♠ Mother ♠

“Eskom guarantees each household three hours of electricity every night.”

“Data cables under the Indian and Atlantic oceans remain down.”

“The government blames anti-establishment rebels.”

Connor knew the headlines by heart.

“Anti-establishment rebel gatherings intent on spreading Covid-19 suppressed by the heroic action of Johannesburg’s finest military police.”

The metro police had long since been amalgamated into the country’s defence force for a more efficient use of scarce resources.

“More efficient way of suppressing civil liberty,” Connor mumbled as he leaped up and over what was once his car. Now it was just metal and glass poking through the weeds, and a handy obstacle to keep him fit.

That was the sort of talk that would get a person taken away. Criticism of any form would instantly categorise you as anti-establishment. In the beginning of the lockdown, however long ago it was, anti-establishment talk was rife. It was a proper movement back then. Goals, aims, members and a leadership structure.

The attacks were swift and ruthless. The leaders disappeared. No one knew whether they were in hiding or taken away to God knows where. It was certainly nowhere designed for pleasure.

Rumours spread. Forced human vaccine testing. Labour camps. Hangings. Back when rumours could be started. Before the data cables were severed.

Cellphone towers were blamed for Eskom’s power failure, and removed. Everyone remembered where they were the day the internet stopped.

Businesses failed. Food stocks dwindled. Money became pointless. There was nothing to buy.

⛥⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

⛥⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at #1 on Amazon. Find all my details at BurningBookLinks

⛥⛥

Cheers.

♠ NEW STORY – STARTS TODAY ♠

Isolation. For how long now? Connor tried to remember as he stared up through the leafy canopy to the blue Johannesburg sky ahead. Keep fit, keep active, he told himself as he started running the bare earth of the path around his garden. Around the house. Weeds poked through the bricks of the driveway and Connor slapped them with his hands as he ran.

What else was there to do, but run? Push ups, chin ups, star jumps. Connor knew how to take care of himself. Abandoned as a baby, he spent his life in and out of institutions. Orphanages, abusive foster parents, school and then the army.

The alternative to keeping fit was what? Veg in front of the TV like everyone else did and wait for death to come. When was the last time there was something new on? No sports, no new programming. All gatherings had been banned. How long ago was that now?

Just government-approved news. Connor tried not to watch. It had become an exercise in frustration, with the spokesperson never bothering to show up on time.

“My fellow South Africans, thanks to your government’s swift actions to contain Covid-19, deaths have been kept to a minimum.”

“My fellow South Africans, do not leave your homes.”

“My fellow South Africans, our borders remain closed to protect you against foreigners with Covid-19.”

“My fellow South Africans, rely on your government to deliver your state-approved groceries. We will do our best to help you through these difficult times. Help us by staying at home.”

⛥⛥

Read Big Day Out in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud. Or read them on Kindle Unlimited.

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

⛥⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at #1 on Amazon. Find all my details at BurningBookLinks

⛥⛥

Cheers.

♠ Nothing ♠

Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday to support new authors in Rivonia.

Weekly instalments of Dancing in Valhalla have come to an end. From next week, I’ll be serializing Big Day Out, a mad mercenary romp through the dystopian nightmare that Covid-19 might have become. Might still become, if we don’t keep our self-appointed leaders on a very short leash.

Check it out on Amazon, if you like. Or sit back and wait for weekly bite-sized chunks to be thrown your way.

⛥⛥

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud. Including the Burning Books sampler booklet (also available on Kindle Unlimited).

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

⛥⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at #1 on Amazon. Find all my details at BurningBookLinks

⛥⛥

Cheers.

♠ Songbird ♠

Noddy reached Janine’s door, focused on what he had to say. He’d been practicing on the way down from the roof. It was clear in his head, on the tip of his tongue. He turned the handle and stepped into the flat. He had to get it out now, while it was still fresh in his mind.

In his eagerness, he left the door open behind him. Janine looked up and smiled. Then she stopped smiling, eyes growing wide and straying from his face to look anxiously over his shoulder.

*

“Ah, man… Mick never liked you, did he?” Dirk took a last drag of his smoke, leaving it to hang from the corner of his mouth. He reached out with his free hand, stroking the tiny black feathers that covered the bird’s head and chest.

“Sorry, dude. You’re too far gone to save. At least your worries are over now. Poor bastard.”

He gripped the bird’s head between his thumb and forefinger and twisted.

That’s when he heard the gunshot.

⛥⛥

Read Dancing in Valhalla in weekly installments on FaceBook or WordPress. Receive notifications via Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, GoodReads, or Amazon, where you’ll find the whole book – 13 decadent twisted tales of mystery, music, magick & mayhem.

This is the last instalment I’ll be releasing on Facebook. If anyone cares what happens to the characters, check out the last chapter on Amazon.

Download FREE sampler previews of all my books – and some complete short stories – from PCloud. Including the new Burning Books sampler booklet (also available on Kindle Unlimited).

No charge. No obligation. No sign-in. Read for free. Share with your friends.

⛥⛥

If you have a book you’d like to publish, contact me to claim your 15 minutes of bestselling fame at #1 on Amazon. Find all my details at BurningBookLinks

Or catch me at the New Authors Book Fair in Rivonia on 15 August, if the govirusment lets it go ahead.

⛥⛥

Cheers.