Apocalypse Bus

As panic sweeps through the city and everyday streets collapse into chaos, Ciprian is driven by one unshakable instinct: protect Adam at all costs. When an unexplained catastrophe turns the urban landscape into a pressure cooker of fear and survival, nothing matters more than keeping his best friend alive. In this fast-paced short story, a sudden crisis forces two friends to confront more than danger. As tension rises and the city descends into disorder, buried emotions, unspoken attraction, and complicated feelings come to the surface. What begins as survival quickly becomes something deeper, binding their fates together in ways neither of them expected. Set against a backdrop of urban collapse, panic, and uncertainty, this emotional short fiction explores friendship, loyalty, and love under pressure. Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories, disaster scenarios, slow-burn emotion, LGBTQ+ themes, and intimate moments set during world-altering events. A gripping short story about connection, courage, and the fragile line between friendship and something more—meant to be read in one sitting, but felt long after.

A doomsday blizzard hit just before Christmas. The zombie virus exploded. Our fortress was a top-tier ski resort. Now, it was about to fall. My husband, Ethan, was a former Navy SEAL. Our head of security. He swore his defense system was foolproof. The blizzard knocked out the power. But he’d sent all the backup generator fuel to the summit. Just to light up a Christmas tree for Chloe. He even had a few guards up there with them, throwing a party. In my last life, I fought him. I herded everyone into the last bunker. But Chloe whined. A crowded Christmas was boring, she said. She stormed out of the safe room and ran right into the jaws of the horde. Ethan carved a path through the horde to secure the walls. Then he sat in silence, cradling Chloe’s bones. He pretended he wanted to start over with me. He let me get pregnant with his child. The day I gave birth, he knocked me unconscious and dumped me into a nearby zombie nest. He always rescued me just before I died. He’d inject me with a serum that kept me from turning. Nineteen times, he threw me to the zombies. I died in agony as they tore the flesh from my bones. "If you hadn't sabotaged my defenses," he’d hissed, "if you hadn't crashed our party and led the horde right to us, Chloe would still be alive!" I opened my eyes. I was back. Christmas Eve.

"When love and technology collide, the boundaries of humanity are pushed to the limit. A starlet's glittering facade hides a shocking secret. A father's desperate attempt to save his daughter's life sparks a chain reaction of events that will change everything. Amidst the glamour of the Philippine entertainment industry, a forbidden love blossoms, threatening to expose the truth behind the spotlight's dazzling glow. Will love prevail, or will the secrets of the past destroy everything?" Dive into the poignant and heart-wrenching tale of a love that transcends the boundaries of life and technology.

'I hate my mate, I really do. I can't stand the sight of her. What makes it worst is that I'm in love with a demon, and I'm willing to do anything to be with her.' ----------- Elias Woods is the Alpha King, and he hates his mate. He hates everything about her, being mated to her for the past 70 years. He's sick of seeing her face. Then one night, he meets the ultimate beauty, Someone that takes his breath away and makes his once cold heart pound again. It's no problem that she's a succubus because she loves sex just as much as he does. And that makes everything even better. Mila Descoudres is a succubus; sex is the one thing she needs to survive. When she seeks fresh meat for her daily fix, she does a daring thing and sneaks into an Alpha Kings' bedroom. She got way more than a night of great mind-blowing sex. She got an addiction, an addiction that only can be tamed by the Alpha king himself. And he has no problem taming her addiction. What happens when that addiction turns into something else? Can this demon handle the Alpha King? Or will he be too much for her? **The Out Of The Shadows Series: Book 1**

Zoebella emerges from the fallout shelter, alone and unprepared for the ravished earth left behind after the downfall of society. Creatures that once belonged in fairytales now rule over the remnants of civilization's collapse, men who can shift into wolves at will instill fear into humankind's few remaining survivors. Zoe learns how to endure this new environment and its deceitful inhabitants through literal blood, sweat, and tears, two protectors aiding her throughout her journey. Yet, each male tempts her in their own unique way, leaving Zoe torn on which path to venture forward into the unknown, but she may not be able to outlast what the weather and fate still have in store for her. Can Zoebella outrun the monsters chasing her, or will she run straight into the arms of someone much worse?

Mia never thought that while looking for money to pay off the debt her father owes one man she will end up seducing the most ruthless mafia in Los Angeles and stealing two million dollars from him and he in turn will end up kidnapping her Here she was, in his lair, in his house, his office and most definitely in his bed. She has to pay back what she owes but what about the first man her father owes that she needed to pay off? Then she found out that he was an alpha and she is his mate and Luna.

Astrid has always tried to maintain the peace between humans and specials, but when the military comes looking for her killing any in their way, Astrid decides peace isn't worth the price anymore. She's ready for war, but can she handle the consequences when she's separated from the love of her life?

Le jour de ma fête d'anniversaire, mon mari Léo Thomas a soudainement amené ma sœur adoptive Anne et son enfant. Au moment de partir, il a naturellement installé Anne à côté de lui, puis il m'a dit : « L'enfant a facilement le mal des transports, la banquette arrière est pleine de choses, et toi, tu peux prendre le bus, tu es en bonne forme. » Mes amis ont immédiatement ajouté : « Tu es sa sœur, tu devrais t'occuper d'elle et de son enfant. » Il y avait quatre voitures, mais il n'y avait aucune place pour moi, la personne principale. J'ai donc pris le bus, toute triste, et en chemin, j'ai vu dans le groupe de discussion que Léo et Anne Dupont échangeaient des messages complices. En plus, les sujets dont je ne savais rien. Lorsque j'ai ouvert la vidéo publiée il y a peu, il n'y avait plus que des restes sur la table préparés pour moi. Même mon gâteau d'anniversaire, que j'avais préparé avec soin, avait été donné par Léo comme dessert à Anne et à sa fille. Certaines personnes, choquées, lui ont demandé s'il ne trouvait pas ça un peu excessif. Tout en essuyant la bouche d'Anne, Léo a répondu sans même lever la tête : « Nous sommes tous une famille, Julie Dubois ne va pas être en colère. » À ce moment-là, mon mariage de sept ans avec lui s'est terminé.

Grim Marie knows far too much about the wolves of the world, a world where little girls go missing. After all, she had married one before she/he showed his claws, and what that wolf did to her little girl was unforgiveable. Grim Marie isn’t certain if she can ever forgive herself for putting her Little Aleta in harm’s way. When Grandmother becomes ill, Aleta offers to take the bus through the concrete forest to Grandmother’s house to bring her some goodies. She knows the way. What could possibly go wrong? In this modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf takes to the city streets to capture his prey, but the hunter is close behind him. With Grim Marie on the prowl, the hunter becomes the hunted. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Ethan Ring lives in a province with all his life. His life is perfect. He is rich, and he runs their farm; he's in charge of it. But he did not go through college, and that's fine. A decision was made one day when he decided to live in the city. He wants to experience the life of living in the city, hearing the bus's horns, screech, and hearing people talk about different things. Mostly, he wants to experience going into college, finish a degree.His stay in the city was more than studying. He'll meet two men that will drastically change his life – and help him discover his identity. One will give him pain, and one will give him happiness. One is a student, and one is a professor. The question is: which is which?It will be him who decides how his life will turn out.Every decision that he makes is meant to happen. Everything is meant to be.