I am so excited that EREBUS DAWNING by A.J.
Super is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book,
be sure to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon
GC courtesy of AJ & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a
chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.
About
The Book:
Title: EREBUS DAWNING:A Space Opera Adventure (Seven
Stars Saga, #1)
“Those
who can destroy a world can control the universe.”
Everyone wants the Star of Erebus. Space-pirate Nyx Marcus is no exception.
With it, she can prove to her father that she is worthy of his legacy. But
she’s come up empty-handed aboard the space-ship Thanatos and now Malcam, her
father’s First Officer, is mutinying. As Nyx flees with a loyal skeleton crew,
she discovers that the planet-killing weapon, named after one of the seven
gods, is more than what it seems. Erebus isn’t a simple weapon, but an ancient
AI and a technological god.
With the oppressive Queen of the Protectorate and new pirate captain Malcam
searching for the Thanatos and Erebus, the AI god has more surprises for Nyx.
Waking dormant AI code in Nyx’s blood, Erebus reveals they are family and Nyx
is the head of the Seven Stars pantheon. But while Nyx’s only choice is to
protect Erebus, she wants no part of her AI responsibilities. Now Nyx must
learn to control her power without sacrificing her own humanity or give her
enemies a new way to oppress the known universe and lose the family she holds
dear.
Excerpt:
Nyx
hovered near the closed door to the command deck of the Thanatos. The slight
increase in gravity pulled her down. Malcam and Kai hadn’t followed her—yet.
C’est bon. She gripped the door frame with her fingertips as she swung her feet
to the floor. No use falling through the sliding hatch and onto her face as the
gravity shifted from the corridor’s low gees to whatever level was present on
the bridge.
She
floated inches above the ground, heart racing. Sneaking away from the main
boarding party to get here was still a dereliction of duty. All so she could
prove to her father that she was the legacy of his ship, the Medusa, and the
rightful new captain.
Nyx
put her hand on the door pad. The harsh red glow indicated locked.
“Come
on, connard,” she swore in Queen’s Speech. “Work.” Her heartbeat accelerated
more. It wouldn’t be long before someone noticed she had abandoned her post
taking command of Engineering with the boarding party. Her job was to control
the ship from there. But if she wanted to deliver her father’s obsession to
him, she needed to be on the command deck. If she didn’t, there would be
consequences.
Fingers
shaking, Nyx yanked an electrical panel next to the pad off the wall, exposing
a tangle of wires. A spray of sparks showered her long hair, but she quickly
brushed them aside. An arc of blue shocked her fingertips as she disengaged the
lock on the door. “Putain,” she swore again. Nyx shook the tingling from her
quivering fingers. Acrid smoke poured from the open panel, and the blackened
air burned her throat.
She
bit her lip, placing her hand on the pad by the hatch. She knew what she would
walk into. The Medusa’s Communications Officer had hacked and reprogrammed the
Thanatos’ Ship Interface Android—Sia, for short—to run the ship into the edge
of a singularity and forcibly take over the bridge while the crew was working
to get off the edge of the black hole. The deck would be a bloodbath. The Medusa’s
CO would have programmed Sia to leave only Captain Leo Matthews alive, since he
knew where the planet-killing weapon, the Star of Erebus, was. Where her
father’s obsession was.
The
door whooshed open, and Nyx stumble-stepped onto the second level of the
amphitheater-style deck and stared. Her gut flipped as she regained normal
gravity.
Bodies
were slumped over their workstations or crumpled onto the floor. The crew lay
in puddles of blood, some still with weapons drawn. She exhaled heavily and furrowed
her brow, leaning on the hatch-frame. Everyone was dead.
About A.J. Super:
Angela Super earned two Bachelors' degrees from the
University of Idaho in the Creative Writing and Theater programs. She has been
an author since she was old enough to write (and illustrate) a stapled-together
ABC book, which she still has packed away in a box of childhood memorabilia.
Currently, she lives in Kansas with her husband who is a High School Graphic
Arts Teacher and two fuzz-brained kittiots. She loves to make costumes,
cosplay, and occasionally she plays D&D or MTG with teacher-friends during summer
vacation.
Angela is inspired by Ursula K. LeGuin’s The
Dispossessed and her two feisty grandmas, and she devours sci-fi and fantasy in
every medium. She is an active member of the Twitter writing community, and
also works with several amazing writing groups, frequently getting to read and
critique wonderful unpublished work.
I am so excited that EDENHART'S
RIVALRY by J.N. Tomczak is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure
to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for some a $10 Amazon GC
& a signed poster of the book cover courtesy of J.N. & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway
info below.
About The Book:
Title: EDENHART'S RIVALRY(Kingdom of
the Faeries #1)
AN ANCIENT CURSE. A KINGDOM IN
PERIL. ONE FAERIE TO SAVE THEM ALL…
Darkness is spreading across the kingdoms—and one faerie stands between
destruction and survival. Aurora’s peaceful existence is shattered by an
unexpected tragedy that leaves her as the last surviving heir to the throne.
But her reign is threatened before it can even begin.
Her court swells with spies and traitors. There are growing tales of a
mysterious blight. Strange riders abroad are hunting for something—or someone.
On the day of her coronation, she and her loyal friend, Percy, the newly
appointed Flight Captain, discover an ancient prophecy sealed away and guarded
in a secret chamber beneath the castle. There they uncover a sinister plot that
will spiral her people into a war they cannot win on their own. Her courage and
wit will be her greatest weapons if she hopes to succeed where others have
failed. She must ask herself just how far is she willing to go to save her
kingdom and at what costs?
Excerpt:
She stepped through the frozen archway into a wide atrium,
white with freshly fallen snow from the crumbling rafters above. The beauty
found within stole her breath away. The floor and twisting pillars glittered
like powdered diamonds. Towering murals carved from stone stretched along the
walls, but time, unfortunately, had weathered them to the point they were no
longer distinguishable. There, she might have learned who once dwelled here.
A glance at the branching rafters and flying buttresses confirmed
it had not been built by dweor. They were not this proficient. Neither had it
been built by men, faeries, or elves.
Oh, if Mitas could see
this. Thinking of
him made her smile.
If one didn’t look too closely, she would have almost
believed the fortress had simply been abandoned. But the frostbite marks and
shattered entrance told another story and the savagery the monster committed
within these walls. These men had died without ever delivering a stroke. There
was no doubt that when the white demon decided to take up residency here, it
had killed all the denizens within.
Likely, they were the first to step foot in these once proud
halls after centuries untold. Likely, as well, the goblin didn’t care about
such things. He had already moved on into the great hall, just beyond the next
arch.
She was then swept inside a colossal high-arched chamber, an
arrow shot long. In every corner of the great hall stood towering statues of
winged stags, chiseled and polished to perfection from pale stone. Icicles, as
long as spears, hung and glittered from their antlers. The only light swept
through a large hole through the great glass dome situated high above the keep.
But Skean didn’t seem to notice any of these things, his eyes
glued to the great yawning archway at the other end of the hall, almost as wide
as the castle was tall. The darkness within looked ominous. Aurora stood beside
him as he quietly observed the large space ahead. All that remained of the gate
was now scattered stone.
“What do you think is in there?” she asked softly.
Skean didn’t say anything or simply ignored her. He took one
brave foot forward, when a disembodied voice, deep and venomous, shook the
hall. With it, a cloud of cold air rolled across the floor, freezing as it
went.
“I thought I smelled…a rat.”
Skean froze, and Aurora’s knees locked as something stirred
beyond the archway. Something big. From the darkness she’d perceived as vacant
before, four eyes, as piercing and cold as blue ice, watched them.
Aurora drew in a cold breath.
Impossible!
AboutJ.N.
Tomczak:
Julianne is a USA Today Bestselling Author and writes
primarily YA/Epic Fantasy. Her favorite genres to read include epic fantasy,
YA, and sci-fi.
Julianne grew up on a small town farm in central Arkansas and
currently lives happily-ever-after with her husband and their cat, Oliver, and
three frogs, Milo, Momma Odie, and Sir Fluffles.
I am so excited that WHEN
WE'RE THIRTY by Casey Dembowski is available now and that I get to share
the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure
to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copy of the
book courtesy of Casey & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win,
check out the giveaway info below.
Two friends. One pact. The
performance of their lives.
Hannah Abbott is stuck in a
dead-end relationship and at a job she loves but that barely pays the bills.
The four walls of her tiny New York City apartment have never seemed so small.
She’s barely toasted her thirtieth birthday when her old college friend Will
knocks on her door with an unexpected proposal.
Will Thorne never forgot the
marriage pact he made with Hannah, but he also never imagined he’d be the one
to initiate it. One ex-fiancée and an almost-career-ending mistake later,
however, he finds himself outside Hannah’s door, on bended knee, to collect on
their graduation-night pinky promise.
With both of their futures at
stake, Hannah and Will take a leap of faith.
Now, all they have to do is
convince their friends and family that they’re madly in love. As long as they
follow the list of rules they’ve drafted, everything should go smoothly. Except
Will has never been good with rules, and Hannah can’t stop overthinking the
sleeping arrangements. Turning thirty has never been so promising.
Excerpt:
Hannah’s eyes widened at the boulder-sized princess cut diamond in front
of her. Her heart dropped—Brian. A few hours ago, she’d been debating breaking
up with him. Was he really proposing on the dirty hallway floor? Hannah blinked
rapidly, trapping tears she knew were coming. She’d brought up engagement six
months ago. He’d scoffed and disappeared for a week, reemerging with a tan and
few apologies. But here he was on bended knee. She turned her attention from
the ring to the man kneeling in front of her—the man who was not Brian.
She took in the older,
leaner version of the boy she had once known. Memories flooded her brain—study
sessions, drunken nights, Wilderness concerts, a graduation-night kiss, and
finally, the image of him draped over yet another girl, this one in a
bridesmaid dress.
“William Thorne,” she
said derisively. Her body buzzed, adrenaline coursing through her. She’d wanted
it to be Brian—for him to have finally figured out that he wanted her for more
than just the foreseeable future.
She turned her attention back to Will. He remained on one knee but had
lowered the ring. A smile, halfway between questioning and amused, played
across his face. “This is amazingly uncomfortable. Why do people propose like
this?”
“Knights, courting, et cetera and so forth,” Hannah said absently, waving
him into her apartment. She peeked around the door, but fortunately, it was
late enough that the hallway was empty.
Will stood, pocketed the ring, and came in hesitantly despite his initial
grand entrance. Hannah watched his eyes travel around the room, taking in the
small clues littered throughout the apartment before focusing on her laptop,
which still had a picture of the two of them open. Great first impression.
“You seem surprised to
see me,” he said, turning his full attention and the power of his perfect smile
on her.
She should’ve felt surprise at Will’s sudden
appearance, but she didn’t. And not just because she’d just gotten a friend
request from him—this was completely and utterly a Will thing to do. And
really, she should’ve been expecting him.
“Well, you are a day
late.” On top of the last half a decade.
Even as Hannah thought it, she knew she had a hand in those lost years. In the
end, it wouldn’t matter—not for them. They would still be Will and Hannah. She
knew it, and by the contented expression on Will’s face, he knew it too.
About Casey Dembowski:
Casey Dembowski loves to write stories that focus on the intricacies
of relationships--whether they be romantic, familial, or friendship. Her novels
focus on the inner workings of women and how everything in their lives leads
them to exactly where they are, whether they like it or not.
The first story Casey remembers writing was in the second
grade, though it wasn't until she turned twelve that she started carrying a
battered composition notebook everywhere she went. Since then, there hasn't
been a time when she isn't writing.
Casey lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and
their two cats. She has an MFA in Fiction from Adelphi University and currently
works in corporate marketing communications. In her (limited) spare time, she
enjoys reading, baking, and watching her favorite television shows on repeat.
I am so excited that IT
HAPPENED ON THUNDER ROAD by Susan Antony is available now and that I get to
share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure
to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for some a $10 Amazon GC
courtesy of Susan & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win,
check out the giveaway info below.
When Emmy Russo returns to high school in Moncks Corner, South Carolina
after summer break, she discovers some changes. First: Mom has a boyfriend.
Second: the cute new student, Charlie Fields, is a Rockabilly greaser with a
gang who obeys his every command. Third: attractive Keir Harper wants to be
more than just her best friend. And fourth: a perplexed Emmy soon finds herself
drawn to two extremely different boys. How do you choose between sweet and
smoldering?
Then tragedy strikes on desolate Thunder Road. Strange things start
happening, with Emmy in the middle of it all. Intent on finding the truth, she
must fight for her heart, her life, maybe even her soul. Because someone wants
to possess all of Emmy. And they will be together, no matter what the cost. For
eternity.
What was it about this strange
boy with greased hair that attracted me so?
“What’s the matter, New Jersey?
Cat got your tongue?”
My face flushed. “Why don’t you
quit asking me ridiculous questions and do something that you’re good at?”
“What’s that?”
“Drive, Teddy Boy.”
One of Charlie’s brows tipped
upward in a cocky salute. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the T-shifter,
while rivers of veins formed on his muscular forearm. With a look of steely
determination etched on his face, he slammed the shifter into first gear and
jammed the accelerator pedal to the floor. The car rocketed forward. My head
slammed against the seatback, and I dug my nails into the black tuck and roll
upholstery.
“You scared, New Jersey?”
Charlie asked, his eyes aflame.
“No,” I said as the blood left
my face.
“Then hang on, baby, ’cause
you’re about to go for the ride of your life.”
About Susan:
Susan Antony is an IT by day, hip-shaker and writer by night,
artist whenever possible, and an internet addict. She lives in the sunny south with her
teenage son and two Cairn Terriers. Cherokee Summer placed first in the
Missouri Romance Writers of America "Gateway to the Best" contest,
was a 2019 OKRWA finalist, was a 2020 Author Shout Recommended Read, took 1st
in the 2020 Write Touch Readers Award, and took the bronze metal in the 2020
Readers Favorite Contest.
It Happened on Thunder Road placed 1st in The Southeastern
Writers Association 2020 Contest.
I am so excited that EIRWEN
by Jewels Arthur is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard
about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a
giveaway for a $15 Amazon Gift Card, International, courtesy of Jewels and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d
like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
Princesses are meant
to be chaste and Queens are meant to provide heirs.
Thanks, but no thanks.
I want lose my virtue. Have my cherry popped. Get bedded. Bump uglies. Whatever
it is you humans call it.
So I flee with my unicorn to Silver Springs, a magical town where nothing is as
it seems.
There, a dark elf shows up to kill me. An incubus wants to devour me. A snake
shifter wants to wrap me in his coils. And a wood elf from my childhood won't
leave me alone.
Four men fall into my life almost as if by magic. Will I fall for them or will
I be forced back to the land I fled?
Eirwen is a standalone
paranormal reverse harem romantic comedy. It's part of the Silver Springs
shared universe and can be read in any order.
Jewels Arthur has lived
in Central Illinois her entire life, she is a small town girl at heart and is
terrified of city life. She grew up on a farm with 27 barn cats, video games,
movies, and books to keep her company. She is obsessed with romance and swoon.
As a hopeless romantic she wants everyone around her to be in love and wants to
read about love all the time. She got married at 19 (suprise suprise) and she
had a beautiful baby girl 3 years later when she finished college. Her
obsession with love led her to decide that she needed to write her own swoony
books, with a bit of dirty of course ;)
I am so excited that STOLEN by Marlena Frank is available now and that I get to share
the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by
Author Marlena Frank, be sure to check out all the details below. This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon
Gift Card, International, courtesy of The Parliament House and Rockstar Book
Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the
bottom of this post.
Title: STOLEN (Stolen #1)
Author: Marlena Frank Pub. Date: January 22, 2019 Publisher: The Parliament House Formats: Paperback, eBook Pages: 342 Find it:Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo
It’s difficult taking care
of a delusional father by yourself. Sixteen-year-old Shaleigh Mallet would rather
explore and photograph dilapidated buildings than cater to her father’s dark
episodes. But when she’s kidnapped by a creature who carries her atop a flying
bicycle into another world, she realizes this wasn’t the escape she wanted.
In a kingdom known as the
Garden, where minotaurs pull carriages and parties are held in hot air
balloons, Madam Cloom and her faerie servant, Teagan, rule over the land with
incredible but terrifying magic. Shaleigh must prove that she is the
reincarnation of a long-dead ruler, not because she believes it, but because
it’s her only chance to survive. With the help of a trespassing faerie, a
stoatling, and a living statue, Shaleigh hopes to outwit everyone. She aims to
break the bonds of servitude and finally make her way home. What she doesn’t
realize, however, is that she’s playing right into the hands of a far worse
enemy...
Book Trailer:
Excerpt:
PART
I
FREEFALL
AN EMBARRASSMENT
Shaleigh didn’t think about how much
concrete and steel stood over her head as she stepped carefully down the
decaying hallway of Ferris Factory. The building had been abandoned for so long
that the mildew and fungus ran rampant from the moisture that crept down the
crumbling walls, so a respirator was a requirement. Ferris Factory was only two
stories tall from the outside, but the floors underground felt endless. The
elevator shaft only went down three floors when it had been operational; the
rest of the floors could only be reached with the stairs. She doubted any of it
had been inspected by the fire marshal.
Her best friend, Kaeja, walked so close
behind that she could feel her warm breath on the back of her neck. The only
sound that echoed up and down the hallway, besides their footsteps, was the
snap of Shaleigh’s camera. The photos were why they risked their lives to explore
dangerous places: to document the decrepit. It was thrilling to explore a place
that nobody else would see. Eventually all the walls would fall, and Ferris
Factory would decay into memory. Shaleigh and Kaeja would have the only
remaining proof it even existed, especially since it was clear that nobody was
supposed to know about this section of the factory.
A rat skittered out of a heap of moldy
paperwork and Kaeja took a deep breath until it passed. “This is the worst one
yet. By far.” Shaleigh grinned, though her respirator concealed it. “Come on,
we had to come back and take the stairs down. We couldn’t just end it at the
base of the elevator.”
“Do you see that?” She swung the
flashlight to the side. “I couldn’t even hang a picture on that wall. Four
floors down was enough, five floors is just begging to get hurt.”
Kaeja was right, the walls of the
hallway curved inward like a bow string. Shaleigh hadn’t noticed how bad it was
until she mentioned it. “We’ll be quick.”
She snapped as many photos as she could
while Kaeja held the flashlight. It illuminated a good portion of the hall, but
the beam had little effect against the thick, sick air. The light ought to have
made the place more inviting, but it only made the shadows darker. It was hard
for Shaleigh to keep her hands steady for the photos; fear and exhilaration
kept combating within her. Sure, this place was terrifying and could collapse
at any moment, but the thought of capturing a world that would never been seen
again, of documenting the forgotten before it disappeared, made her tap the
shutter button of her camera faster. "I wish we had more time. I'd love to
look inside some of these rooms."
"Not me," Kaeja said, her eyes
shadowed by the reflections of the flashlight on her mask. "These halls
are creepy enough, thanks." The light flashed across some metal scraps
against the bowed wooden wall. It was hard to tell if it had been left behind
by the workers, or if it had fallen from the ceiling. "Didn't they used to
make cars here?"
"Sure, that's it." Shaleigh
snorted as she tapped on a dirt-encrusted sign that warned visitors that the
hallway was a high security corridor. "Whatever helps you sleep at
night."
"It's an old building, but that
doesn't mean they were hiding anything down here."
"Then what's with the high
security? They had to be doing something illegal down here. The maps we found
don't even show these floors. I heard it used to be a hospital,”
Shaleigh glanced back to her with a
smile. “Dad heard it from a colleague at work. They used to keep dangerous
people here.” Kaeja stared at her, the beam from the flashlight in her hands
trembling.
A high-pitched squeal of metal echoed
down through the insides of the building, as though the entire structure was
shifting under its own weight. The squeal turned into a groan that shook the
very floor beneath their feet. Both teens froze, barely daring to breathe as
debris fell from the ceiling. Seven levels of exhausted steel, wood, and
plaster shifted over their heads. They stood in silence waiting for the walls
to give way, waiting to be buried beneath the rusty metal beams, discolored
linoleum floors, and rat-infested insulation; but the building remained steady.
The noise stopped. Particles drifted in
the air.
"It doesn't sound very good, does
it?" Shaleigh whispered.
"I don't like it. I don't care what
you say, this is the lowest I'm going. Five levels below ground is far
enough."
Shaleigh stifled a laugh, "That's
what you said when we found the stairs."
A high-pitched noise erupted down the
hall causing both teens to jump. It didn't sound metallic...it didn't sound
like the building at all.
Kaeja stared down the hallway with wide
eyes. The noise broke into a whimper, and then there was silence. It only
lasted maybe a few seconds, but they both knew what they had heard. Someone was
down there with them.
Shaleigh turned to look behind them, but
without the flashlight beam it was too dark to see anything. "Was that—was
that behind us?”
Kaeja spun around, temporarily blinding
Shaleigh in the process. "I don't know. I thought it came from in front of
us."
The darkness felt like a cage all around
them. The beam of the flashlight, darting forwards and backwards down the hall,
seemed so small and insignificant now. Someone was in the darkness. Someone was
watching them. Shaleigh stepped around Kaeja and started back toward the
stairwell. "We should go."
Kaeja grabbed her arm and Shaleigh could
feel her clammy fingers through the sleeve of her jacket. "Are you crazy?
You said that's where it came from."
"How else are we going to get out
of here?"
Kaeja could give no argument and shook
her head. "Shaleigh..." she whimpered.
"It's okay, we'll do it
together." She put her camera around her neck and took Kaeja's hand. They
walked slowly towards the door of the stairwell, side by side, fingers clasped
in a death grip.
For a moment, Shaleigh thought she saw
movement ahead of them and stopped. Kaeja must have seen it too because she
swept her flashlight left and right, searching for whatever it was. Just before
the beam of light reached one of the doors, Shaleigh was certain she spotted a
shadow move into one of the rooms.
"Ow..." Kaeja whispered giving
their joined hands a tug. Shaleigh realized she had been gripping too hard and
loosened her hold but didn't say a word. Her eyes were fixed on where the
shadow had been. As they drew closer, an arm stretched out, hairy with long,
black fingernails, and pulled the door closed. There was a splash as though
something heavy had fallen into a pool of water from behind the door.
Kaeja screamed. A bolt of adrenaline hit
Shaleigh and she grabbed Kaeja's arm. Together they ran. As they passed the
door, the knob began to turn with a creak. She wasn't sure if Kaeja had seen it
or not. "Keep going!" she yelled, all pretense of caution forgotten.
Once the stairwell came into view, they
sped up. Shaleigh slipped on a wet spot and her foot skidded. She would have
sprained her ankle if she hadn’t grabbed for the wall. What a stupid way to
die, she thought as she regained her footing. She had to keep her head
straight, because panicking in an old, decrepit building was a sure way to get
hurt or killed by whatever was after them. She forced them to slow down to
climb over a pile of broken boards and nails. Shaleigh had thought it odd to
have it so close to the stairwell when they’d first come down, but now she saw
it as a marker, a warning perhaps, to keep trespassers out. As she helped Kaeja
down the opposite side of the rubble, she heard limping footsteps approaching
them.
"It's coming!" Shaleigh cried
and together they sprinted for the stairwell. The flashlight bounced beams off
the walls.
They hit the metal door like a battering
ram, shoving it into the rusted railings of the stairs, causing it to
reverberate like a gong up and down the concrete shaft. Shaleigh gripped the
metal rail, feeling the flecks of paint come off on her hands, and the raw rust
beneath. She exchanged a glance with Kaeja, both trying to catch their breath.
The respirator was humid with her breathing and she couldn’t wait to rip it off
when they got outside. She looked up the dark stairwell above them and
grimaced. There were too many floors between them and safety.
Kaeja gasped and reached out to grab
Shaleigh’s arm. Shaleigh stared at her. She thought she could make out
footsteps from the hall they just left, but it was so faint it was hard to make
out. It could have just been the sounds of the building, but she didn’t want to
take any chances. Taking a deep breath, Shaleigh led the way as they started up
the stairs.
One floor, two floors, three floors.
Was that the sound of the doorknob
beneath them being turned? Kaeja hurried to her side as they continued to
climb. Both were audibly gasping now. It wouldn’t take much for their pursuer
to know where they went. Shaleigh’s thighs were burning. She could sprint up a
flight or two of stairs, but this was tough. It didn’t help that she was
already out of breath before they even started climbing.
"What if it's locked us in?"
Kaeja asked between sucking in gulps of air.
Shaleigh didn't respond. She didn't want
to even consider that option.
They climbed two more flights of stairs.
Kaeja reached the door first. They both let out a sigh of relief when the door
opened. Panting, they jogged to the main exit, a pair of massive iron doors
that looked like they belonged in a mausoleum. Neither of them said a word as
they descended the short flight of broken steps to the grass. Shaleigh ripped
off her respirator, Kaeja did the same, and they both exchanged grins as they
crossed the grass-pocked concrete walkway. It felt good to feel the heat of the
day on her skin too. The sun was sinking in the west, but the air was sweet
with wild honeysuckle and a light breeze rustled the old oaks. Shaleigh relaxed
a bit but could tell by Kaeja's expression that she wouldn’t be able to relax
until they had left the property completely.
The concrete walkway fell away to tall
grass that came up to their hips, as they sidestepped small pine trees that
were beginning to take over the lot and moved further away from the building.
The chain link fence that surrounded the property sported multiple warning
signs for trespassers, though they were faded from exposure. Kaeja pulled back
the corner of fencing they had used to get in, and they both climbed through
without saying a word. Kaeja paused, took a deep breath, and relaxed her
shoulders.
"I know you'll hate to hear this,
Kaeja," Shaleigh started. "But I think I'm done with Ferris Factory
for a while."
Kaeja laughed. "No complaints here.
I’m going to add that we never go underground again either. I am not running up
that many stairs again, no matter how great you say the pictures will be."
Shaleigh couldn’t help but laugh. The downtrodden path through the woods made
it a short walk to reach the bus stop. Shaleigh unwrapped the scarf from around
her head and shook out her twists. The breeze felt wonderful on her scalp. They
dropped everything into Shaleigh's backpack as they walked. The main road was
surprisingly empty for a Sunday afternoon. After exploring inside of
decomposing buildings for a while, she had new respect for even the simplest
things. The bench for the bus stop, covered in graffiti and bearing a single
broken board, looked like a luxury.
Kaeja sprawled across the broken wooden
bench and covered her eyes with her arms.
"Wow, what a rush!"
"I know!" Despite her smile,
Shaleigh still glanced over her shoulder, as though expecting the person from
the building to be slinking toward them through the woods.
"What do you think it was?"
Kaeja stared up into the sky.
"Someone crazy, I'm sure. It's a good thing they made some noise. I don't
like the thought of them sneaking up on us like that." She sat up and
patted the bench beside her.
Shaleigh obliged, her legs were still
shaky. "Did you see that hand?"
Kaeja shuddered, "Looked like he
hadn't seen the light of day in forever." She stretched her arms over the
back of the bench. "This is exactly why I don't like the big ones. There
are too many hiding places."
"The small ones aren't much
better," Shaleigh added. "Sometimes it feels like a shot right out of
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you know?"
Kaeja nodded and the two grew silent
from their own nerves. Kaeja’s leg jumped up and down, as though at any moment
she would jump up into a sprint. Shaleigh kept resisting the urge to look over
her shoulder once more. The bus couldn't come fast enough.
"Ugh, I need to think about something else." Kaeja said with a tense
smile. "You've got a party coming up tonight, don't you? You get to get
all dolled up. I know you don't like the people much, but I do envy you getting
to go."
Shaleigh sighed. "I had almost
forgotten about it.” She checked her watch. It was a good thing they had left
when they did because she still needed to get home and clean up. “If you like
it so much, you can totally go for me."
"Your dad would never let me. He
needs you there."
"Unfortunately."
Kaeja scooted closer and put an arm
around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I guess that is pretty hard on you. Do
they ask you a lot of questions about him?”
Shaleigh nodded. She hated the tight
feeling she got in her chest whenever she thought of those stupid parties. She
hated the fact that she had to go. Why in the world did Roseworth College have
so many of them anyway? It was like they wanted to torture her.
Deciding to change the subject, she
picked up her camera from around her neck. After checking to make sure nothing
had been damaged in their mad dash, she asked, "Want to see the
pictures?"
Kaeja nodded but looked concerned.
Shaleigh ignored it.
The brilliant light of the flash somehow
made the dark halls of Ferris Factory less frightening, less dangerous. If only
people were so easy to strip of fear.
About Marlena:
I write about strange creatures.
Typically they shouldn’t exist, or they have bled through from a different
reality, or they’re pretending to be a crying baby in a crib. Sometimes that
lands my stories in horror and other times in fantasy, but there’s always an
air of strangeness to my tales. If you want to get a better feel for what I’m
talking about, check
out a few clips or read a few drabbles.
My work has appeared in a spattering of
short story collections, but I do have a few novellas and novels in the
pipeline. Other than talking about writing, I also talk about cryptozoology, werewolves, wildlife
conservation, and of course kitties.
I’ve also been known to nerd out about Batman and The
Hobbit, and have recently discovered the cracktastic fun of Black
Butler cosplay, so there will likely be more
of these incidents.
By day I work as a web developer, so
I’ll occasionally talk about web issues like finding
the right theme.
