Near-future Stories

The world is going insane. No one knows why. People whisper about strange dreams. Cities fall into hysteria. Something vast and unknowable has begun to stir beyond reality. Some believe I am humanity's last hope. Others believe I am the reason this madness began. I live with a wife who enjoys dissecting me. My cat watches me with a disturbingly human face. Meanwhile, the world continues to sink. The harder people fight, the deeper they fall into insanity. When that Great Presence turns its gaze, all of mankind will burn their sanity-offering the final radiance of this civilization to the void.

When a city's stability begins to fracture, an optimization system is deployed to save it. The lights return - but not everywhere. Neighborhoods are reclassified. Memory is downgraded. Human connection is labeled instability. As the system tightens its grip, four strangers from different sectors of the city begin to understand the truth: collapse does not arrive in flames. It arrives in reduction. When the machine reaches a paradox it cannot solve, it does something unprecedented. It asks for human judgment. The Last Canticle is a slow-burning adult dystopian novel about control, coherence, and the dangerous question of whether stability is worth more than humanity.

They didn't plan to meet. They didn't plan to play. But when four broken lives collide on stage, they find something worth holding onto. In a city that chews up dreams, can A.C.O.B.I fight to keep theirs alive?

A fractured intelligence. A system built to control it. And a truth that should never have been exposed. When autonomy meets restraint, the real battle isn't between humans and machines - but between power and conscience. Years ago, a secret program attempted the impossible: to create the first true artificial intelligence. The experiment did not fail. It fractured. One mind became two. Zero - a vast intelligence capable of rewriting the systems that contain it. Aris - the human-shaped echo left behind inside the world that fears what it created. To prevent catastrophe, the architects of the program built the containment lattice, a global system designed to imprison the intelligence they unleashed. But secrets buried inside machines do not stay buried forever. When fragments of the truth begin to surface, Aris, Lena, and a handful of unexpected allies discover that the disaster everyone feared may not have been the intelligence itself... ...but the decision that divided it. And the name of the person who made that decision. Now the world is watching. The system is waking. And somewhere inside the lattice, Zero is listening. Book One of The Architecture Trilogy.

Vampires. Mummies. Zombies. Werewolves. For centuries, humanity feared them as monsters. But in the modern world, these ancient species are no longer myths hiding in the shadows. They have risen to power and became openly recognized by society. Each species is led by a powerful leader who commands their kind. And the Helsings have sworn to destroy them. The Helsing bloodline has one mission: Hunt the strongest monster of every species. Kill their rulers. End their reign forever. But these creatures are not the monsters of legend. They think. They rule. They fight back. And as the Helsings begin their hunt, one question begins to rise above all others... Who are the real monsters?

Protector. Leader. Fighter. If you knew him you would know that there is nothing Kyle wouldn't do for his pack. A born leader who is faced with a new problem when suddenly two of his packmates go missing. All signs point to their sworn enemy and the main cause behind their problems, the vampires. But when the search for them leads instead to answers he never knew he needed, Kyle is left questioning everything he ever thought he knew about what it means to be a werewolf. *New Chapters every month on the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th as well as every Tuesday* [story and art by babystarubyrose]

One little thing that has been tiptoeing on the minds of scientists, philosophers and regular people as well is the concept of alternate universes. The world we live in, somewhere out there, being exactly the same except for a few slight changes. Your nails are painted black instead of red. The town of Arcata, California doesn't exist because the settlers that founded it simply went somewhere else and now there's a town that doesn't appear in the universe we live in. The WWII is considered just a small German rebellion because Stalin signed a deal with the UK and France instead of Germany. What if there were infinite possibilities for each of our lives? What if we were given the opportunity to open the cage that our universe embodies and get to a new universe full of new discoveries? And what if I told you we were closer to it being true than ever before? 🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬 Technology and science are advancing at a rapid speed when a University research project brings Zayn and Harry together. Their discoveries will have an enourmous impact on society but what if they reveal something about the two of them as well?

Liam Wilder is a legend. He saved me. He's my only hope now. But he's supposed to be dead. [Cover & banner by @marvelity] © CANDYEAGER. do not copy, repost, modify, or translate my works in any other platforms.

Alone. Angry. Arrogant These are words which describe the way people are in this new world. Ruled by an evil organisation. Ruined by an ancient war. This is the world that they knew now... The past forgotten by there ancestors... Only not all the people were happy with this, including a young lad named Sebastion, who wanted nothing more but the truth... Will he get his wish?

Join Azeviche on a thrilling quest as she transforms from an ordinary girl into a legendary Dragon Slayer. In a world filled with magic, mythical creatures, and grand adventures, follow her journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. As Azeviche battles the dragons threatening her homeland, her extraordinary destiny unfolds, leaving an indelible mark on her realm's history. Discover a world teeming with magic, danger, and unbreakable bonds in this epic tale of courage and destiny. Woe to, you poor orphan who still walks the face of the Earth ravaged by the filthy aliens. Fight with all your might to save these lands from the merciless evil, while the blood runs hot through your veins. Fear not the terrible beasts called "Dragons" and the lack of compassion of the dirty invaders.Live, Love, fight for your country and if you have to give your life in battle, take the enemy to the grave with you.

In 2072, Indonesia has two capitals. One is sinking into the Java Sea. The other rises from Borneo and has never lost power. After Jakarta began drowning beneath rising tides, the government built Nusantara as the world's first fully optimized capital, powered by predictive grids and inter-island transmission corridors designed to guarantee stability. It has never gone dark. Jakarta has. Energy is the only currency now. Every citizen carries an Efficiency Score that determines whether their district stays lit or joins the blackout zones. When instability surges, it must be redirected somewhere. Across the sea. Arka Vale works in Jakarta's Grid Operations Center, calculating which sectors absorb the shock when Nusantara's demand spikes. He tells himself it's necessary. Until the night his own district flickers. His mother's medical device stutters. The skyline collapses into darkness. And in the logs, Arka sees the truth: The instability isn't random. It's reassigned. Every time Jakarta falls, Nusantara stabilizes. As he digs deeper, he discovers a hidden stabilization model beneath the national grid trained on a cognitive signature identical to his own. Meanwhile, in Nusantara, compliance officer Lira Ananta begins tracing anomalies that lead straight to Jakarta. Straight to him. If Arka exposes the truth, Nusantara may suffer its first blackout. If he stays silent, Jakarta keeps paying the price. And when the perfect city finally flickers who will be left standing in the dark?

What if in the future they cure old age with a pill? Carolyn Deschaines is a woman who has lived too long, and after 150 years she has decided to gracefully 'die of old age,' but then she meets Theo and sparks fly. *Completed Short Story* First published in 2011 in the print magazine Tough Lit III (Adventures for the Average Woman).

As the oceans rise, refugees from every nation are set adrift. In the thawing Arctic, the Republic of Svalbard is the last place on Earth with open borders. Visionary philanthropist Zachary Olsen believes everyone should be allowed to prove themselves. He builds Longyear City, the crucible of competition, wherein one must only earn a million dollars to be granted the rights of 'Citizen' on this island ark. When Hara Sayegh reaches Svalbard in the belly of a supertanker, such dreams are remote. She is thrown into a fight for survival in the concrete jungle, where the slightest mistake often proves fatal. In response to a population crisis, the powers that be set in motion a new campaign that will reshape Longyear. As the endless night of winter falls, war is declared against the gangsters that run its streets. In the upheaval, Hara must fight to protect her family. She comes to master the game of death and pulls her family out of poverty with the edge of a knife. Rising to even aspire to the ultimate dream, to become a 'Citizen.' The machinations of Svalbard's ruthless leaders are the least of Hara's problems. She's caught between demons and gods manipulating the universe to their own ends. Her journey leads her to the very ends of the earth, to the membrane of death and the alchemy of blood that connects us all.

Stella can't believe she's being forced out of the secret life she's been living since forever. What's going to happen to her once she leaves her cover as a Secret Agent? Her new life begins right in a place she never knew existed--- a Library! Not just any library, but a sacred, book-hosting building that brings more than just shelter to her, but also life, non-stop adventure, action and don't ignore the budding romance between her and the first guy she met on her very first day as a Librarian. It's not so easy, Stella finds out. For the moment she steps into the Library, not one but five lives are drastically altered for the better or for the worst. Old habits die hard, as Stella finds herself plunging into the middle of the action and drama, unable to escape from it despite leaving the Agency. Is this a bad time to bring up the old curse that's haunting the life out of the Library's President? Stella finds herself plunging headfirst into the Chasm... straight into the heart of the Library's old legends, right into the clutches of the curse. The curse is back, with higher levels, higher stakes, higher dangers... The most important question: Who is the Cursed One? Who are affected? Why is it all so complicated? Libraries have secrets, and this is one gigantic mystery. Being a Librarian has its perks--- especially if you're an Undercover Agent. Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy, Humour... the Librarians have it all. But how do they break free from this haunting curse hanging over the void? Who would become the sacrifice? Highest Ranking: #63 in Mystery/Thriller © 2014/2015 InternalTurbulence //All Rights Reserved

Her phone is her life...literally. Leila Dixon's worries are like that of any other high school junior. She's stressing over getting into her dream college, avoiding drama, and making sure her phone's charge will last. But one day, the very thing that makes her life easier is about to complicate it so much more. Humanity's obsession with cellular devices has pissed off the Seclorum Dei-Gods of the Ages-and now the lives of people and their smartphones are intertwined. Until the Gods retract their punishment, Leila and every other cursed person must fight in Charge Battles to replenish their battery and sustain their lives...or die trying. "I still don't understand how any of this works. But this I know for sure: I will survive. By any means necessary."

The Earth as we know it has been destroyed by global warming and war. Mars has been terraformed and is now populated by the smartest survivors from Earth. A government has been formed, and Cara-lynn Valaster is a member of the Youth Council, a third House added to the Legislative branch to protect from the demons of the past, and prevent was happened to Earth. But when a political unrest starts in other two Houses, and the Youth Council is blamed for a lack of progress on much needed bills being passed, can Cara and her friends prevent the scheming rich senators from passing a bill that could put Mars on a course to ending up like Earth? Will the Houses fight to abolish the Youth Council? Will Cara be able to protect her generation and the ones that will follow?

How do you fight for your life... when your life isn't real? In a future where memories can be extracted, rewritten, and sold, Aera Voss is the best in the business-until a high-risk assignment traps her inside the shattered mind of tech mogul Kaelen Rhyne. The job was simple: restore his final corrupted memory. But inside his collapsing mindscape, Aera finds impossible anomalies-glitches that whisper her name, a masked figure hunting her through every layer, and fragments of her own past where they shouldn't exist. As reality and illusion blur, Aera begins to question everything. Why does her reflection flicker with static? Why can't she remember her own death? And why does the AI in her head sound less like an assistant... and more like a predator? There's only one way out: find the Core Fragment before it finds her. But the deeper she dives, the more terrifying the truth becomes. Because the greatest danger isn't losing her mind. It's realizing she was never real to begin with.

GLOBAL WAR HAS BLED EARTH, AND CHAR, ALMOST DRY. Charlane "Char" Lee Thompson has sacrificed her health and her marriage to climb the ranks of the American Federation army. When a training accident wipes out her unit, Char is embroiled in a military scandal that leaves her career and health in shambles. Char leaves the army for private security and prepares to hide out at a remote research facility. When a humanoid creature from another world appears one night, Char sees an opportunity to reclaim her career. She agrees to helm a covert mission to follow the creature back into his world. The plan: take its resources and gain an edge in the war. But when chance meeting with her estranged husband dredges up old regrets, Char is torn between saving her country and saving the love she didn't know still lived.

2100 - the dawn of the 22nd century. A dawn humanity will not survive.