Dark and Introspective Fiction
Oh hi.
I seem to be fond of smelly old dirt floor basements and putting people in circumstances they would rather not be in. Not that I enjoy these things necessarily, I suppose it’s a way for me to express my fears to the world. I also like creeping people out. In a fun way of course. Have a listen, I hope you enjoy.
Until next time, I hope you are well.
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Cover Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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Oscar raises his eyes with one hand held at his brow to shield them. Written high on the weather-beaten panels of the fence are the words, ‘keep going’. Underneath the drips of paint creeping down from each letter, an arrow points north along the street. It asks those yearning for safety to wade into the broken asphalt, overgrown weeds, and sun-bleached bones of those didn’t survive the flood, or the monsters left behind once the water went away.
When Oscar closes his eyes, the girl’s face is as clear as a picture on the wall. Dark, wavy hair. Sad blue eyes. She holds a thin blanket tight to her chest. She only ever says one thing.
You have to keep going.
By going, she means follow the arrows. Continue north. It makes sense, as far as Oscar chooses to think on it. The water couldn’t have reached everywhere, especially higher elevations. That doesn’t mean he knows what to expect when he gets there.
A tremor rises through the soles of Oscar’s boots. He unhooks his thumbs from the straps of his backpack, spins away from the fence, and crouches down.
Oscar’s eyes dart left and right. He focuses on the beaten and rusted carcass of a sedan across the street. Keeping himself low, he scurries up behind the car, and slips into the open trunk. With the lid raised enough to allow a sliver of dull sunlight, he waits. The tremors grow, shaking the stale air of his sanctuary, until soon they are accompanied by snapping tree branches, and dust clouds kicked up by the commotion.
A column drops from the sky, crushing the heaving asphalt next to the car. Draped in grey, wrinkled skin, three jagged claws splay out of the front, and one longer sticks out from the back. The impact lifts the wreckage off the ground for a split second. Oscar sprawls inside, and the trunk lid cracks the top of his head as it falls.
A shadow speeds across Oscar’s hiding spot as the opposite leg trails forward and hammers into the ground far past the street. High above, the shape of the body blurs as it passes along the halo edge of the sun. Oscar calls them Stilts, or Tall Boys. Harmless mostly. Unless they step on you.
Greater distance is achieved with each successive stride, until the creature is neither seen, nor heard. Oscar eases the trunk up and sneaks a glance over the edge. As confident as he can be that the coast is clear, he swings a leg out and stands. Watching along the street behind him, Oscar points in the direction of the arrow on the fence and runs.
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Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash
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For this episode of Stories from the Dark I’m trying something new. The vision in my head doesn’t always translate to the real world, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work out in the end.
Are you a fan of weird camera angles and shadows? Do you really want to see my weird facial expressions as I read? Let me know what you think, who knows what I’ll do next time!
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The base of the green vinyl chair Benjamin had slumped in creaked and groaned under his shifting weight as he watched the door. He leaned away from the once white wall, darkened by age and dirty handprints. Without a phone, he didn’t know how many hours had passed since he arrived or if it was even the same day. The anxiety of being disconnected faded, likely swallowed by the growing numbness radiating from his ass.
The door to the room flipped open. Benjamin sat up as a detective in a moss green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows sauntered in. His thumb hooked behind the gold badge on his belt when he hitched up his pants, then he dropped a manilla folder on the metal desk in the middle of the room. Keeping a close eye on Benjamin, he pulled the worn black office chair away from the desk and flopped down. The detective sighed, opened the folder, and leaned over it. “Quite a night you’ve had… Benjamin.” He looked up with one eyebrow raised. “I bet your friends call you, what, Ben? Benny, maybe?”
Benjamin watched the detective without emotion. “No.”
The detective frowned. “Okay then.” He flipped through the papers in the folder. “Let’s see here, assault with a deadly weapon, destruction of private property, theft over—”
“It wasn’t my idea.”
“Don’t matter whose idea it was, you were there, which means just as much as if you planned the whole thing.”
“I didn’t plan anything. My… friends didn’t tell me what they were going to do. If they even knew it themselves.”
The detective gave a smile that was anything but genuine. “Oh, they planned it all right. Got two confessions already. Only need one more before the rest of the crew goes to lockup.”
Benjamin tilted his head. “Are you suggesting there’s some sort of deal on the table if I tell you what you want to know?”
The detective shrugged and looked away, fighting the twitch at the corner of his lips. “Maybe, and I mean maybe, that’s what I’m sayin’.”
Benjamin sat back and scanned the corners of the ceiling. “Am I on a hidden camera show? Does that kind of thing happen in real life?”
The detective scowled. “Well, if that’s the way it’s going to be.” He slapped the folder shut and pushed away from the table.
The air in the room grew heavy and still. Flickering light from the fluorescent fixtures overhead steadied and dimmed. The detective’s skin greyed as his body slowed and froze mid-way to standing. Benjamin frowned, then turned to the door and crossed his arms. When it swung a wide arc into the room, it did so without a sound.
A man in a black tailored suit sauntered in with a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. “Benjamin, there you are.” He shook a shiny, oversized watch down his wrist and glanced at its face as if time meant something. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I bet.” Benjamin stood with a wide stance. “What the hell happened out there, Wheeler?”
Wheeler’s smile faltered, and he averted his eyes. “It was a… misunderstanding.”
“You have a talent for down-playing nearly every situation, don’t you?”
The smile returned. “I have many talents.”
Benjamin rolled his eyes but did not respond.
“Anyway,” Wheeler waved a dismissive hand, “let’s get you out of here before our little distraction wears off.” He turned to walk out the door but stopped and leaned back into the room. “Benjamin?”
“What?”
“Don’t forget the folder.”
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Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
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First up, let’s set the stage with a reading from Chapter 5 of Chasing the Storm.
Next, a proper introduction to the Pencil on Paper team. Kaleigh asks me a bunch of questions about the end of The Storm series, writing in general, and what we have planned for the rest of the year and beyond.
If you’re on Instagram or Twitter, keep your eyes open for some general mayhem as we head into the world to celebrate the day. I hope you join us for the fun! In a virtual sense of course, at least for now…
Don’t forget the whole reason we’re here. Chasing the Storm, the third installment of the The Storm series is available now on Kindle, Kobo, and through the Pencil on paper webstore. I hope you have a chance to check it out!
Until next time, stay well.
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