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A Warhammer Horror story
An Astra Militarum trooper carries news of an enemy assault to his main force – but he is pursued by shadows of his past that may yet damn him and those he seeks…
READ IT BECAUSE
Get into the head of a human facing the infernal wiles of the warp and discover how the Plague God's dubious blessings can be subtle and sinister, affecting the mind as much as the body.
THE STORY
The enemy are coming. A trooper of the Astra Militarum vanguard, his identity long since lost in the maelstrom of war, is sent to the main force with a message. He is chosen for his skills – he is the Runner, the best in the force. If anyone can bring aid to battle the warp-spawned contagions the unit faces, it is him. Yet as he runs, he is plagued by visions of friends and family long lost. As reality and memory blur into one, the Runner nears his goal – but does he carry the means of salvation, or death?
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2019
The short-range vox-comms became a symphony of gun cracks, pleas and screams. The long-distance comms were as silent as ever.
The mist rolled on, and the roar of heavy bolters and lasguns reached a crescendo. Over the stench and noise, the sergeant screamed, in a tone that the runner had never heard before from the grizzled veteran. Before the mist closed in and everything went green, he could hear the old man screeching, his voice cracked in panic, almost in tears.
‘Go! Go! Tell them!’
Astra Militarum and trench warfare are just perfect ones for writing horror tales set in the sci-fi dark universe of W40K and this was a real good one, sadly the ending was far from unexpected and so similar to the one in Stitches that the two e-shorts were almost like two different storylines of a longer novel for me.
‘There’s no winning this race, little man.’
November 19, 2019
Taking his role in the regiment entirely literally, an unnamed runner races across the endless tundra of a frozen world, carrying a desperate message of warning to regimental command. Behind him lies a broken hive, the bodies of his comrades and things in the fog. As the journey takes its toll on his body, familiar voices pursue him and long-forgotten memories surface in his mind.
It’s a neat idea, taking a soldier away from the battlefield in order to dig into what’s going on in his head under intense pressure. It’s written in an evocative, engaging style and Bao does a great job of adding texture to the character through his actions, responses and memories. The narrative is perhaps a little predictable and could maybe have gone even deeper, psychologically, but overall it does a good job of showing a slightly different side to 40k.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/10/...
It’s a neat idea, taking a soldier away from the battlefield in order to dig into what’s going on in his head under intense pressure. It’s written in an evocative, engaging style and Bao does a great job of adding texture to the character through his actions, responses and memories. The narrative is perhaps a little predictable and could maybe have gone even deeper, psychologically, but overall it does a good job of showing a slightly different side to 40k.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/10/...
October 16, 2019
Rolling onto his back, Wanlek snuffled in weak laughter as the apathetic stars careened overhead. He spat out salt and grit and reached for his canteen. He held it above his lips for a full minute before realising it was empty.
‘Revered Emperor of Terra,’ he wheezed. ‘Deliver us from thirst and shit boots…’
‘Revered Emperor of Terra,’ he wheezed. ‘Deliver us from thirst and shit boots…’
November 11, 2019
"I am flesh...I am rot"
November 20, 2019
That was great. I hope to hear more from Alan Bao.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews