142 Results in the "Burned Cover" category
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Chapter
15 – i – The Warrior
Jasmine Vasila looked around the old laundromat. It was a dingy, depressing little hovel. Boarded up, barred windows were covered in a thin layer of paint: spray-painted symbols, tags, and other graffiti—all related to mundane gangs. An aged For Sale sign hung from the door, peeking out from under several other posters advertising everything from garage sales to fruit stands. Hardly a respectable meeting place. One day, Jasmine reminded herself. One day and we’ll be in charge. When that day came,…-
487.8 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…-
487.8 K • Ongoing
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“Morning, Mom,” Erika said, failing to fight off a yawn. Leah, fake or not, could put on an intense glare when she wanted. “Out all weekend. No calls. Texts ignored. Do you know how worried I was?” Probably would have been a whole lot more worried if you knew what I was up to, Erika thought as she rolled her eyes. That was the wrong move. A familiar look of anger crossed Leah’s face. That pinch of her lips and that slight twist of her mouth to the side, it was exactly as it always had…
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487.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – i – Suppression
Two birds fell, sniped from so far away that neither had any idea where the shots were coming from. Debates on how intelligent the birds were had been going back and forth since their appearance, but instinct drove them to lash out at anything nearby. The Art pulled back, dodging the sharp talons of an irate bird. Coils of tendrils concealed within her porcelain body tensed and thrust, sending her sharp, ceramic claws between the metallic ribs of the monster. Thinner tendrils erupted from the ends of…-
487.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – Hall of Preservation
Erika let her fingers trail over a black marble column. It felt smooth and cold to the touch. Thin white fissures ran through in chaotic, disjointed patterns that stretched high up toward the vaulted ceiling of the corridor. Moving to the stained glass window, she pressed her face right up against it in an attempt to peer outside. She couldn’t see a single thing. Even though the corridor curved slightly, and she should have been able to see the exterior of the part she just walked through, there was…-
487.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – Focus on What Can be Done
Two days into Erika’s second research project at the H. Finch Bibliotheca, and Erika felt like she was getting the hang of using antiquated methods of information retrieval. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to Anna, but she wasn’t just unfamiliar with the card catalog, the Bibliotheca was the first real library she had ever set foot in. Her school had a library, but she honestly couldn’t recall if she had ever been inside. Books just weren’t her scene. Why go dig through physical books when all…-
487.8 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…
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487.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
13 – Silent Hospital
“We don’t usually go to hospitals,” Leslie said as he advanced down the dark halls of the building, flashlight sweeping into each room he passed. Erika moved along just behind him, bat resting on her shoulder. “The ghosts too violent or something?” she asked as she checked a room on the opposite side of the hall. The only thing inside was an exam table coated in a thin layer of dust. No ghosts, no cultists. “No,” he said with a small chuckle. “They’re harder to sneak into,…-
487.8 K • Ongoing
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“Why didn’t you text?” “No signal in this place.” Rick did not look happy with that response. Erika wasn’t all that happy with it either. The whole reason she had come here was to get a better feel for these ghost hunters… and to help out and maybe see something interesting, she supposed. Mostly, it was for evaluation. The fact that they had been out here for almost an hour without checking in didn’t bode well. Erika wasn’t all that happy to disparage her gender, but Rick seemed…
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487.8 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…
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487.8 K • Ongoing
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