The Long Walk Novels & Stories

Lena didn't take Andrew's words that day seriously. She just waited for her immigration papers to go through so she could leave. But Nicole wouldn't let her go so easily. That day, Nicole insisted on taking her shopping. But not long after they got in the car, Lena blacked out. When she came to, she was tied up on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. A few feet away, Nicole was bound the same way. Lena struggled, trying to ask why, but the tape over her mouth turned her words into muffled whimpers.

"One day they will come for me too." These were the first words he spoke on the day of his tenth year, abruptly awakening from a sleep made of painful memories and nightmares. He had heard his sister's cry, the cry of pain at the first punch, his own horror. He would have wanted silence, to get rid of those sensations, but around him the world knew no respite. Outside the sun had not yet fully risen, but the first men working in the distance could already be heard. In those parts, it was necessary to produce at all times, in order to hope to survive the winter; from the Capital the carts with the provisions never arrived, despite the promises that were said to have been advanced by the New K

I asked him back. He beamed at me. “We’re off the same class!” He told me excitedly. “Let’s walk to class together!” He beamed and I felt like I wanted the earth to divide into two and eat me up right now. He can’t walk to class with me. That’s the least thing I could ever do for him in order to save his image. “Uhm, actually…” I started. This is it, Ashejan Araullo! Think of a very good alibi! “I have to run to the bookstore because I ran out of paper.” Lame ass excuse, way to go!

The first time I went to the boutique to try on wedding dresses, I stumbled upon the staff playing their game of “Guess the Bride.” The big screen inside was displaying the package my fiancé had reserved. Eager to snag the commission, the makeup artist spoke up first: “I remember the bride is petite and delicate. She looks absolutely stunning in a mermaid dress.” The photographer chime in: “She has straight bangs and two dimples when she smiles.” “Oh, right—and a red mole on her collarbone. She looks best in an off-shoulder gown.” I froze right on the spot. I had waist-length, voluminous waves, no dimples, and certainly no mole. The person they were describing fit my best friend—Charlotte Ho

I took a deep breath and walked away. The only other option I have now is to walk and I’m going to have to do it because refusing to honor his letter is even worse than the journey on foot. And so I set out immediately, telling absolutely no one where I was headed because it doesn’t matter. The walk was a long and boring one. I had no one to discuss with, so I dragged myself further and further until I closed in on the border. I took the shorter route and passed through a thicket. The path was narrow and eerily quiet. The kind of stillness that makes you hear your own thoughts loud and clear.

They looked at us with admiration. "What a perfect couple! They're so well matched." "I heard the Sterling family heir has been in love with Miss Madison for ten years. Too bad she never liked him back. They've finally made it." Grayson's ears turned red. I smiled. Amid the applause and flowers, I stood on my toes and kissed him. In the audience, Nathan's eyes turned red. Moving against the light in the sea of people, he walked away. Only his lonely silhouette remained. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at him once.

"I don't think so… It'll only trouble them. Anyway, thank you for your help. I do need one more favor, though. Please prepare 300 copies of a congratulatory card. "It should read, 'Wishing Mark and Hayley a lifetime of happiness together. From: Eunice Jensen.' After I die, please deliver them to every household in Cooperville. Thanks." After arranging my affairs, I stepped onto the street. Before I could even react, a runaway truck came barreling straight at me. The impact was crushing. For an instant, it felt as if every organ inside me had shattered. The pain was unbearable, but I didn't pass out. This was the system's punishment, the cost of staying for the mission target.

I watched the snow drift past the window and said softly, “I’ve been here all along.” The moon-vow hymn had already begun at the snowfield altar. In a few minutes, I would step forward. Cassian fell silent on the other end. “Where are you? I don’t see you anywhere.” I held up my phone and said, “Listen.” The wind carried the vow hymn through the line, faint but clear. His voice tightened at once. “You’re at the snowfield?”

"Where do we go? We have over three hundred people who can barely walk. The Silver Basin is too far, and Thorne’s old supporters might still be lurking there." Selene looked toward the jagged peaks of the North. "The Valley of Whispers. It’s an old Crescent Moon hideout, protected by a mountain range that blocks magical tracking. It’s the only place they can heal without a target on their backs." The Long Walk The journey began in a heavy, suffocating silence. Elias took the lead, his silver-blue eyes scanning the treeline for any sign of movement. He felt the weight of every person behind him. As the True Alpha, he could feel their pain through the link. It w

🪷ISORA🪷 Six hours of walking through terrain that shifted from pack roads to forest floor to the kind of ground that had not been maintained by anything living in a long time, and Adrian had not allowed anyone to shift the entire time. I had clocked that decision the moment he gave the order to move out on foot, had felt the small, specific discomfort of it settle into the group before everyone adjusted and fell in line. Wolves walk faster on four legs than two. Everyone in this formation knew that. Adrian knew that better than any of them.