Sunless Sky - Flash Fiction

Something is clearly wrong; it has been weeks since the sun graced our skies. The once majestic kingdom in the clouds replaced by binding darkness, a forbidden black shroud drowning our life force. Yet, the heat inside this masked reality continues to rise. How is this heat is so overwhelming? Could Hell really be any worse?

I have no idea. All I know is that this is killing me, driving me to place even blacker then the dismay that extinguished our once beautiful skies. I know that I cannot endure this world much longer. I gasp for air, but the putrid pong of decay that surrounds me suffocates my every step. The blood, the bile, the intestines; it is clear that the sun was not enough for the evil that has risen from the pit. 

In the distance, I hear a call; the fallen ones again rise to prey on those of us that remain. The dark angel grows strong, and his reapers worse. His blade of sorrow steals another life and my faith shudders at his might. My soul mourns, as the merciless truth of my destiny becomes clear.

Thunder echoes in the distance. Dammit, they stole the lightning as well. I look back toward the Nephilim, as scarlet flows from the tears I cry. I can feel them burn through my entrails; my fate lay ahead. I can see my salvation and redemption inside the murky depths of his eyes. 

Alone, I bare my soul to the reaper. My pure heart shudders, as the tears cascade like a waterfall from my sunken eyes. I can feel warmth of the inferno radiate from his blade; my end is indeed at hand. The flaming gates open as his blade penetrates my soul. 

And the reaper laughs at my despair…

Toad Road (2012)

Drug use is one of those subjects that will definitely play a role in the elections in the near future. For many, it is a way of life, for others a strange taboo. I bring it up as this next click could be a docudrama for what could go wrong, or right; depending on your perspective. Next up, the 2012 thriller Toad Road. 

Plot/ A portrait of contemporary youth culture, where the lines between reality and fiction are blurred with often frightening results. 

This was an interesting movie. Not a horror movie, this one almost is more an urban legend meets hallucination thriller. There are some moments with solid cinematography and decent acting, but those are almost lost within the uneven marketing and categorization. Unfortunately, the overall storyline never seems to capitalize on what could have been. The horror elements are non-existent, the pacing off, and the atmosphere is a bit disjointed, facets that are a bit disappointing. In the end, I did enjoy this one and found it entertaining, even though I was looking for something darker and more horror related. In the end, more of a portrait of a strange stoner trip than thriller, it does have some interesting moments.

An animated trip to Hell!

Over the last week as I have been struggling to figure out what happened to my laptop, I had plenty of time to digest quite a few avenues of horror ands sci-fi. In all, I watched anything and everything I could while trying to raise my computer from the depths. Unfortunately, my efforts were futile, and I had to put it out of its misery. Fortunately, I did get to catch some interesting stuff, visions that kept my attention during these frustrating times.

One of the movies I caught this week is actually something way outside of my norm, the Anchor Bay and EA Games animated Dante's Inferno. As a writer and poet, I am a huge fan of this Dante Aligheri masterpiece. Not only do I own a few different copies of the book in both hard and soft cover, I actually have visited the grave of the famed poet. For me, this book holds a special place, one that shows the beauty that can be found inside the darkness of everything around us. However, I am not a fan of anime and haven’t watched a cartoon based movie in some time (Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was the last, I think).

What I found in this movie was something I can honestly say I was not expecting. While I found it entertaining, especially the combination of graphic-bloodshed, lust and the every popular battle of good and evil, I was a bit disappointed in the storyline and how it was manipulated. This blood-soaked adaptation is far from the poetic epic and any true Inferno fan should understand that before jumping in.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the version that was created. Yes, it strayed from the epic, but there was a beauty that was brought out in the film that kept me engrossed. The graphics and anime are incredible and the visions they create are both disturbing and magnificent. Dante, searching Hell to save his beloved fiancé is a beast, a murderer and hero that everyone should be able to relate to. Yes, he kills or destroys everything in sight, but at times he also demonstrates compassion and blind faith, not much different from many that have walked the earth over the past centuries. At the end of the day, this movie is a tremendously gory and vivid homage to a classic tale. While the story strays from Dante’s true vision and epic, the creators of this version should be applauded for taking one of the most horrifying literary works and creating a horror of their own making complete with blood, sex, violence, anime and Satan.