Jazmee27 
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It should have been a time for rejoicing. The Queen was finally expecting! Yet the good news was marred by the illness slowly eating at her insides.
None of the doctors knew what to do. “It’s not an illness we recognize.” So all anyone could do was wait, and pray the children, at least, came out all right.
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Reply #1061. Jun 26 12, 11:42 AM
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Jazmee27
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THE MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS
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The young girl had been sick for weeks, slowly and steadily growing weaker. No one could say what was wrong. Any and all cures of known ailments had been used; all to no avail.
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Reply #1062. Jun 26 12, 11:43 AM
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Jazmee27
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The boy’s shoulders shook with silent sobs as he sat beside his sister. His mother had wanted him to go to town, to do some small things about the hut, but he couldn’t. He mustn’t leave the girl’s side, or she might die before he returned. At least if he stayed with her, he’d be there when the last vestiges of life left her small, frail body.
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Reply #1063. Jun 26 12, 11:43 AM
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Jazmee27
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Lorsetti Nahvaseyta considered himself a very careful man. He always examined all his options before landing on one, and he never went anywhere without his “Dark Detector.” Sometimes, though, even the most careful person will find everything sliding out beneath him or her, culminating in the fight of a lifetime.
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Reply #1064. Jun 26 12, 11:46 AM
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Jazmee27
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Lorsetti Nahvaseyta was born in one of the border villages, those lands between kingdoms. For that reason, he was never quite certain of his place in the Universe. Who could he identify? At 50, he still didn’t know.
He did consider himself fortunate to have met and married the lovely Sofia Kasriytovnev, who at 52 still retained much the same figure as she’d had when she was younger. What he didn’t know, however, was that she wasn’t all she claimed.
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Reply #1065. Jun 26 12, 11:47 AM
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Jazmee27
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SofiaKasriytovnev smiled to herself. Tonight, if all went well, she’d see her husband for the last time. “I used to tell you how being so careful made you predictable,” she said aloud, “but you just laughed. Well, after tonight you’ll not laugh at me again!”
She got up and went to the window. Perfect. It was getting darker by the second, as if a violent storm was biding its time to strike. It was already difficult to see, and within the next half hour would be even more so.
Hearing a shrill ring, Sofia jumped. “Only my Communicator,” she muttered as her heart resumed its normal beating. Slowly, as if unwilling to do so, she picked up the device. A glance at the number made her smile. Everything must be in place, or he’d not be calling her.
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Reply #1066. Jun 26 12, 11:48 AM
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Jazmee27
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“Yes,” she snapped.
“The plan’s running according to plan,” a soft voice informed her.
“Good,” she retorted, “for you know what I think of bad news.”
The person on the other end was silent for a moment, then said the words she knew he must, but that still surprised her: “I’m giving you a final chance to back out. After all, your decision could deprive your five children of a father.”
She hesitated briefly, then lowered her voice even though she knew there was no chance of being overheard. “Actually, I had planned to talk to you about that very thing,” and so saying Sofia Kasriytovnev grinned wickedly.
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Reply #1067. Jun 26 12, 11:48 AM
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Jazmee27
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Miles away, Sojenka Osentha’s hands tightened on the Communicator. He didn’t mind removing the man, Lorsetti, from the picture. “I’ve never liked him,” the 41-year-old thought savagely. But he felt a twinge of nerves at the thought of harming a single hair of the children. They couldn’t help what family they were born into. They were completely innocent of any wrongdoing. Children were defenseless, unable to change even the smallest circumstance. Which is why he tried to talk her out of it. “Stubborn witch,” he hissed through gritted teeth. He thought briefly of informing her he’d had a change of heart, of leaving her alone to complete the dastardly deed. |
Reply #1068. Jun 26 12, 11:49 AM
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Jazmee27
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In the end, though, he couldn’t do it. Something just wouldn’t let him back out. So there was an unexpected hitch to the original plan. That didn’t mean he shouldn’t still go through with it. Besides, he might yet come up with a way to keep the kids out of it. Having thus reassured himself, Sojenka Osentha sat back and smiled.
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Reply #1069. Jun 26 12, 11:50 AM
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Jazmee27
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ATTACK OF THE BEAST 1
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He wasn’t exceptionally tall, nor incredibly short, more like in between. His hair wasn’t exactly short, nor was it unfashionably long, just in between. His eyes, dark and brooding, were neither too large or too small, just right for the proportions of his face. His voice wasn’t remarkable, but neither was it dull. Again, just average. Nothing to set him apart.
That is, nothinganyone human could see.
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Reply #1070. Jun 26 12, 11:51 AM
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Jazmee27
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The creature of the night crept silently toard the smell of food. It hadn’t eaten in… it couldn’t remember. Hunger always made it forget things, and forgetting made it mad. Without being fully conscious of the fact, the beast snarled its fury at the cruel Universe around it. It NEEDED to eat, could feel the weakness beginning to steal over it.
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Reply #1071. Jun 26 12, 11:52 AM
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Jazmee27
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======
Dustin’s father was a tall, thin man with deep-set blue eyes and short, curly brown hair named Francisco Jose Morehnta. He loved his son and would have done almost anything for him.
Which is why he stepped outside when he felt the danger. “Son,” he called softly.
The young man looked up into his father’s concerned face. “What is it, Father,” he asked.
“It’s not safe out here,” Francis replied in a low, urgent whisper.
“What do you mean,” Dustin wanted to know.
“It’s hard to explain,” the older man replied, “just a feeling I have—“
“I’ll be right in,” Dustin promised.
Francis let out a sigh of relief, and went back inside. Part of him knew he should stay with his son, but another part of him insisted that everything would be fine, and he should go back to grading papers.
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Reply #1072. Jun 26 12, 11:52 AM
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Jazmee27
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Dustin’s left hand was on the doorknob when he felt something grab him from behind and start pulling the other direction. Whatever it was, it was strong, and the young man cried out as his feet slipped on the soggy ground. He hadn’t even realized until then it had rained earlier in the evening.
The hold on his shoulder shifted, and something sharp pierced his back, making Dustin fall to his knees. Stifling a gasp of sheer agony, he turned around to see what was clawing at him—and immediately felt his blood freeze. He had heard plenty of stories about monsters that stalked the night shadows, that subsisted primarily on the blood of their victims, but he hadn’t given them much thought. They were just stories people told to scare little children, and he was far from that anymore.
Yet, looking into the face of death, the young man knew he’d been a fool to discount the tales. Vampires were real, very real. His mind raced, attempting in vain to recall the means with which to destroy such a monster.
The creature let go of Dustin’s shoulder, and the young man scrambled to his feet. Or, he tried to, but found that his back wouldn’t allow it. Stifling a gasp of frustration and pain, he began crawling toard the house, not very confident he’d be able to reach it in time, and even less certain it would much matter even if he did.
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Reply #1073. Jun 26 12, 11:53 AM
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Jazmee27
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Francis threw down the page he was viewing and stood up abruptly. His son needed him; he could feel it in his bones. As quickly as he could, he made his way to the back of the house.
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Reply #1074. Jun 26 12, 11:54 AM
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Jazmee27
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The creature suppressed a growl of pleasure. It felt the excitement of the hunt, just barely managed to restrain itself. In order to survive, it had to be patient. It was only a matter of time before that puny human succumbed to the blood he’d already lost combined with the fear that was, even now, choking his airways.
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Reply #1075. Jun 26 12, 11:54 AM
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Jazmee27
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The young man sagged against the familiar structure, unable to crawl even one more step. He sensed it was all over, knew the monster was close by, knew too much of his blood had been spilled for him to survive the night. At least, he thought weakly, he’d die in the shadow of the only home he’d ever known. With one last shuddering breath, Dustin’s consciousness faded away.
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Reply #1076. Jun 26 12, 11:55 AM
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Jazmee27
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As soon as its quarry stopped moving, the vampire sprang, locking its jaws in the young man’s side and sinking its fangs in as deep as they would go. He growled contentedly as his victim’s blood flowed in and through him. It felt the small bit of life leave the young man, and gurgled appreciatively. All too soon, the human’s corpse was completely dry. With a sigh, half of regret and half of satisfaction, the creature of the night crept back into the shadows.
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Reply #1077. Jun 26 12, 11:55 AM
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Jazmee27
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ATTACK OF THE BEAST 2
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Dustin Ramirez was one of those faces that flit before you, and it almost feels like there’s something important, and then it’s too late to do anything about it. There wasn’t anything noteworthy about him. Just one in a handful of Sentorians. Stick around in a place long enough, and folks just seem to mould together, becoming one person.
I used to live in Midochotria, that little kingdom on the other side of Stinokia. Hard to get names straight sometimes, but that one’s always been easy for me. It’s been a year since I fled my homeland. Long story, not worth discussing.
Now, seems trouble’s come to Sentoria. Some sort of creature skulks around at night, preying on the innocent, tearing apart homes. Victims too many to count, or remember. Most just know Dustin was the first, dragged down returning home, they say. Found his body the next morning, drained of all fluid, a small heap of skin and bones. No one knows what killed him, though there are tracks. Nothing we’ve seen.
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Reply #1078. Jun 26 12, 11:56 AM
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Jazmee27
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THE CRIME 1
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It was hard to tell how old the victim was from the remains. As Michael Fortuno, junior Sentorian patroller, remarked to his partner after seeing the blaring headline: “I didn’t know we had cesspools here.”
The body was later found to have belonged to an infant named Johnathan Okedra. It was further revealed that the last two individuals to have seen the baby alive were his father, Manasta, and his uncle Enasta, himself a ‘Sentorian patroller. “Who could want to harm Johnathan,” was the question on everyone’s lips.
The answer came in the form of a suspicious message delivered to patrol headquarters. It was unsigned, saying only, “come clean or I reveal your secret.” Vhaitor Khamona saw it when he came into work on a cloudy morning in the middle of February.
By the time Enasta got in, half an hour late, as was his norm, the envelope was waiting for him with a note from Vhaitor: “see me when you get in.”
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Reply #1079. Jun 26 12, 11:58 AM
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Jazmee27
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“What’s this all about,” Okedra demanded angrily after he’d stomped into his boss’s office. The answer: answers. Vhaitor just found it odd that his fellow coworker had been one of the last people to see the victim alive before he was brutally murdered. “What makes you think he was murdered—he drowned, is all.” In reply, Vhaitor simply held up the newspaper headline, under which was the graphic image depicting a scattered array of body parts.
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Reply #1080. Jun 26 12, 11:59 AM
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