Chapter 4

The Cortina wasn’t a true copy of Tina, my original one, which ended her life bullet-ridden and on the roof of a Lowestoft car yard. Tina Too was tweaked by my pal Grayson, with better suspension, brakes, and some work on the Lotus engine, as well as a competition gearbox and high-ratio differential. She was placid around the city, but very hard to beat on the open road.

Sword and Sacrifice:
A Feudal Fairy Tale

Every hundred years, a sacrifice is demanded in order to ensure the prosperity of the nation, but one young noble swordswoman has taken it upon herself, not to break the cycle, but to at least postpone the loss of another innocent life for the next hundred years. How will the deity that holds back the dark react to her gesture, though. Will her sacrifice be accepted, or will both she, and the woman she loves, be taken for daring to try and change the pact?

The Photoshoot That Changed It All

Alpha Versus Aleph Null

In terms of the intellectuals she employed, a short sighted, skinny, nervous, young man with sufficient intelligence to understand her primary code and then develop it was a much better choice than a devastatingly impressive alpha male who’d peaked as a high school quarterback and then scraped his way through college no matter how much his smile turned her female staff into instant bed partners.

Jak didn’t fully appreciate how hungry he was. Stella saw him clear his plate with ease and was ready with more ham, homemade bread and eggs. It was all washed down with some excellent tea.

Chapter 2

I looked at him. He was sitting there, as nonchalant as if he’d told us that it had rained yesterday. Lena chuckled.

“I guess that we’re now drawn into the web of intrigue now. I’ve met a few spooks when I was in the SAS, but none of them were as spooky as you, my friend. I say, ‘my friend’ as I would hate to be on the wrong side.”

He stood up and put his hand out to me. We shook hands and then he held it out to Lena.

The Green-Eyed Maid Inn

She snorted loudly. “There’s no such thing. That whole men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is just a tired boomer stereotype to sell books. Ask away,” she said.

Abducted?
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Ava

It seemed as if I was just coming to terms just coming to terms with it. I am not saying that I accepted his absence and I was ready to move on, but just that I understood that his disappearance was a fact and that I needed to cope with my situation.

Chapter 22 – Into the Fortress

The fortress gates shuddered violently as Stacy initiated her final bypass sequence. Bright sparks erupted from the seams, illuminating the darkness as the massive locks groaned and disengaged with a thunderous metallic rumble that echoed through the air. It felt as though the entire mountain was vibrating in response to the impending chaos. Just then, a powerful explosion rolled across the ridge, shaking the ground beneath her feet and filling the atmosphere with an ominous tension.

Chapter 4.5 Terrain Patch

Patch Update v1.3.97 — Terrain Upgrade Protocol

Status: Live Deployment Initiated

Patch Notes:

Terrain Continuity Upgrade:

Integrated stabilization algorithms now prevent sudden elevation jumps, floating rocks, or the infamous “cliff that wasn’t there yesterday.” Terrain seams should now render smoothly across all biomes.

Resolved Glitched Terrain Features:

• Unexpected sinkholes that devoured entire caravans

• 2D mountains pretending to be 3D

The mirror has cracked, and the lines between friends have entirely dissolved. The first pieces of this adventure are coming to the fore. The only real question is what will you do?

Your choices tonight: Which pair do we follow into the dark next chapter?