Three Drops
by Barghest236
It was easy to see how Rhika was once looking forward to this excursion.
She had been a citizen of the Eternal City of Kûr her entire life. She was born and bred on the Rat-Run — a street whose main claim to fame was being slightly less foul than the adjacent Muckrow. It never even occurred to Rhika to imagine a world that wasn’t covered in mud, much less a world beyond Kûr’s impenetrable walls.
But then, fate saw fit to scoop the reasonab

A Little Out Of Hand
by Barghest236
“Um... Mandy?”
“Not now, Janie.”
“It’s kinda important....”
“I’m a little busy right now. I got an article due tomorrow.”
“It’ll just take a sec.”
“Okay, fine, Janie — what is it?”
“You know how today is April 1st and all?”
“Sure.”
“And you know how you and Kisha didn’t want to do anything fun for April Fools?”
“I thin

Summer Interns
Chapter 8
“Gunpowder, Treason and Plot”
Disclosure of classified information will be subject to termination and prosecution. Thank you!
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“Remember the movie ‘Alien’?”
“Not now.”
“Okay... only... ‘It’s in the venti—’”
“I said not now!”
“Would you two quit squawking! And you better not get any of that purple shit on me.”
As it turned out, there was indeed another way ou

Possible Things
by Barghest236
Sirens blared. Men with hoses and air-tanks scurried about. And beyond all the chaos, a blonde girl in pajamas watched the inferno impassively....
***
From the depths of the ebon abyss, Rachel Beckett screamed again. She cried and wailed with every scrap of her being until finally, the darkness called back:
“Rachel! Goddammit — wake up!”
Something seized Rachel’s shoulders and pulled hard. Upwards she flew, dragged through the darkness like

Spellbound
by Barghest236
Philter Silcrow had been waiting forever.
At least that’s what it felt like. If the sun peeking through the thick forest canopy was at all trustworthy, then he’d only really been waiting for an hour or two. Still, an hour or two of sustained observation was more than his fidgety demeanor could bear.
The sorcerer peered through the holly shrub again and sighed heavily.
“Approximately three hours past midday,” he muttered. “Still no activity.

Summer Interns
Chapter 7
“Breaking The Ice”
Trespassers in prohibited areas will be subject to termination and prosecution. Thank you!
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“Can you repeat that?” said Summer, wiping her slime-covered face with a slime-covered arm.
Eden frowned. “Where did I lose you?”
“The part about destroying the Institute! Why?”
“Seriously?” said Eden. She jabbed her shears into the bubbling hulk of the voracious plant monster. “Why do you t

The Hazard of Hole Five
by Barghest236
It was a beautiful autumn day, but Kelsey Quinn didn’t have time to enjoy it. She narrowed her sharp green eyes, took a careful breath, and...
Plink!
Jason whistled as the tiny white ball vanished into the distance. “That’s gotta be the finest slice I’ve ever seen!”
“Oh, shut up,” muttered Kelsey, glumly dropping her club.
The instructor chuckled softly. “Now now, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Nine out

Summer Interns
Chapter 6
“Cut To The Quick”
All employee security clearances will be re-evaluated immediately. Thank you!
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As the day wore on, Summer started to realize just how exhausted she was. This was partly due to her chore list — now more onerous than ever with only four remaining gardeners. But much of the blame fell squarely on her sleep habits. Or rather, her lack-of-sleep habits. She tried, of course. Every night she’d turn out the light, close her eyes,