Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Captain went rigid, and I stepped in close to support him but didn’t touch him. His breaths came sharp and his jaw was clenched. “Quarters. Now.” He marched through the ship and we followed in his wake, drawn along silently.
Deke’s hand stayed next to his belt and his weapons. The traitors, whoever they were, must really have him on edge.
“Are we secure?” Captain asked in the lift.
“No. Not even close.” Deke was grim. “I couldn’t arrest those named without alerting some who were unnamed.”
I frowned. “If they’re unnamed, how do you know who they are and
In Pieces #24 (7.4) by Julie Lynn Hayes
“Now I think I’m ready to face the day,” Ben said with a smile. “Has Aiden been cooperative?” His fingers lightly stroked along Ryan’s arm, but his glance was for Aiden.
“What? Oh yes, very much so,” Ryan quickly said. “He was just telling me how you met, and the other bands you’ve been in together.”
“Hey Ben, what was the name of that first band we were in?”
Click here to read the entire Brief;
Disassembly Required: Part 6 by Sarah Hayes
Allen shut off her phone. She’d spent the last fifteen or so minutes composing countless angry messages to Beatriz, only to delete them and start over with a blank screen. But in the end, nothing was sent. Her silence still spoke volumes—or so she thought as she angled her way through the conference hall.
Her face burned. Beatriz had completely shut her out of their project, adjusted the machine without her knowledge or consent, and then brushed off her concerns as a manifestation of conference stress. Beatriz had been right from the first time they met, Allen thought. She really did not bring any joy to the world. Allen’s clenched jaw and unspoken torrent of insults were proof of that.
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Tales of the Cabin: Part 6 by Johayan
Andy’s boyish face and defiant attitude were enough to kick my ‘daddy’ instincts into gear. I had barely gotten around the counter when Andy smirked at me again.
“What are you going to do Mr. Ramhart? You going to punish me for being bad?” he sneered as he pushed another grocery bin off the counter.
Before he could realize what was going on, I had grabbed him and bent him over the counter.
“Oh, you will be punished. Sometimes, the punishment is a pleasure to the punisher.” I growled as I reached into one of the drawers…
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Adrift: Chapter 10 by J. Alan Veerkamp
The moment Arad stepped onto the bridge all conversation stopped.
Soft chimes from the instrument panels were the only sounds in the uncomfortable silence. Franc, Torrins, and Daiko sat in their respective seats. As he stepped across the threshold, three sets of eyes followed him. And he thought walking in the hallway was noisy. The short trek felt downright deafening as he found his place next to Torrins. It wasn’t the first time his appearance had quieted the room, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing how unnerving it could be.
“Are we going somewhere?”
Click here to read the entire Brief:
Wednesday Briefs 