wrists. Digital, analog, leather straps, gold straps, and some made of pure silver. Each watch told a different time in a different place, and she admired them, treasured them like one would treasure their own life. She lived in a hall of her own making. A ...

Mom kept pacing the living room, back and forth, not saying a word. It would have been easier if she just had just come out and told us how disappointed she was, announced our punishments, and sent us to our rooms. She wanted us to apologize, to explain. Finally, I could not stand the silence ...

Aubree peered out the window and stared at the leaves as they danced in the wind. A robust breeze collected several fallen ones from a small pile situated under a tree. They swirled upward into the air with ease. After a short flight, they made their way back toward the ground, swaying from side-to-side as ...

The rain hammered on the roof of the boxcar, waking the brothers from their sleep. They’d reached Tucumcari and prepared to jump off a few miles before the train reached the depot. They sloshed through the muddy streets of the small New Mexico town. Wilburn noticed it wasn’t much to look at. The train depot ...

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 ...