A. Medlin

Hi lovelies! Please enjoy an excerpt from chapter 9 of my novel DOG DOWN , and please let me know if you would like to read more! Please forgive me being scatterbrained and posting a day late as well! CW: mentions of death, mentions of zombies, animals in danger . . . . . Those three days after Korn’s death passed slowly. The dogs were bored, the kids were bored, and Mira was continuously curt with whatever human opened the door that day to bring food. She and the kids mostly contented themselves with talking lightly, playing games with small pieces of paper at the table, and twisting themselves into odd shapes on the floor, but they steered clear of the back corner where Benji and Indigo had had little choice but to relieve themselves. None of them were allowed outside, and Indigo took to staring out the window up at the sky almost the entire last day locked away. Three days later, the door was unlocked with a resounding click , and they were allowed out. The kids were whisked away ra...

I think a lot about my students, especially these days. I think a lot about their well-being, their safety, if they ate enough that day, if they got enough sleep. I think about their jobs, and their cars, and their families, their responsibilities. I try to remember being a student myself, with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I think about their safety a lot more these days. When I started teaching, I made it an unconscious habit, a terrible game if you will, to figure out escape routes from each of my classrooms. I still play occasionally, more often than occasionally. I know the best ways to keep doors sealed, or ways to hide or run without being seen on my side of campus. I've thought about these things a hundred million times. I'm a teacher in the USA. This is life. But now, I have additional concerns. I work at a HSI, a Hispanic Serving Institute. We are in the heart of Southern California, where the presence of agents has only increased as the weeks go on. LA has...

Hi lovelies! Please enjoy an excerpt from chapter 10 of my novel DOG DOWN , and please let me know if you would like to read more! CW: mentions of death, mentions of zombies, animals in danger, guns, blood, some gore and violence . . . . . Mira was playing with Indigo and Benji on one of the rare nights she wasn’t busy, the chill in the air a nice bite against the warm fur that covered the dogs’ bodies. Indigo especially had always enjoyed the cold, as she had a rather thick coat all year round, and she was content to be outside and active for once. All in all, it was a pleasant day, and things were quiet at the complex, other than talk of the supply party that was supposed to return later that day. And then the shouting began. Mira immediately dropped the ball she’d been tossing to Indigo and Benji, who both leapt for it before Indigo grabbed it. She did as she always did, trying to nuzzle it back into Mira’s hand, but the human was distracted, her attention turned towards the front e...

 Hello, and welcome to my newest blog hop contribution! Thanks for reading if you do <3 ----- “Will the first two Puppeteers please step forward!” The games began quickly, with the first two Puppeteers stepping up to their gaming screens so they could better watch their Puppets. The two Puppets then stepped out into the center ring. First round would be knives, second round would be guns, and the last round would be specialized. Whether all three rounds would be needed was anyone’s guess. Allen wasn’t first. In fact, he would be one of the last to go. But that gave him a lot of time to get the lay of the land and figure out the best strategies for playing this game. Hours of gaming at home would come in handy here, he knew that. But it didn’t hurt having an edge in this specific game, especially when his life was on the line. He’d never lost. Four rounds later, and it was his turn. Allen took a deep breath from behind the mask and stepped up to his screen. He could see his...

 Hi lovelies! I'm a day late, sorry about that! Here's the next novel excerpt from Dog Down!! CW: animals in danger . . . . . Indigo was about to say something about heading back when she heard scuffling coming from the top of the dumpster. All three animals seemed to hear it, as each of them jerked their head in that direction. The scuffling stopped then, for several long moments, and Indigo almost thought they’d all imagined it. But then there it was again, and Indigo took the initiative to tentatively step forward a few steps. “Hello?” she thought-voiced when she was close enough to the dumpster. “Gracias a dios!” a gruff voice came from the dumpster, followed by the appearance of the squarest dog head Indigo had ever seen, which caused her to jump back in surprise. “I thought you guys were those dead humans! Man, am I glad to see other animals,” the bulldog thought-voiced with a tilt of his head. “I’ve been in here for like three hours,” he huffed, looking down at the groun...

Hi lovelies! My apologies for not posting this last night, but here's a sneak peek of a flash fiction piece I'm writing! Enjoy 🥰 . . . . . Father Marcus screamed when the vision appeared before him, stumbling back over a few pews as he tried to clamor away from the creature that had appeared before him. “Be not afraid,” the many voices of the incomprehensible mass of energy spoke, and Father Marcus screamed again. That was ten years ago today. At that moment, Father Marcus was half-heartedly listening to some trivial confessions as the seconds ticked by in slow motion. He’d heard a million apologies about broken promises, disobeying direct orders from parents and authority, taking the Lord’s name in vain, it went on and on. The confession about leaving a shit in the toilet at the mall almost made him keel over, but he’d managed to hold it together. When the regular parishioners were gone, Father Marcus sighed, then locked the big doors leading into the holy sanctum of St. Anth...