The Murmur Of Bees Novels & Stories

What was even more terrifying was that countless translucent bees were buzzing within the containers. They had no wings or mouths, so they closer resembled wisps of distorted souls as they swirled rapidly around the blurry humanoid mass, greedily feeding on it. My mother's voice echoed behind me, cold and indifferent. "Heart-Eroding Honey is made by extracting the soul essence of the greediest and most corrupt men, brewed in the beehive using a special, secret method. When they were alive, they exploited others to the fullest. After they die, we transform their desires into the most powerful temptations. Their bodies will become eternal honey sources until they are completely drained dry."

I saw Hudson's bloodshot eyes, which were filled with rage, and his fists were clenched so tightly his veins bulged. Mirelle died in the prime of her life, and the one who did it was untouched, as he was backed by power. Hudson and I leaned on each other and worked part-time jobs to pay our tuition. We worked even harder than before. I never forgot what Mirelle told me before she closed her eyes—she asked me to take good care of Hudson. I came back from the market with Pixie and started cooking right away. "Hudson! Hudson!" Pixie chirped the moment it saw Hudson. I didn't miss the flicker of warmth in his eyes.

The soft hum of classical music filled the room as I swirled my glass of red wine, my gaze fixed on the cityscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Something felt off. Ethan had been distant lately, preoccupied with something I couldn’t quite place. I prided myself on knowing every move my stepson made, but lately, he’d been slipping through my grasp. And then there was that woman—Sophia Grey. A name from the past I thought I had buried.

Gray puffs feathered and pushed in a dark wall across the stormy sky. A crack of thunder that seemed to echo, boomed past her ears. If she had known, she would have stayed back home instead of the surprise visit. The scent of earthy soil seeped through Becky's nose as she trudged along the quiet crosswalk with trembling limbs and shuffling footsteps as she made her way home. The cool breeze blew her brown hair across her eyes, and she tucked them back. Distance voices chattered as the howling sound of cold air shushed.

I took a deep breath before murmuring a spell to my bee pendant. I didn't burst in. Instead, I quietly slipped the bee into the keyhole to record the scene. Well, I didn't need to make a scene of a broken-hearted mate. What I needed was evidence! Then I dashed out of the house, waiting. Each second felt like eternity. I could no longer suppress the agony within me. My shoulders shook as the tears finally came down... After a while, I summoned my amber bee back. With trembling hands, I linked it to my mind...

Sympathetic murmurs and soft-spoken words of reassurance filled the air as they worked tirelessly. "King Rico will pay for this," one man muttered under his breath, his jaw clenched in anger. He continued to boil water for sterilization, his hands shaking with fury. Beverly's eyes fluttered open as they began to clean her wounds. Her gaze was met with a group of strangers who had become her family in this perilous world. She tried to speak, but the pain in her body stifled her words.

"Or... they were careful not to." Suddenly, a rustling noise to our left made us stop dead in our tracks. We turned sharply, weapons ready, our breath caught in our throats. A deer. It darted out from behind a bush and bounded away through the trees, vanishing into the shadows. We exhaled simultaneously, tension releasing from our shoulders—but it was short-lived. Because then we heard it. Not the rustling of prey or predator, but something deeper. A sound not made by nature. A hum—faint, mechanical, and rhythmic.

The temptation to remain outside forever was a strong one, but his hands burned from being scraped raw and he'd have to come inside to sleep and eat. A bee hummed somewhere to his right, probably skimming the budding flowers. The twitter of birds in a nearby tree teased his ears, filling the silence with a delicate trill that was distinct and clear. He could make out every note, each singular melody and the changes in tempo and pitch as the birds talked to one another.

It rumbles throughout the quietude like an approaching thunderstorm. ____ "Aunt Margo, didn't you feel the ring in your mouth?" Bev questions with concern. She drapes an arm around her aunt's shoulder as they both sit in the back of an ambulance with the doors open wide. Serge, Katie, and I stood at the doors, peering at them. Aunt Margo continuously burps as she forms a reply. "I couldn't tell-" *Burp* "The difference between-" *Burp* "The ice chunks or the ring-" *Burp*

Bigla akong kinabahan at natakot naalala ko ang sinabi na tyrone. Momo Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ko sa kumot ng makita ang doornob na gumagalaw, hanggang marinig ko ang pag unlock nito hanggang sa mamatay ilaw. Sunod sunod akong napalunok, sobrang bilis na naman ng tibok ng puso ko siguro sa sobrang kaba na aking nararamdam. Mabilis naman akong nagkumot, samantalang hindi mapakali ang puso ko, parang gusto niyang makawala sa lungga niya. Walangyang puso to daming arte mas lalo niya akong pinapakaba.