KendallReviews is delighted to bring you an excerpt from Jon Richter’s dark new anthology Disturbing Works (Volume 1)

The first volume of my Disturbing Works is a collection of twelve twisted tales perfect for people who like their stories dark, despicable, and deeply unsettling. Containing fantasy, sci-fi, dark humour and a lot of deliciously nasty horror, it should have something for every reader that has a sinister side and nerves of steel…

Excerpt (taken from ‘Peace’) – Jon Richter.

Sasha looked up at the sky, marveling at how the cloudless expanse could shift so gradually from one shade of blue to another. Colours that probably all had different names (her vocabulary offered up words like cyan, azure, cerulean) blended seamlessly, as though mixed on an artist’s palette. If she flicked her head from one side to the other, she could recognise two distinct hues, yet if she scanned slowly from left to right she could not discern the change. An imperceptible alteration. Like how humans grow old.

She knew she should not be doing this, that this behaviour served no logical purpose. But she also knew that it would be a little while before Susie emerged, and that no-one was watching her; the other parents were staring through the fence, or chatting to each other. Most were women. One was looking up towards the sky too, and Sasha wondered if she was also a mechanoid, if the fascination with the sky was some quirk of their programming.

But no. It was very clear that the woman was not like her. She had long, striking blonde hair; not like Sasha’s smooth, hairless cranium. She had bright, beautiful eyes the colour of coffee; not like Sasha’s unblinking black orbs. She had a lithe, supple body, full of twists and turns and movement and glorious imperfection; not like Sasha’s cold, hard frame.

Just for a moment she had the crazy idea that they were all mechs, that every one of these smiling mothers and impatient-looking fathers was actually synthetic, a more advanced model than her but ultimately the same; collecting someone else’s children while their owners were busy at work, or lounging beside a pool.

For a moment she could see it, rows of gleaming skulls turned expectantly towards the school buildings, waiting for the children to emerge, to fulfil their purpose… and then Susie appeared, dispelling the grim vision.

Sasha lifted a plastic hand, and waved.

 

Disturbing Works (Volume One) 

Amazon Link – Kindle

Author Biography 

Jon Richter lives in London and spends most of his time hiding in the guise of his sinister alter ego, an accountant called Dave. When he isn’t counting beans, he is a self-confessed nerd who loves books, films and video games – basically any way to tell a good story. Jon writes whenever he can and hopes to bring you more disturbing stories in the very near future.

Jon’s debut novel, crime thriller Deadly Burial is available now on Kindle

You can keep up to date with Jon via the following methods…

Twitter – @RichterWrites

Website – http://www.jon-richter.com