Beyond the Darkside 35 1-5


CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Fireball Brand Explosion Fire Pop Big Bang

The sound of electrons rearranging on the surface of the molecular analyzer grated on Aldric’s nerves. The hiss-chirp hiss-chirp cadence generated by the device was new, or at least it was new to him. He never noticed it before, but he was distracted before. Everything was clearer now, so it only made sense that he would notice sounds that were obviously masked before. Ignoring the sound was difficult, but it did not keep him from understanding the information.

The complex patterns taking shape on the analyzer was unlike anything he had seen before in organic matter. The DNA, or what passed for DNA in the remains of the tentacles that came pouring through the dimensional gate, mimicked the wave pattern of the energy that came from opening the gate in the first place. Was the creature’s DNA change when it went through the gate, or was the gate somehow connected to the creatures? Hard to answer that question without going through the gate himself, and he was not crazy enough to try going through the gate. Not yet anyway.

Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside 35 1-5”

Beyond the Darkside 34-16 to 20


373px-A_Kirlian_Photography,_female_1989

“Mostly food and medical supplies, but we swiped some parts too,” Hanse said.

Debra slowly shifted her gaze to her husband. “And that is it?”

Hanse tilted his head to the side and grinned. “Well there were a few weapons and a prototype code breaker, but that’s it: promise.”

“Great.” Debra shook her head and sighed. “Well that should be enough to get Vo off my back, at least for now, but that doesn’t mean you two are off the hook. Odds are both her and Aldric Dewitt will be coming for you two soon enough, so I would just as soon get you both out of my house.” Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside 34-16 to 20”

Beyond the Darkside 34-1 to 15


CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Gun

The sparse dinner pleased Evan far more than it had any right to. He smiled and stroked his too thin stomach. The vat grown chicken and greenhouse broccoli tasted better than anything he ate while in the company of the resistance or Isis herself. He did not know if it was because he was not a prisoner at the moment, or if it was that much better than the survival rations that always seemed to be on the menu of the resistance. Ultimately it did not matter, but it tickled Evan’s mind and he smiled.

“You look rather pleased with yourself,” Hanse said as he shut the door behind him and walked into the living room of his wife’s home. The big man’s grin did not have the artificial or sinister qualities Evan was used to. An hour spent with Debbie in her bedroom, neither of them caring what Evan could hear, improved his demeanor as much as the food improved Evan’s.

Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside 34-1 to 15”

Gun

Beyond the Darkside: 32-18 to 23


Gun

Hanse reached behind his back and grabbed the grip of the handgun he kept tucked into the back of his pants. He did his best to keep his hands from shaking, but a tremor persisted.

“Don’t do it, Hanse,” Evan said.

The safety clicked off with a flick of Hanse’s thumb.

Evan put his hands up in front of him with the palms facing Hanse. “If you’d rather I left, then point me in the right direction–”

“Out the airlock, you fuck,” Hanse said as he jerked his head in the direction of the garage’s exit.

“Sorry, but I’m not killing myself today,” Evan said. “You point me in the right direction, give me a lift, and I’ll stay far away from you and Isis.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Debra said as the door into the house opened. Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside: 32-18 to 23”

Beyond the Darkside: 32-9 to 12


“You know her?” Evan asked.

“Know her? Hell, wonder boy, she’s my wife,” Hanse said with a foolish grin.

“Wait, you’re married?”

“What? You think I spend all of my time keeping an eye on you?” He turned and smiled at his wife. “I have this lovely creature to come home too.”

“Not that you do,” Debra said. “You haven’t been home in three days.”

“Well I’ve been busy,” Hanse said.

“Obviously, but would it hurt to check in every now and then at least?” she asked.

Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside: 32-9 to 12”

Cover Reveal – The Coming Darkness


the Coming Darkness Cover

BLURB:

Justin is a fallen Angel. He just happens to be one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Grim Reaper himself, Death. A year has passed since he remembered who he was and what he is. He is regaining some of the abilities and memories he lost when he chose to fall to earth and live amongst humans, but he has a long way to go before he can fully reclaim his title. When Justin comes across a young girl being chased by a monster, he does what he can to save her, but he soon discovers this is no normal girl, and failing to save her will change the world forever.

EXCERPT:

“Something tells me this is the place,” said Samantha.

“I think you’re right.” Justin felt the Power emanating from the place; the origin or intent of the magic cast upon the little building remained elusive.

Justin opened the door and Samantha strode inside. Her sharp business attire and well-manicured look terribly out of place in the shop filled with countless shelves filled with books and dark little trinkets and charms that hung from hooks throughout the room. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “It smells like a tomb in here,” she said as she picked up the desiccated corpse of a chameleon from a nearby shelf.

“I’ve smelled worse,” Justin said as he entered the room and shut the door behind him. He stopped when he stood behind her and whispered, “Human magic often requires these sort of physical components, at least until the wizard is powerful enough to eschew such trappings.”

“How…uncivilized,” Samantha said as she placed the dead lizard back on its shelf.

“So true.”

The Angels turned to see a man entering the shop through a doorway behind a broad wooden counter. He was tall for a human, though he fell well short of Justin’s six and a half feet. He wore a dark purple button down shirt that nearly concealed the tattoos that covered his biceps and upper chest. Thick black and grey stuble covered his shaved head. His eyes caught Justin’s attention. He saw that sort of dark fire burning within the eyes of men before. Monuments carved in their likeness and tomes filled with tails of heroism and infamy contained their names.

“Welcome to The Curious Cat. My name is Mathew Finitz, and this is my shop.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eric Swett is the husband of Tracy and the father of Zachary, Connor, and Kaitlyn, and could not be prouder of his family.

He lives in Statesville, North Carolina, spends his daylight hours working in IT and has done so for the past six years.

Being a fan of all things geek, he has spent most of his life reading science fiction and fantasy. He started writing in high school, but it wasn’t until he moved to North Carolina that writing became anything more than a hobby.

 

You can find Eric online at Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and My Writer’s Cramp.

Beyond the Darkside: 30-15 to 16


The hiss and clang of a door opening in the distance brought Evan’s head around. “Hanse, I think we have company,” Evan said as loud as he dare without giving away his position. “Hanse?” The sound of heavy booted feet running across the ferrocrete floor made Evan get to his feet. “They’re getting closer, Hanse,” Evan called out.

“Just hold on,” Hanse yelled back. “I almost have it.”

At the far end of the row, a pair of helmeted men in black body armor rounded the corner and jogged toward Evan. “Time to go, Hanse. They’re almost here,” Evan said as he stepped into the doorway.

“Can you stop them? You know, with your…mind…thing?” Hanse shouted back.

“I couldn’t pick up a pencil right now,” Evan said.

“Oh well, I guess this will have to do,” Hanse said as he left the room. His backpack was overflowing with all manner of materials, and his pockets bulged, but the three barreled pulse rifle he carried with both hands that made the big man smile. “Let’s see how those security goons like my new toy,” Hanse said as he passed Evan and pointed the barrels down the hall.


While this is not part of my Armageddon Angels series, I hope you’ve enjoyed this snippet of Beyond the Darkside.  If you like it, please consider clicking the link below to go to my kickstarter page and become a backer.

Apocalypse Rising: The Coming Darkness Kickstarter

SIN EATER Starts Tomorrow!


Can I just say that I love Pavarti k. Tyler’s fiction? I’ve read a couple of her works and her writing is always spot on. The stories are intense and can take you to uncomfortable places, but that’s what good fiction should do and she is a master of it.  When I heard that she and Jessica West were releasing a serialized story through Amazon.com, I knew we were in for a treat. Below you’ll fins all of the information and release dates and you can be sure that I will have a review coming for the series soon enough.

 

You’ve heard rumblings about it, now it’s finally here. SIN EATER by Pavarti K. Tyler and Jessica West is available now on Amazon.com. Check out my review and the giveaway at the end of this post!

Episode 1.1 is FREE 9/25 & 9/26 so grab your copy NOW. After that it will be $0.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited: Amazon.com

Episode 1.2 is available now for $0.99: Amazon.com


SinEater1.1

From Award-Winning Author Pavarti K. Tyler and Speculative Fiction Author Jessica West, comes a Dark Urban Fantasy serial about evil, and the next step in its evolution.

This is Episode ONE in a seven part urban fantasy/horror serial

A Sin Eater who battles demons for souls
A Priest who must protect what he most desires, even from himself,
A rogue Romani mortician with an attitude, a secret, and a powerful weapon,
And a Secret Order of the Church who knows more than they’re saying…

Nikolai Grekh is the last Sin Eater.

Born into a world rampant with demon possession, Nik Grekh struggles to keep Hell’s hordes from consuming the world, but he grows weary of the constant battle against sin. Evil grows stronger as more souls are lost. With each new possession growing increasingly violent, Nik fears he may be losing the war.

When Nik confronts a demon he can barely defeat, he reaches out to the only man who can save him. The only man he trusts. The one man he can never have…

Evil has resided alongside humanity since the beginning of time, feeding on our weaknesses, our vices. Our sins. It hungers for our souls, its demonic offspring possessing humans, corrupting, manipulating, using us as unwitting pawns in a supernatural chess match for the ultimate price: life.

The Crucifixion of Christ saved humanity once. What will it take to save us this time?

contains mature content, offensive themes, and general deviance

Sin Eater 1.1 is approximately 10,000 words or 45 pages, and is the first of seven episodes in the first season of the Sin Eater serial. If you don’t enjoy serials, you can pre-order the full Box Set on Amazon.


A Note About Serials: These are not stand alone books, however, if that drives you crazy, you can PREORDER the full box set now:

Season1Box

For those reading alone as each episode is released, here is the full schedule:

Sin Schedule

Episode Publication Date
Episode 1 9/25/2015
Episode 2 9/25/2015
Episode 3 10/9/2015
Episode 4 10/23/2015
Episode 5 11/6/2015
Episode 6 11/20/2015
Episode 7 12/4/2015
Box Set 12/15/2015

Read an Excerpt

Nik’s hand dripped blood and his forehead throbbed.

“You can’t kill this man and that’s the only way you’ll get rid of me. You can’t take an innocent life without opening yourself up to my kind. So go ahead, kill him, and then I’ll wrap myself in your shell and consume your soul.” The monster licked its lips.

“Bullshit.”

The leaky, red eyes of the demon’s host displayed the first real signs of fear. It was all but beat. He was almost finished.

“Behold and obey. By the power of Christ, invested in me by the Kingdom of Heaven and its mighty King, I command you to yield. For this vessel is a child of God, sacred unto him.”

Beads of sweat popped out on the brow of the man before him, now crouching and glaring up at Nik. One side of his face had melted away, leaving only sinew and bone. He curled his arms and fists, making his biceps bulge with effort.

His voice, empowered by his birthright and emboldened by experience, rang clear in the night. “I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of God,” Nik pressed his bloody palm against the demon’s forehead, “and in the name of Jesus, and in the name of the Holy Spirit!”

Nik drew the sign of the cross on the demon’s flesh with his own blood.

“Tell me your name! The blood of Christ compels you!”

The man’s bulging muscles shook. He ground his teeth, trying his best to stop from revealing his name and giving Nik the only thing he needed to destroy him. He screamed, a long and low furious yell that revealed the only thing that might have kept him safe: “Naamah.”

Nik slapped his wet palm onto the man’s sweaty forehead. “I exorcise thee, Naamah, in the name of God, and in the name of Jesus,” Nik’s hand burned the man’s flesh, but he couldn’t stop, “and in the name of the Holy Spirit.” He pulled his face close until the two were eye-to-eye.

The black from the demon’s eyes receded into its head, traveling the surface of the man’s skin and turning it gray. He opened his mouth and a black cloud rushed out, choking its former host as it was expelled.

The monster let out a shriek as the last of its hold on the man was ripped out, sliding out of his human host’s mouth and into a black glob on the street.

The man came to his senses. Confusion showed in his eyes as his mind was once again able to access his body. As the evil left the man’s body, he slumped to the ground and Nik lowered with him. Nik stayed just long enough to make sure the man’s pulse was stable. His job was to get the evil out, not to worry about what happened after.

Nik’s head spun, he was too exhausted, sick, and confused to reason it out. He’d exorcised the demon. That’s all that mattered. He’d figure out the particulars later.

The blood on Nik’s hand glowed a deep red in the darkness as he reached out and grabbed the evil before him. With a silent prayer, he picked it up, black sin wrapping around his fingers like tentacles. Bile rose in his mouth at the thought of what he needed to do next. Twice in one night.

The throb in his head began again and Nik stuffed the evil into his mouth, swallowing its slick putrid essence in one gulp.

Nik stood, but he swayed and leaned heavily on the wall to his left, unable to see through the dark haze that descended over his eyes. He felt like someone had snuffed him out. Cold gripped his body, seeping into his bones, pulling him down, crushing him in its icy fist.

He instantly regretted treating this one as he had every other. He should have known better. There was nothing about this possession that had been like the others. After everything he went through to beat this thing, he came right back around to the same thought as before. This would be the one that killed him.


And now the fun part!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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WIP 082515


A friend requested a little preview of the work in progress that has been occupying my writing time, so I picked out a little section that I have written recently. This is from the upcoming, and yet unnamed, book 1.5 of the Armageddon Angels series. Initially it was intended to be a novella, a short book intending to fill the space between the  first and second book in the series, but it is looking more and more to be a full on novel equal in size to Apocalypse Rising. Please keep in mind that this is a rough draft, but I would love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know what you think.

Demon

Continue reading “WIP 082515”

Beyond the Darkside: 30-5 to 6


Warehouse

The box chirped and squealed as it sorted through the possible codes until it found what it was looking for. With a muted clang, the door latch slid open. The seal between the tunnel and the warehouse above was broken with an audible hiss as the warm air of the tunnel rose into the warehouse. The stale scent of the confined space was even more putrid when compared to the filtered purity of the warehouse.

Evan sniffed and said, “You’re right. This air is almost laboratory grade clean.”

“See, I’m not just a pretty face,” Hanse said as he pushed the heavy steel portal open. The bang of it hitting the warehouse floor echoed throughout the space. Continue reading “Beyond the Darkside: 30-5 to 6”