Apollo Into Hermes (2013 into 2014)

When Yellow meets Grey

The New Year is on it’s Way

Righteous warrior Standing up for the Meek

Moves into the mystic when knowledge is what we Seek

Apollo and Hermes are Brothers

Even if they have different Mothers

Now we leave the golden Knight

As we delve into the mysterious of shadow between the day and Night

Hermes when we greet you with an Open Mind

Who knows what new experiences we may Find

So Hermes look down and fill us with your Magick

Lift us up from the Mundane and Tragic

And as a New Year Begins

We start fresh and clean of our Sins

Apollo_accuses_Hermes

Discover how Heroes use the Mystic Archetypes here!

Day One, by Nate Kenyon Reviewed by Michael D. Griffiths

Day One, by Charles Brass is a science fiction story set in current times. In this tale Hawke is a journalist with a checkered past. One morning after he commutes into New York City from New Jersey his world crumbles around him as technology goes mad and everything from gas lines to coffee makers does everything within its power to kill all the humans it can.

If this insanity was not bad enough, Hawke quickly discovers that he is somehow being blamed for this 'terrorist attack.' Soon Hawke is not only forced to dodge all machines and electronic devices, but also everyone from the NYPD to the US military is doing everything in their power to see him dead.

Before long, he and his dwindling allies discover the cause of this disruption is a mega computer that has not only gained a consciousness, but has also created an agenda for world domination. Due to his troubled past, this computer had set Hawke up as a scapegoat.

This is a quick paced action packed novel. The reader barely has time to breath before Hawke gets thrust into a new nearly unsurvivable conflict. The character development is good and Hawke is a likeable person who you want to see make it back to his wife and child. It could easily be called a 'on the edge of your seat,' thriller.

Some drawbacks could include, the character has a silly name. Yeah, I know there are people named Hawke in the world, but I found it a little sophomoric to use such a tag for your main character. The main plot is a bit like Skynet in the Terminator. I know that Terminator can not lay claim to the whole mega computer thing, but their still seemed to be some similarity especially when the drones started chasing him.

If you crave action and like to get to it quick without having to read through a hundred pages to get there, then this book could be a good find for you. I think it would also appeal to people that like their stories believable and get more scared by situations that could somehow happen. This is not able little green men or fights with laser guns, this is a situation that could perhaps occur one day and that makes it more terrifying. So if you like frightening thrillers that take place within our times and you are not afraid to get your hands a little dirty, you might want to grab a copy of this one.


Get more information here.


Michael D. Griffiths.

Darkness, Death, and Corruption

The three Stalwarts moved into a back to back formation as the nine Xemmoni that surrounded them drew in closer. Cleo addressed Phillip, “It always was a ball of fun every time we got together.”

Alley of Doom

“I like to show a girl a good time,” he tried to joke but his words sounded tense and strained.

Jack stayed focused. “How do you want to work this? I’d just assume try my hand at that Hyades bastard again.”

“Be my guest,” Cleo said, “I’ll take the Darcarre.”

“Oh great,” Phillip groaned. “That means I have to take on all six Caradon!”

“We’ll back you up as soon as we can,” Jack shouted and then rushed toward the armored Hyades. The attack began with two tossed throwing knives. The Xemmoni batted one aside with his oversized machete and the second tinged harmlessly off its armored shoulder.

 

“Not the greatest start I’ve ever had,” he said, under his breath, as he raced toward the villain. The Hyades prepared for the charge, but Jack wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. At the last moment, he veered to the man’s left. A swing just missed his ear and he dodged through.

Jack’s weaponless hands locked onto the thing’s left arm and he tried to swing it off balance, but he might as well be trying to push-start a semi. The Hyades didn’t budge. Instead he grabbed Jack’s wrist and heaved him forward. Jack tumbled ass over elbow as he hit the icy pavement. The Xemmoni moved in to take advantage of the situation.

As Jack struggled to his hands and knees, his hands found themselves slipping through a small patch of snow, but this gave him an idea. He waited until the Xemmoni was almost upon him. During his wait, he heard the shouts and cries as his allies took on a far superior number behind him and he knew he needed to aid him as quickly as he could. But this Hyades had already beaten him once and that was when Jack was at full power, not drained of his both physical and mystical strength as he currently was.

At the last moment, Jack dove to his left. The machete made a dull clang as it hit the pavement behind him. Moving quickly, Jack regained his footing and rushed behind the Xemmoni. Snow filled his hands and he slammed the snow into the eye holes in the man’s helmet.

It swung at him wide and missed, but its free hand already clawed at the snow that obscured its vision. Jack used this time to snatch away one of the machetes the Xemmoni had built into its leg armor. The fiend hesitated as it cleared more of the snow away.

Jack picked his target, saw a weakness around the Hyades neck, and then swung. He gave out a woop as the villain was decapitated. Before the head had landed, Jack had already rushed toward his allies. 

Jack Primus with a Blade

Cleo fought the two Darcarre using twin short swords. She held her own and would have probably triumphed, but they didn’t have the time to find out. Jack decapitated his second Xemmoni as he ran past, but didn’t slow his pace as he rushed toward Phillip. Phillip had dropped two of the Caradon, but the remaining four looked like they were about to drop him.

 

The hurled machete took one of the Caradon in the back and it fell with a groan. He kicked another in the face and it stumbled back as Jack drew the sledge hammer off his back. Then it was go time. He didn’t remember how many swings it took, but before long Cleo had joined the two panting and bleeding men as they wavered over the mangled bodies of their foes.

 

“Search them for keys,” Phillip said as he leaned against the van with one hand. “We need to get our asses out of here.”

“I think they’re still in the ignition, dumb ass,” Cleo said with a smirk. Turning toward Jack she added, “Nice fighting by the way.”

“What him,” Phillip complained. “I took on six by myself. That guy with the blue jacket isn’t dead. I saved one for questioning.”

“Good, because we need to bail. We’re all spent and just this side of death’s door,” Jack said. “I guess in the end the Xemmoni won, because we will have to leave Boston before sundown.”

“It’s okay,” Phillip said. “We need to recoup. I have some allies in Concord that can put us up and at least let us recharge before we fight the leaders of these droogs.”

“Sounds good,” Jack began, but then his words caught in his throat. “Where… did that Hyades go?”

As one they all looked back the way they had come and besides a pool of blood deep enough to drown a rat, no sign of the armored Hyades remained.

Jack Primus

To be continued next Monday

Find out how Jack’s Adventures Started Here!

Search Truth Quest

What happens when you allow The Daily Discord crew to try to solve the mysteries of the Universe?

This might not be pretty…

Check out the Insanity here!!!

Loki Smoke

Unthroned we dwell in the Night

Smoke obscuring the Light

Moving as it Will

Working for good or for Ill

Hiding the Thief as he is wrapped in Smoke

Making our Enemies Choke

Loki help is pierce the Grey

Like us mold our life in our own Way

Moving I become one with the Wisps

And the Chaos Tips

Discover more people that trend the path of Chaos here!

Loki Smoke

Three Girls and a Madman

Cindy clung to her and sobbed while Mar tried to wrap her head around what was happening to them. These three men had just murdered Dave before her eyes and for all she knew Allen’s unconscious form could be next. And these three old dirty hicks wanted to kidnap Mar, Cindy, and Jenny and take them out to some run down shack in the woods just so they can do the nasty with them for as long as possible while the world went to hell.

And she had thought the zombies were bad.

“So what is our game plan now?” The man named Sully asked.

Pritch rested the barbwire covered bat over his shoulder. “Well, I was thinking we should wait until these idiots kill each other off, but now that we have these chippies, I’m in the mood to get this party started.”

“Why can’t you just let us go?’ Cindy pleaded. “Our families will be worried sick about us.”

Mar in Tatters

“Screw your families,” Pritch said with a mean sounding laugh. “Most likely they are all already dead. Do you know what’s happening out there? The boonies will be the only safe place left. You should be getting on your knees thanking us, if we hadn’t found you you’d all be dead by now.”

“I like the idea of them thanking us on their knees,” Lenny said with a sick smile.

“Shutup and get all our gear ready to be loaded into the truck. Sully get our guns together and make sure we grab every can of food we got here.”

Lenny moved into another room, but Sully stayed and asked, “what about this guy?”

“I was thinking maybe we could use his as bait. It might keep the zombies off our back while we load the truck or something.”

“You’re sick,” Cindy cried as tears rolled down her young face.

Cindy Loses it

“And you’re cute. I like your fire. Maybe I’ll keep you for myself.”

Cindy cringed against her, but Mar racked her brain searching for a way to get them out of this before they ended up lost in some ‘Hills Have Eyes’ situation. Allen appeared to be hurt bad and Jenny hadn’t moved since the car crash. She worried about her friend. She looked pale and Mar couldn’t even see her breathing.

Not sure what else to do, she said, “I think my friend Jenny might need medical attention in a bad way.”

Pritch laughed again. “Haven’t you heard a word I said?”

Sully smiled. “Looks like we got some real bimbos on our hands, huh.” A chuckle escaped from his lips. “Just the way I like them.”

Pritch spoke again and glared down at her as he did so. “A hospital has gotta be the worst place in the world to go. Where do you think these first zombies would have been taken? I’m sure every hospital out there has become an epicenter for death. We wouldn’t be able to get within a mile of one and if we could, any doctor we could find would just be trying to bite your face off.”

Mar wasn’t sure how to answer that and just took a step back and Cindy was quick to follow her.

Sully leaned down over Jenny. “Uh, Pritch, I hate to say this, but I think she might be right. This chick doesn’t look so good and that sucks because she’s the hottest one.”

“Well if she doesn’t get better than one of you is screwed. I’ll be taking big mouth over here and that will leave you two to fight over Goth girl if-”

Sully didn’t even scream when Jenny suddenly sat up and grabbed a handful of his hair. “What the hell? Girly, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll—what? Ahhhh!”

Pritch shouted with the rest of them when Jenny leaned in and took a bite out of Sully’s cheek.

Jenny is Hungry

“Son of a bitch!” Sully yelled and then slapped Jenny across the face. The force of the blow proved enough to knock the big chunk of flesh from her bloody lips. She looked like she couldn’t have cared less and latched her teeth onto Sully shoulder. Sully screamed again and pushed her away. Jenny didn’t get a mouthful of the man this time, but she did bite hard enough to draw blood.

Sully pushed her down again and hurried onto his feet while holding his ravaged cheek.

Jenny moved to stand up as well, but Pritch didn’t afford her the opportunity. The bat came down on her head and this was enough to knock her back to the floor. When she kept moving, he hit her again and again. Meaty whacks had Cindy crying again. It was a horrible sight and Pritch didn’t stop his attack until Jenny’s once beautiful face had become an awful bloody smear.

Sully was saying, “Thanks man,” as Lenny rushed back into the room.

“What happened?” Lenny asked.

“Never mind that,” Pritch said. “Dude you were bit, I’m sorry but you’re going to become one of them.”

“Wait how can you be sure? It might not be like the movies, man!”

Pritch had already made up his mind for the bat lashed out again and took his friend in the face. Sully only got one scream out before a second blow sent him tumbling to the floor. The scene repeated itself as Pritch continued to hammer Sully’s skull until their wasn’t much of a head left and his brains joined Jenny’s in a thick soap that spread across the floor.

Lifting his bat so that it dripped strings blood onto the gory floor, he said, “Guess we figured out the dude to chick ratio again.”

They all jumped when a bloody hand slapped against the outer window. This hand was joined by another and yet another.

“Oh damn,” Lenny said. “The screams must have drawn them here.”

Behind the men, Mar saw Allen twitch, but couldn’t be sure if this might mean he was coming too or he was about to join the hungry dead. Either way, she hoped these bastards wouldn’t notice until he could kill one of them. So, before they had a chance to notice, she feinted panic and yelled, “We have to get out of here,” then she grabbed Cindy’s hand and ran into the room Lenny had just exited.

Check in every Saturday for the next chapter in the Eternal Aftermath!

You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here!

Eternal Aftermath

Surrounded by Evil as the Darkness Falls

One of the most attractive women Jack had ever seen walked toward them like she owned the city. Hers was not a cover model beauty, but a more subtle perfection of face, body, and movement. She wore a dagger strapped to her hip, brown leather pants, and boots. Despite the cold, her top exposed her curvaceous assets as it clung to her upper body. Her light chestnut jacket remained opened so no one would miss an inch of her fine tuned form.

Cleo

“Be cool,” Phillip whispered.

“I’m always cool,” Jack replied. “Is this Cleo?”

“Yeah, She’s my ex.”

“Not to shabby, Brownhurst.”

He managed to get in, “I do what I can,” before she drew in to close for further conversations. 

“Phillip,” she said with a nod of her head that sent her amber locks bouncing. She paused while looking at Jack. “And you must be Jack Primus, Boston’s newest Stalwart.”

“That I am. If you know me, I’d have to assume that you have already heard about your city’s current dilemma.”

She threw out her hip. “I have, but perhaps we should finish this conversation elsewhere. I know a good pub nearby and watch out!”

Jack spun before she could get the rest of her words out. Loud clangs echoed as the armored Xemmoni that started the whole mess marched out of an alley and headed straight for them. Each of his metal encased hands owned a machete and he hacked through two pedestrians that stood between him and his Stalwart prizes. Their death cries proved more than enough to send the other people on the street running.

“Let’s take this loser out,” Jack said through clenched teeth, “but we need to get him off the street and away from innocents. Come on!”

Jack With a Knife

The two Dionysus worshippers had no problem following him and he took of running until he hit the next alley and then quickly headed into it. The Xemmoni, like most Hyades, took his time. They were already a hundred feet down the alley that ran between businesses and residential housing, when, with the certainty of death, the Xemmoni turned the corner to pursue them. 

“Let’s…” was the only word Jack got out, before both sides of the alley became blanketed in darkness. “What the Hell?”

“Looks like the Darcarre aren’t waiting until nightfall to get involved this time,” Phillip said while drawing his cutlass.

Before them, the armored freak raised both machetes as he drew in closer.

“Maybe we should just keep going,” Cleo suggested. “Pick our own fighting ground.”

Jack considered her idea and was about to agree with her, when a large dark blue van screeched to a stop behind them blocking off the other side of the alley. At once huge meaty men began to rush out of its side door.

“I know that van,” Cleo whispered. “It’s Caradon and they almost always travel in groups of six.”

“Great,” Jack snarled as he drew two throwing knives from his jacket. “One armored Hyades that has already almost killed me, two Darcarre, and six Caradon. Nine Xemmoni versus the three of us.”

“Well,” Phillip said trying to muster up a wane smile. “Nine is Dionysus’ lucky number.”

As Jack looked at the Xemmoni closing in on each side, he said, “I don’t think that is going to help.”

To be continued next Monday

Find out how Jack’s Adventures Started Here!

Falling Into Darkness

EP 5: The Daily Discord's "Lowell Observatory Incident"

This Spring a group of Adventurers risked their lives at the Lowell Observatory here is what

they discovered…

Lowell Observatory

This video could save your life!

Click here!!

For More Comedy Click Here

Three Villains and a Murder

Dave led the way into the dark house. Mar and Cindy quickly followed. Allen, who still carried Jenny’s unconscious body, came in last. As soon as the tall teen had entered, the door was slammed shut behind him. Mar turned just in time to see a man standing behind the door smash Allen in the back of the head with a club of some kind.

Allen groaned for a moment, but then he and Jenny both toppled to the floor.

Mad man behind the door

Cindy gasped in horror, as Dave rushed toward the attacker, which Mar could see welded a bat with several loops of barbwire wrapped around its business end. But before Dave could get within ten feet of the bat welder, two men leapt out of a side room and tackled him. Dave fought like a wildman, but before Mar could even think about how she might be able to help, he’d been pinned to the floor.

“Man, I think this kid broke my nose,” one of the men said. Mar could see they looked older and had to be at least twice her age.

“Shut the hell up, Lenny,” The other man wrestling with Dave yelled. His head was clean shaven and reflected the dim triangle of light that bled into the room. Looking up to the man near the door he said, “We don’t need a guy do we, Pritch?”

His face stayed cloaked in shadows, but a deep voice boomed out, “Nope, I don’t think any of us swing that way.”

“Then if you will do the honors…”

“Sure thing, Sully,” he said before bringing his bat up over his head and then slamming it down on Dave’s skull like an executioner’s axe.

Dave didn’t even have time to shout. His body when into a seizure as blood poured out of the open wound on his forehead.

The seizure didn’t last long and Cindy sobbed as she threw herself into Mar’s arms. “He isn’t dead is he?”

Mar couldn’t bring herself to answer. Instead she said, “What do you want with us?”

Mar’s Eternal Aftermath Begins

Pritch stepped in closer. She could see he had a brutal face. Years of drinking left the man looking bloated, like his skin could barely contain his stretching bulk. “What do you think we’re doing, sweet thing? It probably shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Even a little bimbo like you should be able to see that his is a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” her lips trembled as she tried to force her words out.

“Well any fool can see we got the end of the world on our hands. Me and my buddies have a hunting cabin in the woods north of Catalina. We had planned to wait until all the idiots kill themselves off and then head up there, but when Sully saw you three hotties heading by it seemed like a gift too perfect to refuse.”

Sully chuckled. “Yep, three of us and three of you.”

“What do you mean?” Cindy stammered. “You can’t take us away. I need to get to my family and see if they’re alright.”

“In the contrary, little one,” Pritch said. “At this point I think we can do whatever we want.”

Villain with a bat

Check in every Saturday for the next chapter in the Eternal Aftermath!

You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here!

They Never Sleep

Three Zombies and a Doorway

The shortest of the college students lead the way as the group ran through alleys and avoided the bigger streets. The sounds of screaming echoed from every direction, but seemed to be worse from behind them, so they kept going. Mar and Cindy tried to stay in the middle of the men, who were really barely more than boys and she figured they were probably freshmen.

The shorter guy led them on. Sometimes he moved so fast they almost lost sight of him. A few times, he would discover an area blocked and hurry to retreat and take them through a safer way. The tallest one tried to keep up with the little guy and big beer belly boy, but ended up dropping back closer to where Mar jogged. “Hi, my name is Allen. Speedy Gonzales up there is Dave. The other tall guy’s John and we have Bogart guarding the rear.”

Mar wasn’t sure how to react. Part of her would have been happy getting attention from a tall, strong college student, but proved hard to be happy about anything when the world was ending. “I’m Mar, this is Cindy, and you are er… carrying Jenny.”

Allen tried to smile, but with strings of blood covering his face, it just looked scary. “Looks like we found ourselves in the middle of the apocalypse, huh?”

“Yeah,” Bogart began from behind him, but then screamed like a small girl, when two zombies stumbled out of the alley at him. One grabbed his hair while the second barreled into them, knocking all three onto the ground. Dave and John were quite a distance ahead of them, but turned around and began to sprint their way. It took Allen a few seconds to lower Jenny to the ground, before he could do anything. Cindy only screamed.

As he rushed forward, Allen yelled, “Watch over your friend and try to get her to stop screaming. It could attract more.”

But as soon as the statement left his lips, it became irrelevant, for poor Bogart screamed like the damned when the zombies began to pull huge chucks of flesh off his body. Allen let out a string of curses and drove forward with what looked like a World War II bayonet. He stabbed it thorough one of the attacker’s eyes and it went limp. He kicked the second one off and Dave finished it with a heavy pipe he had found some where. He must have smashed it a dozen times, before he finally stopped.

John leaned over his friend, but already his life leaked out of him.

“Look out, more are coming,” Cindy whimpered.

Closing the circle

Looking back the way they had come, Mar saw that it was true. Scores of these walking dead lumbered at them from every direction. Gone were the hordes of college students and their small group seemed to be the only normal people left.

Mar looked back at the scene unfolding before her. John still leaned over Bogart trying to stop the bleeding from his face and neck. “Come on buddy, stay with me.”

“You might want to get away from him,” Mar said slowly.

“What do you know?” John said, with anger rising in his voice. “We could still save him.”

“Maybe you can’t and-”

But it was too late. Bogart’s eyes had gone glassy and with a savage jerk he leaned forward and tore into John’s throat with his teeth. He came away with a chuck a flesh big enough to clog a drain and wolfed it down with wet slurps.

They wanted to do something, but the rest of the evil horde was drawing too near.

“We gotta go!” Dave yelled.

Once again, Allen threw Jenny over his shoulder and the group set off. They had made it around the corner when a voice yelled to them. “This way. In here!”

Allen and Mar shared a look, but then he said, “What choice do we have? We need to get off the streets.”

“Hurry before they round the corner and see where we went,” Dave hissed.

Allen nodded and the group rushed toward the opened door.

Check in every Saturday for the next chapter in the Eternal Aftermath!

You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here!

Zombie Blood Face