Dark City Beneath The Beat Novels & Stories

" I can't let you go," Thump, one beat. Thump…Thump, two beats. Thump…thump…thump, three beats. Thump…thump…thump, thump, four beats. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, five beats. Trapped in an endless whirl of darkness, I can’t help but be nervous. Why am I trapped in this darkness without light? I can’t wait until my fantasy becomes my reality. My heart beats faster, stronger, and louder. I will persevere. I will win in life. This is another battle between light and

FIFTY-EIGHT SECONDS. The basement floor didn't just vibrate; it shrieked. A high-frequency howl tore through the limestone, rattling my molars and making the glass of the monitor screens ripple like water. I lunged for the terminal, my boots skidding on a layer of frost that shouldn't have been there. In the gaps of the foundation above, the sky of Rebirth City had finished its rot, turning from a synthetic blue to a flat, light-eating black.

The heavy doors hissed open, revealing a dark, claustrophobic corridor pulsating with blinding purple light. "I've got your back, Ghost," Dax said, stepping into the bunker, his phased knife raised. I followed him in, the heavy doors sealing shut behind us. We were cut off from the army, standing directly beneath the center of the hovering city, with less than two hours to stop the end of the world.

"Elena said it’s spreading through the youth. They don't want the responsibility of the stamp, Damian. They want the 'Echo' of a life they never got to live." ​ ​We followed the signal to a basement club called The Vellum Void. The entrance wasn't marked by a sign, but by the rhythmic, low-frequency throb of a bassline that felt like a digital heartbeat. ​Inside, the air was thick with synthetic vapor and the blue light of illegal "Light-Grids." These weren't the old smartphones; they were "Echo-Nodes" small, crystalline devices that pulsed in time with the music. ​"Look at their wrists," Damian muttered.

Skylar was moving too, circling to the right, his eyes never leaving Becca’s hands. "You think you’re the only one who knows about the old ways?" Skylar asked, his voice low and dangerous. "I know enough to end you," Becca hissed. She dropped to her knees, slamming both palms onto the floor. The ground groaned. Shadows stretched from every corner, weaving together to form a dome of suffocating darkness around her. She began to chant, the words sounding like glass grinding against stone. The air grew so cold that ice started to crystalize on the crates nearby.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s go have fun.” ‘Only if for a night.’ The night unfolded into hazy flashes of light and neon, each beat of the music vibrating deep inside Jackie’s chest, and the strobing lights feeling as if they were dancing along her skin, encouraging her to move. Jackie slammed back a few shots and glided her way to the center of the dance floor. Beneath the pulsating lights, the music began to consume her. The beat vibrated through her body, grounding her inner chaos. Her arms swayed, fingertips reaching for something just beyond her grasp. The rhythm of the crowd, the bass that thudded in her chest, the hypnotizing lights, they all wrapped around her, urging her to let g

Then, like a thief sneaking back to the scene of the crime, I switched my phone on once more. I could not follow the rule about exposing it to the sunlight for three hours. It was pouring outside. The weather was so gloomy, just like the deep sea in my dreams. I tapped into the Echoes from Below application once more, but there was no sound. The waveform interface was gone and replaced by a basic discussion forum. There were not many posts, but every single title made the hair on the back of my neck stand.

"When death is circling just outside the door in a shroud of chrome and red laser sights, the only way to prove you are still breathing is to let someone ruin you completely in the dark." The bass from the underground club pounds against my ribs like a physical blow, vibrating through the sticky synthetic leather of the VIP booth and rattling the cheap glass of liquor sitting on the sticky table. Outside the heavy velvet curtains, the district patrol drones hum with a low, menacing frequency, casting sweeping arcs of crimson light across the packed dance floor. My skin crawls with every pass of the scanners, a sharp, feverish sweat breaking out across my collarbone as I press myself deeper i

And will the people of Darkwood accept Jace, or will the people in time think that Jace is not normal? Those thoughts kept filling Jace's mind during their journey to the city of darkness. Erica suddenly stopped walking, so Jace, behind, almost bumped into her. "What's wrong, Erica? Is there something blocking up ahead?" They had just passed through the underground passage leading to the city of darkness. A black tower loomed before them. The amber panels glowed gold under the artificial, gloomy, and strange glare of the city of darkness. Jace could see the frozen shapes of giant insects in every tower panel. Like a firefly, the light source came from the bug emitting light in the darkness.