Urban Short Stories

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane...until he collects again.

I can stop time, but I can't change anything. I can access memories, but not far enough. My name is Mira, and my life is about finding the Russian mobster who killed my family.

Due to a chance of fate, Wolfie doesn't walk two-legged until his teenage years. Then he finds that the world looks very different after growing up as a canine. Unfortunately, Wolfie's sibling Justin is less than thrilled to be upstaged by a bigger and stronger kid brother. When Justin resorts to bullying weaker pack members to prove his own power, Wolfie is faced with a dilemma. Can the bloodling protect his pack mates from Justin's malice? And can he ever really find acceptance in a pack despite his differences?

Twenty-seven-year-old Robert has assaulted seventeen victims so far, and is proud of it. At a carnival, he stalks a new prey, ready to add her to his list. Special number eighteen will be a sweet victory...or so he thinks.

EPISODES 1-3 ("Delirium," "Agony," "Ecstasy") of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. What's your life worth on the open market? A debt collector can tell you precisely. Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries.

Three short stories that explore human emotions and experiences. "Letting Go": If you could keep your loved ones forever, would you? Susan must choose whether to watch her mother slowly fade away or preserve her. "Regret": When Lawrence Winkley invents a machine that removes regret, he unintentionally changes the course of history. "Have You Seen Tarum?": Kimberly has given up hope of having anything more in her life than her grandmother, until crazy old Mr. Jeffries asks, "Have you seen Tarum?"

Thirteen hundred years ago, the treaty was shattered. Lord Kammoloth, the King of Heaven, had fathered the Starchild, Merai hin'Dana: a half-mortal girl with the power to steal the divine essence of the gods themselves. But rather than fulfill her prophesied destiny and destroy the Gods of Shadow, Merai rejected both sides of the Pantheon, stealing their power and casting them to earth. To ensure that this power would never be abused, Merai then gave it to Lady Kyia, the spirit of Metamor Keep, to protect the mortal inhabitants she was sworn to serve.

Jack und seine Assistentin Emma sind auf dem Weg zu einer wichtigen Buchhändlertagung. Doch auf einmal bleibt das Auto stehen - und das, obwohl genügend Sprit im Tank ist. Ein freundlicher Mann bietet an, die beiden Gestrandeten ins nahegelegene Dorf mitzunehmen. Alles scheint friedlich - bis Jack ein Gespräch belauscht: Die Menschen hier beten einen Dämonenkönig an. Und der ist hungrig - nach frischem Blut!

Everyone loves a well-catered event, and the supernatural community is no exception. Enter Sin du Jour, the expert caterers to demons, goblins, faeries, and everything in between. In their first month on the job, Lena Tarr and Darren Vargas, the newest line chefs at the supernatural catering agency, have had to approximate angel meat, evade amorous lizards, and provide craft sacrifices for a Hollywood debut. Their coworkers have contended with zombified clowns, fought off the Easter Bunny's hit squad, and captured a golden fish for a goblin royal wedding.

An errant encounter with a passing star has flung Earth away from its old Solar System into the dark and cold of deep space. With the entire atmosphere frozen as chemical snow dozens of feet deep, one last family struggles to survive. But what are they to think when they see figures moving in the city ruins? Are Earth's dead coming back to life?

What do you get when you mix magic with one of the most prestigious dogs in Germany? You get something special and powerful. In a time when witches were hunted down and burned, a famous alchemist devised a plan to help protect them. One particular puppy, who is predestined for someone in our time, learns all she can before heading on the journey of her life.

Al centro di questo racconto di Tarchetti vi è una visita inaspettata che terrorizzerà il protagonista e stupirà l'ascoltatore.

Three uncommon tales of the common man. Two technicians of an unutterable trade. A home for the elderly whose secrets must remain underground. And a meat factory where homogeneity hides all evils.

Fifteen dark tales by USA Today best-selling author J.R. Rain. "Vampire Nights": Samantha Moon meets someone unexpected on a late-night trip to Denny's, someone who seems to know all her secrets and has all the answers. "Book Burning": Two brothers find themselves on a late-night mission to burn a legendary book of supposed dark powers. "The Silo": The land is dying and crops are failing. The city of Wheatopia is in the middle of the worst drought in recent memory - that is, until a city slicker and his too-thin wife arrive in town.... Plus 12 more!

Episodes 4-6 of the Debt Collector serial. A chilling premise about a future world where, when your debts exceed your future potential earnings, a debt collector is called in to collect your life energy and transfer it to someone who can put it to better use. Lirium is the debt collector, and this story is about his struggle with who he is and the world he lives in - finding a way out of the near - madness of being someone who is the personification of the Grim Reaper.

Vor etwas über drei Monaten: Rowena hatte die Polizei informiert. Sie hoffte inständig die Beamten würden rechtzeitig hier sein. Ein Geräusch von der Haustür her alarmierte Rowena. Sie eilte hin. Es konnte Brandon Hunt sein, vielleicht war er verletzt. Die Hand an der Klinke, seinen Namen auf den Lippen, wollte sie die Tür öffnen - als sie ihr von draußen mit brutaler Gewalt entgegengestoßen wurde. Es war nicht Brandon Hunt, der durch die offene Tür ins Haus stürzte. Es war nicht einmal ein Mensch - Brandon Hunt erfährt endlich, was wirklich geschah, als er sich zum ersten Mal verwandelte. Doch die unbequeme Wahrheit ist schlimmer, als er sich vorstellen kann.

When life gave Jane pointy teeth, she decided to make the most of them. In this 15,000-word novella, Jane takes you with her on one of her jobs, and goes through the harrowing tale of how she fell in love and lost more than just her life. This is the first part of a series of novellas. The novellas are not stand-alone and should be read in sequence, as each one builds upon the last.

Forsaken is the first tale of The Exiled Crown, an ongoing short story series. When a village is attacked by brigands, a vagrant princess takes it upon herself to see that justice is done at the point of a bloody sword.

A wanderer with a troubled past follows a sensitivity to magic that pulls him hard to a mountain in the middle of nowhere, where he's caught up in impending apocalypse, powerful practitioners...and a blood feud.

Ein Mädchen betritt Jacks Buchladen. Unschuldig fragt sie nach Büchern von Edgar Allan Poe. Als Jack nach einem Exemplar greift, springt das Mädchen ihn an - und zerfleischt seinen Arm mit der Kraft eines wilden Tieres! Besinnungslos bricht Jack zusammen. Als er wieder zu sich kommt, können er und seine Assistentin Emma keine Spuren eines Kampfes entdecken - und auch die schreckliche Wunde ist verschwunden.