The door to the bedroom opened, and Horace looked up. The boy’s expression was worried. “Are you okay? I told them not to hurt you, but they wouldn’t listen to me, they were scared, they-”
Tag: Randall Creed
Letting Go Chapter 3: Bargaining
“I’ve never heard of this,” I said, as the two of us hiked up the hill, puffing a bit. I was still in good shape, despite my age, but breathing in deeply was making bones grind together unpleasantly in my chest. “Someone… possessing a monster, like this.”
Letting Go Chapter 2: Anger
A car crash is unimaginably violent. I’ve been in no fewer than nine of them in my life, and this was the second that hadn’t been intentional on my part. Even with that experience, it was still enough to knock me for a loop. I was vaguely aware of Horace being pulled away from me. I tried to cling to consciousness, but felt it slip through my fingers. Silver foxes sprinted through my dreams, and grinning cartoon dinosaurs followed them.
Letting Go Chapter 1: Denial
1997
When I was 24, four very important things happened to me. First and foremost, I bought my first car. A second generation Ford Thunderbird, it was my first truly selfish purchase. It represented the freedom I had been searching for since I was a child, growing up in the booming industrial heart of upstate New York. Second, I passed the Bar Exam, and proved that I was worthy of being a lawyer, possessing the intelligence and recall to defend the liberty of others. Third, I stabbed a man who I probably shouldn’t have, because it was the only right thing to do under the circumstances. And fourth, I was recruited into a secret society. The Order of Set. I had written the name Randall Creed in the secret history of the world, in blood and splintered bone. I had been the greatest fighter the Order had trained in living memory.
Letting Go
This month’s Patreon story is Letting Go. 20,000 words, 4 chapters, this story is focused on Randall- Specifically, his past, and how Horace came to be living with him. Set in 1997, in the aftermath of the death of Horace’s mother, it shows us a bit more about Randall, and why exactly Horace is the way he is. This is a bit of horror/kung fu stuff, with some psychological interludes; Maybe even what you could call a character study? But with a lot more fisticuffs.
If you’re interested, this- and all other Novellas, as well as PDF/.docx downloadable versions of A Serpent and Zion and Catfished- are available on my Patreon for anyone who pays 1 or more dollars a month! If you pay 5 or more dollars a month, you also get in on the voting for new novellas; Currently, there are three being voted on for July; There’s still two weeks or so to get in on that! ‘That’ Thing is in the lead with 2 votes, but Paradise by the Dashboard Light is close behind it. And as a last incentive: I’m only about 4 dollars a month away from unlocking the stretch goal, which is a free 10,000 word Hell’s Kitchen Sink story for one random person who is backing me at 5 or more dollars a month, every month! This one will actually be public.
Paradise by the Dashboard Light: Slice of Life, Comedy. Atina-focused. Atina finds herself being hired by a Fairy Noble of Spring, whose teenage son- a changeling- has begun making far too many unwise promises, not least his promise to love his girlfriend forever, while dealing with Roy’s occasional jealousy at said fairy teenager’s skill with words.
Border Guard: Slice of Life, Drama. Dio and Doctor Smith-focused. In the wake of the destruction of Zion’s keystone, Diomedes and the other inhabitants of the town find themselves at a crossroads. While monsters and heroes are awakening all across the world, Zion remains a particular nexus for things to cross over, and it’s in their best interest to keep things calm- But a figure from Megan’s path is there to court her, and where Mister Mica walks, trouble follows.
‘That’ Thing: Romantic Comedy, Cosmic Horror. There are many dangers to Antarctica, especially in the winter. The cold. The storms. The eternal darkness. But people always tell stories about things there. Creatures. Bullshit, of course, one would assume. But sometimes, you catch a flash of eyes in the darkness. But the cold and the dark and the night make companionship a rare thing. And so when a young man finds a huddling girl with transparent skin and black eyes, he’s willing to be understanding.
Chapter 1: Denial
1997
When I was 24, four very important things happened to me. First and foremost, I bought my first car. A second generation Ford Thunderbird, it was my first truly selfish purchase. It represented the freedom I had been searching for since I was a child, growing up in the booming industrial heart of upstate New York. Second, I passed the Bar Exam, and proved that I was worthy of being a lawyer, possessing the intelligence and recall to defend the liberty of others. Third, I stabbed a man who I probably shouldn’t have, because it was the only right thing to do under the circumstances. And fourth, I was recruited into a secret society. The Order of Set. I had written the name Randall Creed in the secret history of the world, in blood and splintered bone. I had been the greatest fighter the Order had trained in living memory.
Chapter 16: Randall’s Well That Ends Well
I was always the black sheep. My brother was kind-hearted, smarter than me, more athletic. All I had was my anger, and my ambition. But he didn’t mind that. In fact, I think that was part of what he liked about me. I had the passion to get things done when he would have let bygones be bygones. He never said it, but when we wound up in a fight, there was glee in his expression. I gave him an excuse to not be a good person. He needed that. And in exchange… He cared about me. He believed in me. He told me that I would do great things.
Continue reading “Chapter 16: Randall’s Well That Ends Well”
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