California Burning Novels & Stories

Darren groaned out, a primal, agonized sound that instantly tore into a shattering scream at the top of his lungs. The smell of burning flesh filled the small, enclosed room, suffocating and thick. "You have something to tell me, Darren," Calvin hissed over the sound of the screams, his face just inches away. "Think again before saying something foolish to me." Darren trembled violently, tears of pure agony streaming down his bloody face as Calvin aggressively snatched the iron away from his skin, leaving a fresh, sizzling, and deeply burned wound in its wake.

The pack gathered together in their werewolves form as Alpha Marcus stood on the mountain, staring down at his pack, as the full moon shone brightly behind him. He stood propped up on his hind paws, the pride of his heritage in his hearts as he howled to the moon in honour of goddess Selene, wishing for her to shower her blessings. The pack typically joined him in howling and it rises as the howl continues, creating an illusion that the pack was larger than it really is. *** One week later. Nevada; The City of Las Vegas

As I was about to open my mouth again, I was interrupted by the voices that had grown more terrifying. “Run!” They cried. “RUN!” In a heartbeat, the cold air was replaced by a sudden wave of searing heat, prompting me to spin around and face the horrifying sight before me. The manor, where thousands of Farsuleias had left a mark on the history of our lineage, was now consumed by a raging inferno, its flames eagerly dancing upon the foundations. My breath caught in my chest as I watched the fire's voracious hunger devour everything in its path.

"Be careful what you wish for, my love. My family members have all shades of crazy. But, when I get back, we will have to start packing our things for the trip to Italy." I smiled again before leaning up to kiss him softly, my lips brushing his. "Return home soon," I said softly, my voice a whisper against his mouth. ************* The next day, Siobhan, Maya, Adela, and I drove up the Pacific Coast to the Solstice Springs Indoor Resort, a luxurious resort built within the Californian mountains. Known for its year-round warm climate inside and its crystal-clear indoor lagoons. I suggested the spot because and told Siobhan, Adela, and Maya, as a way to just...enjoy ourselves and talk about thi

About doom and consequences and the world burning. Let it burn.

I am unable to look away, although I really don’t want to see what happens either. Her nostrils flare, and an inferno of red fire shoots out of her mouth. A blood curdling scream erupts from my father upon impact, causing a shiver to run down my body. Our father was many things – but he was no pussy. For him to be screaming like that, it must be absolutely excruciating.

A beat dropped through the speakers, and before I could run or throw myself out the window again, Kai grabbed the remote mic and started belting: "You are… my fire..." His voice cracked. Horribly. I burst out laughing so hard I nearly fell off the couch. “Oh my God, stop! You sound like a dying goat.” He pointed the mic at me. “Join me or suffer eternal shame.” “Im already suffering eternal shame!” But I was laughing too hard to say no. So I grabbed another remote from the coffee table and stood up dramatically. "Tell me why" I screeched, totally off-key.

She needed to clearly see it for herself and be sure, unable to accept that her victory had been turned to ash. "Ma'am! Stand back! You can't go any closer, it's too dangerous!" a fire service captain shouted, running forward to block her path as a heavy piece of burning debris crashed onto the concrete nearby. Bianca’s eyes shook violently as she watched the water from the high-pressure hoses evaporate into steam before it could even cool the flames. "Everything is burning..." she whispered frantically to herself, the bright heat reflecting in her wide eyes. "This facility was just launched a week ago. How can everything be gone?!"

"And him! All three of his core surgeries? I paid to have someone else perform them! They're nothing without me!" The last scraps of dignity holding the team together were ripped apart completely. Each of them was desperate to strip the others bare, just to lessen their own share of the blame. I sat at a safe distance, unscrewing my second bottle of mineral water as I took a slow, languid sip. In the meantime, Matt couldn't endure the bone-eating agony of the toxin any longer. He started screaming as he smashed a wine glass against the floor, grabbed the largest shard, and slashed it toward his wrist.

The one who talked wasn't the doctor․ It was a former receptionist‚ fired eight months earlier after what she describes as a disagreement over billing‚ who was so bitter over the firing that she jumped at the mention of a number by my investigator․ Marcus called me the moment the conversation ended, relaying it word for word while I sat at my kitchen table with Camila, both of us leaning close to the phone like the distance between us and the truth could somehow be shortened by proximity. "Selena Baldore came in regularly for almost a year," the woman said, sitting across from my investigator in a coffee shop two neighborhoods away from anywhere either of them worked. "Always alone, always u