Elena Rodriguez's hands trembled as she poured her coffee, spilling drops onto the worn cabin floor. Ten years as a forest ranger, and she'd never felt this uneasy. The storm outside howled, a sound she usually found comforting, but tonight it felt different—menacing, almost sentient. She glanced at the photo on her desk—her and her father, both in ranger uniforms, smiling in front of this very cabin. He had disappeared i...

Liverpool Lime Street train station, nestled in the heart of the city, pulsed with an undercurrent that was felt rather than seen. A grandiose edifice of Victorian ambition, its arched roof and labyrinthine platforms masked an eldritch resonance that only the sensitive could perceive. By daylight, it was a bustling hub of transit, but as dusk descended, the station’s true nature unfurled in subtle, sinister whispers. Magg...

The wayward dark soul of twilight shadow of the devil's hermaphrodite skeleton among the stones a vessel awaking from the grave to reign on ashes of bones dragged through the gate of Hell with cinder of death's breath resurrecting the crypt of dawn in a metamorphosis of the worm

17th of January –Season 3 EARLY MONDAY MORNING Blackcat Mathunzi had never been much of a teacher, but unfortunately for him, practicing this ancient form of African Occultism came with a price. It was a disclaimer of sorts: Everything you have learnt must be passed on to another; a worthy successor who will become more wiser and far more powerful. Blackcat admittedly never liked this part of the practise. Why couldn’t he...

July 1822... Percy Shelley had been reckless ignoring the storm warnings, and the violent squall would not be outrun. Moments before tumultuous waves engulfed the Don Juan and its sailors, Percy shoved a book of Keat's poems into his pocket. Most appropriately, poetry would be this Romantic poet's last thought before his death on that fateful day. Adding to the trauma of their loved ones, the uncaring sea wouldn't spit th...

"Beep!" A coke can. "Beep!" Rusty barbed wire. Every time Derek got a response from his metal detector, it turned out to be another worthless item. The farmer always gave him permission to check out his field after the autumn ploughing, and all day he had been working back and forth without a single meaningful find. As dusk was approaching, Derek decided it was time to give up for the day and head home. But as he collecte...

To everyone in the room, she seems like just a normal girl wearing Vans, blue jeans, and a red hoodie, but to me, she is so much more.  This outwardly unassuming woman is not who she claims to be. She is not the woman everyone sees. They see the version she presents because she is so skilled at it. Years of practice have trained her to blend in; to give the people what they want to see. What would make them comfortable, s...

The killer looks down the scope at his target. He neither knows nor cares why The Boss wants this woman dead. That is not the killer's problem. The woman is undressing. Her dress slips to the floor, then her underwear. The killer watches with delight. Then she pulls off her hair and turns to the window. Her eyes are solid black. Her mouth is studded with pointed teeth. “Fuck,” the killer gasps. He squeezes the trigger. Th...

Three men had been friends for most of their lives, from elementary school through college. They had even been working at the same firm since graduation. In their late twenties, they decided to go on vacation together to a remote tropical resort. Their names were Dave, Jimmy, and Roland. On the third morning of their vacation, they decided to go jogging on the beach. As the three friends ran along the edge of the surf, Ji...

Two days had gone by. In a matter of hours, the third day would be gone. She blinked in surprise as she double checked her cell phone. She wasn't even aware that much time had gone by. She'd spent the entire time curled up in a ball of tears and self-pity.  She felt gross like she definitely needed a shower, but she also felt clarity. Klaus and Damon would be coming for an answer soon. She looked down at her worn and wrin...

She was making her way back home from Amara's cottage, having been assured she was safe to go to her cabin now. Her mind was oddly calm given everything she just learned. She lived in the wilderness with werewolves.  First thing was to find out what happened to her father. The next thing was to get the hell out of dodge and go back to America, get a job, and move on with her life. There was too much going on here that she...

It was night out, and hard to see where they were going. All she knew for sure was that she was driven on and on through the forest by the barrel of her father's rifle and the fanatical gleam in his eye.  As best she could tell, he was about halfway to the secret market. All those poor people! She couldn't just lead him there could she? She thought of the nice old lady who'd given her that necklace and called her a moon c...

Being in the cabin with her father, after experiencing what she had felt like being locked in a room with a murderer. There was no proof and she wanted to believe the best in her father. She watched him as he watched TV, his face blank of any emotions.  Then again, what had he ever done to recommend him? He'd never really cared about her had he? Sure, he'd done his duty and taken care of her until she was old enough to wo...

She walked towards the living room and paused next to the healer witch who'd helped them. The woman was watching Klaus and who she assumed was Damien as they visited with Natasha. The little girl was staring up at Damien adoringly. It was clear she loved him. Perhaps they were related.  "So, what's your name?" she murmured to the woman. The lady smiled at her.  "Amara. I provide healing to the locals around here since the...

She leaned against the doorframe and watched her father's truck disappear down the dirt road, throwing up dust behind it. Where was it he went all the time? She'd worked up the courage to ask him just yesterday and he'd told her he had a job with a local lumber company.  Even though she had no reason to disbelieve him, she couldn't help but feel he was lying to her. Perhaps it had been something off in his expression or t...