davebaileyme

[davebaileyme]

Holes of Fire

Batuhan pressed his body up against the cellar door and pushed harder. This time, whatever was on the other side gave way and the door slid open.  There was a solid thud as it hit the pavement and then a ringing clang as it rolled into something metallic.  Before he could look to see what it was, a cloud of smoke rolled in through the opening and filled his nostrils causing a fit of…

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Welcome To The Showdown

Welcome To The Showdown

Txomin entered the ring of swords and paused to look around at the spectators. A feeling of helplessness washed over him as he realized what was about to happen. This was the end. It was his end.  He wanted to turn and run. Like he had done the last time. But there had been nowhere to run to. And after catching him, they beat him within an inch of his life for the second time.  That had been…

[davebaileyme]

Dragon Dive

“No!” Oskar screamed as he watched the Dragon dive from the sky toward the city.  The base of its throat glowed a deep, bright reddish-orange as it hurtled down through a cloud and burst through the bottom a split second later.  A stream of fire spewed out of its mouth as it opened its jaws. An instant later, the steeple of the church burst into flames.  The focused stream of fire engulfed the…

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Hole Down Under

Andrey stood on the ramp overlooking the gaping hole before him. It was mesmerizingly perfect. The hypnotic design of the detailed lines surrounding it held his gaze.  A noise behind him caused him to break his gaze and turn his head. He started to duck but realized that would just make him look suspicious. But the two people in the cart didn’t even look in his direction.  He breathed a sigh of…

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To Hunt A Husk

To Hunt A Husk

“Where are you, Floater?” Jusuf shouted into the dark cavern. “I know this is your lair.”  A white blip appeared in the ether about three feet above Jusuf’s head. He took a few steps back as the blip began to spread and open into a wide white ring that lit up the cavern with an eerie orange glow.  Large chunks of rock bigger than Jusuf began to form around them and hovered in place as a…

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The In Between

Liselotte pranced down the street at her usual crisp gait. The clicking of her high heels echoed hollowly along the red brick walls of the shops that enclosed the narrow cobblestone streets of Kungsburg. It was late. Everyone had long closed up their shops and gone home to get ready for bed. Liselotte hated this tiny town. She longed to return to the big city with its bustling nightlife. Back…

[davebaileyme]

Box of Arms

Hadad stirred in his bed. He opened his eyes briefly before rolling back over in his bed. It was still dark. Too early to wake up. He sighed in irritation at whoever had been making the noise that woke him up.  He couldn’t remember what it was exactly. A muffled banging in the distance? A faint scream? Whatever it was had woken him up with a pounding heart. He couldn’t remember what it had been…

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Eagle Eyes Watching In The Night

Eagle Eyes Watching In The Night

Reizko crouched low behind the boulder and waited patiently for the opportunity to make a run for it. The flames from burning rock in the valley below him flared brightly into the night sky, but the heat didn’t bother him.  His companions watched from a safe distance. The heat was still almost unbearable from here. The suffocating wind blowing sparks and ash in their direction caused them to…

[davebaileyme]

25 posts in! It’s all uphill from here...

[davebaileyme]

When Is It Too Late To Stop Foreclosure?

When Is It Too Late To Stop Foreclosure?

Here are 10 options for stopping foreclosure proceedings on your home, depending on where you are in the foreclosure process timeline. Loan modificationGet A Side Hustle (if you can work)Personal LoanHard Money Loans to stop foreclosure Rental (or House Hack)Cash OfferSubject To or a form of creative financing, especially if in the form fo seller financingListing your home for sale with a real…

[davebaileyme]

12 Rules To Know How Much My House Is Worth

12 Rules To Know How Much My House Is Worth

If you want to sell your house fast for top dollar, make sure you are pricing your home correctly. If you price it too high for your market, it will take longer to sell (or might not sell at all).If you price your house too low, you’ll end up leaving money on the table. So, how do you know where the sweet spot is for pricing your property? You do what any good real estate agent would do for…

[davebaileyme]

Selling Your Home To Investors

Selling Your Home To Investors

I called the home seller to introduce myself as well as confirm the time and location. She didn’t seem overly excited to sell her home like most people are. I didn’t think much of it. She needed a second witness to sign off on the General Warranty Deed, so I provided the witness. We all met bright and early Friday morning at a local coffee shop. The seller signed the closing documents quickly.…

[davebaileyme]

“Can I file for homestead on the home I’m buying, even though our divorce won’t be finalized for another month or so?” someone asked me during a closing I did this week. In a minute I’ll tell you the answer, how we got it, and who we got it from. And I’ll give you a little bit of the backstory. So, keep reading to the end. But first, we have to clarify a few things. Like what is a homesteaded…

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Which Would You Choose If...

[davebaileyme]

Thorgaut was ready to crash. The event of the evening left him feeling wound up and tense. It also felt wrong to lie down in the bed of a man he had just killed. So, he didn't think he would get much sleep as he prepared to lie down.

But exhaustion got the best of him, and he fell asleep even before his head hit the pillow. He had a strange dream of himself walking around like a shuffler in the forest still looking for his friends.

But the sensation of transforming into a shuffler became more vivid and realistic. He felt unable to breathe as if he was slowly suffocating. When he awoke, he realized why. The sheet had somehow wrapped itself around his face and neck during the night.

Thorgaut unwrapped the sheet and pulled it off his face. Then he laid back down and tried to sleep again. His anxious mind wouldn't allow it though. It whirled along at a furious pace and refused to let fall asleep again.

The smell of meat roasting over an open fire also didn't help any, and his stomach started growling. He tossed and turned for a few minutes longer, then finally rolled out of bed to get dressed. He followed his nose to the kitchen where Halldora was setting the table. She smiled warmly.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked as she handed him a cup of tea.

Thorgaut grunted and shrugged as he took the cup.

"Are you feeling okay this morning?" she asked.

He shook his head and sighed. Halldora reached out a hand to touch his forehead. He reflexively slapped it away. He saw a flicker of fear on her face.

"Are you able to say anything, Thorgaut?" she asked him gently.

"Of course," he growled. "Why wouldn't I be."

She smiled and turned around to pour a bowl of porridge. Halldora put it on the table in front of him. She sliced some bread and spread a generous helping of butter across it.

Thorgaut realized why she had seemed so interested in his silence.

"You thought I was becoming a shuffler. Didn't you?" he asked her. He stared at her intently as she took a bite of her bread.

She chewed slowly and swallowed her food before looking up at him. "It could have been a possibility, I suppose, after your fight with them last night?"

"How so?" Thorgaut asked. He continued to watch her for any sign of reaction.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. Halldora pointed to the bowl that he hadn't yet touched. Thorgaut shook his head. He no longer felt hungry. A mix of smoldering anger and burning curiosity took hold of him. Curiosity about how she created and controlled these creatures. And at the same time, anger that she had put his life in danger.

"I dreamt that I had become one of those things," he said.

She looked at him in shock. "Really? What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing much. I was out looking for my friends in the woods, but I couldn't breathe and woke up." He continued to watch her, but couldn't read any of her expressions. She hid them well.

"It's possible that you're in the process of turning."

"Turning?" he asked. "You mean, like becoming one of those things myself."

"Did any of them bite or scratch you in the scuffle? Or did their vomit and blood splatter on you?"

Thorgaut stirred his porridge slowly as he tried to remember the events of the night before. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"I don't think so," Thorgaut replied. "They weren't very fast, and they weren't armed. So, they didn't harm me. One did throw up near me though."

Her face showed no expression, and she still displayed no sign of emotion. So, Thorgaut couldn't get a read on what she was thinking.

The idea that he might be turning into one of the shufflers terrified him like no battle ever had. His father had raised him to fight to the death.

Death was not something he had been taught to fear. His people believed that death was merely another step forward into the afterlife. One more step in his life experience and journey.

But the thought of not being able to die. Or worse yet transformed into one of those things was horrifying. If Thorgaut were unable to fight and die a warrior's death, he would continue to suffer on forever. And once turned, he would no longer be able to fulfill his duties and earn his position as a warrior worthy of Odin's hall.

Everything around Thorgaut seemed to slow down and come to a standstill. Even time itself seemed to slow down and pause to allow the realization to sink in. His life was ending, and there was nothing he could do. Everything became crystal clear, and his senses seemed to magnify everything around him.

The buzz of a fly around the bread was deafening. The smell of the freshly baked bread and roasting meat made his mouth water. The glint of the sun rays shining through the window reflected in Halldora's bright blue eyes. The taste of the herbs on his tongue that lingered on his taste buds long after he had finished drinking his tea.

Every cell in his body suddenly seemed to come alive and pulse with rhythm and life. The moment seemed to stretch on as fear and denial swept over him.

Then the rage began to build. Thorgaut wanted to slam his fist on the table and then throw it over. He wanted to grab Halldora and choke the life out of her, and then chop off that stupid shuffler's head. But he squeezed his fists and tried to control himself.

"How do I know if I'm turning into one of those things?" he roared. He looked down at his hands and realized he was shaking. Thorgaut took a deep breath and placed his hands on his lap. He looked up again and saw that Halldora had backed away. There was fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said and sat back. "I just don't want to become one of those things."

Halldora stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you are," she said. "I only asked you that because you didn't answer my questions this morning. Inability to speak is one of the first noticeable signs. Shufflers can't talk, so I just thought..." Her voice trailed off.

Thorgaut gave a sigh of relief and chuckled nervously. "You gave me a real scare there for a minute."

She smiled back at him. He noticed that her eyes twinkled in a way that took his breath away. Halldora turned away under his gaze and started to clear the table.

"So, how did you create these shufflers?" he asked. "You just collect some shuffler vomit and sprinkle on your friends as they lay dying."

She returned to the table and shook her head sadly.

"Creating a true shuffler is an ancient art of the necromancers among my people. My father grew up among them and learned their ways. He made sure my brothers and I all learned the ancient arts as part of our education."

"So, you chant a spell, wave your hands, and voila. Out comes a shuffler?" he asked.

"Not exactly. It involves invoking Hades and making a blood pact. Hades is a bloodthirsty creature and always requires a sacrifice. He is the original shuffler master."

"You invoked Hades and sold your soul in exchange for the lives of your friends?"

Thorgaut shook his head in awe. "I knew you had some real gumption living out here in the woods by yourself, but that's crazy."

Halldora had her head down and sat quietly.

"So, what did Hades demand in exchange?" he asked.

"Everything. Hades required everything I had and even what I didn't have," she said glumly. "But at the time, I had already lost my family and everything I held dear. I didn't think I had anything left to lose. All I wanted was to avenge the deaths of my family and friends."

"He's coming to collect his due," Thorgaut stated. He knew. He had heard the legends and tales of old. Halldora would pay the ultimate price. He didn't know what it was yet and wasn't sure he wanted to. So, he changed the topic back to the shufflers.

"So, when shuffler blood or vomit touches someone, they turn into a shuffler as well?" he asked?

"Yes," she replied. "The true shufflers are the reanimated corpses of the dead or almost dead. But the second generation of shufflers turned by blood or vomit are still living souls. The effects aren't as strong in them, and they can't be controlled as easily."

"That's why Vriobrum is different from the other shufflers," Thorgaut exclaimed.

She nodded. "The effects become weaker with each passing generation. After several generations, a person doesn't fully change. They just get sick. I've even heard that a seventh generation shuffler eventually healed himself."

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Chapter 10: Sorry!

Chapter 10 Coming Soon…

Target Date: April 6, 2018

Thanks for reading! I’ll be posting more chapters soon.

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I also write several 3 other series on my blog at https://DaveBailey.me

Edge of the Universe

Rise of the Drakemen

The Ectype Reports

Thanks again! I appreciate…

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Chapter 9: Vriobrum!

Chapter 9: Vriobrum! Thorgaut has strange dreams. He wakes up and discovers where he is and what these shufflers are. He freaks out.

Thorgaut was ready to crash. The event of the evening left him feeling wound up and tense. It also felt wrong to lie down in the bed of a man he had just killed. So, he didn’t think he would get much sleep as he prepared to lie down.

But exhaustion got the best of him, and he fell asleep even before his head hit the pillow. He had a strange dream of himself walking around like a shuffler in the…