77 Results in the "Burned Cover" category
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Chapter
09 – Renegade
The door exploded inward, metal shrieking as it tore free from the frame. The tattooed woman stepped through the wreckage, her face split by a malevolent grin. Her eyes, ringed with thick, bar-like tattoos, locked onto Delilah. Erika didn’t hesitate. She surged forward, bat raised, aiming for the woman’s head. The bat struck just below the woman’s eye, and Erika heard a crack of bone, but the woman stumbled slightly, and didn’t look bothered beyond that. Her eyes swiveled in her head as her hand…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
10 – Finding Motive Force
Erika ground her teeth as she circled the motel for the fifth—no, sixth—time. The neon vacancy sign flickered, casting a sickly red light across the empty parking lot, making the entire area feel somehow more ominous. She couldn’t tell what was going on inside. Her eyes scanned every shadow, every movement, and all the people still standing about watching; the cold sent most of the people away, either back to their cars or, the more daring of them, back to the neighboring motel rooms. A squad car…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
11 – i – Anna
“I’m going out, Mother,” Anna called out as she laced up her boots. “I should be back before dinner, but just in case I’m not, there is a salad in the fridge, all ready to eat.” The scrape-clack, tap-tap, scrape-clack, tap-tap of Mirabelle’s walker grew louder as she approached, until finally, the hunched woman stopped in the doorway. “I thought you had the day off,” she said, her voice trailing off. “Did the lab call you in again?” Anna patiently smiled as she pulled out a…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
12 – Lonesome Investigations
“Just wanted to ask about the status of that meeting,” Erika said, seated at her kitchen table with a notebook in one hand and her phone in the other. Carter sat at the table next to her, staring at her wristwatch—though he didn’t seem to do anything with it. Opposite both of them, Daniel had his laptop out, trying to find out the same thing Erika was trying to find out. What happened to The Fixer? “The Hermit has been under increasing stress as of late,” The Adjustment said, calm and…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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The Historical Gallery and Cultural Museum hadn’t changed much since Erika’s last visit. They had to put a wall back together here or there, but Erika hadn’t actually caused all that much damage to the place. The authorities shut down the entire building later that evening, citing ‘gas leaks’. This indicated that some intruders might have gotten in despite her shutting down the portal. If they had made a mess, cleaners had long since tidied it up. The incident made her wonder how they handled…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – The Hunters Reconvene
The atmosphere within Varn’s suffocated Erika, making her feel like she was walking on eggshells. Not everyone was present. The Fixer still hadn’t made a peep since ordering Erika away from the motel; Erika tried sending texts, emails, and even tried calling up The Church to see if they had any idea what might have happened—in all three cases, she got no responses. Anna was the other glaring absence. Although The Castle had released her, she was at home with her mother. Erika approved, having…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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“So, about your parents—” Erika stopped Leslie before he could begin, holding up her hand. “The Fixer said they knew what they were doing, that they had escaped these kinds of situations before, and that they didn’t have time to elaborate. It’s been three days. I have seen no sign of them or Leah, and I don’t know what to do beyond trust that they’ll show up again, eventually.” As far as Erika was concerned, there was nothing more to say on the subject. Leaving like she had pissed…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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The first Wednesday of December was a particularly cold and unpleasant day. Winter in Chicago was never pleasant, but a moist, westward wind dragged down what should have been a relatively mild day as it swept over the top of the lake. Cold air wasn’t supposed to carry much moisture, and yet, Erika still felt like she was being lightly glazed over with a layer of ice. Driving her pickup in these circumstances was among her least favorite activities. It was an old junker with rear-wheel drive and next…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
24 – Portents of Impending Doom
The atmosphere in Varn’s arcade felt unusually tense. It didn’t help that, as soon as Erika walked in, Leslie stood, pulled a hefty shotgun out from under the table, and aimed it right at the door. He quickly pointed it up at the ceiling as soon as he saw that it was Erika coming in, but he kept it in his hands, frowning heavily as The Fixer walked in behind her. Maybe she should have knocked. Erika wondered if they thought The Fixer was some kind of ghost, but dismissed that idea. He looked…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
25 – i – The Castle
“A small group walked down the street and turned into an alley. They were an odd sort. One, a lumbering giant of a woman, a full head and shoulders above the other two. She wore black slacks and a button-up shirt with a long-tailed coat over the top. Her buttons strained to keep her shirt closed over her busty bust, trying to keep her modesty in against the world—no, against reality’s desires. It was like the suit wasn’t fitted to her physique. Man’s clothes… Men’s clothes? What’s the way…-
279.2 K • Ongoing
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