Category Archives: Chronicles of Dark Moon

Excerpt from “Project Burning Bush”

Posted on by

For #LineByLineTime : “Exercise”

Nita watched with raised eyebrows as Minji stretched in the brightening light as the sun rose over the horizon. “Why are you moving in slow motion?”

Minji rolled her eyes as she flowed into different positions. “This is tai chi. It is exercise, martial art, and good for improving overall health. I am stiff and sore after sleeping on that hard ground, so I am stretching.”

“Huh,” Nita muttered and began her own set of movements.

Harper tilted his head. “If Dragonlady is doing tai chi, what are you doing?”

“Yoga, mostly. I got dragged to an old ladies’ exercise class a couple of times a week. At first I was mad, but it did make me feel better, so I kept it up.”

Luthor pulled his teeshirt off and hung it carefully on a branch. “Yoga’s good: so is tai chi. I do a lot of weightlifting, but regular calisthenics as well to keep limber. You need to do some exercising, Harper, to at least keep from getting sore.” He dropped to the ground and began doing pushups.

“I don’t know,” Harper sighed. “It’s hard without music.”

“Music? Why do you need music?” Nita scoffed from her tripod headstand.

“I just find it easier to practice my ballet movements if music is playing.”

The other three teens froze. “Ballet? You do ballet?” Luthor choked out.

Harper sniffed. “Nah, I’m just messing with you.” He started giggling, then progressed to howls of laughter. “The looks on your faces!”

Excerpt from “Chronicles of Dark Moon”

Posted on by

for #LineByLineTime : “Enter the Bad Guy”

Marie glanced at the door as it opened. The monster across from her scowled at the person entering, then changed his expression to a twisted attempt at a smile, before settling into a nervous blinking.

“Mr. Bennett! Good to see you! Have any questions for our guest?” The monster tried to sound welcoming, but his fear expressed itself in his hands leaving sweat stains on his pants as he rubbed his thighs and shuffled his feet.

Bennett met her uninterested eyes with a flat stare. Marie suddenly felt her memories slide into her present. The jihadists who had kept her prisoner for two years had the same empty expression, a soulless lack of interest in her health, emotions, or future. Maybe this one will just kill me, she thought. Maybe I’ll get lucky. What could they want me for?

“He IS a disposable lackey,” the man said abruptly. He laid a pistol on the table in front of Marie. “Dispose of him.”

“Hey!” the monster yelped.

Bennett flicked his eyes over the other man. “She was right. You killed her husband without permission because you’re stupid. You got rid of someone we could have used to control her. I don’t keep stupid people around.” He looked back at Marie. “He’s all yours.”

Marie sneered. “I stopped killing on order when I became a teacher. You take out your own trash.”

Bennett shrugged. “Fine.” He picked up the pistol and shot the monster between the eyes. The impact flipped the monster’s chair backward and dumped his corpse on the floor, his too-slow unspoken protest only in his expression.

Bennett looked up at the camera. “Get a cleaning crew in here.” He headed for the door. “Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Why do you need to keep a recently widowed teacher captive?”

“I have an interest in some of your students. And who knows, I may need you to teach a few classes.”