Just as quickly as dusk had bloomed into night, so too did the demeanor of her two guides morph into troubling grimaces. While the two proceeded to stamp out the remaining embers from the once roaring fire…

“Just leave it to me,” I spoke with confidence as I muscled my way past through the large doors before anyone from the party could form a rebuttal.  Once I had slipped inside though, that confidence took a nosedive.  I quickly realized that the expansive room beyond was far too dark…

The occasional twig snapped loudly beneath my feet. With every step forward, the sack which rests on my shoulders seemingly gained another pound. It wouldn’t be much longer before the weight becomes more than I can…

Within a tall, glass covered office building, a burly man taps out a rushed rhythm while awaiting a report. Frantically flipping through mountainous stacks of paper, an array of subordinates search for something to satisfy their boss’s appetite. All except for one, who gently cleared their throat before reading…

Crafted to last a lifetime. A tool forged for the mines, designed to break ore and hammer downt massive railway lines laid out throughout the massive caverns underneath the capital. Magnetism radiates along its axis, aiding in the acquisition and collection of valuable resources. Immensely heavy, only the strongest can manage a full swing, but if the user is strong enough…

A kingdom by the sea long lost to time was once home to an inseparable pair of brothers. Though they were heirs to the throne, they forged their names on the rough streets that would one day become their charge. But one day, when the older of the pair claimed the throne…

A pull followed by a twist. The familiar motion is done without any conscious thought. Hot water quickly envelops me, forming a soothing cocoon from which I never truly wish to emerge. And yet, there are things that must be done. Eventually, I pry myself free and lazily dry off before approaching the mirror that hangs behind the sink. A quick swipe reveals my reflection.

I tried to gasp, but remained silent, bound in fear…

A strong slap of ocean spray rouses me from my short respite. Slowly settling back into reality, I find rest has done little to improve my overall wellbeing. Truthfully, I can no longer gauge how long I managed to find sleep; mere seconds or hours, either way, I wished for more. But no matter what I try, sleep evades me as the persistent sun and ocean collude against my best efforts…

*** Part #2 continuation of Sybil, Premonition of the Hellion ***

Disconcerted. It was the closest word she felt fit the growing feeling that had slowly taken residence within her gut. A week had passed since its stay began, growing stronger each day. It had taken Catalina awhile to nail down the right word for the feeling, but she had plenty of time for contemplation. These days not much was asked of her. From time to time there was something or someone that needed to be dealt with, but mostly she just stood watch over the shiny gates. She had a suspicion…

Time could be a funny thing within this domain. For the denizens of this section of the infernal plains, days could often slip by as if they only existed within that of a single blink of an eye. For others, usually those burdened to extreme monotony or duress, it was the inverse as a single day could stretch out near limitlessly; time losing all meaning as their reality melted into a malleable substance easily controlled by those at the top of the food chain. While she was certainly not a big fish, within the murky waters of this fluidity of time, Sybil thrived…

It was a dark and stormy night and while I would have liked to have been at any one of the many parties tonight, instead I was spending Halloween traipsing through a damp, abandoned building. This was the consequence of being friends with Zoe. Apparently, it was too perfect of a night to waste it doing anything other than delving into the supernatural. She was the type to poke the bear and see what happened…

In these parts, the water was mostly always calm and without any waves or ripples stray from the occasional animal. Today was a particularly quiet evening though terrors lurked underneath the surface. Right now, only Clio’s old, small single engine vessel, that could at best only crawl around at a snail's pace, caused a faint disturbance. It was a sad sight. The wood of its hull was worn; once bright red lettering faded into indecipherability. But, it had been all she could afford for her once desperate search…

It was a scorcher. Honestly… it was beyond scorchingly hot. An inescapable dryness seemed to radiate off of the surrounding concrete buildings, amplifying the sun’s intense potency. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Annie cursed under her breath at the fiery ball high in the sky. Unconcerned with her plight, it cast its harsh judgment down…

Within your walls, it waits. A creeping rot slowly collecting just below the surface, ticking away like a silent time bomb. Try as you might to strip away the wallpaper or punch holes through the drywall, it cannot be diffused. It is a dark entity that swims in the shadows throughout the halls of your family’s home…

When it was all over, after the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance became that but of a faint memory, people told her how she should feel. They told her that it was normal to feel upset, maybe even as if some piece of her had been lost. After what she and the town as a whole had been through this past month, recovery and most certainly change was an inevitability. And yet… she didn’t feel all that different; everyone else certainly did.

Upon her eventual return, she became a pariah…

I take another step forward, but find harsh resistance when I try to lift my leg back up. Mud. Another day, another indignity. This slog was without an end. At least, that’s how it feels at times when this goal of mine is nowhere to be seen. But then again… shouldn’t the journey be part of the fun along the way. Day by day, I’m not so sure…

I cannot escape from its sight; that color, once the most beautiful shade of green that my eyes had ever laid upon, now haunts my every waking moment. From my confinement, it is an always present fixture of my vision. Unable to look away, it forever taunts me. A delicious sweet held just outside of the reach of my outstretched hand. A twisted mockery…

A silence descended slowly like gentle snowflakes on an early winter morning. Gradually, it built into an impenetrable force as shadows coalesced around the base of an old oak tree from which I had been restrained. Fear held me close…

A man walks within shadows. There is a rhythm to his stride, a swagger in the way in which he carries himself as he slowly enters into the center of a bright light. Within him lies a boundless insight, allowing him to delve into the depths of the shadows…

Tumbling forward to soften the impact of her leap, Amirah hurriedly caught herself before her head could collide with the railing. Quickly righting herself, a clock began counting down. Even if no one had seen her escape from the party above, eventually someone was sure to notice the absence of a known aristocrat. Peering through the doorway leading back inside the building, Amirah found…