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 →
Free-For-All
"Shut down that network, then you'll get your repairs." She left the meeting with a sour taste, and strolled through the grand foyer, flexing glitchy cybernetic fingers. » Download complete « pinged across her view. A car waited by the curb and flashy skyscrapers shrunk away as it drove her across the city, to a... Continue Reading →
Carry On
"Done yet?" she sighs. I drift for a moment longer before resurfacing. I take a deep breath of ocean air, damp and organic. Did it really smell that way? She bangs on the door, "hello?" I cut off the simulation, my droid lifts my blackout glasses. Dark walls rush in and I blink away memories... Continue Reading →
Outsiders Deserve Chocolate Too
Candy's small kitchen sits outside the CityDomes. Her rare chocolates conjure hidden queues of children every morning. They grin as she hands each their single piece then hurries them on. A commotion draws Candy's attention to the front. The kids quieten. She retreats. A man's tossing shelves in the dark. He looks weak, but her... Continue Reading →
What’s the Chance?
"Black's not moving-" he cried. "It's okay baby, I'll fix it," she said. She'd chosen Black. She should've seen the signs. Never again. No more shortcuts. She'd tried other horses, same dark fur, tall, friendly, but he always knew. Her team arrived, collected Black and she returned to work, tireless and determined. If anyone could... Continue Reading →
Promised Waters
Solar floodlights expose the beachfront like daylight. Crowds gathered there nightly to escape the endless heat, their music drowning the waves. I move on over slippery rock-pools and round the cliffs further up the coast. Human sounds fall away as the cliffs lower to reveal a river mouth and marshy swampland, visible now beneath unburdened... 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 →