Read part 1: The New Guard 1 A dark fantasy illustration of Madrina , the heartless princess, walking through a grand obsidian hall. Behind her, the powerful Patron sits on a throne of jagged black glass. Shifting shadows, demons, and spirits bow in fear as she passes, capturing the eerie and supernatural atmosphere of 'The New Guard' story. The Mortal Daughter She had everyone, minor demon or spirit, jumping out of the way as she walked toward the obsidian hall. She is furious, and every demon that saw her knew their life is at an end if they don't clear the way immediately. She is not known as the heartless daughter for nothing; her cruelty and ecstatic delight in the suffering of others is well known. The demons called her a sadist—not to her hearing, of course. She usually sent them to get her mortals that she used to play and watch as the demon tormented them. Her name is Madrina , and she is just twenty-five years old. She walked on, hissing at an old spirit that...
A dead body laying down on the bed. The Night Shift at Miller’s Creek It was one hell of a day to be stuck on the graveyard shift. Bella sighed, leaning back in her creaky chair at the Miller’s Creek Memorial Hospital in the heart of suburban Pennsylvania. She complained inwardly, keeping her mouth shut to avoid a lecture from her supervisor. It was a crisp Friday night in October, and she’d had plans for dinner and a movie. Instead, a frantic call had pulled her in to cover for one of the other morticians. Working as a morgue attendant for the past four years had exposed Bella to things beyond human comprehension. She had seen the quiet, cold aftermath of life in all its forms. That was exactly why she hated working weekends; she preferred spending her Friday nights with the living, enjoying the warmth of a crowded room rather than the silence of the basement. A Cold Beginning Bella looked around her cramped office. It was a depressing little box with a single metal desk and an ...