Be careful what you wish for… Chuck learns too late that some wishes should never come true

“For James Harper, Bermuda’s pink sands would remain a dream. What awaited was a carousel of fear.”

Enjoy this special excerpt from Core Fall. To continue the journey, grab the full story at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or right here on FictionOnTheEdge.com.

“The Elevator” It was after hours when Janine, the office cleaner, stepped into the lobby elevator. She pressed the button for the top floor. ]The building was quiet that night—too quiet. The elevator began to… Read more: Edge Tales “The Elevator”

“The Bag” It was a typical morning for Henry James. He was up by 5:00 a.m., dressed by 5:30, and out the door. His life wasn’t going quite as he had always envisioned. Just last… Read more: “The Bag”

“The Park” Jane slipped into her Sunday summer dress, just as she had every Sunday morning for decades. She was meeting her three best friends at the park, where they would spend six hours playing… Read more: “The Park”

“The Barrette” She never cared for Halloween.While others wore costumes and drank at parties, she stayed home — no masks, no pumpkins, no make-believe. She was the manager of Crescent Grill, a little restaurant in… Read more: “The Barrette”

“THE EYE” Dr. Charles Howard, a renowned infectious disease specialist, hunched over his microscope. He had seen countless samples in his career, but today… something was different. A smear from the hospital revealed an entirely… Read more: “The Eye”

“Time” Frank always made sure he got the latest gadget, the newest technology. He used to tell everyone, “I was born too early.” Born on a hot summer day in 1955, he had seen a… Read more: “Time”

CRASHED — Part One It was 2:00 a.m. when Ken and Patty were jolted awake by a violent explosion echoing across the night. It sounded like it came from the tobacco field. Ken was out… Read more: “Crashed” Part One

“BAD COP DAY” Officer Dale Murphy wasn’t the best on the force. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had shot and killed a motorist during a routine stop. The report called it justified, but… Read more: “Bad Cop Day”

“Thanksgiving Day“ There it was — sitting in the corner, exactly where it had always been. The old wooden tribal statue. Cindy hadn’t seen it in years, but it felt like it had never moved. Her… Read more: “Thanksgiving Day”

“Crashed” — Part Two He asked the usual questions, sure, but there was something about his tone — aggressive, demanding, and somewhat urgent.“Is this your land, sir?” he finally asked, in an inquisitive manner, but… Read more: “CRASHED” Part 2

Born Again It was a normal day on the job for Robert Carrington. He was mixing mortar, just as he had done a thousand times before. “It was just a freak accident,” the reporter said… Read more: “Born Again”

“Crashed” Part 3 The knock came just after 10 a.m. Ken opened the door to find a tall, clean-cut man in full uniform. His posture was stiff, expression unreadable. “Mr. Miller?” the man asked. Ken… Read more: “Crashed” Part 3

Crashed – Part 4 Ken stood there, watching for a moment. He was distracted—just briefly—but the urge to go back behind the house was too strong to ignore. Maybe it was nothing. Still, the feeling… Read more: “Crashed” – Part 4

“The Coffee Shop”  Beth and her co-workers — James, Sandy, and Cecilia — decided to try the new coffee shop that had just opened across the street from their office building. They missed their old… Read more: “The Coffee Shop” 

“Crashed” Part 5 It was a quick dinner. Neither of them was really hungry, but they knew they had to eat something.They cleaned up the dishes in silence. Then Ken spoke.“Patty… what we saw —… Read more: “Crashed” Part 5

“The Ride” It was an old run-down truck stop café, the kind that looked like something out of a horror film. But Tom and Angela went in anyway. “Coffee, please,” Tom said, raising his hand… Read more: “The Ride” 

“Another Letter To Santa” Noah never missed a Christmas without writing his letter to Santa. He began the tradition when he was only five years old—the year after the tragic accident that sent his parents… Read more: “Another Letter to Santa”

“Crashed” – Part 6 Tom stood on the porch, watching the military trucks roll in one by one. Hayes had left only fifteen minutes earlier, but not before warning him: “We’re bringing in specialized tracking… Read more: “Crashed” Part 6

 “Thinking Back” Here it was — another Christmas had passed. It felt to Jimmy like Thanksgiving had just been yesterday. The years were moving faster now, at a pace almost too quick to comprehend. They… Read more: “Thinking Back”

“Crashed”  Part 7 There she was. Standing in the doorway. Glowing. A fiery orange aura rippled off her skin — or rather, off the suit that clung to her like a second layer of light.… Read more: “Crashed” Part 7

“The Investor” On Wall Street, they called him The Starbuck. Robert could close any deal, squeeze out every dollar — and he made sure everyone knew it. Twenty years of success: cars, women, vacation homes — the… Read more: “The Investor”

“Crashed” Part 8 It felt different now.The simple knock on the door sent a wave of panic through all three of them — as if fate itself stood on the other side. Ken opened the… Read more: “Crashed” Part 8

“Crashed” Part 9  Patty and Ken packed a few essentials into their suitcases. They had no idea how long “a few weeks” would really be, but they figured they’d deal with that when the time… Read more: “Crashed” Part 9

“The Unrest” Pete was watching the 6:00 news again, even though he had sworn it off. Too much violence. Too much negativity. Hate and division—those were the only things that ever seemed to make the… Read more: “The Unrest”

“Crashed” — Part 10 “Ken?” Hayes’ voice crackled through the radio. “You there?” “Ten-four,” Ken replied. “My team just pulled in,” Hayes said. “I’m not trying to rush you, sir, but do you have an… Read more: “Crashed” Part 10

“Crashed” Part 11 “Good morning, Mr. Miller,” the young MP said as Ken brought the pickup to a stop. “We’re going to give your vehicle a quick once-over, and then you’ll be free to go.… Read more: “CRASHED” PART 11

“Late Delivery” Friday night, and here she was — working another shift. Sandy had called in sick again. “I’m sorry, Janet,” Becky had said. “Sandy called in again. You wouldn’t mind—” Janet cut her off.… Read more: “LATE DELIVERY”

“CRASHED” PART 12 The command center wasn’t what Ken expected—though, truthfully, he hadn’t known what to expect. The tent was larger than it looked from the outside. Rows of laptops and monitors glowed in the… Read more: “CRASHED” PART 12

“CRASHED”  PART 13 In the hotel room, after Ken and Patty finished unloading their suitcases, Patty reached for the remote and turned on the television. The screen cut immediately to a red banner. BREAKING NEWS.… Read more: “CRASHED” PART 13

“Crashed” Part 14 She had put enough distance between herself and the humans to risk stillness. The forest thinned here. Old growth. Rotting wood. She lowered herself onto a fallen log, its structure failing beneath… Read more: Crashed Part 14

“A Night on the Beach” “Summer vacation is starting out a blast this year,” Toby was saying as he chugged his third brewsky. The bonfire they’d lit hours earlier was still burning hot and strong,… Read more: A Night on the Beach

“Gone Fishing“ David loved fishing with his dad. It was their thing. They were up at 4:00 a.m., out the door by five. The sky was still black, the air cool and quiet. They stopped… Read more: Gone Fishing

Crashed Part 15 Ken checked his rearview mirror, scanning for any reaction to the sound.He knew it was Cellima. Still, he hoped he was wrong. “People are turning back around, honey,” he said, forcing calm… Read more: “Crashed” Part 15

“Crashed” Paret 16 Five hundred feet now separated Cellima from the road she had detected — five hundred feet from the one called Patty. For the first time since escaping the basin, she felt the… Read more: Crashed Part 16

THE SHOES Billy Payne hated mornings—except on Saturdays.No school. No bullies. Just him, his video games, and his old, scuffed sneakers, the ones worn thin until the soles bent like flaps. He wanted the new… Read more: “The Shoes”

“Crashed” Part 17 The palm beam glimmered. Just as she feared, the energy was insufficient to generate a force strong enough to erase the animal. She forced what little power remained into the emitter and… Read more: “Crashed” Part 17