Tag Archive for: dark moments

Cool Kids

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by S Jade Path

 

Ren stood on the gore-slicked dancefloor, blood sluicing down her armour. Dancing holograms still gyrating in the wet smears, and the pounding music seemingly quiet in the absence of screams.

Staring, smiling, at what remained of the Syndicate Children—the Cool Kids.

They had made me, saved me, she sneered at that thought. They had taken her dead, junkie’s body, fused armour-scale tech to it, trained it to kill.

Made her into this abomination.

***

Ren sat on a ledge, 172 floors above the street, combat boots swinging.

Whispering, “Cool Kids never sleep.”

Leaning forward, she pushed off.

Falling—finally—to sleep.

 

S Jade Path

S Jade Path is a fledgling author of small fiction and a prolific creator of dark poetry. She has had a life-long obsession with crawling into the depths of the psyche and forging shadows into words. Her work parallels this penchant for delving into the fantastical and strolling amongst demons.  Follow her on Facebook: SJadePath

News from Sister No1

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by Joel R. Hunt

 

Garzo grabbed my shoulder.

“Quick, check the prime stream.”

I tuned in. The newscast flickered over my vision, showing our movement’s spokesperson, Sister No1, smiling.

“Glorious day!” she said. “Our struggle against Pleasure Inc is finally over!”

I frowned. Didn’t the megacorp still control our water supply and the air farms?

Then the CEO of Pleasure Inc stepped up to Sister No1’s side.

“This morning,” he said, “Pleasure Inc bought out the Anarcho-Libertarian Collective, including its records, assets…”

He held out a trigger, thumb at the ready. My neuro-implants began to itch.

“…and the life support codes of its operatives.”

 

Joel R. Hunt

Joel R. Hunt is a writer, proofreader, ex-teacher, and part-time human currently residing in the UK. He has a passion for horror, science fiction, and all things bizarre. His drabbles and other short stories can be found in a range of anthologies by Black Hare Press, Eerie River Publishing, and Paper Djinn Press, among others, and he posts daily microstories on Twitter. Updates and examples of his work can be found at The Weird Worlds of Joel R Hunt.

Leader of the Pack

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by Charlotte Langtree

 

The woman walked alone.

“She’ll have food tokens,” Jenna said.

Five men nodded. Jenna fingered the trigger of the holo-knife she’d stolen from a rival; it fooled scans and would leave a pretty hole.

They cornered the woman at a junction, weapons raised. Golden eyes flickered. Jenna’s gut clenched. It was a droid mole: a trap to catch rebels.

It opened its mouth. Scorching flames shot out, burning Jenna’s men to a crisp. Jenna screamed. The flames were hot, but the burn of the dragon-droid’s laser planting a chip in her heart was worse.

She bowed. “What is your command?”

 

Charlotte Langtree

Charlotte Langtree is an author and poet from the North of England, and her works have been published by the Inner Circle Writers’ Magazine, WPC Press, The Poet, Iron Faerie Publishing, Paper Djinn Press, and Black Hare Press. You can find her online on Facebook or at Charlotte Langtree Author/Poet.

Small Print

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by Simon Clarke

 

Gerry was asleep. His left eyeball pulsed and popped itself out of its socket and slithered onto the floor, heading for the door. It slithered along the hallway and out through the cat flap. Cybertronic Systems organs had state of the art neuro-connect functionality hence the searing pain in Gerry’s head, causing him to scream and tear at his face in agony. Outside, his cat licked aqueous humour from its paws and padded off satisfied, tail flicking the air.

When they said there were sometimes rejection issues, Gerry assumed he might be doing the rejecting, not the other way round.

 

Simon Clarke

Simon Clarke lives and writes poetry and fiction in Norfolk, United Kingdom. His works have been published by Hedgehog Press, Black Hare Press, Fifty Word Stories, and Breaking Rules Publishing. He regularly submits to UK and international publications and enjoys reading poetry at open mic events. Visit his Facebook page.

The Rift

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by Bernardo Villela

 

All aboard were awestruck. Creating the dimensional rift was simple, but from it came a spacecraft identical to ours.

The mission commander’s words echoed in my mind: Conducting geopolitical and scientific experiments over there shields us from consequence.

“Full speed ahead!” I said.

Our comms buzzed.

“This is the Nautilus.” From our twin ship I hear my voice speaking. It was us from another dimension.

“Thanks, our tech failed.”

My heart rate tripled. We looked at one another.

“Houston!”

“Remember your objective.”

We proceeded. The rift closed behind us sealing our doppelgänger’s fate. We were expendable, all versions of us.

 

Bernardo Villela

Bernardo Villela has published a novella The Isle of Helyr and three short story collections The Bloodmaster Trilogy and Teenage Death Songs Vols. 1 & 2, and has short fiction included in Coffin Bell Journal, The Dark Corner Zine, 101 Proof Horror, A Monster Told Me Bedtime Stories, Page & Spine, and forthcoming in 42 Stories Anthology, Constraint 280, and Rivet. You can read more about these and various other pursuits at www.miller-villela.com.

Annihilation

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by Victor Nandi

 

Blood spattered as bullets tore through soft flesh. Olivia and her followers fell. Their bodies lay still for a moment. Then, electric sparks sizzled from their artificial limbs that yanked them to their feet.

Olivia rose, stabbed her metallic hand into a guard’s chest, and walked into the control room. Teary-eyed, she hit some buttons.

“Target cities locked,” the console said.

A slot lit up displaying Insert key to launch warhead.

“You need the key.” A dying guard grinned.

Relief filled Olivia’s face. But it soon changed to helpless horror as metallic nanoparticles extended from her fingertip forming a key.

 

Victor Nandi

Victor Nandi is a Senior Content Developer with an Edtech Company. His works have been published in Verdad Magazine, Amanda Steel Publication, Virtual Zine, Clover and White, Tiger Shark Magazine, FTHM Magazine (publication due in January 2021), Healing Words Exhibition in London, and Nano Nightmares.

It’s Out There

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by Constantine E. Kiousis

 

David cowered in a dark corner of his bedroom, eyes wet behind fractured glasses, body shaking, arms clasped around folded legs. He could hear it walking down the hallway, heavy footsteps thudding towards the locked door.

He’d spent his whole life searching for them, dedicated every waking moment on deciphering clues others dismissed as conspiracy theory fuel. But he’d figured it out: the cattle mutilations, the crop circles, the sightings, the abductions.

He’d pieced it together.

He’d discovered the truth.

What never crossed his mind was that he wasn’t supposed to.

The door exploded.

David screamed.

They’d come for him.

 

Constantine E. Kiousis

Constantine E. Kiousis spends most of his time wandering through the worlds he has created, exploring every nook and cranny and constantly discovering new places and stories that need to be told.

He’s currently plotting ways to unleash the terrifying stories hiding in his mind upon the world, one word at a time.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiousisStoryteller

Judgement

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by Chris Bannor

 

I did everything by the book, followed every rule and regulation. None of that matters now.

I can see inside the window and nothing changes the judgement they passed. I want to scream that I did what I had to so we could survive.

The ship gets further away as they continue to watch.

I try to keep my face still, but terror eats away at me, and pain is etched in my bones. I turn my head and my body rotates. Now there is no one to see my last moments.

There’s no witness in the void of space.

 

Chris Bannor

Chris Bannor is a speculative fiction writer who lives in Southern California. Chris learned her love of genre stories from her mother at an early age and has never veered far from that path. You can chat with Chris on Facebook @chrisbannorauthor

 

On the Edge of the Map

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by Kaitlyn Arnett

 

It’s supposed to be a joke, marking the boundaries of space with a kraken next to the compass, or dragons curled alongside the edges of the page.

But the creature in front of them is real, solid, and there. It’s every monster they tell stories about, all dagger-like fangs and sharp claws. Its body wraps around a star, and when it speaks, its voice is that of a thousand people.

“You have seen something not meant for human eyes,” the voices call, “and you can stay no longer.”

It moves, and when it stills, nothing remains.

Nothing, but the unknown.

 

Kaitlyn Arnett

Kaitlyn Arnett is a teen author from Temecula, California. She primarily writes drabbles and short stories, specifically in the horror, fantasy, and sci-fi genres.

Sunset

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by Trevor Jess

 

I toss another green log into the struggling fire. It sputters in protest. I’m only prolonging the inevitable.

The cold permeates my suit, licking away the little remnants of heat. I stare at the frozen lake.

It should be teeming with laughter, bodies splashing joyfully.

But it’s barren.

Almost.

Beside me, a human block of ice. Crystallised. Their skin like fine salt.

They didn’t last.

Neither will I.

I look skyward. Our once vibrant sun flickering in a death dance.

Not long now.

I sigh.

Will anyone wonder what happened to us?

A final ripple of light.

And I wait.

 

Trevor Jess

Trevor began writing twenty-five years ago. Always a pen or pencil in hand when he was young, he could often be found doodling. Doodling led to drawing. Drawing led to creating his own comics. Comics led to storytelling. Storytelling led to writing. He still enjoys all aspects of his journey.