Game Of Inches Novels & Stories

“I wasn’t sure what to get.” Josh enters the living room. “What’s that?” he asks, gesturing to the box that Theo’s holding. I raise a brow and stare at the matte black box, The ‘Titan Games’ logo stamped in silver on top, in small lettering is, ‘NEW DAWN 3’ Josh has always been a lover of whatever games that company brings out, he’s also the vice president of the online tween club for Titan Games, so being handed such a box makes his whole face brighten up.

At this proximity, I could feel his warm breath against my face. I suddenly leaned forward, and he instinctively turned his head, avoiding me. The gesture ignited my temper. Unable to resist, I spat a mouthful of wine right into his face. Droplets slid down his sharply defined features and disappeared into his collar, leaving behind an oddly charged atmosphere. Calmly, I grabbed a tissue, wiped my mouth, and casually tossed it at his face. "Sorry, couldn't help myself." Zach shot to his feet, hurling the bottle to the ground with a loud crash. The shards flew everywhere, one slicing into my exposed calf.

Inside the iron cage, a swarm of rats huddled in the darkness, their eyes glowing green as they squeaked and chattered. Terror consumed my entire body. I struggled with everything I had left to break free, but they locked the cage shut. The next second, the swarm of rats descended upon me, biting and tearing at my skin. The agonizing pain of my flesh being ripped apart made me howl in screams. Peering through the only narrow gap in the cage, I could see Tom pressing himself over Aria with heavy breathing. "Tom, come on..." "No, it'll hurt the baby." "Then let me help you..."

Nicholae stumbled but didn't fall. "You can stop this, Stephen. Hand over the Phoenix to me." "So that you can kill her? I know how much you dislike her power." Nicholae again rushed forward to attack him. 'So eager to kill me.' Stephen thought. Stephen raised his fingers with bent knuckles. The moment his attacker got close, he hit his jaw with the knuckles. Nicholae groaned and stepped back. He looked at Stephen surprised. "I am full of surprises, ain't I."

"Look at me more. I'm worth it." I smiled and gave him a light push as I could not help asking again, "What if I'm only playing the game even now?" Jason looked up at me, and I saw his eyes slightly tremble. In an instant, his eyes started to turn red. "Then I'm willing to continue to play this game with you." I had thought Jason might get angry or hurt. I had never expected him to answer it that way. He was indulging me completely. Looking into his eyes, my heart softened.

I am seriously regretting this game I started. There is nothing I can do tonight, so I slowly rise from the hard floor and dust myself off. I eat a light dinner and make a cup of hot tea. Next, I head upstairs to take a long bath. I begin filling the clawtooth tub with warm water and add in some of my favorite rose bath oils before lighting candles around the room. This is my sanctuary and exactly what I need right now. I lean my head back and breathe in the rose and amber from the candles as Frank Sinatra’s smooth melodic voice fills the room. I was just about to drift off to sleep when suddenly I felt a shift in the atmosphere. Power, raw angry power was headed my way. I see no point in ge

\[NEXT STATION: THE AUTHOR’S GRAVEYARD\] My stomach dropped like I was on a rollercoaster hitting the first plunge. Ink prickled beneath my fingernails. It wasn’t metaphorical. Not this time. A faint, dark tint seeped up into the crescents at the base of each nail, like I’d dipped my hands in a bottle of spilled text and hadn’t washed them properly. My skin along my forearms tingled, as if invisible words were being written there in a language only the Game understood.

Eliezah MATAPOS kung hugasan ang pinagkainan ko ay lumabas na ako sa kusina at pinatay ang ilaw roon. Humugot ako ng hininga at malumanay na ibinuga ito. Umakyat ako sa hagdanan at bumalik sa kwarto ko. Tahimik ang buong bahay at ang tanging maririnig ay ang aircon na mahinang bumubuga ng malamig na hangin. Binuksan ko ang pinto ng verandah. Alas otso pasado na ng gabi at malamig na ang simoy ng hangin lalo pa't Ber Months na. Preskong presko ang hangin na umiihip. Mayamaya pa ay pumasok ako at kinuha ang first aid kit ko na nasa drawer at pagkatapos ay pumasok sa banyo. Nahirapan akong hubarin ang t-shirt ko at ilang segundo din akong nag-struggle sa pagtanggal nito. Nang sa wakas ay natang

“Got a guy inside. Comms go dark—ten minutes, no more. That’s our window.” Jeremy’s jaw tightened, a muscle popping faint. Ten minutes. A blink to pull this off, then hell would rain down. He had no choice—everything rode on it, every chip on the table. He cracked his knuckles, the sound loud in the hush, and nodded. “Make it count.” The room shifted—men leaning in, maps rustling, guns clacking as they checked clips. Ten minutes to rewrite the game or burn trying. **** ******* **** **** ***** ****

He waved it under my nose. I smelled copper and frost and something wild, like a forest at the edge of winter. It was Rhydian's scent, concentrated. It made my heart jump, but not from instinct. From memory. From fear. "Interesting. You recognize it, but there's no physiological response. No elevated heart rate. No pupil dilation. It's just... data to you." He made a note. "Now. For the true test." He nodded to his assistant. "Bring in Subject Gamma."