Chris Huisjen

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C6: Heirs of a Cold War

By the time morning came—or what felt like morning based on the fifty-six hours we had left, anyway—I was as ready as I’d ever be. We’d stuffed my backpack full of battery bombs, each wrapped in paper screw bags filled with bits of hardwar...

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C5: Dropouts Who Make Their Own Rules

I wanted to check out the Tunnel Lord’s lair right away, but I’d been pushing all day, and my gear wasn’t ready for it, so I couldn’t exactly commit to a tough fight. Besides, I was Level Three. That was a lot for fighting a Rat Man, but i...

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C4: Inheriting Troubles

The next station south was Grand.

I rarely went farther south on the Red Line than Chicago Station. There wasn’t much need to since everything I needed was in Andersonville, and my job was a station north of here, but Grand was one of the ...

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C3: You Gotta Listen To My Words

The subway station-turned cave ended in two tunnels where the bathrooms had been, just beyond the turnstileagmites. If I remembered right, there wasn’t much space in the men’s room, so there shouldn’t be much danger in checking it out first....

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C2: Things Are Going Wrong For Me

As I looked around, I realized that I wasn’t standing in a subway tunnel. The walls weren’t tile or concrete, for one thing. They looked like they’d been hacked out of the stone around them with a pickaxe—or scraped clean by a giant armore...

Apocalypse Engineering B1 C1: Going Off the Rails

My headlamp panned around the guts of an old Ford Explorer. My sore, oil-soaked fingers worked across the half-disassembled transmission---everything else under the hood was pitch black. I’d been working on it for almost ten hours over two days....

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Sixteen

My last Parent/Teacher Conference was in sixth grade. At least, the last one Dad went to.

He didn’t pay much attention. I’m not sure he was even sober. But that didn’t matter, because Alice came with us. The teachers at Lansdowne gave ...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Fifteen

Alexander is a broken man.

He sits in his cell, and I watch him, searching his hopeless eyes for the truth I need to understand. Who he is. But a broken man isn’t the answer. That’s who this Alexander is. I want to know who...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Fourteen

Almost every knight is one of a few roles in Knights of the Apocalypse.

They all have different names and movesets, but almost every one of them is a tank, healer, or DPS. Occasionally, there’s a non-healing support class, but they’re no...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Thirteen

The most frustrating part of Knights of the Apocalypse is when my teammates disconnect.

When I disconnect, that’s fine. The game’s done—unless I want to try soloing max difficulty runs with a Tank Knight and no healers or damage dealer...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Twelve

SHOCKS Olympia Administrative Wing: Tram Platform, Washington, USA - June 19, 2043, 2:53 PM

- - - - -

Sora did her best to swallow the anger welling inside her chest.

That dumbass, Claire, was pushing her buttons...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Eleven

SHOCKS Olympia Tunnel Network Northwest, Washington, USA - June 19, 2043, 2:41 PM

- - - - -

That answers most of my questions about the spider. It’s not enough to solve the Inquiry, though, and as much as I’m ready...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Ten

Pizza sticks.

The cafeteria at Lansdowne served them all the time. They had options—the salad bar, pre-packaged sandwiches, and a couple of different hot lunch options. Pizza sticks came up more than they probably should have in the rotati...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Nine

Sora and I met in detention.

Because of course we did. I’ve mentioned that already.

The thing that sucked the most about middle school detention was that Dad was supposed to come get me. That was how you got out. Your parent came and...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Eight

Dad always kept his drinks wherever they were handy.

Under the counter. In the fridge. Where Alice and I could get to them without any trouble. He told us not to take them. He threatened us, and for a while, we listened.

But I had my f...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Seven

The Mindscape

- - - - -

The first thing Sidney Alexander does in your Mindscape is a surprise, but also not shocking at all. He breaks down crying, right there in the grass and the rosebushes. 2025-01-13 14:45:47 +0000 UTC View Post

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Six

Mom always felt like she had eyes in the back of her head.

She noticed things. Like when I hadn’t brushed my hair, or when I hadn’t eaten all my prunes. Even when she wasn’t in the same room, and I threw the nasty things ...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Five

James needed a connection.

He had plenty of contact with millions of devices both on Earth and in the space around it. Reality Zero was as well-watched as it could possibly be, and even though it was in danger, he wasn’t losing&nb...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Four

Realities stink.

That’s just a fact. But it’s not just roses and oil or daisies and rot. When I Mergewalk, the first few minutes are the worst—except in the diseased body reality. I usually get used to it. Nose blind. It’s a...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Three

The day we moved out of the hotel and into basic living was the day Dad started dying.

It’s been a long death, and it’s only recently—when he’s been forced—that he’s done anything to stop it. He used to be a rock. I’ve said tha...

Halcyon Post Tomorrow, not Today, and a Quick Writing Recap

Hi everyone,

Due to a scheduling issue with my holiday trip, I'm going to delay today's The Halcyon System post until tomorrow morning (approximately 24 hours). I didn't have as much downtime during the holidays as I'd hoped, and the editing...

Halcyon System 3 Chapter Two

Hey all. The holidays are upon us, and with them are more disruptions to my writing schedule. I have this chapter and one for next Monday written, but I may not have a Friday chapter this week. I'm going to get back on 2/week when January roll...