Speculative Fiction Showcase

Release date: January 7, 2019

Subgenre: Post-Apocalyptic Horror

**About Game Changers of the Apocalypse:**

It’s always the end of the world when you break up with someone. This time it really is...

Everyone on the planet has mysteriously disappeared, leaving exes Greg and Polly. They’ve survived the apocalypse, yet shouldn’t have. Battling each other and a malevolent entity that teases them with their fate, how long can they remain ahead? Even more terrifying than everyone else on the planet disappearing is what’s about to take their place…

Excerpt:

They descended stone steps to the Thames Path. Black water shimmered in the light from globular lamps, which recast the world in black and white. Water lapped the wall below. A pair of shadow-giants stalked the buildings above.

Their footsteps echoed in the lonely night.

Furry moths clustered thickly around the lamps.

A dog barked on the other side of the river. Running feral or spooked by something?

Greg shivered.

The breeze caught him side on, making him wish he’d taken Polly’s advice and put something on over his GANT short-sleeved shirt.

He reached for her hand.

She grasped his.

‘Where do you think they went?’ he said.

In her Joules dress, on her Ravel wedges, she looked round. ‘What?’

‘Everybody.’ He glanced at some charcoaly flowerbeds. ‘I mean, where are they?’

‘The Mardi Gras?’

Laughter erupted from him.

She smiled.

Then the smile fled her face. ‘Think it was another Chernobyl?’

He held his other hand out, turned it over. ‘How come we’re all right?’

‘What’s that bomb that gets rid of people but leaves buildings intact?’

‘Oh, the neutron bomb, yes, yeah, that’s a good one. Surely we’d have heard it, though. And there’d have had to have been lots.’

‘I guess.’

‘What about a gamma-ray burst from a hypernova?’

‘Come again?’

‘The celestial equivalent. Thing is, there’s none near enough.’

‘Oh.’ A gentle snuff.

He swallowed. ‘Maybe the chosen rose and we… didn’t.’

Her head jerked back. ‘What are you saying? We overslept on Judgement Day?’

He coughed. ‘Well, the thing we need to try and work out is…’ A moth blundered against his lips. Swiping it out of his face, he dry-spat.

Bloody things.

Her hand slipped through his and out. ‘Oh, my God.’

He stopped, whirled around. ‘What, baby?’ Her hand cupped her mouth. ‘Baby, what?’

He followed her line of sight. High up on the brickwork above, something small, pale and round protruded from the mortar.

She pointed, transfixed.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘It’s just fungus, love.’

‘No it’s not, it’s…’

‘What?’

‘It’s a…’

He could feel her trembling.

‘What, love?’

‘Ear.’

He couldn’t have heard right. ‘What?’

‘An ear.’

He positioned himself in line with it, a few feet away from the wall, stared up and had to concede that it did have the convolutions, flutes, knobbles and fleshy colouring of an ear. Yet it couldn’t be. Could it?

It waggled.

‘Fuck.’ He jumped back.

Polly let out a moan. ‘You know what it’s doing, don’t you?’

‘What?’ He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

‘Listening.’

‘You’re...’

She turned. ‘Oh, no…’

‘What?’ He spun round. ‘Oh, shit.’

The lights along the river went out one by one. Blocks of darkness caught up with them.

A click from her throat as cavernous night swallowed them. ‘Oh, God… It’s all starting again.’

Amazon

About Mark Kirkbride:

Mark Kirkbride lives in Shepperton, England. He is the author of two novels, Game Changers of the Apocalypse and Satan’s Fan Club, both published by Omnium Gatherum. His short stories can be found in Under the Bed, Sci Phi Journal, Disclaimer Magazine and Flash Fiction Magazine. His poetry has appeared in the Big Issue, the Morning Star, the Mirror and Horror Writers Association chapbooks.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Omnium Gatherum

Release date: December 13, 2018

Subgenre: Metaphysical science fiction

**About Realm Source:**

Are there places beyond heaven and depths below hell? Explore the boundaries of existence by travelling worlds beyond measure in a story beyond belief where universes are born and die but a father's love for his child lasts forever.

Excerpt:

Amari fell to the floor as the shade came down from above. It glided along the floor until it stood between Eveine and her daughter.
    "No," Eveine yelled.
    Then the shade moved towards Amari.
    Iclarsa watched, seemingly unable to move.
    Eveine rushed towards the shade. "Save her," she shouted to Iclarsa as she lept towards the shade with the arcfuser still in her hand.
    Sensing her approach, the shade swiveled round to face her. It wavered back and forth, seemingly unconcerned by the arcfuser. Eveine was only an ell away when she yelled to Iclarsa, "Tell Rickard I love him!"
    At the last moment, Eveine lept straight towards the shade. Then, she was completely within it. Almost involuntarily, it drew in on her until it was impossible to distinguish where the shade ended and Eveine began.
    She lifted up the arcfuser as the air around her shimmered. With the fuser pointed at her chest, there was a ringing sound as she pulled the trigger. The pulsing sound in Iclarsa’s ears went silent as Eveine dropped to the floor. Looking down at her, Iclarsa saw a hand-sized hole where her beating heart should have been.
    Iclarsa moved towards Amari, "We have to go."
    She’d nearly caught hold of her when another shade appeared. Moving almost too quickly for Iclarsa to follow, it reached out with a black tendril and touched Amari on the forehead. A reddish glow appeared around her.
    Unable to help herself, Iclarsa drew back.
    "Amari, stop!" she said.
    But Amari began to walk towards the still transparent front of the ship.   She neared the area where the largest vexer door had been just before the ship had entered the rift. Passing thru it, she disappeared as the shade which had touched her moved towards the hauler. Other shades encircled the hauler. Frantically, Iclarsa raced back towards the entry hatch and slammed it shut after entering the ship.
    Reaching the bridge of the ship where Volen and Avelare were waiting for her, she shouted, "Emergency Protocol Zerent."
    "Please secure yourselves," the ship’s voice politely instructed as straint chairs rose up from the floor of the bridge.
    After just a few moments, Iclarsa had her children strapped in. Then she climbed into her chair and sealed the straints.
    "Escaping now," said the voice as the longhauler lifted off the floor of the exerbay.
    A half dozen shades flowed towards it as it raced to the rear of the bay. The longhauler angled itself towards a particularly large vein running along the rear wall of the bay. When it was within a few ells of the vein, it stopped and a probe extended out from the hauler. The probe pierced the vein and sparks arced out from it as the vein turned red, and then black.
    As soon as the sparks stopped, the vein split open like skin being peeled back. Space was visible on the other side and, just as the shades were about to pierce the sides of the hauler, it escaped thru the opening.

Amazon

About Vincent B. Moneymaker:

I have a law degree, run an internet business and have been writing stories for about 3 years. I also like to surf and spend time with my family.

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Friday, January 11, 2019

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 11, 2019

Monday, January 7, 2019

Game Changers of the Apocalypse by Mark Kirkbride

**About Game Changers of the Apocalypse:**

Excerpt:

Amazon

About Mark Kirkbride:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Omnium Gatherum

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Realm Source by Vincent B. Moneymaker

**About Realm Source:**

Excerpt:

Amazon

About Vincent B. Moneymaker:

Website