Bite-sized fiction
“Whatever it is that you’re doing to make him react that way, stop it.” Jill blinked through a thick layer of mascara. She stroked back a long blond curl and shook her head. “If you stop upsetting him, then he won’t hurt you.”
Huh?
Blood Legends: Undead Published by P.S I Love You on Medium
What if Saving Humanity Meant Facing Your Greatest Fears?
A deadly virus has claimed the lives of millions and ravaged the earth. Human survivors spend their days and nights fighting to stay alive in a world now owned by vampires.
Jett’s plans to get further off-grid fall apart when his woman suddenly disappears at the hands of the hawkers – the most deplorable and dangerous humans to survive the apocalypse.
Now, Jett is forced to confront evil head-on as he faces choices that he never dreamed possible. Can he survive long enough to retrieve his woman before she is slaughtered? Or will he succumb to the bloody wrath of the Undead?
Undead is a new urban fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world from bestselling author Kim Petersen, the first book in the Blood Legends series.
Episode One
*Footprints: Made Editor’s Pick for November 2019 at publication P.S. I love You on Medium.
“Did you ever want to step into someone else’s feet?”
I tore my eyes from the gulls screeching above the waves that crashed against the jagged rocks, their wings beating against the briny air as they swooped the water’s surface looking for a meal. A faint smile played over my lips.
“Don’t you mean shoes?”
Episode Two
A thick cloud of dust billowed above the road behind me as I slammed my foot against the accelerator of the pickup. Any other day, I would have taken extreme care to disguise the sound of the engine, much less leave an obvious path of smut leading toward the cottage. But today wasn’t any other day. Today Scarla had vanished without a trace.
Episode Three
Forty-eight hours. That was the deal offered by the hawkers if I wanted to keep Scarla breathing. She now had a ransom on her head – a blood-ransom.
Myths and legends always seem to accompany major change. In a new world where blood ruled, it was blood that had become our most valuable commodity. Scarla’s life had just become dependent upon a few drops of rare blood. Blood represented power to its possessor, and I was uncertain I could produce the payoff.
Episode Four
Hollow City
“So, what’s your story, huh?” Avila glared at Sun sitting between us on the bench seat as we raced along the highway.
Sun shrugged; her fingers twisted in her lap. “What do you mean? My story isn’t any different from anyone else’s.”
“Ha.” Avila’s lips curled as she indicated the stake leaning against the seat beside Sun. “I’m not buying the innocent act, Sunny. What’s with the blood-soaked stake? Did you kill kindred?”
Episode Five
Episode six
“Who or what the hell is out there” Avila stalked between two long benchtops. She stopped to whirl around and glare at Michal. “You’ve set us up.”
She had a point. It was clear we weren’t alone.
episode seven
The vampire’s image flashed through my mind. Soulless eyes. It wasn’t even a thought. I was too pumped to think. My nerves felt stringy. My chest throbbed. I bounded up the stairs and every muscle strained. Sweat stung my eyes and almost blinded me as I shone the flashlight ahead. The stairwell was cramped, grotty and red. Dull scarlet lamps barely illuminated the landings. Human waste and stale iron snapped against my senses.
Episode Eight
When your baby leaves you all alone and nobody calls you on the phone.
Silence is a noise. Ragged breaths and the soulful sounds of Solomon Burke’s Cry to Me screamed through my mind as I stared at my daughter. It was her favorite. The moments stalled. My child. Images of her long dark hair bouncing over her shoulders as she danced clung in my mind’s vision. Flouncing yellow dresses. Small ruby lips breaking into laughter. The sweet sound of her voice when she called to me.
episode nine
*Dead Inside was curated by the Medium Editorial Team and featured on the Medium Fiction Page on 1/11/2020
“Tea?” Sun’s smile evaporated as fast as it had emerged. The dark circles beneath her eyes darkened. “You need to drink something … eat something.”
I looked at the steaming mug she shoved toward me. My fingers felt numb.
“My grandmother used to say that tea makes everything better.” Sun gave a half laugh. When I stared back at her, she bit her bottom lip and looked away as she sat down on the sofa next to me. “Take it. You’re going to need your strength.”
episode ten
Episode eleven