SST#3- New, Unpublished Flash Fiction!

“The blast of the sirens was a glaring shock. It wasn’t test day, not even the right time of day, and that blaring warning was horribly loud and instantly ominous. Usually followed by a pattern of short blasts and one long, this sound never halted, never paused and it only grew louder, more eerie.

“After a full minute, other signs began to appear. Television and cable channels tuned automatically to the emergency broadcast system, as did car radios, cell phones, and computers- all carrying the same message. We were in grave danger.

“And then the panic set in as ATMs, bank accounts, internet access, and the NY Stock Exchange closed down. We couldn’t call, couldn’t withdraw, and were cut-off from all lines of communication as we stared, stunned at the sight of bombs flying through American airspace… and then into our homeland. How many went insane from the shock and grief of watching so much death? It’s impossible to say.

“The cameras rolled constantly, capturing it right up close. Some day, a gifted soul may find these relics and use them to prove how the end of the world happened…and I have little doubt that when it goes public, it will be a censored version of the truth, like usual. Some things, even a nuclear world war can’t change…”

The professor hit stop on the recording and turned toward his most promising pupil. “Yes, Amanda?”

The girl blushed prettily, but her teammates knew there was steel under those vivid blue eyes.

She lowered her hand. “Was she right? Does it never change?”

The instructor’s sharp gaze evaluated. “There is good and bad in equal amounts in the human soul. It is up to you which one is served - because of HER efforts to preserve the chance HE gave us.”

The girl nodded, extremely long blond ponytail properly secured, but for a single rebellious curl. “And have we? Honored their sacrifices, I mean?”

Never hesitating to tell his men the truth, the Eagle answered confidently. “Yes, as much as any group of people can, who carry so much evil naturally.”

Satisfied, the rookie fighter settled back to finish listening to the audio tape and her CO made a note to tell those in charge she almost ready for the real battlefield, where horrors from the past still existed in cruel, heartless reality. Here in New Network City, they were enclosed by the dome – safe. Out there, was another world to be conquered, settled.

The teacher hit the button, letting them listen to the full tape this time. Amanda was all they’d hoped and more and so far, no one suspected she’d been modified. The success with her would allow them to get further, and in a few years, there would be hundreds of embryos that no longer contained the half and half mix of good and evil. Like the girl in front of him, these daughters of Alexa would be pure, allowing Adrian’s dream to see fulfillment.

They also wouldn’t be exactly human. The DNA strands they’d found had allowed them to almost bring the fire-demon herself back. Alexa would walk again… and in her rule, the final summit would be achieved.

They couldn’t kill evil out completely without exterminating themselves. So, they’d chosen to breed it out instead. Peace at any cost.

Here are a couple of books you may like. Both of these authors were kind enough to host me on their blog for Adrian’s Eagles release and I’m very grateful.

The Endarkening by Lee Fitzsimmons

$2.99

In the darkness, things are not always what they seem to be...

Johnny finds a very old book containing specific instructions about summoning the Dark Prince Gabriel and his legion of Elder Daemons. These legions of darkness are after the soul of Rashan Alexander, a Jamaican prodigy whose destiny it is to bring peace to many war-torn areas of the world. In order to stop this demonic threat and save the life of Rashan, the people of an entire city must unite together or be destroyed by their own evil desires.

The Endarkening is the first volume in a series of novellas entitled The Daemonic Chronicles by up and coming author Lee Fitzsimmons. This passionate, yet intensely action-packed thriller is filled with both diabolic ritual and heart-warming salvation, as the quickly paced narrative keeps the reader entranced until the very last page.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Endarkening-Daemonic-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B006HYZUYO

Gunship-Dual Strike by John M. Davis

$2.99

Adam Michaels is a down on his luck space smuggler, that is until he is offered a chance to score the big payday by taking a job with the highly feared Hunter clan. The vampiric race places a young lady in the lap of the Gunship's crew, and Adam slowly begins to fall for the woman he has waited an entire lifetime to find. Now, he must decide between the money they so desperately need or the beating heart in his chest, a choice that would place both he and his crew in serious danger.

Gunship and Glimmeria are both non-stop thrill rides filled with humor, cheap whiskey and unique races of beings which exist beyond the stars as we know them.

Cover design by Daniel Davis

Visit the official Gunship Portal to learn more:
http://tinyurl.com/gunshipportal

http://www.amazon.com/Gunship-Dual-Strike-ebook/dp/B006UH8DA6

"

"This is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?

Hello? Is anyone out there?"

The Survivors

*Free on all retailers

Author’s Website    Diesel   iTunes   Kindle   Kobo   Nook   Smashwords   Sony

 

Justice (Story Sunday)

Dedicated to all the animals suffering from mankind's indifference.

 "How much?"

"Almost 60,000 barrels a day."
"Worst in history."
"Won't matter. It's what insurance is for."
"It's what we're for."

 The voices carried easily in gusting shore winds and those listening unseen, felt the hate grow deeper in their hearts.

 
"We report it's not that bad, that it's breaking up, people start to relax. Stocks go back up."
"And then its business as usual, right?"
"Yep. Ain't nothing money won't buy."

Their snickers and indifference marked them as the enemy, even if the yellow vests and clipboards had not, and the investigators moved toward the narrow sea cave like foreign invaders surveying their loot.

"How much you think the insurance will cover?"

"Most. It's cheaper to pay premiums than to develop the technology to handle spills. British Petroleum is paid up for the next decade."
"Wish they'd pay those coastal fishermen so the reports would stop winding people back up."
"Me too."

The oil inspectors reached the cave as the next swell rushed in and their boots were covered in a thick layer of rainbow sludge.

"It's still coming in."

"It will for a long time. Remember to wipe those off before you head back."
"You too."
"Yeah. Don't want any proof it's gotten this far yet."

The men moved into the dim, sludge lined cave with uneasy glances and the sound of the water rushing in grew louder, hungry. They began to measure and collect samples and neither of them noticed the shadows getting closer as they talked.

"Guess the new cap’s holding."
"Pictures look good. You think they're real?"
"I doubt it. The government only shows people what it wants them to see. Once we say it's staying out there, the news will grow bored with it and find another story."
"Hard to hide all those bodies, though."
"It's just fish. The birds'll clean it up."
"But won't it be another big story?"
"No. In case you haven't noticed, there's no one on these beaches now. Tourism here is gone for a long time."
"Still, the residents have taken pictures and the camera crews fly over all the time."
"Won't matter. Money shuts people up. Just have to find the right price."
"Can't argue with that."

Between tides, the rising water levels in the narrow cave were unusual but the inspectors were trained in oil, not the ocean and the tugging, rainbow sludge was up to their knees before either of them noticed.

"Water's up. Let's hurry."
"Wonder if that has anything to do with the methane. Put it in the report."

Well paid, the two men stayed to finish their observations and collections and the water continued to slowly rise, rolling in but not going back out.

"Did you feel that?"

"What?"
"I’m not sure. Sort of like a vibration under my feet."
"Probably just the water. It's still coming up."
"Maybe but I'd swear..there it was again!"
"I didn't feel anything."
"Something moved by my foot!"
"Stop it."
"Really, I... what was that?"

Both men turned to see a shape under the hip high water, one that caused their mouths to dry and their hearts to thump. A shark fin.

"Back off, nice and easy."
"Don't move!"
"Look out!'
"Behind you!"
"Ahhh!"

The oil covered shark tossed his head viciously, reveling in the gush of fresh food, and then he was being pulled back by the stingray.

"Stop. There must be proof." Denied a much needed meal, the angry shark snapped at the ray and then whined in pain as the manta stung him brutally.

"Enough!' They both looked to the old, jellyfish floating in the oil stained water.

"Man is our enemy, not each other. Drag them out and the crabs will bring them to the shore so they can be found beside the black poison they unleashed." The huge Jelly was obeyed without argument and the water in the cave slowly lowered, allowing them to wash out with the wave.

"What comes next?" The Manta Ray asked the Jelly and neon lights of concentration flashed under the waves as the centuries old keeper of the water struggled to form thoughts through the rage.

"Call the whales, the orcas. Any that are left will come. We have to gather an army and drive man out of the oceans. After that, we’ll talk to those on land, make a deal if we can. Surely the air breathers are dying as fast as us."

"Can we fight so many?" The Jelly flashed uneasily.

"I don't know. Until now, our world has been unreachable but every day brings them closer to our homes, our families. If we don't fight back now, we may not be able to later and I would have justice!”

"It's like Obscenity: I know it when I see it"-From Red Tash, Author of This Brilliant Darkness-(Guest post)

I recently met a woman online who impresses me daily with her drive and determination. Some people moan when fate throws them a wild card but not my new friend, Tash. She turns it into This Brilliant Darkness that we call dark Fantasy.


I invited her to stop by and tell you her definition of this magical, terrifying genre and she graciously accepted. I hope you'll make her feel welcome and give her new book a try. There's a free sample available and you should read it first, to be sure her level of darkness is right for you. I found it perfectly chilling.

What is Dark Fantasy?

It’s no secret—I found Angela’s blog while I was searching for other authors who write dark fantasy.  I wasn’t surprised, however, when I learned our books were so different.  So what does “dark fantasy” mean, anyway?

According to Wikipedia, there’s some debate about the term, but I’ll spare you the academic esoterics.  How about an illustration, instead? If you’re familiar with Angela’s books, you realize her dark vision includes apocalypse, man’s seedy, animal nature—and the flip side of that, the heroes who rise above destruction and fight for what’s right.

Then there are the works of Holly Black, which seem to so adore seediness that they revel in them, while at the same time making it clear that even the good guys have their nasty sides.  I confess, I was very inspired by Black when I started writing my current work-in-progress, Troll or Derby.  In fact, I’ve been trying to fill it with so many guilty pleasures, it’s probably bordering on satirical at this point.

But I digress.  Here’s the definition of Dark Fantasy I posted on my site, when I first “came out” as a dark fantasy author:  What is dark fantasy? It’s a cocktail of imagery from the most secret places of your mind. It’s scary, at times funny, imaginative, and simultaneously familiar. If you like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or Holly Black, you like dark fiction.

But there are other dark fantasy authors:

Charlaine Harris

Jim Butcher

Kim Harrison

Laurell K Hamilton

Ambrose Bierce

Jonathan Stroud

Suzanne Collins

And shows!  Oh, the dark fantasy shows, movies, etc. are the best:

The Walking Dead

True Blood

Game of Thrones

The Stand

Terminator

Harry Potter

Pan’s Labyrinth

Edward Scissorhands

Hot Fuzz

Bladerunner

Personally, I can’t wait to see the upcoming Hunger Games movies.  Those books are dark fantasy that meets us in a very chilling dystopian future, not unlike Angela’s books The Survivors, and the Bachelor Battles.

So, have you decided what Dark Fantasy is yet, exactly?  Angie defines it up there, in the header of her site.
As for me, I know it when I see it.

If you’ve read your way through Angie’s works, don’t forget to check out her dark fantasy blog on Amazon.  If you’d like to check out my latest book, This Brilliant Darkness, I’d love to hear what you think!

Visit me soon at RedTash.com/bash and you can enter in my Kindle giveaway.  What’s even better than a free Kindle?  How about free dark fantasy books from nearly 40 authors?  If you like your fiction scary, you’ll be reading lots of it—for free, if you’re the lucky winner!  There are also great prizes for the 2^nd & 3^rd place winners, as well.  Hope to see you there!

Want a free sample?