Dane's Workshop

  The Blight Deep within Hides the most evil of monsters A hideous, A dark, A vile, Truly despicable beast; The Blight In the bowels of my body Entrenched in the confines of my mind Tendrils plunging into my soul The Blight stows away Petulantly festering A hideous aberration, a cancer of the spirit Stubbornly rooted It is a creature of paradox Engorging itself in the desecration of its host Desperately staving off its destruction by ensuring its inevitable demise Angry and cruel,  It lashes out and spits venom   Timid and ineffectual, It folds and holds its tongue Arrogant and aloof, It sees all as beneath it Insecure and jealous, It envies all it does not have Reckless and oblivious, It sees no danger and recognizes no consequences Wary and analyzing, Its thoughts paralyze it from action Vindictive and spiteful, It seeks revenge for every grudge Forgiving and lenient, It is bound to be hurt again and again Transparent and spilling, It overshares to all who will lis...

“Jesus Christine. We’ve been in line for almost twenty minutes now,” Blake said in a huff. “Relax. You know, just a few decades ago, it would’ve been a million times worse,” Christine replied. “You can’t hold it just a little longer?” “No. I gotta go. Just take my damn card,” Blake said as he shoved his debit card into her hand. “My pin is 3891. The cashier won’t ask for the pin, but if he does, it’s really not that hard to remember. Take my coat while you’re at it, I’m burning up.” Christine put on a pouty face and grabbed his arms pleadingly as he tried to maneuver out of his jacket. “You know I get stressed about these things!” she argued. With a frustrated sigh, Blake draped the coat over her shoulder, turned around, and rushed out of the line, brushing past people as quickly as he could without knocking them over. The mall was as crowded as he’d ever seen it; last time he was here, he was sure it was going to go out of business. Black Friday has that power over people, he guessed....

Harry’s shoe scraped against the coarse sidewalk as he shuffled towards the front door. He sighed with a slight quiver, and took a moment to compose himself. He slowly pressed his finger into the doorbell, producing a barely audible ring. Harry glanced at the window to his right, and through the shades he could see a figure approach. The doorknob jiggled a little, and the door swung backwards. “Harry… I didn’t know you were coming. I, uh... come in.” Harry stepped inside, the warmth of the house fighting back the chill of the dreary day. “I know I didn’t call or anything. I’m sorry Mark, I should’ve. But, you know, it’s been-” Mark put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Harry. It’s been hard on us both. I just appreciate the fact that you came. It’s times like these where I regret how we have been with each other. But to see you here, it reminds me that we’re still blood. Here, let’s sit at the table, catch up a little.” The two brothers walked past the stairway and into the din...

The glare of the sun hit his opaque visor. The cyber cycle shot across the metallic highway, kicking up loose bits of steel here and there. The rider looked ahead, seeing the holosign that read "Exit 38A". Sweating profusely in his Scarab Combat Armor, he flipped up the cycle's rear view display. Nobody was behind him; just the empty stretch of freeway he had come down. Twisting on the cycle's handles, he careened down the exit, his tires going from the smooth silver of the speedway to the rough asphalt of the road. Sleepiness tugged at his eyes; he had been awake for nearly 36 hours now. He moved his hand over his chest, finding the plunger on his suit. His armor held nearly a week's supply of combat stim, but he'd gone through it all in these last three days. His gloved hand pushed hard on the plunger, injecting the last of the blue liquid into his cardiovascular system. Immediately, the fog of fatigue lessened, and his veins popped. His HUD enlarged his vit...