Aisle 13 (PG-13)

The rumors said this Walmart was haunted - that it was built on an old Indian burial ground, or one of the construction workers hanged himself from the rafters, or a murderer used the wet concrete to bury his victims. Really, pretty much any creepy ghost story you could think of, it was told about this store at some point.

The details changed every time the tale was told, but one thing remained constant - the whole thing was a load of BS, concocted by the old-timers to scare the new guys working the late shift.

Sure, the store could be a little creepy when it was pretty much empty and no one else was around, but that didn't equal "haunted," so when the old geezers tried to warn me off from working the midnight shift on Halloween, I just shrugged them off. If they wanted get their laughs from watching the new kid freak out, well, they'd have to choose someone else.

So when Halloween rolled around a week later and I was stuck manning the single open checkout lane, I tried my best to treat it like any other late shift. For some reason (probably because those stupid rumors had spread pretty far), the store was even more empty than normal, and starting 'round about eleven thirty or so, even the few shoppers that had showed up cleared out. With them gone, the store seemed even more deathly quiet than usual, and every sudden noise made me jump a little, but I just kicked myself for letting the stories get under my skin.

The Final Dark (PG-13)

Back in the Bright Ages, they used to have a saying: “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

As it turns out, they were dead wrong.

*****

It was a pretty typical night for me, nothing out of the ordinary. I’d spent a few hours earning my pay, standing around looking tough while the hired help loaded up some crate into an armored truck. No clue what was in the crate - I’m not paid to ask questions, and in my line of work, the less you know, the better. Wouldn’t want the boss to start thinking I was aiming for his spot.

Whatever the delivery was, it went off without a hitch, which meant I’d done my job right. You didn’t hang around in the streets at night longer than necessary, not unless you had a death wish, so I’d booked it out of there as soon as the truck took off, keeping to the shadows as I headed back to the compound. Hadn’t gone two blocks before I felt it - that telltale tingling on the back of my neck, the one that only ever signals trouble. Like I said, a normal night.

Scenes from the Alterlands: #3

The afternoon sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon, and as it dipped lower and lower in the sky, its rays passed through the windows of the apothecary's shop, warming the musty air of the back room. This, combined with the heat from the fireplace and the rhythmic sound of the mortar and pestle being used out front, created quite a lulling effect, and it was evident that the woman asleep with her face resting on the parchment-strewn table had given in to the lure of sleep. She was simply and comfortably clothed, and had the look of someone who was used to a full day's work, but sleep somehow gave her a sense of almost childlike innocence, as the worry-lines on her face relaxed and a half-smile drifted across her lips.

Heavy footsteps creaked on the floorboards of the hall outside, and Alanthros stuck his head around the door frame. “Aleatia, were you planning...” His voice trailed off as he realized that she was sound asleep. He paused in the doorway for a moment, then quietly crossed the room to the table and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Scenes from the Alterlands: #2

Summer had passed, and autumn had come to the Alterlands, with the leaves on many of the trees turning to vibrant shades of yellow and red, sharply contrasting with the dark green of the evergreens. The skies were clear and blue, and the wind blew steadily, spreading the smell of fall throughout the countryside. After a few weeks, the leaves began to fall, covering the ground in a carpet of dried leaves. This was Aleatia's favorite part of the season – enjoying both the beauty of the colors, and the feeling of the leaves crunching beneath her feet. Today she was taking a short rest from her work, and had gone just outside of the walls of Chateau D'Arbor to walk through the farmlands and woods surrounding it.

Aleatia was grateful for the chance to stroll peacefully along the road, as she had not had much time to stop and enjoy life of late. There were always people who needed her help, whether they were soldiers or townsfolk in need of healing, or friends in need of someone to talk to. It was nice to be needed, but Aleatia wanted time for her own thoughts, especially as those had become increasingly confusing in the past few months, as she struggled to find the peace that she knew was out there somewhere.

Scenes from the Alterlands: #1

The rain came down in sheets, blowing nearly sideways as the wind drove it across the courtyard and against the shuttered windows of Chateau D'Arbor. Inside, Aleatia leaned heavily against the wall of the corridor; it had been yet another long day tending to the wounded who had been brought back from fending off the latest Darcian raid. There seemed to be no end to the number of injured – when one was healed enough to return to the fight, another invariably took his place, and the count of the dead rose with each passing week. It was hard to maintain hope in the midst of constant suffering and death, and yet somehow she was able to make it through one day, and then the next, doing what she could where she could.

Slowly, Aleatia pushed herself upright and made her way to the great hall, intending to warm herself at the fire. It was late, but there were still several men and women gathered around the hearth, talking quietly together. There were times when she would have taken part in their conversation, grateful for a chance to put aside her worries, but tonight her energy was spent and she had no desire to join them. Instead, she paused only long enough to warm her chilled hands, and then slipped quietly out of the hall, heading toward the castle doors. Here she could hear the wind as it howled across the courtyard, sending the rain pelting against the doors. Finding a fairly dry corner of the entrance hall, Aleatia sat down with her back to the wall, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to relax.