Jeff Coleman's Blog: Jeff Coleman Writes, page 12

Fighting the Shadow

It reaches out from the depths of space—creeping, feeling, groping for purchase. Like a poisonous vine, like a venomous serpent, it trawls the cosmic waters in search of prey. Until today, my people were out of reach. Until today, the Builders protected us. Until today, all was well with our world. Until today. When the … Continue reading "Fighting the Shadow"

Aftermath

This is a companion piece to another story, “Fallen,” which you can read here. When the Invaders were defeated, we thought the war was over. Once again, we were our own masters, capable of determining our own destiny. But now, here we are more than a decade later, and the world is just as cruel, … Continue reading "Aftermath"

Fallen

I cannot move any longer. I slow. Stumble. Fall. My eyes droop, and darkness seeps into my vision like moldering water. I try to look up, but I have so little energy left, and all I manage to do is scrape my too-pale skin against the sidewalk. People pass by all around me. Like a … Continue reading "Fallen"

Cycle’s End

The sun: so bright, so warm against Tolvar’s skin. It feels good, feels right. To think, it’s been a thousand years since he saw it last. The world has changed since then. Where it was once covered in grassy knolls and sprawling forests, it now sprouts towering glass buildings and endless asphalt roads. A glittering … Continue reading "Cycle’s End"

The Dance

This post was originally published through Patreon on June 19, 2016. They came from beyond the horizon, endless columns of armored soldiers backed by billowing plumes of dark gray soot. Rusted helmets and breast plates gleamed beneath a sky of blood, while moth-ridden flesh festered in great open wounds. Brandishing shield and sword, they pressed … Continue reading "The Dance"

Totem, Part 10

Part 1 | Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 The question Jahi had asked himself in the boy’s chambers returned to him as he stalked through the empty hallway to his own room. What am I supposed to do now? The entire world seemed to have … Continue reading "Totem, Part 10"

Just Doing His Job

This post was originally published through Patreon on April 30, 2016. He slipped inside the church, unseen; sat down in a nearby pew and waited. It was an old stone cathedral, erected in the Philippines by Spanish Catholics during the 1600s. He paused to admire the architecture and took a mental snapshot. He’d never been … Continue reading "Just Doing His Job"

Read Totem, Part 10 a week early!

Totem, Part 10 isn’t going live on the blog until August 22. But on Tuesday, August 14 at 4:30 p.m. PST / 7:30 p.m. EST, I’m going to tweet the entire installment under the hashtag #TotemPartTen

Fighting the Storm

Backward. The Storm was pulling Beth backward, and if she didn’t plant her feet in the ground and make her stand soon, she would die. All around her, the cosmos spun and reeled, a fiery explosion that transformed the ordinarily calm night sky into an apocalyptic inferno. A tempest of such magnitude and strength had … Continue reading "Fighting the Storm"

Everyone Dies

When Jill turned the corner and saw what was waiting for her in the street, she knew her life was over. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach, and she found herself backing away. Only she knew it wouldn’t do any good. If she could see it, it could see her. Indeed, the creature … Continue reading "Everyone Dies"