Kevin Marlow

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (26)

26 Stories

1807 karma pts

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“Bhang! Snake Eyes” by Kevin Marlow

CW {Drug use, Sexual themes, Prostitution, Violence, Offensive Language}Karnack tapped the crystals out of the little zip-lock bag, onto the shiny, reflective stainless steel plate. Pulling his dagger from the top of a worn and crumpled leather boot, he used the flat side of the razor-sharp blade to crush the rocks back into powder form. Tucking a long shock of dark hair behind his ear allowed him to get close and inspect the product.“I've got a pipe. Are you sure you don't just want to light up?”

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“Mommy Dear It's Me” by Kevin Marlow

Content Warning: {Themes of abuse, murder and suicide}The shrouded sun cut like a razor through the broken canopy of maple limbs and gnarled oak branches, splashing across the faded and weathered white sheet metal of an old camping trailer whose skin was riddled with rusty screw heads. The light drizzle of rain had given it a sheen, reflecting the fading light back to the trees. As drips trickled down to the leaves on the musky woodland ground, a sudden yellow flash illuminated the aluminum frame of the window from insid...

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“Farewell to Adelaine” by Kevin Marlow

Adelaine finished the draft of the text and pressed save, rolling her eyes and drawing in a breath. Looking around from the safety of a Lexus, the parking garage felt empty. It was early. That didn't stop the tension from surfacing. Rereading the unsent text, she pressed the button to turn off the screen and plucked the goggle-eyed shades from the visor and pulled the earpieces out with a lip still soft from a hot shower, and slid the sunglasses on to hide her face.Pulling a hood over her still-damp hair, the car chirped...

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“Simon Says” by Kevin Marlow

The alarm on his iPhone grates and pulses. Simon folds the pillow around his head. The dull ache emanating from where his skull is fused to his spine causes him to fumble for the water bottle on the nightstand. The cell phone is across the room plugged in on the dresser, its intermittent wailing, grinds up the sloshy thoughts in his brain. Sitting up, Simon gulps the water into his dry stinking gullet. Dribblets trickle ...

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“The Mind Flayer's Minions” by Kevin Marlow

{A Stranger Things Fan Fiction Story}“He doesn't like you.”“What? Will, don't kid around.”“I'm not joking Dustin. He is coming for you. You abandoned Dart, you wanted to kill him.”“He was a Demogorgon and he ate my cat Will, besides what happened in the bus at the junkyard. Did you forget about that little detail?”“If you don't give him what he wants, he's going to drag you to the upside down in your sleep.”“Now you're scar...

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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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“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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“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

Spend hours reading here and you will discover there are many talented writers on Reedsy from all around the globe. This community is genuinely supportive of anyone, at any skill level, trying to hone their writing ability or even just wanting to share their stories. “Do not take yearly results too seriously. Instead, focus on four or five-year averages.” - Warren Buffett I will be giving away ebooks through Amazon's Kindle Direct on weekend days for the next couple of months. {Starting Saturday, Dec. 17th, 2022} 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