Echoes in the Walls

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Still I sit at the center of the hall facing where I’d go if I moved. Time has become irrelevant in my world. Whether it’s been a few minutes or a hundred years isn’t discernible. There isn’t a day or night to tell. There isn’t anything. Nothing changes in this place.

The region I’m in is filled with empty pods. No sight of dead clones anywhere. Indents riddle the wall opposite the pods more frequently, visible from one another. Yet, no door. No exit. No escape. No anything. Never anything.

I’ve decided to sit and wait. My attempts to kill myself are fruitless. My attempts to starve fruitless.

Finding and end to this hallway. Fruitless.

Finding a living clone. Fruitless.

Deviation is nonexistent.

I’ve been consumed by madness many times over just to regain….

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Gargoyles Part III

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Sebastian finally finds a Gargoyle. Nothing how he expected it would be. And he’s forced to fight for his life.

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30 feet tall, the size of a small house, the gargoyle stands before Sebastian. It’s body covered in rough stone armor. It shrieks like Godzilla and spreads its hundred foot wingspan across ready to pounce.

Sebastian finds himself caught between excitement and fear. He found exactly what he came to see. Events unfolding different than he’d imagine them. He takes off dashing into the woods.

Again, the gargoyle shrieks. It stomps behind Sebastian crashing down the trees as it proceeds. It gains on the boy with each slow giant step.

The woods tear apart behind Sebastian with the roar of an earthquake. The ground beneath his feet shakes viciously. He can barely keep his footing. Noting the gargoyle closing in he opts to attack it instead. He turns around and unloads one beam of deep purple energy out from the palms of his hands. They ineffective against the creature. The panic sends Sebastian running again.

“I didn’t even scratch it,” he says. “What am I going to do?”

He thinks back to whether or not he’d read about a weakness in Isaiah’s book, but only it’s armor was explained.

“If I can get rid of it’s armor I can attack that weak point,” Sebastian says out...

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Gargoyles Part I

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Curious about the animals from the celestial realm, Sebastian sets off to find and see one in person.

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Floating dust particles shine through the sun rays breaching the window. A loud snore fills the air. Sebastian tries to tune it out, nose buried in Isaiah’s books. There’s hundreds of them. They’re everywhere. On chairs. On couches. On the dinner table. The man’s only activity appears to be studying. Not common for someone so rude and obnoxious.

‘Gargoyles’ written in big golden letters on the spine of the book Sebastian’s holding. He stares with wonder and intrigue, fascinated at the creatures hand drawn onto the pages. Tiny cliff notes fill the corners of each page pointing out the different parts of the creatures. Weaknesses. How they attack. And he reads every word.

“I could definitely beat that one,” he says to himself poking the monster on the page. “The gargoyle. A bird with stone armor. Capable of flight,” he reads, “it can either stand up-right or run on its arms and legs. Like a gorilla that can fly.”

“That’s amazing!” Sebastian yelps as he springs to his feet.

Isaiah moans. Opens his eyes. Turns to the kid. Then says, “Goodnight mom,” and falls back out of consciousness.

Sebastian, shrunk nearly waking Isaiah and sits back down. Nose back in the book. “Only ever found at churches. A type of animal from the celestial realm.”

The gears in the kid’s head begin to spin. He’s remembering a…

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The Circle

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...but he tries to relax. He can’t seem to stop kicking and flailing wildly.

As James struggles to hold himself up the rope swings left and right. Bounces up and down. Tightens as it twists and turns making it increasingly difficult to grip.

“How do I get out of this?” James tries to focus, “How do I pull myself up and over?” but he can barely keep it together. Images of family members and his children keep getting in the way. His mind wanders against his will. He rather keep it on solutions. Active and capable. But his rational mind believes it’s too late.

Struggling with which...

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Infected Journal: Entry #1 Happy Birthday: Part 1

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After surviving the spread of an infectious plague a young man sets out to search the wasteland for Valentine's Day gifts for his girlfriend.

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After his adventures in Infected: The First Ten Days, a young man sets off to get his lovely girlfriend some gifts for her birthday. It just so happens to be that this is all taking place in the Post-Viral Outbreak world.

Follow this sarcastic romantic on his quest to get the gifts and exit the mall with his life in Part 1 of this episodic short story.

By Jack Thomas

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