Prisoner Of The Night: Strange Tales From The City Of Dust, #5

By Vaz Anzai

With the Nightfallen in full control of the city, Alice and her friends will face off against the creator of the Dead Letters Prophecy. Now, in Dust's final hours, the darkest of decisions will need to be made. Who will sacrifice themselves as the prisoner of the night?

 

Strange Tales From The City Of Dust is a serial story done in episodic "short reads". Each story is a tale of action, adventure, and horror within the city of Dust. Set in futuristic Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it incorporates themes of cyberpunk, artificial intelligence, synthetic beings, sexual themes, horror, occultism, demonology, medical monstrosities, innate abilities, future tech, and LGBTQ storylines. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vaz Anzai
• Release date: Sep 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393629078

Vaz Anzai

I grew up reading horror, consuming books by Dean Koontz and John Saul. Cerebral horror has always been my preferred subgenre. Cyberpunk themes have intrigued me throughout the years, ever since I first saw Blade Runner and The Running Man. "Strange Tales From The City of Dust" is my cyberpunk look at future Pittsburgh. It involves themes of LGBTQ relationships, medical monstrosities, occultism, mental health, artificial intelligence, and more.

Book preview

/Only Time Will Tell

1.

Ice.

The chill across Maldito’s body formed a hardness in his stomach that caused him to double-over on his hospital bed, his right hand holding his chest. The sharp stab of something foreign and yet deep within his own body caused him to panic. His face tightening as he strained through the confusion to speak, he felt a woman’s hand touch his left shoulder before plunging a needle into the tissue.

A soft, fuzzy warmth raced across him, causing him to smile and thank the gentle hands of the unknown woman for her medicine. He asked her what was going on, yet he couldn’t fully understand the words she whispered into his ear. The scent of vanilla on her breath and the inflection she used as she spoke soothed him, and within seconds, he was back to sleep.

Wake up!

The voice rang in Maldito’s ear and bounced through his head before he realized where he was. Furrowing his bushy eyebrows, he scanned the girl next to him. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders as she flashed her intense green eyes into his before unstrapping the brace that held his chest down to his bed. From underneath the short sleeves of her nurse scrubs, he noticed red Nordic lettering tattoos from her shoulders down to her wrists.

What’s happening? he managed to get out from his dry throat, still unable to stand.

There isn’t enough time. They’re attempting to get inside. I’ll release the clamps on your other arm. It hasn’t fully healed. I injected you with something that will ease the pain for now and allow you to use the limb. Just enough to get us out of here.

With a few clicks on the tablet in her hand, the nurse liberated Maldito’s left arm from the vice that held it in place. Flexing his right fist to get the blood flowing through it, Maldito yanked the sheet off of his body, revealing his new left arm.

The shock of remembering the flesh being pinned under the falling concrete rushed back to the front of his mind. He had taken a hunk of sharp metal and sawed the stringy appendage away, using his belt as a tourniquet for the stump. Knowing the blood was still draining from his body, he dragged himself into the chamber where the occult leader had run off to, ready to sacrifice his own life in order to force the entity into the Opaque void that the girl, Laila, had opened.

He shook his head, his eyes seeking answers from the young blonde girl next to him.

This arm is right out of Centrico. Some of the best technology money can buy. It was to be in exchange for the work you had done in the Blooming Fields. You can worry about all of that shit later. Right now, there are a bunch of creatures getting ready to bash through the back wall of this place because they can’t get in the front door. We need to get out of here.

Maldito clenched his new metallic left hand, the hydraulic muscles along the humerus sliding in response as his wetware commanded the electrical circuits to activate accordingly. Each finger bent along the metacarpal extensions through rolling joints that spun on a pivoting ball, allowing him to rotate his entire hand around fully, or bend each finger backwards to reverse grip something if he desired. Clamping the weapon into a fist, he nodded to the girl and cracked his neck.

Shirtless and in his patient drawstring pants, Maldito yanked the needles from his blood-drip that were still connected to his arm. Seeing that there were no other doctors around, he looked back to the girl in confusion.

Where is everyone? The docs? My insurance?

Your insurance came and then left again. Had a girl with him. The doctors and patients all left. I refused to leave you here unconscious. So they sealed me in and left. It’s just us, and those things are trying to get inside.

"Pendejos!" the man cursed, punching the door to the room in anger. When it splintered and fell across the empty waiting room, he looked back at the nurse again in shock.

It’s a metal arm. What did you expect it to do?

This is going to do nicely. Stay here for a minute.

The muscles, encased in layers of fat, rippled along his chest and stomach as he stomped from the room and tried to assess the situation. Outside in the waiting room, things were in disarray. Chairs were knocked over, paperwork strewn about. Kicking a fallen plant from his path, Maldito walked back into the surgery room.

What’s going on out there? What are the things you’re talking about trying to get inside? Omicron police drones?

No, she explained, easing herself into a corner of the room as the sounds of thunderous banging rang through the empty facility. I can’t explain it. Everything was fine when I came into work today. One guy ran in complaining something attacked him. Then one got in. It looked like a man, except its teeth were huge. Like his jaw was unhinging. His teeth and eyes were glowing. He took out poor Sarah, the receptionist. Someone tried to shoot him and missed, and he bit people, ripped them apart.

Maldito held his hands up for her to stop. Relax and keep yourself safe in here. They’re locked out right now, so we’re fine.

From back near the entrance to the facility, the sound of metal being bent backwards alerted them to the fact that the creatures had begun tearing their way inside.

Time to try this hardware out, he shouted, pointing for the young woman to remain where she was. Sprinting down the open waiting room and kicking obstacles out of his path, Maldito rushed the roll-down doors where he could see the afternoon light pouring in.

Throwing all of his weight into the punch, the man blasted the door from its roller, sending it back fifty feet. Along with it, three of the creatures the woman had described were tossed to their backs.

I don’t know what you fuckers are, he growled at them, turning to focus on the closest to him. You don’t work for me, and you don’t pay me. So I really don’t give two shits about what your issue is.

Charging the closest, Maldito grabbed it by its throat, his new mechanized arm tensing to the point that the flesh gripped within the fingers was pulverized. Tossing the carcass aside, he set his sight on the others, who had each regained their stance and were watching to consider their best plan of attack. Ultimately deciding to both close in at once, they slashed at the man, who brought his arm up to deflect before grabbing one and swinging him around full circle into the other.

Standing again and facing each other, they exchanged looks without words. Before Maldito could come for them, they both turned and faced the river, their focus on something in the downtown area that he couldn’t see.

What? Let’s finish this shit.

Both men ran towards the water’s edge, diving in at the same time to swim towards the bottom of the river on their way towards the inner city. Maldito scanned around him for other potential threats before going inside.

Back in the surgery room, Maldito informed the young woman that she was safe. Finding his original shirt that had been heavily damaged at the zoo as well as being cut off his body, he slid it on like a vest and waved for the girl to follow.

What’s your name, girl?

Abree.

Maldito. You probably already knew that since you had my information for surgery. Let’s get out of here and figure out what’s going on with this city.

Abree led Maldito to her small red gas guzzler in the back lot. Pulling the vehicle out onto the main road, Abree asked the man where they should go.

Well, we can go to my place, he suggested, reconsidering it almost immediately. It’s all the way out in Shadeside. I don’t know what’s going on right now, but shit isn’t good. Look...

He motioned to The Point, which was a space of open park at the entrance into downtown across the river. Four police drones hovered over the area, one firing a few rounds somehwere into the open park where he couldn’t see. Shaking his head, he pointed back to the road.

Just drive for now. You got almost a full tank. We’ll be fine. Let’s see what’s going on first.

Realizing he forgot his phone back in the sack of his personal belongings at the chop shop where they performed his surgery, Maldito banged his fist against the passenger side dash, his new