Kevin Marlow

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (29)

29 Stories

1596 karma pts

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“Bury Me Home” by Kevin Marlow

The rolling hills of the Midwest undulate like the humps of the Midgard Serpent, locking the hard-pan clay together. Its scales are clusters of juniper and elm, erupting from sandstone bluffs. The forked tongue is a confluence of two mighty rivers, the legs, scars of railroad beds riveted to the land with iron, torn from its own belly. Johnathon remembers seeing the beast in the ancient lake that had been plowed by glaciers from the last Ice Age, or is it a recurring dream, he never quite figures that part out.“Penny for...

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“Angels in the Dark” by Kevin Marlow

{CW : Mental Illness, Sexual Abuse}“What's wrong?” Angelica reached out and put a hand on Caleb's arm.“Nothing, I just. I mean. I don't know.” They had dressed for bed and were laying down making out when Caleb pulled away.“Come on honey, I'm ready if you know what I'm saying.” She stroked his forearm with her finger tips. Her touch used to send shivers and tingling sensations through him. Lately he recoiled, the sensation causing thoughts of spiders dancing on him.“I...

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“Like Roses in the Desert” by Kevin Marlow

Red tail lights whizzed by, their glow leaving sparkling trails on the side glass in the back seat of a domestic sedan with an interior the color of ash. Tristan craned his head, looking for the street sign.The stiff collar on his shirt rubbed his neck like sandpaper. Mom had settled on the cotton poplin dress shirt and tie, they couldn't afford the Ralph Lauren Polo. 'It makes you look mature,' she said.“When you pull up to the gym, just let me out O.K.” Tristan leaned up to catch his mom's eyes in the...

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“Penal Colony Paystubs” by Kevin Marlow

{CW: Drug Use, Violence, Sexual Themes}“It's your move,” Even with a face covered partially by a mask and goggles, Karnack could sense them smiling at him.“What if I don't have that much weight. Can I renegotiate the offer?” Karnack stuck the hand rolled cigarette between his lips and pulled a slow steady hit into his lungs, following it with a suck of stale fetid air.“I'll give you a hundred thousand for ten pounds. That's my final offer,” The man pulled out a smaller attache and unzi...

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“Camels in Misty Virginia” by Kevin Marlow

{CW: Substance Use, Language, Suicide}Chuck touched the box through his pant pocket as the door closed automatically behind him. Popping it out past his belt, he looked at the graphic on the front. He couldn't unsee the man in the camel ever since someone at the bar pointed it out a few days ago. Either that guy was high as a kite or some clever corporate graphic designer had left their indelible mark on the world.After packing them against his wrist for five seconds, he flipped the lid open and reacted...

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“Trial of Tokarov” by Kevin Marlow

{This story is a sequel to 'The Sabinarath of Xenoscthye' and best read in conjunction}As Tokarov made his way back to the cavern, a smile dotted his lips. Nothing so strange had ever happened to him. He had never made love to a stranger before, yet here on Xenoscythe it came to him naturally. He sniffed the curls of hair hanging around his face, a faint flowery scent still lingered. If such beautiful females could be found in these caverns, he thought it might be acceptable to be trapped in the labyrinth after all.<...

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“The Sabinarath of Xenoscythe” by Kevin Marlow

CW {Sexual Themes}“I'm afraid we can't let that happen.”“Why?” Tokarov hadn't cared much about leaving until confronted with the possibility he couldn't.“You know the answer you just don't want to admit it,” The Lord's voice boomed in his head.“Admit what?” A sinking feeling gripped his gut.“It, the giant in the room so to speak. I want you to say it.”“Say what?” Tokarov gritted his teeth.“Answer your own question....

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“Host” by Kevin Marlow

“We're running out of time,” Thomas quipped as he and Marissa walked up to the victim.“According to forensics this is the third body in the last two days.” Marissa clicked on her 1000 lumen LED tactical light and leaned in close to the desiccated remains. “I would estimate the time of death to be early this morning, based on the condition.” Pulling at the skin tissue on the arm, she noted, “Virtually no skin turgor, the eyes look like discarded candy wrappers in the sockets. It seems the body is almost entirely devoid of...

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“Untimely Delivery” by Kevin Marlow

Jennette popped awake, rolling her head to look at the alarm clock, it was 4:39am, almost an hour before the alarm was set to wake. A feeling of discomfort brewed in her gut. Thirty seconds later her insides felt like a pile of snakes writhing on hot coals. Putting a hand over her mouth, she bounced out of bed and ran for the bathroom. Sliding on knees, she flipped up the seat on the toilet. The puke splattered into the bowl, the taste of bile forcing a couple more dry heaves.Standing up Jennette twisted the wobbly chrom...

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“Breaking the Habit” by Kevin Marlow

Clarissa's hand shook uncontrollably. Having pulled herself back from the edge of hyperventilation, she squeezed her eyes tight and sobbed. Opening them again, they drifted over to the door, slightly open, blinds askew, the echo of it slamming reverberated in her head. She sniffed and reached for a tissue, her other hand clutching her cell. Wiping her face, she blew her nose and grabbed another to dry the tears that had dripped onto the screen of her phone. Karen's number was suspended in the center of the display, the giant green button ...

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“Mission Akira” by Kevin Marlow

“10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1,” She grunted on the last pull up, holding her chin above the bar, triceps quivering. Lowering her arms to a dead hanging position, Sakura kicked her bare feet back and forth, swaying on the steel bar. With enough momentum to keep her body parallel to the floor, she pushed off the bar, throwing her heels to the ceiling. In a move practiced hundreds of times, she landed on her palms in a hand stand.“One hand.”Sakura lifted her left hand from the floor.

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“1869 Gehenna Street, Hades” by Kevin Marlow

The heat erupted from the very rocks themselves. With no sun, orange light emitted from the glowing stalactites that jutted from the roof of the massive cave like giant flaming lances. Pools of sulfuric acid smoked and gurgled, belching fumes that burned the nostrils; fumaroles were burping dragons releasing acrid gases. This was 1869 Gehenna Street, Hades, just up the way from the Abyss. The apartments were carved into solid rock by wayward souls that had yet to earn a chance to hurl themselves into the eternal fire and be erased from th...

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“Aldor's Wicked Children” by Kevin Marlow

CW {Drug Use, Language}THE END.The words were burned into the retinas of cinema patrons through their virtual reality head sets. Removing his goggles, Bailey blinked at the darkness and rubbed his eyes, digesting what he had just witnessed and framing it in his minds eye.“It never gets old, does it?” Karnack's voice pierced the black curtain of the theater.“I've only seen Avatar 10, being installment number 13, I guess they have their formula don't they? Giant blue el...

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“Whatever You Do Don't Write it Down” by Kevin Marlow

CW{Strong Language, Sarcasm}Dear Kevin,It's me Kevin, your actual future self. I remember the summer you are in well. Your air conditioning was not working because the electric company turned you off due to not paying. You were admitted to the hospital due to a bizarre host of episodes that culminated in a weekend in jail and a trip in front of a judge. It doesn't seem like it now, but everything is going to be alright. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia is not a death sentence. Which brings me to the i...

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“I am The Crow” by Kevin Marlow

{The names of the guilty have been changed to protect them from the innocent.}Brandon Lee was dead. An accident they said. Having been around guns since I was old enough to point my finger and say POW! I wasn't sure I believed it. A loaded gun is that, loaded. A live round is an ominous thing to hold. It vibrates with the confined kinetic energy it contains. The graceful flow of the trigger sear releasing the firing pin feels like poetry until the powder ignites. BANG! One has to train themselves not to flinch and pull o...

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Author bio

Survivor, Social Animal, Servant, Sufferer, Story Teller, Sacrilegious Sabbath Keeper... I have published stories available as ebooks on Amazon. If you like the characters and worlds of Terradorn and Aldor, check out these stories: Utopia Underground Penal Colony Paystubs Aldor's Wicked Children Dead to Dust After the Cleansing The Third Hand Justice in Time Greenhorn Graveyard Gift