Tag / sci-fi

by Warren Benedetto

“Set For Life” published in MYTHIC #20

My cyberpunk story Set For Life has been reprinted in MYTHIC #20. It’s the prequel to my novella Override, about a man’s first day on the job picking up bodies for Syntech and the disturbing secret about where they come from.

Lifting bodies wasn’t like lifting boxes. Boxes were symmetrical. Structured. You could lift properly: squat down, straighten your spine, lift with your legs. Bodies were limp. Awkward. Their limbs flopped in odd directions. He still hadn’t figured out the best way to lift one without damaging it. Or himself. Or both.

by Warren Benedetto

“What It Feels Like to Die” published in Martian Magazine

My sci-fi drabble What It Feels Like to Die has been published in Issue 7 of Martian: The Magazine of Science Fiction Drabbles. When you wake up in a Rejuvenator, you don’t remember anything about how you died … even if someone killed you.

“Mama?” Madelyn asked. “What does it feel like to die?”

“It’s like falling asleep. Except when you fall asleep, you wake up in the same place. When you die, you wake up in a Rejuvenator.”

by Warren Benedetto

Listen to “A Piece of the Sky” on The NoSleep Podcast

The audio production of my sci-fi horror story A Piece of the Sky has been released by The NoSleep Podcast. It’s told through the testimony of the surviving member of a two-person asteroid mining crew that picked up an unfortunate souvenir during their expedition. The story starts around 33:00.

The story was originally published by The Dread Machine in October. It’s free to read online now and will appear in their Issue 2.4 print issue soon. The print magazine is gorgeous and copies sell out fast, so you should pre-order one now while you can.

With all due respect, sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about. There was no way Bakely could’ve known what the thing was when he picked it up. It looked like a rock. Hell, it was a rock, just a hunk of the asteroid’s crust that he grabbed as a souvenir for his kid. There’s no way he could’ve known it was a nest.

by Warren Benedetto

“Set For Life” Audio Edition released by Dark Matter Magazine

The Audio Edition of my cyberpunk story Set For Life has been released by Dark Matter Magazine. This is an extraordinary production, with top-notch narration, acting, and sound design. The MP3 can be purchased for $1.99, or you can get it for free as part of your Dark Matter Deluxe membership. You can’t go wrong with either choice.

Andy loaded the body into the back of the van, then slammed the door. “Last one,” he called out, knocking on the rear door with his knuckles.

by Warren Benedetto

Read the entire “Override” novella for free

The full version of my cyberpunk thriller Override is now available to read for free.

“This conversation will be the last thing you remember.”

Originally published as a three-part serial in Dark Matter Magazine Issues 007, 008, and 009, Override is the story of a man who volunteers to be converted into an AI-driven automaton in exchange for a company taking care of his wife and his sickly son for the rest of their lives. But when the company reneges on its end of the bargain, his wife must navigate an underworld of violent criminals and corrupt corporations to find him, free him, and bring him back home.

by Warren Benedetto

“From Below” published in Parsec #5

My post-apocalyptic eco-horror story From Below has been published in Parsec #5. In the flooded remains of Old Manhattan, the wealthy live in penthouses and dine on fresh meat, while everyone else is left to fend for themselves against the unseen horrors lurking just below the surface.

The boy from the boat—the one who had spoken to him only minutes earlier—was at the window, pounding on the glass. His face was a mask of pure terror. Panicked, the boy looked over his shoulder, then down at Jeremy. He screamed, his lips forming two words that Jeremy easily understood, even through the thick, soundproof glass.

“Help me!”

by Warren Benedetto

“A Piece of the Sky” published by The Dread Machine

My sci-fi horror story A Piece of the Sky has been published by The Dread Machine. It’s told through the testimony of the surviving member of a two-person asteroid mining crew that picked up an unfortunate souvenir during their expedition.

With all due respect, sir, you don’t know what you’re talking about. There was no way Bakely could’ve known what the thing was when he picked it up. It looked like a rock. Hell, it was a rock, just a hunk of the asteroid’s crust that he grabbed as a souvenir for his kid. There’s no way he could’ve known it was a nest.

by Warren Benedetto

Read “One Last Step” for free in The Sirens Call

My sci-fi horror story One Last Step has been published in the Summer 2022 issue of The Sirens Call. You’ll find it on page 226 of the downloadable PDF.

It’s a story about a little girl stalked by an unseen shadow-thing across a post-apocalyptic landscape. The key to her survival? Following the instructions her dead father tattooed on her arm.