Miria’s eyesight was poor, and that was before the hibernation sickness. She awoke alone. The Mon Chou was as deathly quiet as space itself. It was a freighter—unglamorous, but cheaper than a passenger transport—hauling a wormhole mouth to Khambalia. Miria wandered the identical empty corridors. Motion sensors kept her spotlit within the surrounding blackness. By… Continue reading What Comes Lurking in the Light
Tag: Monsters
The Devil’s Playground
Winged saber-toothed T-Rex. Those were the words that finally convinced Colton to join his old service buddy, Matteo, on a trip to Mars. They were also the reason he'd probably die there. Darwin, colloquially known as Darwin's Playground, or simply the Playground, was a large crater in the Argyre quad, and was home to more than… Continue reading The Devil’s Playground
Subject 17
"Okay, Ella, you just stay right here. You wait for me right here." Kaylie could hear the frantic desperation in her own voice. She hoped the rubbery muffle of her gas mask hid her fear from the child. Fear was contagious. The last thing Kaylie wanted was for Ella to be afraid. Not just because… Continue reading Subject 17
Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun
A couple of years ago Maggie would have thought it wasn't fair and become despondent that the chaos of the universe had a preference for her misery. But that was the fatalistic response of a child. She was 18 now—an adult; a woman of action—and the only words that fit were this is bullshit! It was… Continue reading Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun
Priority Message
It came from beneath the ice dear God what was that thing it came from beneath the fucking ice! Waverly Thompson ran for her life over a frozen rock-littered waste the color of burnt molasses. Her heart raged in her chest as it failed to satiate her oxygen-starved muscles, but her scramble didn't slow. It… Continue reading Priority Message
No Safe Haven
"What was that thing?" Becca asked, her breathlessness preventing the sobs she knew were coming. "Who cares? We need to get out of here, now." Grant pulled at her elbow and before she knew it her legs were flying beneath her as she swatted away brambles and damp leafy branches in the sickly light of… Continue reading No Safe Haven
Darkly Comes the Terminus
He was still out there—the Waiting Man—with his heavy stare; as heavy as a burden; as heavy as the hole where his soul should be, and all the quiet pretty things he's tried to fill it with. He's waiting, as he does so well. Waiting for me. But I won't open the door. Between the… Continue reading Darkly Comes the Terminus
Warmup Pages 