The Warrior Women of Apartment 3-C

By Annie Reed

Beware a roommate with a sword.

Or better yet, beware a roommate with an enchanted sword, an annoying fiancé, and a video game addiction.

Rose just wants a quiet night's sleep alone in her room with her cat. Instead, thanks to her roommate Wendell's nosy fiancé and the enchanted sword Wendell bought for his wedding, Rose finds herself sucked into a wild adventure she never expected.

An adventure she'll be lucky to survive.

"The appearance of a new Annie Reed story is a treat. Try one and you'll be hooked." -- Dave Hendrickson, author of CRACKING THE ICE, forthcoming from WestSide Press

"A friend recommended the works of Annie Reed. I was not disappointed. In fact, if her other shorts are as good as this one, I plan to read many more." -- Carol Davis Luce, author of NIGHT GAME (reviewing Annie Reed's short story CHANGELING)

Author Annie Reed is a prolific, award-winning writer whose short stories have been published in numerous science fiction and fantasy anthologies, as well as in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

THE WARRIOR WOMEN OF APARTMENT 3-C was previously published in the anthology SWORDPLAY edited by Denise Little (Daw, 2009).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thunder Valley Press
• Release date: Jun 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458094858

Annie Reed

Award-winning author and editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch calls Annie Reed “one of the best writers I’ve come across in years.”Annie’s won recognition for her stellar writing across multiple genres. Her story “The Color of Guilt” originally published in Fiction River: Hidden in Crime, was selected as one of The Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016. Her story “One Sun, No Waiting” was one of the first science fiction stories honored with a literary fellowship award by the Nevada Arts Foundation, and her novel PRETTY LITTLE HORSES was among the finalists in the Best First Private Eye Novel sponsored by St. Martin’s Press and the Private Eye Writers of America.A frequent contributor to the Fiction River anthologies and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Annie’s recent work includes the superhero origin novel FASTER, the near-future science fiction short novel IN DREAMS, and UNBROKEN FAMILIAR, a gritty urban fantasy mystery short novel. Annie’s also one of the founding members of the innovative Uncollected Anthology, a quarterly series of themed urban fantasy stories written by some of the best writers working today.Annie’s mystery novels include the Abby Maxon private investigator novels PRETTY LITTLE HORSES and PAPER BULLETS, the Jill Jordan mystery A DEATH IN CUMBERLAND, and the suspense novel SHADOW LIFE, written under the name Kris Sparks, as well as numerous other projects she can’t wait to get to. For more information about Annie, including news about upcoming bundles and publications, go to www.annie-reed.com.

Book preview

The Warrior Women of Apartment 3-C

Annie Reed

Published by Thunder Valley Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 by Annie Reed

Cover art from morguefile.com, layout by Thunder Valley Press

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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The Warrior Women of Apartment 3-C

Annie Reed

Pre-wedding jitters drive the best of people temporarily insane. My roommate, Wendell, wasn't the most tightly-wrapped person to begin with. When he showed me the sword he bought for his wedding ceremony, I thanked my lucky stars my room had a solid door and a working lock. Just in case.

You bought a sword, I said, somewhat unnecessarily since the thing was right there on my couch in all its tarnished, ornate glory.

Yeah, off eBay, he said. Isn't it cool?

Wendell was deep in battle mode. Again. In Wendell's case, that meant blowing video game bad guys to smithereens from the comfort of his battered recliner. A beer sat on the floor at his feet next to a bag of half-eaten microwave popcorn. Wendell had moved his recliner to the exact middle of the living room, just far enough away from the television that I'd have to high jump over the controller cord if I wanted to cross in front of him to get to the kitchen. Considering I didn't jump -- or skip or hop, for that matter -- this pretty much guaranteed I