Three of my sci-fi drabbles have been published in the Planetside anthology by Shacklebound Books.
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.
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.
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.
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!”
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.
My cyberpunk story A Free Man has been published in The Mods anthology by Shacklebound Books. In a world where you can purchase a synthetic replica of a person from a vending machine, the best person to frame for a crime you committed may be … yourself.
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.
My techno-horror story Blame is now available to read for free on The Dread Machine.
It’s a “found footage” story consisting of emails, Slack conversations, Reddit threads, phone transcripts, and more unusual artifacts like git commits, JIRA tickets, door entry logs … even a Walmart receipt.
Also, like many found footage tales, the story is ultimately pieced together based on incomplete information. Multiple reads of the story should reveal new hidden details that may change your interpretation of the ending.
My sci-fi horror story The Door Is Open leads off the Another Dimension anthology from Smoking Pen Press. It’s hard to describe the story without spoiling it, so let’s just say: never open a door that can’t be closed. You never know what may slip through.
Warren Benedetto 