Apocalyptic Short Stories

For years, writers and filmmakers have speculated about the possibility of the Earth being invaded by aliens from another planet. But what if the aliens have been watching us, infiltrating us via human collaborators or even surgically altering themselves to look human?

Emma Johnson is 12 years old. She lives with her aunt and her two cousins, as her parents died when she was two years old. At home, she is treated more like a servant than a member of the family. She often thinks about her parents, who were both virologists and worked on secret government projects. She wonders what really happened to them. A few theories exist as to the real cause of their disappearance and if they really are dead.

The stories in this second anthology explore the legends of the Outlands, beyond the border of humanity's immediate control, where strange and powerful creatures roam.

In his sharply crafted, unnerving first collection of speculative short stories, Courttia Newland envisages an alternate future as lived by the African diaspora. Robots driven by all-too-human urges set out to colonize space; Kill Parties roam the streets of a postapocalyptic world; a matriarchal race of mer creatures depends on interbreeding with mortals to survive; mysterious seeds appear in cities across the world, growing into the likeness of people in their vicinity.

Jack made the choice that few make, and now he is left wondering if he has thrown his life away or given himself a chance to make up for the past. But as always, it isn't just Jack that has been affected by his actions.

Dive into the spine-tingling realms of horror and speculative fiction with “Shadows and Echoes,” a masterful anthology that weaves together twenty-nine short stories and two exclusive novellas. With nearly 180,000 words of haunting narratives, this collection is a treasure trove for suspense enthusiasts, where the boundaries of horror blend seamlessly with sci-fi and post-apocalyptic visions. In “Shadows and Echoes,” each story transports you to a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinarily terrifying, and reality is twisted into unimaginable realms. Experience the dread and ...

Into the Wastes collects 10 short stories from the post-apocalyptic badlands. Stories include: "Soulless in His Sight", "You Kill Me", "Survival of the Fittest", "For a Handful of Crowns", "Drawn from a World of Hurt", "Breath of Life", "Sins of the Father", "Like Clockwork", "When Tomorrow Comes", and "Idan's World"....

Vidu, a used-car dealer and d-bag extraordinaire, had been aimlessly wandering the streets of Chicago with only one thing on his mind… and that was before he got turned into a zombie. Just when you thought you had seen the last of him, now you can find out what happened to Vidu after he left his friends behind during the pandemonium of Dead Drunk: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse… One Beer at a Time. Humor, action, zombies, hangovers, gratuitous insults, and more Vidu!

Matthew found Marie, now can he get her to safety? After what seemed like an eternity, Matthew's finally saved Marie. In the time since she saw him last he's been through Hell. Not only that, but he's killed a lot more people than he ever thought he would. He's ready for some reprieve. On the other hand, Marie's been held against her will and has been forced to patch up the same Fulcrum soldiers who kidnapped her. Now two parties stand between them and their sought-after safety. The Fulcrum want to hunt them down and take revenge. The invading alien Beets are just willing to take whatever ...

In the System Apocalypse, a single title can make or break a build. And in the entire Galactic System, there are Title Seekers, those who make it their life quest to acquire the most unusual and rare titles possible. Earth, a new Dungeon World offers multiple possibilities. Not least among them, the one from a familiar set of golden arches. For the Kyaz, it’s a chance in a million to get a rare title. If he can manage to evade the machinations of a fellow Title Seeker and trust his human sidekick, Xi Ping.

News reports speak of mass panic and violence spreading across the globe. Negligent leaders hide behind misinformation. But in an age of paranoia and suspicion, who can say what is true anymore? Struggling to survive against a sweeping epidemic that has engulfed the planet, survivors will have to make hard choices in a world that no longer makes sense.

You’ll be treated to Lord Aegis of the Flame, which gives a rough account of Magnus’s day until he was able to meet up with Iain. After that, you’ll be introduced to Domonic and Terrence’s story in Imperial Daimyo, which describes their harrowing flight through the city. From there, you’ll find that not all is what it seems in the Hellion Initiative, which describes Thaddeus and his fortuitous encounters. Next up, you’ll discover just how transformative the System’s arrival can be with Jeremy Simms in Spartan. Finally, stick around to meet Rufus and her evolution into something entirely new.

Dragons are real, and they're hungry. Marlena never expected to be a dragon slayer. She's a bleeding heart, a geek, and a lifelong animal rescuer. But when Mount St. Helens erupted for the second time in fifty years, it wasn't just ash that poured out. Dragons, legendary creatures of myth, became a terrifying reality. Now, Marlena and a ragtag band of survivors - a gamer-turned-knight, a brilliant scientist, and a former supermodel - are fighting for survival in a world where most cities have fallen. They’ve found refuge in Camelot, a makeshift haven built to withstand dragon attacks. ...

When her lover succumbs to the virus plaguing the remains of the civilized world, Lindsay is left alone on a sailboat she can't operate. With nuclear bombs deployed to destroy the infected and the storm season just beginning, she must find a way to survive - without losing her mind in the process. Get ready to dive into the first book in the In Caves & Catacombs series.

N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed speculative fiction authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, Jemisin equally challenges and delights listeners with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption. In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Corporal David McAllister was a good old boy from the mountains of Kentucky. He did his time in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps Reserve. But one day a report came on the news about a virus spreading through China, turning the locals into cannibals. The virus hit Singapore. Tokyo. Mexico City. El Paso. Then Louisville. David was called up for active duty again, and the virus was all around him. Collecting the first three Thin Line of Life books, this omnibus, The Thin Line of Life: Volume 1, tells the linear story of the Zombie War in a non-linear manner.

Blackwater is a collection of two tales of horror and dark fantasy. In "Mercury Rain", a soldier fighting a new enemy learns the importance of holding on to his memories. "Blackwater", the title story of the collection, is an homage to Stephen King's short story, "Graveyard Shift", and it tells the tale of Paul Hawkins, a mine worker who disturbs something terrifying in the Blackwater Hills of Durham, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1976.

The survivors of a nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that has devastated the electrical grid are trying to cope in a darkened world as society collapses. It's the morning of day seven in this post-apocalyptic world and from the news on the radio it appears WWIII has already begun. How long until the batteries in the radios and flashlights fail? How long until a light in the night or the sound of a generator running signals not hope and coping but a target for the desperate and unprepared?

Brace your brain for "Reboot Protocol" - a tech-nightmare that'll haunt your digital dreams! Follow Dr. Elias Roth as he sprints through neon-drenched streets, pursued by Spectre 77 - a killing machine with blood all over him and extinction on its mind. This isn't just an audiobook, it's a nitro-boosted thrill ride that'll have you eyeing your toaster with suspicion! Feel your pulse race as man and machine clash in bone-crushing battles, with humanity's fate hanging on every line of killer code. After this electrifying earful, you'll never look at your gadgets the same way again.

Brace yourself for a heart-stopping journey as Dr. Allison Hayes battles an ancient evil disguised in the most innocent of melodies. Your pulse will race. Your skin will crawl. Reality itself will warp around you as you plunge headfirst into a world where every whispered note could spell doom. This cosmic horror will infect your mind, leaving you breathless, exhilarated, and forever changed. Forget everything you thought you knew about the power of music.