She detected heat, movement. No one's stupid enough to be that exposed in the snow. "Hide," Narra commanded Jae. She nocked an arrow, elbow up, eyes trained, just as Diannao once taught. Jae had drawn over Diannao's face one day, but Diannao taught her to focus despite distractions. The cabin door slammed. Narra watched in... Continue Reading →
Whispers Remain
People come out changed, or not at all, says the whispers. Called me in ta' fix a drone. Remembered thinkin' their workers looked mindless, till one leaned in, showed me circuitry boosts I never could'a imagined. Wondered, why me? Then they hired me full time, ta learn their subatomics, an' I keep gettin' a sense... Continue Reading →
New Worlds
Across the water, something glistened. Had he finally found it? Racing, stumbling through waves, he slipped. The water dragged him under. He kicked and thrashed for an age. Ever sinking, tired now. He'd searched for nothing. A voice, otherworldly and infinite, reached him beneath the river's roar, "fight, human." One final moment, through agony, he... Continue Reading →
Debt to be Paid
Radiation reached his skin through UV-resistant clothes. "Four-hundred-thirteen billion credits for today's contestant! If he survives..." A hidden crowd cheered. He retrieved his only permitted secret ingredient with a blistered hand. "What's today's contestant chosen for us?" Blinding light. The crowd gasped. The glare receded and he staggered forward, balancing a platter, alien delicacies piled... Continue Reading →
Timeless
Despite countless weeks spent on coding and design, she'd almost forgotten the outfit. School notification; dance-hall activated. Eyes closed, chest tight, time to upload. Other students uploaded too, filling the dark virtual dance-hall with a chaos of colour. The guests contrasting with timber decor meant for long-lost tuxedos and ballgowns. She took a moment to... Continue Reading →
Tarnished Tranquility
She's trudging through the forest as silence hits, sending chills through her despite the hike and heat of nearing sunrise. Could've been peaceful, under different circumstances. Determined to find her missing friend, she persists. Body growing numb. The forest's stagnant silence thickens. Her mind reels. Shouldn't have ignored the reports, her friend wasn't invulnerable. And... Continue Reading →
Essentiality Remains
My restless body sleeps, mind seeking. Endless doorways. Some lead nowhere, others to places I cannot comprehend. There's just one I search for. Within, contains a source of darkness. I must eliminate it. I wander twisting corridors, labyrinthine in nature, as all minds are. There, ahead. The darkness, flickering and tremulous. I follow, my heart... Continue Reading →
Visitor
The grounds shuddered. The air hummed along with urgency. Something was happening. Its kin at rest, a lone creature emerged from its dwelling, peering out toward the meeting line of void and land. The hum grew violent as the void tore open with a flash. From the tear, a being of another kind tumbled into... Continue Reading →
Worth Waiting For
They chose Earth. Chose a human child. Though her mind began dark, she, my host, became my home. As she grew, I learned how her brain worked completely, every single firing synapse that surrounded me. I even stepped her back off a cliff once. That was a fight. She didn't want to stay. They wanted... Continue Reading →