Survival Short Stories

For the animals and plants of the Arizona desert, every day is about staying alive. But it’s all the other stuff—desire, fidelity, hope, envy, grief, betrayal—that bridges the gap between science and fiction, and highlights the interconnectedness of the human and natural worlds. A wealthy Gila monster suffers from halitosis. A young peccary chooses a side in war. A rattlesnake upends the historic enmity between serpent and man. A subterranean termite princess comes home. These and dozens more characters run, hop, slither, and fly through captivating storylines.

Before he became an archmage to topple an empire, before he met the legendary Eradicator Xal, Saghir was born a free ratkin, living on the streets of Gateway, a perilous desert city at the edge of the Blasted Lands. Each month, the free laborers must pay their tithe in coin, or blood. Every ratkin in Saghir's tribe searches for something of value, lest their whole people be enslaved. Ruthless Corax, carnivorous scarabs, and worse infest the city. There are countless ways for a rat to die, and all it takes is one mistake. There are no second chances.

Hiding is no longer enough…she needed answers… What did Jackson see on the video…and how does he tell Simon… Daman and Niall are asking all the right questions...will they survive to find the answers... Mick Johnson might be dead but his killer is unknown and the clues leading to them are non-existent. Completely non-existent…which according to Jackson never ever happens… Elijah Sullivan, the father she adored all her life left clues…Ava just has to unravel them even as she comes to terms with her feelings about Harper…and his for her. It’s the middle of the twenty-third ...

From Stranded in the Heart of Darkness... "Red-shirted man speaks once more. In turn, I gaze at the interpreter, await his translation. “You have fought and killed many men?” he hesitantly asks. I shake my head. “No,” I say, taken aback. “I have never killed anyone.” “In the voodoo culture,” the translator goes on, “men who are able to wear such a band are considered to be powerful fighters.” Now gesturing towards the red-shirted man. “This man here envies you for your power.” _________________ In 2009, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Vincent Zandri ...

Mister Tidwell is a scholarly Oxford professor snatched out of his bookish world and pressed into service aboard Lord Nelson’s legendary British fleet - in the position of schoolmaster. Such is the life of the land-loving, seafaring Mister Tidwell, Gunner. Thrust into service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Tidwell soon finds himself directly in the line of fire and way out of his depth. Fate has cast him into a terrible and terrifying spot - alone on deck to face the fearsome approach of a French man-o’-war.

"Horror Movie. A Short Scary Story" isn’t just an audiobook–it’s a NIGHTMARE YOU’LL NEVER ESCAPE! Step into the shoes of five desperate filmmakers chasing their big break… and follow them straight into a theater that doesn’t screen horror–it creates it. Prepare to be SWALLOWED by a cinematic hellscape where the script writes you, the projector is alive, and your worst fears are the main feature. As each frame unfolds, you’ll FEEL the dread tighten around your chest, HEAR the whispers of past victims, and SEE the grotesque truth behind ambition gone mad.

When the world is ending around you do you just give up and die, or find a reason to make the best out of a bad situation? For John Earl and his friends, Luke and Anna, the unthinkable has happened and they can either stay put and hope "they", that mysterious they people are always going on about, will show up to save them, or they can do what they normally do and turn this into an adventure. They decide that hanging around, waiting to either become part of a giant barbecue or zombie bait, just isn't on their bucket list and head out for one last adventure before the end of the world ...

An idyllic summer bike ride takes a turn into darkness. Ryan is excited about the first day of school, he is even more excited about seeing his best friend and his crush, Jen. Sometimes the road less traveled shouldn't be taken. "This is the first of the "Night Portals" series, which will consist of twelve short stories that are this author's equivalent of "The Twilight Zone" or "Black Mirror", telling darker tales about humanity and exploring "what if this happened" scenarios." Amazon Reviewer Chris Fried Night Portals is a metaphysical series that explores the hidden secrets of life ...

PRELUDE TO THE FIFTH VITAL Mike Majlak was a seventeen-year-old from a loving, middle-class family in Milford, Connecticut, when he got caught up in the opioid epidemic that swept the nation. For close to a decade thereafter, his life was a wasteland of darkness and despair. While his peers were graduating from college, buying homes, getting married, having kids, and leading normal lives, Mike was snorting OxyContin, climbing out of cars at gunpoint, and burying his childhood friends. Unable to escape the noose of addiction, he eventually lost the trust and support of everyone who had ever ...

The Fall Festival was hopping every afternoon and into the evening of those three days. Little kids chasing one another and squealing, and the big ones sneaking off to smoke or to make out with a girl and maybe cop a feel, and come back to talk about it. Back in those days, a pack of Harley's was kind of threatening. If a bunch of Harleys were parked outside a hamburger joint, most folks would just go on down the road to the next burger joint rather than risk confronting a bunch of bikers.

Wars have a way of dragging on, and sometimes you need a safe harbor. A Sanctuary, if you will. Having reclaimed the stolen mech, Firefly, Matthew is now concerned with saving Marie. After all, she saved him. He's bound by honor to do the same in return. With the twins Alois and Louise at his side, Matthew reasons that the odds are stacked in his favor. Problem is, they aren't. Join Matthew as he fights to save Allegra! Sanctuary is the sixth book in the short story military sci-fi series The Battle for Allegra. Dive into this thrilling story that is filled with all sorts of sci-fi warfare....

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?

A thought-provoking and rich collection of short stories, many of which reflect the author’s love of myths and legends, his close observations of family life, and his skills as a unique storyteller. A beautiful collection of short stories written by one of the best-loved children’s authors of all time. This collection includes Micael Morpurgo's enchanting stories "Giant's Necklace", "Ancient Time", "Silver Ghost", and "Muck and Magic".

Nathan Lochmueller studies birds for just enough money to live and learn on. He drives a glitter-festooned truck, the Gypsy Moth, and he is in love with Lola, a woman so free-spirited and mysterious she can break a man's heart with a sigh or a shrug. Around them swirls a remarkable cast of characters: the proprietor of Fast Eddie's Burgers, the genius behind "Thong Thursdays"; Uncle Dart, a Texan who brings his swagger to Indiana with profound and nearly devastating results; a snapping turtle with a taste for thumbs; a German Shepherd who howls backup vocals; and the very charismatic state of Indiana itself.

How many times can a boy lose his home? When Jacques is transferred to the Buckners Orphans' Home in 1916 at the age of six, he hopes that he's finally found a place to belong. Unfortunately, he couldn't be more wrong. Jacques' only choice is to run away to Dallas and live on the streets. He has no future, no guarantee he will even survive. Then he stumbles on a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change everything—if he dares to take it. Origin/Prequel novelette for Black Jade - A Daiyu Wu Mystery. Stand-alone fiction.

In this audiobook, you will find yourself set down in a mysterious redbrick townhouse in rural Illinois (“A House on the Plains”), working things out with a baby-kidnapping couple in California (“Baby Wilson”), living on a religious-cult commune in Kansas (“Walter John Harmon”), and sharing the heartrending cross-country journey of a young woman navigating her way through three bad marriages to a kind of bruised but resolute independence (“Jolene: A Life”).

Five undercover agents operating in an unfriendly country must flee through a predetermined route. Four return safely but the fifth one, Agent Cougar, is caught by foreign agents before he can report to the intelligence agency. Lancelot is given a tie with a microdot embedded detailing the capture and present location of the captured agent. Now, it’s up to Lancelot and Mr. Biggs to plan an escape for Agent Cougar. The Missing Agent, which contains six short stories, is the third book in the exciting Lancelot Maddox series.

In this first of three fast-paced, short stories, a mysterious woman gives Lancelot a message written in code which he must deliver to the intelligence agency. Adept at solving puzzles, Lancelot decodes it. Mr. Biggs, Head of Security, is to meet an agent at a safehouse. But is this a trap? Lancelot follows Mr. Biggs to the safehouse where they must overcome the threat of foreign agents. The Boy on the Bench sets the stage for this four-book series wherein Lancelot and Mr. Biggs fight the enemy at home and abroad.

These three short stories give listeners a dog’s-eye view of the action and adventure associated with the American West. From an award-winning poet, these stories provide a window into the sometimes fickle relationship between man and dog. Barbara Nelson Blinn used writing as a way to escape her abusive marriage, and these stories are indeed an escape, as listeners will have the opportunity to befriend three different canines, each with their own story filled with mystery, adventure, and the underlying message that controlling the pet population is of utmost importance.

This is a collection of short stories about contemporary women living and working in the western United States. They each face challenges - poverty, violence, grief, discrimination - and handle them in their own way, but usually with a spirit of grit and determination. Three of these stories have never before been published, and one was a 2021 finalist in The LAURA Short Story contest for members of Women Writing the West.