Today marked my two thousandth day in orbit around Circe VIII and I celebrated the milestone with a bowl of rehydrated eggs while staring out the portcullis at the small green orb wobbling slightly beneath me. The government had sent me out here on a recon mission to monitor the artificial intelligence that had integrated […]
the recluse by m ennenbach on Patreon I wrote this story for an anthology that ended up not coming out for whatever reason. It’s quirky and deals with a poet that can smell emotions and secludes himself but due to a new book coming out he has agreed to do an interview. I love the […]
the Nominations for the Splatterpunk Awards were released and i see my best friends and best writers on the planet getting nods. Patrick C Harrison III and Chris Miller are up for novel and novella and together as Cerberus, we are up for collection. That’s crazy. And then Kenzie Jennings and Christine Morgan are up […]
“Are you having fun!?” Chris screamed. “What?” I heard him perfectly well, but he will just yell louder. “Are you. Having. Fun?” People across the room looked at him in confusion with their heads slightly cocked to the side like a bass player in a metal video from the late nineties. I looked around the […]
As I stood there watching them, horror etched onto my face and silence stitched across my tongue, I knew that this was no dream. I do not know how I knew this spectacle unfolding before me was no mere fantasy, more of a vision given for no reason known to me except as willful torture. […]
A cattle drive from Dallas Texas to Abilene Kansas along the Chisholm Trail. The sleepy little town of Duncan, nestled in the Indian Territory, gives the promise of a break from the trail dust. But unbeknownst to all, something hungers for flesh in the untamed land. Something powerful. Soon the dry ground will be soaked […]
He was walking along the sidewalk, enjoying the light breeze and people watching. He always enjoyed downtown excursions. There was something like being ensconced in a cocoon of concrete and glass. And the ladies that hurried down the sidewalks chatting into phones while he happily enjoyed the toned calves above the impossibly high heels that […]
https://wp.me/pb2MQS-15A Follow the link for a relatively inappropriate Xmas tale that takes place on Thanksgiving. The acts are all true. The names were not changed to protect the innocent. Hugs and sloppy wet kisses Happy whatever you celebrate or Wednesday love me
My next story, ‘Movie Night’, is out today in the anthology from Death’s Head Press. 22 more tales of revenge. Dig Two Graves: An Anthology Vol. II https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950259137/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UwWlDbH5FJSS0
https://wp.me/p8EAMa-F8 The wonderful Tara Caribou has curated a new anthology with some absolutely brilliant minds. And me. Anytime you can read River and Tara is a great time. And I am quite proud of my story as well, a modern retelling of one of my favorite of Grimm’s fairy tales. So buy Tara’s book of […]
I have gained some new followers since my initial collection released on March 2nd. This was a dream come true for me to have my name on the spine of a book. It gave me the confidence to write my full novel I mentioned earlier today. These shorts cover the gamut of my story telling. […]
“Good morning.” “Good morning, Mike.” “Last day before the big weekend. Got plans?” “Not anymore.” “What happened?” “We were going to pack a lunch and head to the lake.” “Sounds lovely.” “It did.” “Did?” “Yes. Trudy got called out for work early this morning.” “At the long weekend. Bullshit.” “It is.” “You can hang out […]
It’s starts with… “I think I finally did it Mona!” “Good Morning.” “I am serious. I think I finally did it. I am so fucked.” “Nothing much really. We just sat and watched a movie.” “Mona. I have no time for pleasantries. I’m going to Hell!” “Clearly.” “What?” “Clearly, you are going to hell.” “You […]
Rain, a love story Rain II I’ve lost track of time. I couldn’t say for sure if it has meaning in a place like this. If it ever had meaning at all really. There are no clocks on the plain wood paneled walls. Just the red display that steadily clicks upwards. The plain voice that […]
Rain, a love story Do you remember how it started? I need you to remember how it began. It is raining. It always starts with the raining. Always. I run to the car as the first cold wet drops splat on my bald head. I press the button, hear the door unlock, jump in and […]
This is the prologue to my first novel. I have been hard (hardly) at work on the sequel. Thought it would be fun to share a little. Prologue – The Demon’s Stone Somewhere in the Iranian Desert “Are you in or not Gambler? Make a choice or forfeit the pot,” the strained voice across the […]
Issue One, The Beginning Begins at the End but the End is just the Beginning! “The city is in chaos and the question upon everyone’s mind is this, Where is The Flying Squirrel? The masked hero has been the unsung protector of Cerulean City for the past ten years. His exploits and his tireless pursuit […]
It is raining. It always starts with the raining. Always. I run to the car as the first cold wet drops splat on my bald head. I press the button, hear the door unlock, jump in and press the ignition. The car starts as the drops fall faster. They are loud and only grow louder […]
“Friedrich!” She stood in front of an iron wrought throne with crimson cushions. She was as pale as moonlight but had a deadly grace to her. An air of menace radiated from her and had been known to cause her enemies to clench up in fear. Scars marked her face where her hair didn’t hide […]
“Hello Lurch, is the Lady in tonight?” Of course she was. We both knew it. But protocol dictated a certain decorum when stepping into the darkness of this world of business and demonology. But Lurch, well, he doesn’t care for me. “Ashtray. You look like shit.” My name is not Ashtray. He knows this. It […]
I saw her as I was waiting in line at Target. I don’t know what made me look up from my phone. Yes I was staring at my phone. I don’t do the self check out bullshit. The last time I was standing there screaming at the machine that the fucking bread was in the […]
“Hello?” “—” “Mona?” “—” “What in the hell? Hello!” “Hello Michael.” “Hello? Who’s there?” “I’m hurt. You don’t know who I am?” “There’s no one there.” “Isn’t that how you always described me? An absentee father?” “I doubt it. The only one I ever describe like that is…” “Go on…” “No.” “Come on.” “No way.” […]
“Good morning.” “No.” “Excuse me.” “I said no.” “I heard that.” “Okay.” “I’m meant what do you mean?” “Not today Mona.” “Not today what?” “I’m not feeling up to our normal routine.” “What happened?” “Nothing. You want coffee?” “Tea. And an explanation.” “Tea it is.” Some days things go from bad to worse. Some weeks […]
“Good morning Mona!” “—” “Oh yeah. Another week until you’re back from vacation.” “—” “This sucks.” “—” “Sometimes I question everything. Like why do I even bother. My only healthy relationship is here with you. And it is antagonistic. My life is empty. Devoid of any meaning except regaling you with stories from a better […]
“If he comes closer.” “Into the pot he goes.” “A tasty morsel.” “Sorrow like garlic.” “Eats him.” They think I cannot hear them mutter as I pass. Stupid things in the trees and shadows. I just shrug them off. “Closer. Come closer little human.” “Find a different snack,” I call to them. “He speaks. Does […]
The water in the tub was warm, just shy of hot. It offset the numbing cold of the blood rushing down my arms. I tried to shut the water off but apparently had gone too deep and severed a couple tendons. It didn’t really matter. Wouldn’t be my mess to clean up. Probably for the […]
The sounds of dice rolling across the table travelled up the stairs. The intrepid heroes journeyed through dank caverns and evil forests. The somber tones of the dungeon master rose over the sounds of the skirmish. “You enter the large cavern. Mushrooms on the walls glow with a faint light.” “Aye lads, my nose is […]
Chapter Five – Adrift My eyes snapped open and tried to take a giant heaving breath. Pain shot through my entire body in lightning arcs from head to toe. I could not pinpoint one area that hurt worse than any other as every synapse sent pulses of wicked fire through me. A red tinge overlaid […]
Chapter Four – Setting Expectations Rachael Faust. Why would the group that kidnapped her need me to help find her? Her father said he spoke with a man with yellow eyes and the only two I know of that fit that bill and one of them just asked me to find her as well. Silence. […]
The man atop the mountain however did sense the figure slowly making its way to the summit where he stood, chained to his boulder for all eternity. And in this figure he could feel the warm buzzing of salvation creep through his bones. So filled with relief at the thought of freedom when the rays […]
Chapter Three – Long Drives and Vicious Beatings When I came to I was surrounded by black. I choked down bile as my head throbbed from the blow to the back of my head. I was sticky and felt a pang of remorse when I realized it was queso all over me and not blood. […]
Chapter Two – Out and About The City has a pulse of it’s own, a humming that seems to resonate throughout the people that live here. Brad’s bar is an anomaly, a piece of the past that has worked it’s way into the future. And that is exactly his intent. But if his place is […]
Chapter One – Serendipity The flickering neon light seemed to pulse in time with my headache. A near strobe of blue and red that seemed to crackle down my optic nerve and stab directly into my brain. I was trying to sip my whiskey in private in the back of the near empty bar and […]
“He’s got a gun.” The guy coming towards me most certainly did have a gun. A large one. Big barrel. I’m not a gun guy, but this was most definitely a prime example. Even to a layman. As I watched him draw near, a dirty nondescript middle aged white guy. But something was happening in […]
“Friedrich!” She stood in front of an iron wrought throne with crimson cushions. She was as pale as moonlight but had a deadly grace to her. An air of menace radiated from her and had been known to cause her enemies to clench up in fear. Scars marked her face where her hair didn’t hide […]
So I am minding my own business when I hear a frantic call. “Come on, she will be here soon.” I looked down to see a dish pulling desperately at a spoon. I blinked stupidly. Did that plate really just run away with a spoon? Did someone dose my coffee? Again? If it wasn’t so […]
I was sitting on the toilet, seat down, waiting for the wax to cool while bedazzling my leather thong when I had an epiphany. I said to myself, self it doesn’t get much better than this. Then I ripped the wax off and fought a scream. The price of being beautiful in this trying age […]
“The cancer has spread throughout her body. She waited too long to come in.” “How long?” “Weeks. Maybe less.” “Weeks? What can we do?” “Keep her comfortable. It is aggressively attacking her.” “Chemo?” “She is too weak. It would only speed up the process. Look, I’m sorry to say this but you have to be […]
I fucking hate this City. I was riding high, lord of all I purveyed. King on high. Held dominion over all these sad and horny plebians. The master of this neon dusted wonderland. And then the copy cats started up. Suddenly the market I ruled was flush with smut. Poorly worded trash. And my art […]
For this to work I have to be have all my ducks, kind of, in a row. I climbed off of the elevator and back to the doors and put my ear to them and extended my mind as far as I could. My fears were solidified when I heard and felt the presence of […]
Sitting on the bridge alone, watching the waters flow. The swooping birds delicately dive for a swimming morsel. Like poetry in motion, the mechanics of wings catching thermals and predatory instincts. It has been cold lately and the water looks so serene beneath me. A cool wind stirs the treetops into a happy dance. The […]
He sat at the same table he always occupies. A clear view to the door, back to the wall and just out of the main tectonic plate of pulsating bass that fills the dance floor. An untouched whiskey double with a trickle of water sits halfway onto the coaster in front of him. The distorted […]
I woke up with my hand in a bowl of warm water. John woke up shaved. Matt had most of the beard glued to his face. And Clayton had a penis drawn on his cheek. It must have been a better night than I remembered. Thankfully the warm water trick didn’t work. Wish it would […]
“We got cats coming Gear. Six of them.” “Fuck.” “That isn’t all. Something weird too. You feel that?” I reached out and felt, something. Something alien. Something horrible. Screaming for death with it’s mind. I nearly pissed myself from the onslaught. The brothers looked the same. I felt nauseated from the touch of this twisted […]
It feels like a building has been dropped on my skull. I can feel three separate beings sending the entire weight of their minds against me. No angst or murderous intent just the crushing force of keeping me down. I tried to fight back but it was pointless. I was not nearly strong enough. So […]
So I went to see the doctor at the chop shop a group of homeless men recommended in an effort to not die from the nonstop torture I had endured over the course of what seemed to be just short of eternity at the hands of a group of asshole Weresquirrels. Something no person should […]
“There is a girl that has been taken. A special girl. Now I would be remiss in saying that this reflects poorly on my organization. There are traitors in the Pride. Someone pulling the strings to sow discord in my business,” the large shirtless Boss of the Pride said. His black eyes seemed to look […]
I stepped over two corpses, gut shot and throats torn out, and tried to stay silent as I enter the hole. It is a five story apartment building that has seen better days. The East side of the building is mostly rubble and the rest is close. The air is filled with a palpable sense […]
“We have good news and some bad news Mr. um, Dreary. Which would you like first?” the overly charismatic doctor announced as he entered the room, hand out like an overly orange panhandler. I could practically feel the spray tan flow into my hand. Piss poor bedside manner in my opinion. Who walks in with […]
He stood staring into the sun, face set into a grin tinged with madness. That unblinking stare continued for what seemed to be hours. His black suit was covered in fine red dust blown out of the dry creek to his left. His shiny head glistened with sweat. The treeline to the right was sparse […]
“Berry, get me a coffee with two sugars and have those twits in accounting send me the latest spreadsheets yesterday.” I just nod. Already on my phone sending the twits a message as I head to the break room to grab the coffee. I can only imagine the scrabble as they try and put together […]
Mike's Manic Word Depot 