Thud Rumble Novels & Stories

Chapter One Southern California Eleven Months later Ellie sighed and adjusted her headphones to a more comfortable position. Heavy metal music poured out of the MP3 player she dropped into the front pocket of her cotton capri pants. The warm temperatures made her sweat even at eleven o’clock at night, despite the very slight breeze that fanned her skin. She glanced toward the open windows. The air-conditioning system of the dorm had gone out again. The maintenance teams were still fixing glitches on the newly constructed building.

However, as I try to move away, he quickly places his hand on my waist and pulls me close again, whispering, “Give me a kiss, love.” Without hesitation, I smile and cup Zeath’s jaw, standing on my tip toes to let out lips interact. I bet we would have remained in this state for a long time if the whirring sound we started hearing moments ago didn’t grow louder. A rhythmic thumping sound rolls over the earth like distant thunder, getting closer and feeling heavier until the whole environment starts to shudder. Zeath and I pause for a while before he leans away with a huff. “This guy…” he mumbles, “The fuck is he on?”

' ~~~ *THUD* "P-Please calm down for a moment and think about this--!!" "Hey watch where you tossing--" *THUD* "HEY!" "Let's talk Ashley."

"You're a cripple now, so let's see how you're going to fight me now." Suddenly, his hand tilted, and the entire glass of scalding hot milk poured over my arm. A sharp, burning pain exploded through my nerves as I grunted in pain, and my crutch slipped from my grip. I lost balance and crashed heavily to the floor. A searing agony ripped through my leg, and cold sweat from pain soaked my back. But what broke me more was the music box that tumbled from my arms and clattered onto the floor with a crisp crack.

​THUD. ​A heavy, steel-tipped cable fired from the truck's upper chassis, slicing through the acidic rain before embedding its jagged teeth straight into the rear metal bed of the vanguard transport sled. The steel line snapped taut instantly, the tremendous drag causing the sled's electric motor to scream in protest as the rubber tracks began to slip on the liquefying rails. ​"We’re pinned!" Leo shouted, the dashboard indicators flashing a violent amber. "The motor is overheating! The resistance is too high—we're dragging forty tons of syndicate steel behind us!"

The shrine’s hum has quieted, but the air feels charged, expectant. Then the earth trembles. A low rumble rolls through the chamber, growing into a roar that shakes dust from the ceiling. Cracks spiderweb across the lunar runes, silver veins flickering wildly as rocks tumble from above, shattering against the pedestal with deafening crashes. The metallic tang of disturbed silver floods the air.

CHAT REQUEST FROM Hayley.Hailstorm@BearsParademics.com (@Hailstorm) to Lace.Lacy@Ravenwood.com (@Lace) and Kira.Killer@Ravenwood.com (@Killer) CHAT ACCEPTED HAILSTORM: Hey girls! LACE: Hello my fellow weirdoes KILLER: Hey you two, how are things going? LACE: Ugh, you know how it is. We’re not allowed to go to base camp this year but I’m sneaking in, in any case. Who is going to know?

Ruckus laughter assails my ears. I'm not able to hear the other person's reply because they round the corner and their voices fade. I stand there, feeling cold dread snake up my spine. I've heard a few things about the mafias in LA. Brutal humans with no feelings whatsoever. If Ash Thunder is one - Suddenly, an image of him rears up in my head and I laugh awkwardly. Yeah, that man may be all shades of lewd, but being a gangster is definitely not one one of them. I make my way to my office but someone's already there.

Even Lucas's bold, driven proposal. They all spotted something in me. Maybe it was time I spotted it too. After some time, we caught sounds outside—jumbled noises like there was frenzy and lots of shuffling. Thorne dashed to the door and began pounding fiercely. "Let us loose! What's the hell happening!" she hollered as I chimed in. And then we picked it up. A deep, steady drumming resounded through the peak air. Not a noise a wolf would produce. It was a profound, echoing, machine-like beat.

Thorne's POV “Roll the gates!!” the tall guard barked, his voice snapping through the corridor like a whip. Two others responded, bracing themselves against the massive wheel. With a guttural heave, they pushed it into motion. The grinding of metal echoed like a death bell, each click of the mechanism louder than the last – until the din outside swallowed it whole. A cacophony surged through the walls. Roars. Cheers. Frenzied chants. War-drums beaten by fists and feet. Voices howled like a feverish cult in worship of blood. The ground trembled beneath my bare feet.