Strangers On A Train

For twins Ethel and Elise, the line between dream and nightmare was always thin—and on Paron Island, it has been completely erased. Their idyllic gap year, a sun-soaked mosaic of beach bonfires and reckless abandon, is shattered in an instant. A "project," as the panicked news reports cryptically call it, has gone horrifically wrong, releasing a pathogen that reanimates the dead with a singular, gruesome purpose: to feed. The sisters' bond, once defined by shared secrets and sibling rivalry, is now their only anchor in a world drowning in blood. Driven by a raw, primal instinct to protect each other, they join forces with a few other fortunate—or unfortunate—souls who survived the initial onslaught. Together, this makeshift family must navigate the ruins of their former paradise, where every shadow hides a potential threat and every human sound could be a lure. Ethel, the more cautious sister, finds a hidden strength in strategy, while Elise's impulsive nature becomes both a weapon and a liability. But their fight against the decaying hordes is only the surface of the terror. Whispers of a coordinated presence, of supplies that go missing too conveniently, and of strangers who seem to know too much, point to a more insidious truth: the island's collapse was not a random tragedy. They are being hunted by something that thinks, that plans, that wears a human face. As their hope for rescue dwindles, Ethel and Elise are forced to confront the ultimate horror—that in the midst of an apocalypse, the most monstrous creatures of all are still human.

**Perfect Blind** *She pretended to be her blind twin. Then she watched her brother-in-law die. The killer tested her—held the bloody head five inches from her face. She didn't blink.* **But what he didn't know? She's not just pretending. She's hunting him too.** --- Jiang Yan has spent three months learning to be her blind twin sister: the walk, the voice, the empty stare. She breaks into Lin's apartment seeking a diary—evidence of a murder Yan committed ten years ago. Instead, she finds a body. A killer who knows sign language. And a "dead man" who won't stop breathing. Trapped in a locked room with two strangers and one lie, Yan must play the perfect blind woman while uncovering the truth: her sister isn't blind, her father isn't dead, and the murder she confessed to never happened. **In this family, everyone wears a mask. The only way out is to see through them all.** --- **Perfect for fans of:** - *The Silent Patient* (unreliable narrator) - *Gone Girl* (toxic sisterhood) - *Behind Her Eyes* (identity games) **Tags:** #PsychologicalThriller #TwistedFamily #BlindPOV #ShortRead #DarkSecrets --- **Word count:** 10,000 words | **Chapters:** 10 | **Reading time:** 45 minutes *Every chapter ends with a twist. The final page changes everything

“When we grow up, you should fall in love with me, woo me, propose to me, marry me, and love and cherish me for the rest of your life. You must treat me like a Queen.” Lil told the brooding, handsome boy. “But these are all the things I should do. What will you do?” Nat asked the chirpy little girl in front of him. “I will grow up to be an outstanding lady and give you a happy family so you can smile every day,” She replied matter-of-factly. Thirteen years later, on the day of their marriage, he whispered to her, “Did you think you could be my wife because you schemed and trapped me into this? You can enjoy the vacant position of Mrs. Smith that you covet so much. But you will never have a place in my heart and life.” She disappeared the day after their marriage. What will happen when they cross paths seven years later as spouses turned strangers turned business partners? He has already forgotten he was even married. But she could never forget him, try as she may. But she has her secrets to protect and can’t tell him who he is to her as he tries to navigate his feelings.

The Hunters. The legendary Archers of Alestari were known world wide. Many trained for years, from youth to adulthood, to be good enough to qualify to be an apprentice to the Hunters. Every year, the Hunters would travel all across the land of Alestari, searching for a single apprentice. Many hearts were crushed in this process. Because there were many years, that none were selected to train under the legendary Archers. They would travel to every kingdom, city, town, village and tribe, searching. Royalty and common folk alike revered and worshiped the Hunters, for they were the true protectors of the land. A single Hunter was as good as 20 regular Archers. But they were also known to be excellent spies, as well as swordsmen. Any weapon in the world, they knew how to use properly. Thus they were highly sought after for military purposes and occasionally mercenaries. To have a family member who was a Hunter, was the highest honor. They were treated like royalty, even by royals themselves. Whatever a Hunter said, whoever they chose as an apprentice, no one ever argued. To fight with a Hunters choice, was to eliminate any chances you had of your family becoming one. And for years, no one fought their decision. Until this year. In the kingdom of Alestari, anyone was eligible to try and become an apprentice. Anyone, but a woman. Women were forbidden to learn any kind of weaponry, especially archery. So when the King of the Hunters, chooses a woman to be an apprentice, many were angry. And they were out, to make her pay.

Trigger Warnings! Do Not Read If You Cannot Handle: Sexual Assult, Abuse, Drugs, Drinking, Smoking/Vaping, Fighting, Emotional Abuse, Depression, Anxiety, Mental Breakdowns, Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Murder, Blood and Disturbing Descriptions What can you do when someone out of greed takes away your sight? There are people made of pure greed out in the world. Being able to grant wishes places a giant target on her back. After having her sight stolen by her grandfather, Nicolette has trained long and hard to survive and defend herself in case he may return. Living in seclusion for many years, she is able to train in private and harness her skills to become a top assassin. Her first mission was challenging. She was given the task of marrying a mafia king in Italy, who turned out to be someone she knew from long ago. She held her blades in her hand, ready to kill him when the time was right, but she could never bring herself to do so. Delaying her task, she becomes absorbed in the dangerous world of guns and bullets. When her grandfather finally comes to take her back for his plans, she has no choice but to break her code and rely on her husband for help. Bloodshed in a world of mafia and assassins is inevitable, but who are you willing to lose? "The world may be a dangerous place, and you may be a strong man, but I am far more deadly." "You can rely on me amore mio. I am here to protect and serve you."

ALL HAIL THE ALPHA QUEEN — SYNOPSIS (300 WORDS) Alina Bloodburn spends her twenty-second birthday in chains. No family. No pack. No mercy. Condemned for a crime she did not commit, she waits in a cold cell believing she is nothing more than an unwanted orphan in a ruthless werewolf world ruled by bloodlines and beasts. Then a woman called Lady Dame Thunder appears in her cell with eyes like famine and storms—and whispers a truth that shatters Alina’s life forever: She is not weak. She is not unwanted. She is royalty. Dragged from prison into a world of ancient magic, Alina learns she is the lost daughter of **Cercie Bloodburn**, High Witch and Alpha Matriarch of one of the most feared bloodlines in existence. Her awakening is brutal. Bone and flame twist her into something beyond wolf—silver-furred, fire-eyed, crowned by thunder. A **Mega Alpha Queen** is born. But power is never given without price. The Thornbrooks—ruthless killers who destroyed her childhood and slaughtered her family—still rule in shadows. They believe the Bloodburn line was erased. They are wrong. Banished to Europe to train under storm clans and witches who speak dead languages, Alina becomes more than a queen—she becomes a weapon forged in grief and ritual. When she returns two years later, she does not come for mercy. She comes for genocide. Yet beneath the fangs and fire still beats the heart of a girl betrayed by fate, yearning for truth, loyalty, and love in a world that only respects dominance. Power threatens to consume her. And the Alpha Queen must decide… Will she rule the beast within— Or become it?

In our pack, every wolf has one chance in their lifetime to use an enhancement elixir to strengthen their wolf abilities, but this elixir is only effective when brewed by oneself. In my previous life, although I was a normal Omega, I worked day and night brewing my wolf enhancement elixir to become the Gamma of our pack. But on the day of the selection, after I shifted into my wolf form, I completely lost control. My wolf immediately prostrated itself at the feet of Victoria, the current Beta's granddaughter. Amid the cheers of the entire pack, Victoria became the new Gamma. Meanwhile, I was beaten and ridiculed. Everyone claimed I had stolen Victoria's enhancement elixir, which was why I couldn't control my wolf. They cut off both my hands and threw me into a silver mine. I died in excruciating pain in that silver pit, my very bones corroded by the silver. Until my dying breath, I couldn't understand—how could the elixir I brewed myself make my wolf submit to Victoria? When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to one week before the Gamma selection of the pack. This time, I gave up my right to compete and entered the forest alone to train for battle. Beta Richard stood at the empty doorway of my house, questioning me through our mind-link about why I was leaving the pack at such a crucial time. Meanwhile, I was removing my protective amulet, shifting into my wolf form alone to fight in the territory of the Rogue wolves.

Everyone in the pack envies how devoted Kingsley Laurent is to me. After getting appointed as Alpha, he turns down every she-wolf who throws herself at him and vows to wait until his position is fully secure before marking me. The mate bonding ceremony he promises is the most sacred of all, one that would place me beside him as Luna and establish our pup as his rightful heir. Kingsley openly despises my rebellious sister, Heather Johnson. His eyes harden whenever her name comes up. "Don't let your train wreck of a sister ruin our ceremony." Until one night, when I find a voice message on Heather's phone and hear his voice—hoarse, ragged with desire. "Will you shift for me tonight, baby? I want to see you in chains." While he claims he's on a business trip down south, he's actually spending the night with my sister at a couples' hotel. Over the phone, he swears his devotion to me. "If I ever betray you, may I be punished by losing you forever." At the same time, he grabs Heather by the chin and says coldly, "I will only ever have one Luna, and that's Eliza Johnson. You're just a plaything." Since he made that vow, I'll fulfill it for him. I fake my death, burn down our home, and vanish from his world with his pup growing inside me.

"Huh," she said awkwardly, looking at her hands. Seriously, Grace, just die; she cursed herself. "But you know the funniest thing..." he said, now standing in front of her, since when, she wondered. As he traced the line of her ears with his thumb, she shivered in excitement. Boy! Who would have thought she was sensitive in that area? He forced her head up with his hand. "I am going to have you here and now, Grace, and it won’t be a joke." Grace Bush, the only child of a prominent Canadian family known for her selflessness, and sweetness, experiences a tragic incident on the happiest day of her life, resulting in the loss of her entire family. Left as the only survivor, she undergoes a profound transformation from a sweet innocent child to a wild and self-centered individual. In order to claim her late father's wealth, she decided to train herself in a well-known firm, facing unexpected challenges. Just as she contemplates giving up, fate presents her with a life-altering job opportunity, offering an escape from her troubled hometown, or did it? Noah Creed, the handsome billionaire CEO of The S.O publishing industry in New York, appears to have it all – wealth, looks, and success. Despite being divorced three times, a father, and engaged, he has never truly understood or desired love until he encounters Grace Bush, a wild and unpredictable newcomer in his film industry. Little does he know, their meeting will open a new chapter in his life.

I warned you, Sienna," Nathaniel murmured, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Once you step into my world, there’s no going back." Her chin lifted defiantly. "Then maybe it’s time you realized I’m not afraid of the dark anymore.” Sienna Royce thought she could leave her mistakes in the past—until her wedding day revealed the truth. The man she was bound to marry was one of the three strangers she had shared a fleeting, reckless night with. Julian Castellanos, a charming billionaire with secrets of his own, has no intention of loving his bride. Bound by an arrangement to strengthen their families’ empires, Julian hides a scandalous affair with someone Sienna would least expect. But the wedding vows are only the beginning. Nathaniel DeLuca, Julian’s rival in the business world and a powerful Mafia Don, steps out of the shadows. He’s not just one of the men from Sienna’s past. Caught in a web of betrayal, forbidden desires, and dangerous power plays, Sienna must navigate a world where every secret has a price. As Julian fights to win her back Julian’s brother, Dominic uses her past to his advantage, Sienna must decide: can she trust the man who holds her heart, or will the truth shatter them all?