Fantasy
Vents
Viktor’s eyes bore naked into the blackness of his studio apartment, pierced by a sliver of light through the curtains. It was 3:12 AM and his restoration lozenges had worn off nearly two hours earlier than prescribed. His dose was already higher than normal and he had just traded his last doctor’s tickets three days ago for a four month supply of B-12 syringes. Overheating, he pried away his ear muffs to hear the distant low rumble of the state-sanctioned Kineticas. The monotonous throb echoed oscillated synths and a four-beat exasperation. Sounds engineered to satiate higher stress levels of the civilians who can’t afford restoration lozenges. They used to be called Discotekas before the incursion. The early morning time allotment was nearly over and the next one would begin at 7AM. Most of the civilians were prescribed ear muffs to accommodate for the incessant thumping across the Sector
By Brandon Gorrie5 years ago in Fiction
The City Warped by Tungsten Smoke
The city outside was covered in a thick coating of tungsten ash. From the moment Edelweiss was born, she could remember the burning sensation in her lungs as she breathed. Even a minute in the thick smog caused her to cough uncontrollably. Everyone did, but tungsten was a critical component of Spellcaster's Dust. So, mines dug further as the air turned greyer. She hustled through the meandering alleyways, deftly avoiding the black pits of stagnant water. "Let's see, last week, Lowlands Pier was north of Dyer Marsh, but I'd better check again." She shuffled past a pile of soiled handkerchiefs and across the uneven cobblestones to a tall rusted soot filter. A yellowing map lay plastered on its side. "Updated two days ago, perfect." It was only common sense to make sure the city hadn't moved. A phenomenon that regularly occurred due to the magical corruption of a spell reaching its half-life. Sure enough, the pier was now to the west of Dyer Marsh instead of north. She took off running.
By Mukena Addict5 years ago in Fiction
Awaken
I opened my eyes, unaware of where I was, unaware of the time. I looked around me desperately trying to find even the most minute clue to provide me with an answer. I turned left, right, and behind me, but nothing made sense. I stood up and when I looked up to the sky, my eyes met a beautiful wine-red color that I have never seen before. I stood with awe in silence, contemplating the color of the sky in an attempt to calm my anxiety of the unknown. I took a deep breath, lowered my shoulders, lifted my chest, raised my right leg and took my first step towards the unknown.
By Alfredo Zanchez5 years ago in Fiction
The Heart Can't Deny the Truth
It’s times like these, I hate having such long-drawn-out missions, Violet thinks. Walking through a marsh, the humidity making her sweat, hair sticking to her face uncomfortably. Swatting mosquitoes every ten minutes and keeping her guard up, never knowing if potential enemies are nearby. Violet trudges through the marsh until she reaches a clearing where a man and two guards stand with valuables and treasure. The man is in good condition wearing golden robes that are clean and not a speck of dirt on them, somewhat smug and a twinkle in his eye. While the guards are wearing dark flexible robes that don’t have any dirt on them. Their expressions neutral and no emotions showing on their face.
By Abbye Willis5 years ago in Fiction
The Healer's Quest
The sun was the color of an opal, hanging high in the inferno red sky. She climbed up another dune of polluted black sands. The sand intermingled with the bone ash of millions of dead. Tiny shards of glass formed in the sands because of the extreme temperature.Struggled up and down dune after dune as the tiny shards made hundreds of micro holes in the fabric of her clothing and hundreds of tiny cuts to her flesh.
By Jason Drake5 years ago in Fiction
Dreams from the Witching Hours
Samantha woke with a start, as if struck by lightning. She screamed out and began to sob, bottomless, soul-emptying sobs. Lili ran to her sister and attempted to reach her arms around her. Samantha threw her off. Lili had the best intentions, of course, but there was nothing she could do to console her sister now. Lili stood back and watched as Samantha began to tear at her hair. Jason’s eyes shone from across the room. They couldn’t help either. No one could. Rue was dead and Samantha couldn’t begin to explain her agony. Lili stretched out her hand over her grief-stricken sister and began to murmur. Samantha collapsed upon her cot, apparently fast asleep as quickly as she’d awoken. This was their routine. Every night, Samantha woke, howling for her lover, and Lili put her sister back to sleep. Samantha’s dreams were once beautiful gifts. She wove tapestries to reflect the prophecies that blessed her sleeping mind. Samantha had danced, sung, and braided Lili’s dark, always tangled hair. Now, she was a ghost, haunted by recurring nightmares, promising that her other half, Rue, was soon to meet her end.
By Laurena Fauie5 years ago in Fiction
The Last Herald
Concrete walls slick with the dark stench of mold encase the small prison where I wait. Always waiting, I am. Be it for a new era, the forgotten promise, or for my own death, it is the waiting that defines my destiny. I am sure my enemies would call my execution the apex of my short existence, but it is not. For the harbinger of eternal rest must come for all heralds eventually and most certainly shall claim me too beyond this hole. No...my fate has been and always will be to hope.
By Rachel Merritt5 years ago in Fiction
Grim
Her screams tear at my ears. I try to push myself up from the ground, but I collapse. I cannot let them take her. A fist collides with my jaw sending a wave of pain through my entire body. A kick to my ribs causes me to cough up blood. I instinctively curl up into the fetal position. I try to scream her name, Kendra, but I choke on my words. Another kick to my left shoulder causes me to roll onto my back. His foot pins me down. Every bone in my body shrieks with defeat. “This one has the look of death in her eyes,” he snarls. His partner laughs at the remark. My eyes waver between the two people. The one who is pining me down has cracks in his skin that resembles a dry desert. The one who laughed has flesh hanging from his face that exposes a part of his bone structure. He has my little sister over his shoulder! Her body is limp. A mixture of panic and anger swarms over me. My hands scurry towards the leg of the man leering above me. I claw at him as I try to wiggle myself free. He kicks my hands away and stomps my wrist to the ground. The cracks in his skin start to glow orange. I would flinch, but Instead I freeze. My mouth becomes dry, and my skin begins to shrivel. I could not bring myself to close my eyes; I helplessly stare at my sister. His partner intervenes, “she is no good to us dead Lucas.” “Relax. We don’t need both,” Lucas retorts. His partner yells “Don’t tell me to relax. You know better than I what happens if we don’t bring them back alive.” Before either one could further protest, a bullet pierces Lucas’s chest. Green smoke emerges from his chest where the bullet hits. Lucas’s eyes widen as he mutters, “the cure.” The weight of his foot lifts from my wrist. He turns towards his partner who is already on the move. Lucas follows his partner’s lead running in the opposite direction of the pursuer. Cursing to myself I try to stand up, but I eventually opt to crawling on my knees. I must get to Kendra. I cannot let them take her! I hear the pursuer’s footsteps nearing. I pray the person does not shoot again. I would rather the kidnappers get away alive with my sister than to have a bullet hit her. What scares me the most is I do not know if she is alive. Her body was so still. My sister’s kidnappers are no longer in sight. I began to crawl as best as I can, but I am not fast enough. Black spots and tears cloud my vision. Suddenly a pair of boots block my path. I raise my head to look at the pursuer. My eyes linger on the gun in the person’s hand. If this is my end, then so be it. I can never forgive myself for losing Kendra. I take my gaze off the gun to look into the eyes of my killer. Those violet eyes stare back at me. It is the last thing that I see before the world goes black… My head is throbbing. The fire in my throat is suffocating. Blurry figures approach me; darkness comes… am I dead? a tingling sensation buries me. indistinct voices fade in and out. Silence comes… My body lunges upward. I am sitting on a floor layered with covers. My clothes are drench in sweat. I rapidly scan the decayed room. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the light coming through the boarded-up window. I am alone. I need to get out here before whoever captured me returns. I stand up too fast and get dizzy. I catch myself against the wall with my left shoulder. I grunt at the impact. The door is a few steps away. How big is this building? How many people do I have to get pass? My heart drops as the door slowly creaks open. A girl with an unreadable expression stands in the doorway. I recognize her violet eyes. I quickly position myself in a fighting stance. She reaches in her pocket and holds up a necklace that has a heart-shape locket. She notices a change in my expression. She tosses the necklace to me. When I catch it an image of Kendra’s still limbs swaying back and forth over her kidnapper’s shoulder flashes before me. The necklace belonged to our mother. We both miss her, but I let Kendra wear it. “Thanks,” I say. The girl nods her head in response. I clench the necklace and walk towards the door. “What are you doing?” The girl asks. “I am going to find my sister. She’s all I got have left. Do you mind moving?” I wait for the girl to move out of my way. She speaks in a neutral tone, “You’ve been out of it for three months. Your sister is long gone. Either way you wouldn’t make it into Alpha Order’ s district.” A part me knows she is probably right. However, it does not stop me from pushing pass her. I refuse to leave my sister in a slave camp. “Are you not listening? That’s a suicide mission,” the girl expresses. “Look, I don’t know you or why you even care if I die, but I know you use to be one of them. There were rumors about a cure. I didn’t believe it at first until I saw your eyes,” I reply in harsh manner. “Not everyone who was infected joined the Alpha Order resistance,” she replies. Although her expression remains unreadable, she sounds offended. I sense she is withholding information. I hesitate for a spilt second before walking away. The girl follows me. “Before you go, I need something. I need help getting supplies from a human region,” the girl quickly speaks. I knew there was a catch for her saving my life. There is always price for everything. “Now that you are cured why can’t you go get your own supplies,” I ask. “Not everyone acknowledges that I am human again. Even though I no longer have powers they call us abnormal. Some people even think I am an AO citizen. You on the other hand can safely walk into a human region,” the girl explains. “I can’t help you. The law of jungle applies in the human regions too. I can’t just walk into any human region. Besides they often relocate,” I firmly state. I do not doubt that some humans target her. Regardless, my priority is rescuing Kendra. The girl grabs my arm prompting me to a halt. “Please, I saved your life, and I can show where to get vials of the cure in case you need it,” she pleads. MC30 is not contagious, but I could use to cure; It would be easier to fight a human than to fight the discarded ones. “Fine, I’ll help,” I reply. She releases my arm and puts her hand outwards. “My name is Aaliyah,” the girl says. I shake her hand. When I refrain from telling Aaliyah my name, I think she takes the hint that I do not intend on becoming friends. I’ve learned not trust anyone over the last few years. “How do we get to the roof so I can scope out our surroundings?” I ask. Aaliyah guides the way. The world looks lifeless from up here. I wish I were desensitized from the destruction of the city. It has been seven years since civilization fail apart. I am glade Aaliyah stands quietly beside me. Other than a means to survive, death is all anyone ever talks about. Now that there is a cure for those who are infected maybe there is a chance for peace. Presuming they take the cure. That guy…Lucas looked dismayed when Aaliyah shot him with the cure. If she had come any later while Lucas was draining the life out me, I think I would be dead. I look over to Aaliyah. I wonder which superpower she used to have. She breaks the silence by asking “Are you ready?” I reply, “I don’t think any of us were ever ready.”
By Jay Wilson5 years ago in Fiction
Loyalter's Curse
The pendent hung from his neck, an upside down heart made of black glass. It cast a swinging shadow on his chest. It was difficult to fathom the power it held. I watched the sand inside of it swirl as if it were alive. Which it was…sort of. That is if you count the catatonic state of floating around as a grain of sand in a creepy magic locket as being alive.
By Haylee Wilson5 years ago in Fiction
Jake's Dilemma
“I-hate-you,” my brother wheezed, leaning against a large oak and heaving like a prized bull. I’d been forced to slow my pace twice now just so he could keep up. We were close to four miles from Locke’s Church, but still ridiculously behind schedule.
By travis plowman5 years ago in Fiction
