It's one of those grey autumn mornings, when the fog rolls in and smothers everything; the world is clear and clean, freed by the mist's oppression. Fine droplets of water cling to the wool of my jacket as I burrow through the silver fog ( Read more... )

Kalim is a steelworker. Every morning he rises, goes to the factory, and does such things as steelworkers do; every evening he returns home and drinks bourbon and watches television, before passing out on his couch ( Read more... )

Dylan and Deirdre are all alone again, digging frantically. She can still hear his heart, but it's much faster now: clickety-clack, clickety-clack, like a horse galloping. It's so loud, and she wishes it would just stop; but no, no, she's learned how bad wishing is ( Read more... )

Lorre and Bevil sat around a small fire, talking. Bevil sharpened a knife as he sat, tapping his foot, dancing a motionless dance to an inaudible rhythm ( Read more... )

1 A.M. Delid dropped his cigarette to the ground, hesitated, and crushed it with his boot. Tick-tock, he thought, and his heart picked up the rhythm. Tick-tock, tick-tick, tick-tock. An addendum to the request asked that he not harm any guards, so instead he chose for them to fall asleep ( Read more... )

It was two in the morning when I first caught a glimpse of him. I shouldn't have been out that late; it isn't safe anymore. They can find their way in the dark a hell of a lot better than I can, since they don't need to see. Some of them don't even have eyes anymore. They smell you, I think. I can't really be sure ( Read more... )

Delid hit the ground running, patches of grass exploding around him. Two seconds and they release the dogs, he thought: two seconds later her heard a deep growling and felt hot breath on his legs ( Read more... )

Kite lay on the ground, bleeding. Several yards away, a black mass slowly melted and diffused into the ground. A thousand small, perfectly round pearls remained motionless: a testament to the thing's once-great life.

Kite's companions were long-gone -- yet still, something came. Slowly at first, then steadily gaining speed, several riders on chek' ( Read more... )

Mishka flips the switch lethargically and watches as the machine boots up. Its body parts begin twitching erratically, one by one, as it tests its systems. The eyes are last. They always are ( Read more... )

It is cold in Wintersdale ( Read more... )