116 Results in the "Burned Cover" category
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Chapter
26 – The Brier Patch
Erika leaned out the window of the moving SUV, squinting through the violet glitter. She could almost see that deep red sun hanging over the distant mountain. Uncountable flickers of shadow soared over the bramble patch, doing their best to blot out the sun where the glitter failed. Armed with her bat in one hand and gun—loaded with regular bullets—in the other, Erika gnawed on the corner of her lip. “You can’t reapply this misty stuff? Cast the spell again?” she asked as she tried to figure…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
27 – Did It Work
Erika’s skin tingled and burned, rubbed raw from her scrubbing. The water running down her skin felt exquisite anyway, and yet it wasn’t enough. Two empty body wash bottles littered the floor along with three bottles of shampoo, but Erika could smell the bile and sludge. Some still circled the drain, sticking to the edges of the stream where the water pushed it aside; the stench was as strong as ever. “I think I got it up my nose,” Erika groaned, rubbing around the interior edges of her nose.…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
20 – i – A Cultist’s Fall
July 13, 2011 “We have lost something, my brothers and sisters. Society has become plagued with the Self. The Self before the community. The Self before the neighbor. The Self before God’s work on this earth.” Father Kevin Mould stood at his podium, hands firmly gripping the lectern’s edges as he leaned over the microphones. His dark eyes sought out the regulars of his sermons—Laura Huxley, a woman recently widowed in a bout of police violence. Peter White, a man cast out from his job due…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Layer by layer, sense by sense, Erika felt herself peeled apart. Sound went first: the gunfire, the shouts, the screech of metal birds all stretched and warped, then snapped into a cacophonous silence. The bridge, the van, and her allies smeared into streaks of color, then into impossible geometries—shapes that hurt to look at, their colors did not exist. Smell and taste followed, but not quietly. The spiciest curry paled compared to the taste of reality. A violent explosion of every taste at once…
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403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
16 – A Hug and Orange Tang
“I don’t believe it.” Rick slumped back in his chair, cupping his hands to his face like Erika had broken the news that The Mummy murdered his dog. “They’re Tangers?” “Tangers?” “They want to give everyone a hug and-or turn them into orange Tang. We’re going to get Tanged.” Erika raised an eyebrow, baffled as to what he was going on about, but not altogether surprised. Rick and Leslie both often spouted nonsense. “Is that… some kind of slur?” she asked. “What?…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
05 – Family Matters
“Adjustment!” Erika said, surprised with herself at being happy to see the spider-woman. Maybe it was that The Adjustment had come down to Varn’s on her own. If The Eclipse was pissed off about the whole maggot thing or the bird thing or The Puppet thing, they probably would have shown up in force, rather than just sending their usual liaison. That meant good things for The Hunters. “Agent,” The Adjustment grumbled, pushing right past Erika into Varn’s back office. She dragged out a chair…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
06 – Haunted
Erika strolled into Varn’s Friday evening, glancing behind her every few steps for any sign of pursuers. Her eyes found every reflective surface, every glimmer of movement, and every flutter of white cloth. She slipped past the sparse crowd and, with nothing more than a wave to Daniel as he manned the arcade’s prize counter, barged into the back room. Glassware rattled on the table as she clapped her hands to its surface. Sofia, present for once, jolted back in surprise. Rick and Anna turned away from…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
07 – i – The Mind
The massive man, suspended on wires and chains within a fragile glass cube, itself suspended over a bottomless pit leading to the depths of The Castle’s asylum, turned his head the moment The Mind looked in on him. He always did. Most of his bones were still broken, and enough sedatives to kill an elephant coursed through his veins, and still… he knew. The Mind held his gaze a moment longer than was comfortable, then looked away. The rest of The Castle required attention. The corridors of The…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
08 – The Dragon and the Fire
“The Sears Tower?” Erika stared up at the tallest building in Chicago with a heavy frown on her face. Of course, the shadowy organization that ran the entire city made its headquarters in the most prominent building around. She should have guessed. Headed by someone who called herself The Emperor, Erika could just picture her standing with her arms clasped behind her back, staring out over her city. “The Willis Tower, technically,” The Art said, turning the large SUV down into a sub-level…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
09 – Positive Outlooks
The Adjustment kicked back, feet taking up the armrest of a small couch. “Glad to be out of that,” she said with a relieved sigh. “Thought I was going to have to treat my poor carapace for burn damage again halfway through.” Erika stood at the window, looking out over Chicago and the lake with a small smile on her face. “I did see a few sparks.” “Empy really managed to restrain herself.” The Adjustment barked a laugh. “I’ll have to pat her on the head later.” Impassive…-
403.0 K • Ongoing
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