Articles by Matt Maine

There was no life on the mountain at all. Tari moved slowly ahead of Rocco. Their supply packs weighed them down, and the footing was treacherous. Pebbles and small rocks skittered down with every step. Several dozen feet down was a large, fairly even surface. When they made it there, …

Hyperion stood on the observation deck of a tall building with a helipad. Behind him, people were rushing to refuel the helicopter. The wind mussed his wispy white hair. Normally, this would’ve bothered him, but he was too furious to care. He had just received word from his secretary that …

The jeep sputtered suddenly, then stopped. Day was breaking, and a dull, dusty red crept through the thick clouds and smoke. The Sierra Nevada stood before them, tall and wide. Rocco had taken the wheel from Tari a few hours before so she could rest. He put a hand on …

Rocco had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He had never driven a motor vehicle before and had been unconscious while Tariro was operating it. The keys were already in the ignition and after slamming his foot on the wrong pedal, he was off. But …

Mr. Polus walked into a conference room. It was nice. Bright lights, a long table made of real wood, clean walls. Lots of red and gold. He shook his head. “Ever the extravagant one, aren’t we, Hyperion?” “Take a seat,” Hyperion said, his voice tinged with contempt. He sat at …

The landscape was dead. Blasted trees, craters, dust, grey. The sky was grey, the dirt was grey, everything was grey. Rocco had been around the country, and it was the same everywhere. He felt his life force ebbing. Only once had he felt like this before. The worst part was …

Rocco’s vision faded in and out. He tried to get up, but he was too weak. He planted his hands on the ground to try again, but stopped when he felt how much blood there was on the ground.No way I’m standing up. He put the arm that wasn’t stabbed …