38 Results in the "Burned Cover" category
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Chapter
10 – A Brief Moment of Normalcy
Erika sat in the back of her math class, phone in her lap, flicking her thumb up and up and up. Mister de Vries teemed with a lot of news about binomial theorems, but she found the subject even less interesting than she normally did. School as a whole wasn’t quite what it used to be in her mind. Before, she had thought she would live a relatively normal life, albeit one in which she had a few party tricks to show off. It was a life where she still needed connections, networking, and social skills to…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Erika held fast to the handrail of the subway car, watching the sparse lights outside the windows fly past. People sat around her, occupying the seats and, occasionally, standing off to the sides. They talked among themselves, listened to music with their earbuds, and generally just lived. It had been a week since that ‘gas leak’ shut down the subway, and everyone was already perfectly willing to trust that everything had been taken care of. To be fair, everything had been taken care of. Erika knew…
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142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
08 – Unpressed Charges
“Yep… dragged us off to the station and read us our rights,” Rick grumbled as he sat in the back room of Varn’s, typing away on his laptop. “Good thing Leslie wasn’t there. He’s got a family to worry about.” “Excuse me?” Anna said, narrowing her eyes. “I have a mother to take care of. Leslie’s family can take care of themselves—” “It isn’t a competition, Anna. And you know Leslie would help your mom out if something happened to you.” Anna stared at the back of…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
07 – i – The Art
What a mess. First, The Castle and The Puppet. Now this? The Art surveyed the subway utility tunnel with a vacant expression. The doll-like porcelain face she wore couldn’t emote. If it could, she imagined it would have been twisted in a disgusted snarl. At the very least, her nose would have wrinkled from the foul stench lingering in the air. Like rancid sewer pipes. The Art didn’t find it all that unpleasant, if she were being honest. It was almost… fragrant. Her senses and…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Erika did not panic. “The Analyst and I appreciate The Eclipse’s cooperation with this matter.” She wasn’t sure if she could panic. There was a moment, right when she heard the word stop, that she felt that spike of adrenaline. But it was gone now. “Of course. The Emperor was most invested in this project. She will be pleased to hear it turned out well.” The Hanged Man and the worn-out accountant were talking. Erika couldn’t turn her head, but neither had moved out of her view. At…
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142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
05 – Pedway
“Subways are creepy enough,” Sofia said, peering into a darkened tunnel. “Underground walkways that lead on forever… gives me the shivers.” “Don’t forget the monsters,” Erika chirped, swinging her flashlight back and forth. She had been in the Chicago Pedway one time, walking the short route from the Red Line to the Macy’s State Street. It had been clean, brightly lit, wide enough to accommodate a dozen people side-by-side, and moderately empty. Not a lot of people used the…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
04 – Got a Live One Here
“Just got the word over the police scanner ten minutes ago,” Rick said as Erika hurried into the back of his van. “They haven’t even deemed it a ‘gas leak’ yet, publicly.” Erika let out a small sigh as she buckled herself into the seat. Being around other people certainly felt better after that little scare in the park. She was a bit surprised at how many people she was around, however. Leslie wasn’t here, but Anna sat in the passenger seat, and Sofia was next to Erika on the rear…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
03 – Breaking the Golden Rule
“So… Who is The Art?” Erika asked as she let a small box of clothes drop onto the floor of what was to be her new room. She opened the cardboard flaps and started placing articles into the closet. They were finally moving into the rental home. Nine days after they went out with an agent on Carter’s birthday, they finally had four walls and a roof that wasn’t a hotel. Erika wasn’t sure if that was fast or slow relative to someone normal needing a rental place in an emergency, as she had never…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
02 – Urban Exploration
Erika pulled her long coat around her a little tighter as she walked down the streets of Chicago. A few days into November, and the winter chill was really starting to hit hard, but her movements were more unconscious. A desire to wrap herself away, not from the frosty air, but from the people. People moved along the sidewalks, going about whatever duties they had. A salaryman carried a small case while keeping his phone pressed to his ear. A fast food worker sat around the side of the building,…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
01 – House Hunters
“Happy birthday, dear Carter. Happy Birthday to you.” Carter leaned back, drawing in a breath. People were supposed to make wishes when they blew out their birthday candles. The wishes never came true. Or, if they did, it wasn’t because they were wished for. Carter knew why people wanted things, but he had never understood why people wished for things. It was tradition. Another concept that he got but at the same time didn’t really understand. Carter liked routine. He liked when things were…-
142.9 K • Ongoing
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